Chile

Politics

Environment, Science & Technology

Chile's Senate ratified the regional Escazu Agreement, which increases environmental protections, following President Gabriel Boric's suggestion that Chile ratify the agreement, Bio Bio reported May 31.

Chile: Senate Ratifies Escazu Agreement

Environmental Issues

United States

New Zealand

Vanuatu

Economics

The island nation of Vanuatu declared a climate emergency and estimated that it needs $1.2 billion to mitigate climate effects, Phys.org reported May 28.

Vanuatu: Pacific Island Nations Prioritize Climate Change

Europe

Energy

Broadly speaking, most Western oil majors successfully got shareholders to back their climate plans and reject aggressive climate-related resolutions at their annual general meetings, Reuters reported May 25.

U.S., EU: Western Majors Face Less Shareholder Activism This Year

South Africa

Heavy rains flooded South Africa's eastern KwaZulu Natal province over the weekend, leading hundreds of people to evacuate their homes as roads flooded and housing settlements collapsed, Reuters reported May 22.

South Africa: More Flooding to Delay Rebuilding in KwaZulu-Natal

Supply Chains

France

Germany

United Kingdom

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the European Union have offered to guarantee South African debt that is part of the $8.5 billion climate deal intended to replace the country's reliance on coal with clean energy sources, Bloomberg reported May 19.

South Africa: Western Countries Offer Debt Guarantees on Climate Deal

Senegal

Canada

Indonesia

Japan

Vietnam

Italy

India

The Group of Seven (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) announced that it will provide technical and financial support for countries to transition away from coal, Nikkei Asia reported May 16.

Global: G-7 Promises Aid to Transition Countries Away From Coal

A study published by the World Weather Attribution group found that human-induced climate change exacerbated the impacts of flooding in Durban, South Africa, after extreme rainfall from April 11-12, the AP reported May 13.

South Africa: Climate Change Intensified Rainfall That Led to Durban Flooding

The top Canda court in Alberta province ruled that Canada's federal Impact Assessment Act is unconstitutional, and Canada's federal government said it will appeal to the Supreme Court, CTV News Calgary reported May 10.

Canada: Alberta Court Rules Key Federal Environmental Assessment Law Unconstitutional

Climate and weather are overlooked agents in geopolitics. They govern the production of agriculture, disrupts supply chains and, in some cases, takes lives. And the ways in which climate changes will dramatically, if unpredictably, affect the behavior of nations, especially the behavior of those that have fewer resources than others. In some cases, however, change will come slow, and when it does the more immediate political and economic concerns will overshadow and even impede measures to mitigate it. How countries’ adapt to these changes, however, will depend not only on the advancements in new energy technologies but also on the affordability of current ones.

Climate is an overlooked agent in geopolitics.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Agriculture

A Crude Recovery

Globalization

Social Issues

China in Transition

Assessments

Guidance

Colombia

Centrist candidate Federico Gutierrez (right) speaks next to left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro (left) in Bogota on May 23, 2022, during the last presidential debate before Colombians begin casting ballots to elect their next leader. 

Military & Security

Whoever wins the upcoming vote will be tasked with mitigating widespread calls for systemic change, including transitioning to clean energy and enacting complex tax reforms. 

The Challenges Facing Colombia's Next President

Security

Security Challenges in Latin America

China

Russia

A man stands near burning waste at a coal mine in Sonbhadra, India, on Nov. 22, 2021. High oil and gas prices amid the war in Ukraine risks making India, the world’s second-largest coal consumer, even more reliant on the cheapest (and dirtiest) fossil fuel.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The conflict and resulting oil crisis may hasten the adoption of renewables, but the strain on Western nations' budgets and ties with China will ultimately harm the greater fight against climate change.

How the Ukraine Crisis Will Impact Global Climate and Clean Energy Efforts

Snapshots

Low water levels are seen at the main river in Baidoa, Somalia, on Feb. 13, 2022, amid a historic drought in the region.

The economic fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war is leaving more people hungry in a region already facing major droughts, political unrest and armed insurgencies.

Food Shortages Risk Destabilizing Sub-Saharan Africa's Fragile Governments

Reactor buildings and water storage tanks are seen at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan, on March 5, 2022 -- nearly 11 years after a massive earthquake triggered a devastating meltdown.

A Japanese Awakening

Nuclear power could quickly boost generation capacity and lower emissions. Restarting the country's reactors, however, won't be easy.

Rising Support for Nuclear Power Will Help, but Won’t Ensure, Japan Hits Its Climate Goals

A photo shows presidential candidates' election posters on a billboard in La Baussaine, western France, on March 29, 2022. 

European Disintegration

If he wins, Macron will focus his second term on increasing state intervention in the French economy and making the EU more self-reliant.

Previewing France's Presidential Election

Columns

On Geopolitics

A Russian serviceman stands guard by a military truck on Alexandra Land, the largest island in Russia's Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, in May 2021.  

Echoes of the Cold War

Russia's Internal Struggle

The West's response to the Ukraine invasion will further compel Russia to secure its vast Arctic region, which holds much of the country's resource wealth.

NATO Tensions Reinforce and Complicate Russia's Arctic Ambitions

Democratic Republic of the Congo

A man supervises a conveyor belt loaded with raw cobalt at a plant in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Feb. 16, 2018. 

President Tshisekedi's push to renegotiate the contracts inked by his predecessor is unlikely to make the Central African country's mining sector any less volatile.

What to Make of Congo's Revenue Dispute With Mining Giant China Molybdenum

Demonstrators in Santiago take part in a protest against Chilean President Sebastian Pinera’s efforts to privatize the country’s lithium industry on Jan. 7, 2022. 

The outgoing president's left-wing successor and the delegates drafting Chile's new constitution will likely seek to strengthen state control over mining projects. 

In Chile’s Lithium Sector, the End of Pinera’s Privatization Era Nears

A photo taken on Jan. 12, 2022, shows a gas-fired power plant in Lingen, Germany. 

Pushback from national governments and EU lawmakers over what energy sources and activities should be considered “sustainable” could delay the list’s ratification.

What Disputes Over Gas and Nuclear Mean for the EU’s Green Finance Taxonomy

Israel

Jordan

United Arab Emirates

Part of a new solar plant, funded by the German government, is seen at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on Nov. 13, 2017.

The pact could be the first of many that help Arab states prepare for a hotter and drier future by fusing Isreal’s technological expertise with the UAE’s wealth. 

Normalized UAE-Israeli Ties Yield a Climate-Focused Trade Deal With Jordan 

Israel's Survival Strategy

FDP leader Christian Lindner, SPD leader Olaf Scholz and the co-leaders of Germany's Greens party Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck (left to right) pose during a press conference in Berlin after presenting their coalition agreement on Nov. 24, 2021. 

After nearly two months of talks, the center-left SPD, environmentalist Greens and pro-business FDP have reached a coalition deal to form Germany’s post-Merkel government. 

German Parties Agree on a New Government. Now What?

The towers of a coal-fired power state are seen on the outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa, on Oct. 13, 2021. 

Corruption, funding gaps and political pressure will make it difficult for Africa’s largest carbon emitter to significantly cut its reliance on coal.

What Stands in the Way of South Africa’s New Climate Goals

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

Environmental Issues

SITUATION REPORTS

Chile: Senate Ratifies Escazu Agreement

Vanuatu: Pacific Island Nations Prioritize Climate Change

U.S., EU: Western Majors Face Less Shareholder Activism This Year

South Africa: More Flooding to Delay Rebuilding in KwaZulu-Natal

South Africa: Western Countries Offer Debt Guarantees on Climate Deal

Global: G-7 Promises Aid to Transition Countries Away From Coal

South Africa: Climate Change Intensified Rainfall That Led to Durban Flooding

Canada: Alberta Court Rules Key Federal Environmental Assessment Law Unconstitutional

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