Addressing climate resilience needs in fragile states is one of the biggest outstanding gaps in climate finance. However, recent research suggests it is also one of the biggest opportunities, including for addressing crucial conflict drivers. COP28 will bring together the major stakeholders needed to tackle this problem.
The APEC Summit presents an opportunity for the U.S. to prioritize human rights in climate policy. To begin, this requires considering the conditions in which climate activists operate as a metric of successful climate response. And the human rights landscape across key U.S. partner states in the Indo-Pacific isn’t promising.
Fears of a commodities trap are once again inflaming politics across Latin America. The latest illustration of the tensions and tradeoffs at the heart of these confrontations comes from Panama, where recent protests have forced the country to restrict new mining projects and may shut down a globally significant copper mine.
Most international coverage of Panama’s drought focuses on shipping delays through the Panama Canal. Locals are more worried about its impact on potable water. More worrying is the fact that Panama is not the only Latin American country currently facing water scarcity. To the contrary, the entire region is in the grips of a dry spell.
Nobody can blame Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for how quickly Tropical Storm Otis grew into the hurricane that devastated Acapulco on Oct. 25. But AMLO’s failure in responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Otis’ landfall is the logical culmination of key policies that define his term in office.
The surge in investor demand for “green finance” is good news for the environment, representing a potential reservoir of urgently needed funds to stabilize the climate. But is green finance really the answer? Possibly, but not without substantial reform and regulation, starting with a clearer definition of what it is—and isn’t.