A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Treading Water: Why Were Libya’s Floods So Devastating? 

This week’s devastating disasters in Morocco and Libya underscore the cascading effects of environmental shocks (and in the case of Libya, climate-related shocks), as well as the cross-sectoral response needed to comprehensively address the damage. 

Take the Libyan city of Derna. The aftermath of Storm Daniel has left over 11,300 dead there – a total confirmed by the Libyan Red Crescent. Derna’s mayor suggested that this toll eventually could reach 20,000. Experts have attributed the scale of the disaster to corruption, poor infrastructure maintenance, and political infighting in that country.

Derna’s dams had not been properly maintained since 2002. Aljazeera reports that despite warnings, no action was taken. This neglect is believed to have exacerbated the city’s flood risk, highlighting the impact of the region’s lack of investment in critical infrastructure .

Horrific scenes in Libya and Morocco have the UN scaling up its disaster relief efforts to supplement the insufficient governmental response. A flash appeal will allocate $71 million for 250,000 Libyans over the next three months, but urgent action is needed elsewhere as well.

LISTEN | To Be Young, Libyan, and Female: Alaa Murabit on Building Civil Society After Gaddafi

The Challenging Path to Clean Energy: Assessing Uzbekistan Before COP28

As Climate Week, the UN General Assembly–and, of course, the imminent COP28–draw near, the season for climate summits is in full swing, drawing policymakers and diplomats from around the world. Yet the potential challenges to global action are clear. The United Arab Emirates will host COP28, even as the UAE’s national energy company plans to invest $150 billion over 5 years in fossil fuel production. 

The UAE is attempting to strike a balance. Sultan al-Jaber runs both the Emirates’ oil company and a renewable energy company in addition to the Emirate’s oil company. These dual investments in renewable energy and fossil fuels do raise questions about whether they are in conflict – or even cancel each other out.

Renewable energy investments from the UAE do benefit countries like Uzbekistan, where energy infrastructure needs upgrading. Yet the New York Times also found Uzbeks who were happy to accept substantial fossil fuel production investments that also contribute to carbon emissions. While UAE investments could help the Central Asian country transition to clean energy, the funds used to build up fossil fuel production in that nation may prove a hurdle to change. 

READ | Power Play: Can Micro-Hydropower Electrify Remote Afghanistan and Promote Peace?

Charting Climate Finance: Current Experience and Future Directions

The urgency of reforming climate finance has gained widespread attention from international institutions, policymakers, regulators, and the corporate sector, with a focus on achieving a carbon-neutral global economy. So what did a recent report by the Asian Development Bank on recent efforts of policymakers and corporate leader’s efforts to address climate change tell us about the trends? 

This new research found that there is a growing commitment in the private sector to achieve net-zero economies, but some corporate leaders are now demanding specific plans to ensure effective progress and avoid wasted efforts or economic setbacks. The report also observes that policymakers and regulators are incorporating climate change into their mandates and seeking concrete actions to protect the environment while attempting to preserve corporate interests.

READ | A Climate Finance Rethink Can Help Those Most Impacted by Climate Change