The US–Israeli war launched against Iran in 2026 may be remembered as the moment fossil-fuel dependence became more than a mere abstraction for the Global South. Brent crude quickly surged past $100 a barrel. Iran militarized the Strait of Hormuz (through which 20 million barrels a day, or a fifth of global oil consumption, normally flow) and retaliated against regional energy infrastructure. Qatar declared force majeure on its liquefied natural gas exports after Iranian drone attacks. Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery shut down.

Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally, contributing around 2.5% of total global CO₂ emissions. In China, aviation contributes about 12% of the nation’s transport-related emissions, making it a critical sector to address as the country aims for carbon neutrality by 2060. Despite ambitious global targets, international sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production is falling behind schedule. A recent report highlights that worldwide production could fall 30% to 45% short of the global aviation sector’s 2030 goals due to high production costs, economic uncertainty, and slow adoption rates.

A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program 

“Intractable” systemic problems mean carbon offsets fail to cut global heating  (The Guardian) 

A recent review of 25 years of evidence found that carbon credit quality issues stem from deep-seated structural flaws, and not isolated cases of fraud. Researchers point to four major flaws that undermine most carbon offset projects. The worst problems include issuing credits for already-planned projects, impermanent solutions (forests that later burn), incidences of leakage (such as protecting one forest area while pushing logging elsewhere), and double-counting which allows both seller and buyer to claim the same emission reduction.  

A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program 

New Report On Women’s Access to UN Indigenous and Community Land Rights Funding (Mongabay) 

A study published by the Rights and Resources Initiative and the Women in the Global South Alliance reveals that despite the central role women play in conservation and community resilience, 50% of women’s organizations lack core funding and rely heavily on volunteer labor. The report assessed how network members are benefitting in real terms from the $1.7 billion in funding for Indigenous and community land rights pledged at the 2021 UN climate conference. 

Amazon Nations Sign Political Blueprint for Rainforest Protection (Associated Press)

Presidents from South America’s Amazon nations gathered in Colombia’s capital to sign the Declaration of Bogotá on August 22, 2025,. This political blueprint establishes cooperation across a region that spans over 2.5 million square miles and has a crucial role in to play as a massive carbon sink that slows global warming. Signatories hope that it is a sign that the region will move past political rhetoric to concrete actions.