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

EU Parliament Suspends Rwandan Critical Mineral Pact Over Links to DRC Conflict (Mongabay)

Rwanda and the DRC both have large reserves of critical minerals essential to the clean energy transition. Yet the EU has voted to suspend a cooperation agreement on mineral extraction in the region after the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 seized key areas in the DRC’s eastern provinces.

Environmental peacebuilding offers a promising framework to address deeply intertwined environmental challenges and conflict dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean. So why has it not delivered fully on this promise? In an interview with ESCP, Julian Higuera-Florez, a research specialist in climate, peace, and security at the Alliance of Biodiversity and CIAT and CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security, discussed a new policy brief, Environmental Peacebuilding in Latin America and the Caribbean: Bridging Gaps and Harnessing Opportunities, co-authored with the UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean Hub.

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

Africa Energy Bank Aims to Boost Energy Supply (Al Jazeera)

Nearly 43% of the African continent lacks consistent access to electricity, which is the lowest level of modern energy usage in the world. A newly established Africa Energy Bank aims to boost the energy supply on the continent through investments in energy infrastructure projects.

Global greenhouse gas emissions continue in stark contrast to the emissions reductions needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Indeed, planetary warming has accelerated so much that many scientists warn that key components of the earth’s system are approaching “tipping points” that will trigger additional climate feedback loops that further fuel and exacerbate climate disruption if they are exceeded.

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

Indonesia Considers Paris Agreement Exit Following US Withdrawal (Mongabay)

The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has led other countries to reconsider their commitments to the international environmental treaty. In Indonesia, for instance, top officials have questioned whether developing countries should be expected to comply with the agreement as major polluters (including the US) opt out.

Fifty-three years have passed since the 1972 United Nations Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment that led to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Yet a recent UN report describes the global efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created to articulate aims and track progress over the past decade as “alarmingly insufficient.”

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

The Success of Community-based Conservation in Africa (Yale 360)

Across Africa, herders once seen as threats to wildlife have now become vital conservationists. In a transformative shift from “fortress conservation” to community stewardship, they are protecting iconic species like elephants and lions as they coexist with their livestock.

In recent weeks, users of the social network Bluesky were able to watch a compelling video featuring Jessica Newberry Le Vey—a Climate Change and Health Policy Fellow at Imperial College’s Climate Cares Centre. The video begins with Le Vey’s direct-to-camera assertion that the climate crisis is a health crisis affecting people around the world. Then Le Vey’s image disappears—yet we hear her (or someone who sounds eerily like her) speak over a compendium of combat footage that includes video of ATACAM missiles being fired and larger strategic missiles on the move. Climate is important, declares the speaker, but there are more serious problems that threaten our security.