International
Iraq: In Iraq, Record Oil Revenues Are Resulting in Dramatic Infrastructure Investment
Sep 26, 2023
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Dennis Buckly, New York Tech
As a vital member of the OPEC alliance, Iraq’s plentiful oil and gas reserves are well documented with multiple international actors keen to work closely…
Middle East and North Africa: Water Stress Worsens Food Insecurity Crisis in Arab States
Sep 26, 2023
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Mohammed El-Said, New Arab
Water stress and scarcity have increased food insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa region. The climate crisis has affected rainfall patterns, resulting in…
Arctic: Climate Change, Chinese and Russian Military Activity Increase Risk in the Arctic
Sep 25, 2023
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Kylie Bielby, Homeland Security
According to the U.S. Army’s Arctic strategy, Russia seeks to consolidate sovereign claims and control access to the region while China aims to gain access…
DRC: Forced Evictions from DR Congo Mineral-Rich Villages Blights Outlook
Sep 25, 2023
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Patrick Ilunga, East African
Kolwezi town in the Democratic Republic of Congo was nicknamed the cobalt capital of the world for having plenty of the mineral. The town in…
Ukraine/Russia: Ukraine War: Training to Clear the World's Most Heavily Mined Country
Sep 25, 2023
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Jonathan Beale, BBC
Specialist British military bomb disposal teams are training Ukrainian engineers to clear Russian minefields. Ukraine is now the most heavily mined country in the world,…
Azerbaijan: Thousands of Armenians Flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan Reclaims Separatist Region
Sep 25, 2023
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Associated Press
Thousands of Armenians streamed out of Nagorno-Karabakh after the Azerbaijani military reclaimed full control of the breakaway region while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited…
Afghanistan: America’s War in Afghanistan Devastated the Country’s Environment in Ways That May Never Be Cleaned up
Sep 25, 2023
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Lynzy Billing, Inside Climate News
Afghans who lived near America’s vast bases say the U.S. military's lack of even minimal environmental protections polluted their land, poisoned their water and sickened…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Region Oil Export Resumption to Be 'Piloted', Says SOMO Source
Sep 24, 2023
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Kurdistan 24
The Kurdistan Region's oil export is expected to be resumed as a test through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline "soon", an Iraqi State Organization for Marketing of…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Export Pipeline Closure Wreaks Havoc on Kurdish Region Economy
Sep 21, 2023
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Sinan Mahmoud, The National
The once-thriving oil industry in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq has ground to a halt as the closure of the export pipeline to Turkey,…
Iraq: New Iraqi Oil Law to Allow Production Sharing with Foreign Firms
Sep 21, 2023
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Zawya
A new historic Iraqi oil and gas law that could be approved after the December local elections will allow foreign companies to have a share…
Uganda: Young Women in Uganda Lead Nationwide Action Against Climate Change
Sep 20, 2023
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UN Women
Over the last two years, Uganda has seen a flowering of climate activism led by young women and girls.
Myanmar: Establishing Community-Managed Fish Conservation Zones in the Sittaung River, Myanmar
Sep 20, 2023
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International Union for Conservation of Nature
Historically in Myanmar, fishing rights were awarded to businesses with little if any community benefit. Under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, new fisheries…
Myanmar: Junta Plans Major Hike in Annual Licensing Fees for Gem Traders
Sep 20, 2023
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Aung Naing, Myanmar Now
The junta is reportedly considering raising its annual licensing fees for gem retailers by sixfold in early 2024. The shift would apply to several types…
Liberia: Weary of Logging Contracts, Locals Doubtful of Carbon Deal
Sep 19, 2023
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Emmanuel Sherman, Observer
Forest communities across the country have shown reluctance over Liberia’s negotiation with UAE-based Blue Carbon fearing it would fail them like logging contracts. Blue Carbon, owned by…
Breaking the Silos: A New U.S. Strategy Linking Gender Equality & Climate Action
Sep 18, 2023
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Aubrey R. Paris, US State Department
Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment strengthens our ability to combat climate change, helping us to reduce emissions and build resilience.
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Increases Financial Support for Kurdish Autonomous Region
Sep 18, 2023
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Al Jazeera
Iraq’s federal government is giving the administration of the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region more money to allow it to pay salaries. Sunday’s decision was announced…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Optimistic but No Quick Resolution in Baghdad Oil Dispute
Sep 16, 2023
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Selcan Hacaoglu, Bloomberg
Delegates from Iraqi Kurdistan expressed optimism after talks with Baghdad last week over resuming oil exports from the semi-autonomous region, but a top Kurdish official…
Afghanistan: The Wild, Green Shrub in Afghanistan That Is Dividing Drug Experts
Sep 16, 2023
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Lucy Cormack, Sydney Morning Herald
A wild, green shrub that has grown for centuries in the central mountains of Afghanistan is dividing international drug experts probing the embattled nation’s ballooning…
Egypt/Ethiopia/Sudan: Why Ethiopia’s $5 Billion Dam Has Riled Its Neighbors
Sep 15, 2023
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Fasika Tadesse and Michael Cohen, Bloomberg
Ethiopia has been at loggerheads with downstream neighbors Egypt and Sudan for years over a $5 billion mega-dam it’s built on the Nile River’s biggest…
Turkey: Turkey Appeals against Arbitration Ruling on Iraq and Kurdistan Oil Exports
Sep 15, 2023
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Ragip Soylu, Middle East Eye
Turkey has filed an application to the International Chamber of Commerce against Iraq to overturn an arbitration ruling which struck Ankara with a net $1.4bn…
Afghanistan: Value of Signed Contracts in Mining Sector Reaches Nearly $7 Billion
Sep 15, 2023
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Bibi Amina Hakimi, TOLOnews
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said that the value of contracts signed in the mining sector in the past two years has reached…
Afghanistan: In a First, Panjsher’s Emerald Sold at Home
Sep 15, 2023
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Emal Rahimi, Pajhwok
For the first time a 1,244 karat emerald stone discovered in central Panjsher province has been sold in the country.
Turkey: Turkiye Seeks to Overturn ICC Ruling on Iraq Pipeline Exports: Official
Sep 15, 2023
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The Cradle
Turkiye has appealed to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) against Iraq to overturn the arbitration demanding that Ankara pay damages over its illegal oil…
Myanmar: Myanmar's Forests Fall Victim to Conflict
Sep 14, 2023
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Rebecca L. Root, Nikkei
From Kalaw town's bamboo forest to the Hsipaw Reserved Forest in Shan State and the freshwater swamps that flank the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's forests rank…
Sudan: Gold Production in Sudan Dwindles to Two Tons Due to Ongoing Conflict
Sep 14, 2023
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Sudan Tribune
A Sudanese public company has disclosed a significant decline in gold production during the five-month-long conflict, plummeting to a mere 2 tons, in stark contrast…
DRC: Mining Metals Vital for EVs Is ‘Wrecking Lives’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Report Finds
Sep 14, 2023
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Euronews Green
The report from Amnesty International and the DRC-based Initiative for Good Governance and Human Rights details how the search for the minerals has forcibly uprooted…
Liberia: RICCE Wants Gender Mainstreamed In Oil Palm Development Fund Bill
Sep 12, 2023
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GNNLiberia
The Rural Integrated Center for Community Empowerment (RICCE) wants gender mainstreamed into the Oil Palm Development Fund Bill currently being scrutinized by civil society organizations,…
Conflict Minerals: Tin Producer Minsur Launches Digital Tracing System for Conflict-Free Metals
Sep 12, 2023
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The Deep Dive
One of the world’s leading tin producers is embarking on a transformative journey towards enhanced transparency and ethical sourcing in the mining industry. Minsur SA,…
Colombia: Colombia Was Deadliest Country for Environmentalists in 2022, Advocacy Group Says
Sep 12, 2023
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Oliver Griffin, Reuters
Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad, Erbil Relations on Edge as Both Sides Disagree over Oil Revenue
Sep 12, 2023
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Wladimir van Wilgenburg, S&P Global Platts
Relations between Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan region continue to fester, with Erbil's embattled oil industry -- already reeling from the refusal of neighboring…