Climate change campaigners just gained a powerful establishment ally — and a new road map, though it remains to be seen if humanity can follow it.
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An International Energy Agency report outlines the “narrow but achievable” pathway to hitting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, namely: “no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects, and no further final investment decisions for new unabated coal plants.”
That had climate campaigners rejoicing that they can now point to IEA as an ally.
The report says that to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world must make a laundry list of changes, including:
And in a sign of things to come, Air France-KLM flew an Airbus A350 across the Atlantic from Paris to Montreal yesterday, powered by a biofuel made largely from used cooking oil.
ICYMI: A Devex Pro special report, The Climate Finance Challenge
SCHOOL’S OUT
While the U.K. heavily promotes its agenda for girls’ education around the world — including a pre-G-7 publicity campaign and a publicly stated target of getting 40 million more girls into school by 2026 — the sector isn’t being spared in its ongoing chaotic budget cuts. A new analysis by Save the Children found that the funding slashes will mean 700,000 fewer girls will receive an education around the world, Will Worley reports.
Read: UK aid cuts will mean 700,000 fewer girls will get an education, NGOs say
Go deeper: Campaigning NGOs face 'challenging,’ 'antagonistic' UK environment
+ A reminder: Will is tracking all the U.K. aid cuts.
AFRICA’S NEW DEAL
A summit on financing African economies Tuesday saw French President Emmanuel Macron make the case for the continent to receive at least $100 billion in Special Drawing Rights from the International Monetary Fund’s recent $650 billion allocation — up from the $33 billion originally foreseen. Read the communiqué from the summit that the French president dubbed the start of a “New Deal for Africa.”
And SDRs? Adva Saldinger has got you covered with this explainer.
SHOT SHORTAGE
The CEO of the Serum Institute of India — the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer — says that it will scale up vaccine manufacturing and “prioritise India” as the country faces a deadly surge in COVID-19 infections.
That could put a damper on COVAX’s ability to deliver doses, as the institute was a major supplier until a temporary hold on major exports of vaccine doses went into effect in March. Now it’ll be out of commission for months at least, though the statement said it “hope[s]” to restart deliveries before 2022.
Read: Serum Institute aims to restart COVAX deliveries end of 2021, says CEO
Meanwhile, Teresa Welsh reports from the ground in Guatemala, where a second shipment of Russia’s Sputnik vaccines — 50,000 doses — is expected to arrive tomorrow to help mitigate the vaccine shortage exacerbated by India’s export restrictions.
MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS
The pandemic has disrupted milk donations and driven up demand, with many women afraid or unable to leave their homes to donate and the deaths of new mothers driving need. But a virtual network of milk banks, initially formed via WhatsApp, has been helping individual institutions to navigate the challenges.
On World Day of Human Milk Donation, Catherine Cheney reports that this informal network is now working to formalize the bond as the Global Alliance of Milk Banks and Associations. That requires fundraising, but the network hopes it will lead to not just sharing best practices, but innovation in the field of milk banking.
Read: New virtual network brings together global milk banks
IN OTHER NEWS
Vaccinating low-risk children in some countries ahead of the vulnerable population in the rest of the world is morally wrong, says a scientist who worked on the AstraZeneca vaccine. [BBC]
Israeli airstrikes have displaced over 52,000 Palestinians and have damaged critical infrastructure, including hospitals, sewage systems, and a desalination plant. [Reuters]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval ratings fell to a new low as India's COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours rose to a new record of 4,529. [Al Jazeera]
About the authors
Amy Liebermanamylieberman
Amy Lieberman is the U.N. Correspondent for Devex. She covers the United Nations and reports on global development and politics. Amy previously worked as a freelance reporter, covering the environment, human rights, immigration, and health across the U.S. and in more than 10 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Nepal, and Cambodia. Her coverage has appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Slate, and the Los Angeles Times. A native New Yorker, Amy received her master’s degree in politics and government from Columbia’s School of Journalism.
Vince Chadwickvchadw
Vince Chadwick is a contributing reporter at Devex. A law graduate from Melbourne, Australia, he was social affairs reporter for The Age newspaper, before covering breaking news, the arts, and public policy across Europe, including as a reporter and editor at POLITICO Europe. He was long-listed for International Journalist of the Year at the 2023 One World Media Awards.
