America’s Rohingya genocide determination an important first step
Since the return of partial democracy in Myanmar in 2010, the Rohingya have been the target of persecution, ethnic cleansing and genocide. As of now, about 1 million Rohingya are living as refugees around Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, having fled the military violence of 2017. A further 600,000 are held in internal camps in Rakhine state completely at the mercy of the military authorities, having been displaced by the ethnic violence of 2012-13. A further 300,000 to 400,000 of the community are scattered across the region, from India to Thailand, with no rights (since none of these states will give them refugee status).
Myanmar is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, where the former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, sought to defend the military violence and avoid mentioning the word “Rohingya.” Even before the 2021 military coup, the ICJ was sufficiently concerned about the fate of the Rohingya still in Myanmar that it ordered the government to show how it would protect this “extremely vulnerable” community from the risk of further violence. The coup has effectively prevented further progress at the ICJ, although the hearings continue. US policy toward Myanmar has changed since 2010. Initially, along with the EU, it was supportive of Suu Kyi and prepared to downplay the persecution of the Rohingya in an attempt to support the claimed process of moving Myanmar toward democracy. In 2018, the State Department started to investigate the events of 2017 and this led to the Trump administration declaring it had been an act of ethnic cleansing by the military. Last week, however, the Biden administration opted, for the first time, to describe this as an act of genocide. Its reasons may have included worsening relations with Russia (a major supporter of the regime), but also that the junta clearly has no interest in a renewal of democratic reform.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.