Environmental Chess
NEED TO KNOW
Environmental Chess
AZERBAIJAN
World leaders, diplomats, and environmentalists first convened the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Berlin, Germany in 1995.
Since then, at these annual meetings referred to as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, leaders often have mediated the distribution of wealth from industrialized countries: That means nations that have powered their economies for years with carbon-emitting fossil fuels, transferring funds to developing nations that are now attempting to grow sustainably and say they are feeling the brunt of climate change.
Recently, for instance, at the COP29 in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, attendees initially agreed that the most vulnerable countries need $1.3 trillion annually to prepare for rising sea levels, more intense storms, longer droughts, and other climate change-related crises, Euronews wrote. But ultimately the rich countries agreed to fork out only $300 billion.
Representatives from developing countries were outraged. “I regret to say that this document is nothing more than an optical illusion,” Indian delegate Chandni Raina told the gathering, according to Reuters. “This, in our opinion, will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face.”
Energy expert Alice Hill at the Council on Foreign Relations noted that, while COP delegates failed on the main issues, they made progress on others like helping carbon markets and expanding energy storage worldwide.
But other issues arguably tainted COP29, too. Human rights groups charged Azerbaijani authorities with cracking down on dissidents, activists, and journalists who might be critical of the regime of the South Caucasic country’s President Ilham Aliyev, the Washington Post reported.
Some of those critical voices pointed out how Azerbaijan was a hydrocarbon-producing country that hoped to increase, not decrease, energy revenues from the COP29 – while using the government’s absolute control to stifle dissenting voices. Aliyev even recently referred to oil and gas in his former Soviet republic as a “gift of the God.”
Temperatures worldwide, meanwhile, are now forecast to be 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit higher by the end of the century. That’s 3.1 degrees Celsius – more than twice the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius that world leaders have targeted in their campaign to cut greenhouse gas emissions, explained the UN Environment Program.
Guardian columnist George Monbiot warned that failing to solve the problem would abet a collapse to rival that of the fall of the dinosaurs.
Some leaders are preparing. Australia and Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation with a population of 11,200 people, recently signed a groundbreaking agreement to help the Tuvalu people survive if and when rising sea levels make its territory uninhabitable.
Under the agreement starting next year, World Politics Review wrote, 2.5 percent of Tuvalu’s population can emigrate to Australia annually, while Australia will fund coastal infrastructure in Tuvalu, and the two countries will expand their security cooperation.
Retreat, as the leaders of Tuvalu now believe, is sometimes the only option.
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Coming Back to Life
SYRIA
Syrian rebels seized much of Aleppo over the weekend, triggering airstrikes by Russia and Iran, and posing the most significant challenge to President Bashar Assad’s government in years, even as the renewed conflict is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis, the Washington Post reported.
The rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), advanced from their stronghold in the northeastern province of Idlib and overran key areas of Aleppo, including the city’s airport and a military academy. This marks the first time insurgents have controlled an international airport in the war.
Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media show HTS fighters raising their flag over Aleppo’s citadel and freeing prisoners.
Civilians in Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, described fear and chaos, with hundreds fleeing the metropolis or moving to regime- or Kurdish-controlled areas. Those who remained were subjected to night-time curfews imposed by the rebels.
In his first public comments since the offensive, Assad vowed to defend Syria’s “territorial integrity” and defeat the rebels, calling for continued resistance against people whom he described as “terrorists and their supporters.”
His regime – supported by Russian airpower and Iranian militias – launched a series of counter-attacks: Over the weekend, Russian and Syrian warplanes bombed rebel-held areas in Aleppo province and Idlib, with officials claiming to have killed 300 militants in strikes on rebel command posts and artillery positions.
Meanwhile, the Syrian army redeployed forces to key positions in the nearby Hama province, claiming to have stopped the rebels’ advance in the south. Even so, the HTS countered that it has captured at least four towns in the region, the Financial Times noted.
The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 412 fatalities, including more than 40 civilians, since the fighting began, Agence France-Presse reported.
Observers said the offensive underscores the Assad regime’s fragility despite controlling roughly 70 percent of Syria, mainly because its allies are preoccupied with other conflicts, such as Russia’s war in Ukraine.
HTS’ ability to coordinate a large-scale attack, and its leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s declaration of intent to “reach the heart of Damascus,” prompted questions about the regime’s preparedness.
The fighting further exacerbates Syria’s humanitarian crisis, already one of the world’s worst, with Aleppo’s public hospitals overwhelmed and private facilities shuttered.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that civilians are struggling to find food, shelter and medical aid. The United States – which has designated HTS as a terrorist group – called for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions to stabilize Syria, but remains focused on supporting Kurdish forces while managing tensions with Turkey, a key backer of some opposition groups.
Syria has been fighting a civil war since 2011, which has killed around 500,000 people and displaced millions, internally and around the world. Before last week’s offensive, fighting had mostly subsided even as rival factions and foreign powers vied for influence in the deeply fractured country.
The Uproar
ROMANIA
Romania’s constitutional court will decide Monday whether it will annul the first round of the country’s presidential election, amid an ongoing recount of nearly 9.5 million ballots, because of suspected irregularities, Politico reported.
Protests broke out in Romania following the Nov. 24 presidential elections after results showed far-right candidate Călin Georgescu leading the first round, with reformist candidate Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party (USR) coming in second place.
On Thursday, the top court ordered a recount following a complaint by another candidate, Cristian Terheș, who alleged that votes of another presidential contender, Ludovic Orban, were illegally transferred to Lasconi.
Orban dropped out of the race too late to be taken off the ballots, but had endorsed Lasconi.
The court later said it would rule on whether to annul the results of the first round after the recount concludes. If it rules in favor of a do-over, a new first round is likely to take place on Dec. 15, with a second round two weeks later.
Georgescu, a NATO skeptic with pro-Russia leanings, shocked the political establishment by leading the first round of polls, even though he declared no election spending and mainly campaigned on TikTok.
Romanian national security officials have reported cyberattacks targeting the election and alleged that TikTok amplified Georgescu’s campaign with “sudden and artificial” engagement. The far-right candidate denied wrongdoing.
Even so, his performance sparked nightly protests across the country. Critics accuse him of praising Romanian fascist leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising fears about the future of democracy in the European Union country which is also a member of NATO.
Georgescu’s success reflects broader European trends toward far-right populism, fueled by economic grievances, including high inflation and a sluggish economy, analysts said.
But while observers predicted Georgescu’s surprise win would benefit far-right and populist parties in Sunday parliamentary elections, early results from Sunday’s parliamentary elections showed the ruling Social Democrats leading, Reuters reported.
It was unclear if the party would win an outright majority or have to form a coalition excluding the far-right, which will still form a substantial bloc in parliament. Results are expected early this week.
Killing the Dream
GEORGIA
Massive anti-government protests erupted in Georgia over the weekend after the ruling Georgian Dream party said it had suspended negotiations to join the European Union, a decision that critics said risks deepening political polarization, Euronews reported.
Demonstrators clashed with police in the capital Tbilisi for a third consecutive night, throwing stones, setting off fireworks, and burning an effigy of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian Dream party’s founder. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds, warning that further violence would prompt harsher measures.
Clashes have left 44 people injured, including 27 protesters and 16 police officers, officials said Sunday.
The unrest erupted after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced late last week that the government would pause EU membership talks for four years, citing opposition to what he called “blackmail” from foreign entities.
The decision came hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Georgia’s Oct. 26 parliamentary elections that saw the Georgian Dream win 54 percent of the vote.
The resolution criticized the polls for being neither free nor fair, saying it represented another manifestation of Georgia’s continued democratic backsliding “for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible.”
The EU has called for a rerun of the elections within a year under international supervision.
The bloc granted Georgia candidate status last year, but progress has stalled following criticism of democratic backsliding under the Georgian Dream government, including passage of a “foreign influence” law that opponents said resembles Russian legislation targeting non-governmental organizations. The EU ambassador to Georgia said the accession process would remain “on hold” unless the government reverses its course.
Critics have accused the governing party of aligning Georgia with Russia, with opposition groups alleging Kremlin interference in the elections – a claim Moscow denies.
Pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili, who opposes the government, called the current parliament “illegitimate” and said the protests reflect growing dissent across the country.
The US State Department also condemned the government’s use of force against protesters and suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia, citing concerns that Georgian Dream is making the country more vulnerable to Russia, Newsweek added.
Despite the turmoil, Kobakhidze dismissed international criticism as inconsequential, describing the EU’s actions as a “cascade of insults” and expressing confidence that relations with the US would stabilize under the new administration.
DISCOVERIES
The Resurrection
More than 500 years after his death, Richard III is back.
This time, however, the English king has returned not as a Shakespearean villain but as a “living and breathing” avatar that lets audiences hear his voice and see him in motion.
Using cutting-edge technology, a team of researchers recreated the 15th-century monarch’s appearance and speech, they say, with remarkable accuracy. The project, “A Voice for King Richard III” is now on display at York Theatre Royal in England.
Yvonne Morley-Chisholm, a vocal coach who spearheaded the effort, told NBC News that the project took “10 long years” to put “the pieces together in the puzzle because we wanted this to be based on evidence.”
“That involved dentistry, physiotherapy, craniofacial reconstruction, the original pronunciation, forensic psychology, all sorts,” she added.
The initiative began after Richard III’s remains were unearthed beneath a parking lot in the northern English city of Leicester in 2012.
CT scans of his skeleton allowed researchers to reconstruct his head, revealing that while Richard did have spinal curvature, he was not the deformed hunchback described by Shakespeare.
“The skeleton has ruled out all the myths,” Morley-Chisholm said. “He did not have a limp, a withered arm, (and was not) a hunchback.”
The project also enlisted linguist David Crystal to recreate the king’s voice.
Through analysis of medieval manuscripts and spelling, Crystal achieved “90 percent or so accuracy” in recreating Richard’s speech. He told the BBC that the king’s voice was “a fascinating mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar,” adding that the accent reflects Richard’s Yorkshire roots.
To bring Richard’s personality to life, historian Philippa Langley studied letters, diaries, and public descriptions of the king from his lifetime.
The team then picked British actor Thomas Dennis to embody the king, thanks to his resemblance to the reconstructed image. His expressions were synced with the avatar’s movements, making Richard appear lifelike.
“When Thomas lifts an eyebrow, Richard lifts an eyebrow,” Morley-Chisholm told the BBC.
The result is an immersive experience where visitors can see Richard “breathing, thinking, blinking, talking:” Here is a sample of the king’s speech.
Now, Crystal is looking to the future, wondering, “Who else can we do?”