Walkouts At Cop15, Nancy Pelosi’s Last Days, & Four-Day School Weeks
December 16, 2022
Coping With Conflict At Cop15
Echoing conflicts at the Cop27 climate summit earlier this year, tensions between developed and developing nations at the ongoing Cop15 summit are rising. On Wednesday, countries from the global south walked out of talks about global biodiversity protection funding. As countries met in Montreal, developing nations pushed for a new biodiversity fund that was funded mostly by richer nations. Wealthier countries opposed, saying that countries that are part of the global south but have grown in recent years, like China and Brazil, should themselves be paying for larger portions of the fund.
Currently, key regions that are home to vital ecosystems like China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Indonesia are historically the top beneficiaries of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and will continue to receive much of its funding from the next $5.3 billion round of financing from 2022 to 2026. However, many other countries that have their own key ecosystems, including those in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, want a bigger slice of the funding.
“Without money, this will turn into a weak deal, and Montreal will be the next Copenhagen. Developing countries left the meeting because they considered that it was impossible to make progress in the discussions because developed countries were not ready to compromise, and they invited the parties that are obstacles to the discussions to reflect on their positions in order to move forward at another point,” said Oscar Soria, campaign director of the activism organization Avaaz. “After weeks of acting as if discussions could move forward without properly addressing the issue of financial resources, now parties are finally done with pretending. The game is finally on.” The summit ends on December 19, so participating nations have just a few more days to come to a decision on how to finance protecting the world’s biodiversity. (Guardian)
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Diplomatic Strategic Withdrawal
- According to British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, China has removed six of its diplomats from the U.K. The strategic withdrawal was the latest move in a series of events sparked by the alleged beating of a protester who was demonstrating outside of Manchester’s Chinese consulate. British authorities had requested for China to waive the consular staff’s diplomatic immunity so that British authorities could interview them.
- “In response to our request the Chinese government have now removed from the UK those officials, including the consul-general himself,” Cleverly told reporters Wednesday. “I am disappointed that these individuals will not be interviewed or face justice. Nonetheless, it is right that those responsible for the disgraceful scenes in Manchester are no longer – or will shortly cease to be – consular staff accredited to the UK,” he continued.
- Video footage of the incident, which took place during a demonstration in support of Hong Kong outside the consulate in October of this year, shows a protester being dragged onto the grounds of the consulate before being beaten by a group of people. Chinese Consul-general Zheng Xiyuan said that the incident was caused by protestors’ “rude banners” and that it was his “duty” to defend his country. The Chinese Embassy claims that the diplomats were removed from the U.K. as part of the “normal rotation of Chinese consular officials.” (CNN)
A Little Birdie Told The Saudis Something
- On Wednesday, a former Twitter manager was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being convicted of spying for Saudi Arabia. The manager, Ahmad Abouammo, was found guilty of sharing user data years ago which may have exposed users to persecution.
- According to prosecutors, Abouammo, a company manager of relationships with journalists and celebrities in the Middle East and North Africa region, leaked important information on Twitter’s internal systems to Saudi officials, potentially helping them identify and locate certain Twitter users and thus possibly exposing those users to persecution by the Saudi government.
- Prosecutors wanted a much lengthier sentence, stating that seven years would be a “sentence strong enough to deter others in the technology and social media industry from selling out the data of vulnerable users.” Abouammo’s maximum sentence could have been multiple decades long, but here we are at 3.5 years. (Reuters)
Additional World News
- Peru declares 30-day state of emergency amid protests at president’s arrest (Guardian)
- Why has Istanbul mayor Imamoglu been sentenced to prison? (Al Jazeera)
- ‘What a tragic day’: British nurses strike in bitter pay dispute (Reuters)
- Thai princess Bajrakitiyabha hospitalized with heart condition, palace says (CNN)
- WHO chief says his uncle was murdered in Ethiopia’s Tigray (Reuters)
- Poland’s new judicial reform in limbo after president voices concerns (Reuters)
- U.S. planning to give Ukraine smart-bomb kits (WaPo, $)
“He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.” – John Burroughs
Power To The Puerto Rican People
- On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that will allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state, become independent, or become independent with free association. The bill passed 233-191 with some Republican support,
- Should Puerto Rico choose statehood, it would become the 51st state. If they choose independence with free association, the terms would be defined following negotiations over foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship, and use of the U.S. dollar. Despite bipartisan support in the House, it’s likely to die in the Senate.
- The proposed binding referendum would be the first time that Puerto Rico’s current status as a U.S. commonwealth is not included as an option. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, “for far too long, the people of Puerto Rico have been excluded from the full promise of American democracy and self-determination that our nation has always championed.” (AP)
Nancy’s Last Dance-y
- We’ve reached the end of an era. Though her last day in office isn’t technically until early next month, Nancy Pelosi hinted that the press conference may be her last as Speaker of the House. Pelosi told reporters it was “maybe the last time I see you in this way,” though she did add the caveat that she might have to speak again if budget deals fall through. Pelosi spoke of things she was proud to have witnessed or assisted with during her tenure as speaker, most recently the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act this week.
- The press conference came a day after her official portrait that will hang in the Speaker’s Lobby just off the House floor was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol. California Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, and former Republican House Speaker John Boehner all spoke at the unveiling. Pelosi was the first (and remains the only) female Speaker of the House, but announced she was retiring soon after her husband was attacked at their home in October. His attacker appeared in court earlier this week. (Guardian, CNN)
Additional USA News
- Jan. 6 committee teases new evidence ahead of final hearing (Axios)
- Club Q shooting survivors press Congress to act on guns (AP)
- New Hampshire and New Jersey men accused of smuggling military equipment to Russia (NBC)
- Man who threatened Black Lives Matter supporters pleads guilty to hate crime charges (NPR)
- Fed raises key rate by half-point and signals more to come (AP)
- ‘Nightmare’ Warehouse Fire Erases Evidence in Many Unsolved Cases (NYT, $)
- Senate passes legislation to ban TikTok from US government devices (CNN)
- Justice Department sues Arizona’s governor over shipping container border ‘wall’ (ABC)
Four School Days For Little Joey
- You’ve heard of the four-day work week, but how about the four-day school week? As some companies experiment with shortened work weeks, one school district in Missouri has voted to cut down classroom time to four days in order to help attract and retain teachers. Nationwide, teachers are leaving their jobs, citing burnout, low pay, and bad work-life balance – unlike many other jobs you can leave at the workplace, most teachers have to go home and grade papers or set up future lesson plans.
- “If you look across the country, there is a significant teacher shortage but it even goes beyond teachers as well. There’s a shortage for individuals who can drive buses, paraprofessionals, so it’s not just about trying to fill teaching positions but certainly that’s something that we’re very focused upon,” Independence School District Superintendent Dr. Dale Herl said. “Since the discussions started with the school board regarding a four day week, we looked at the applicants that we’ve received, and our applications are up almost 40% compared to the same time last year.”
- Between 1969 and 2020, the average salary for public elementary and high school teachers in Missouri has actually dropped by 5%. Between 2009 and 2020, their salaries decreased by 6%, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Herl says that the decision has been met with approval from teachers, but parents aren’t as enthusiastic. Maybe they’re just jealous? (ABC)
Additional Reads
- Medieval ship found in Norway’s biggest lake (CNN)
- US House votes to remove bust of judge who wrote Dred Scott decision defending slavery (Guardian)
- TikTok pushes potentially harmful content to users as often as every 39 seconds, study says (CBS)
- Meta faces $1.6bn lawsuit over Facebook posts inciting violence in Tigray war (Guardian)
- Io volcano world comes into view of Juno probe (BBC)
- Four chimpanzees still loose inside Swedish zoo a day after escape (Guardian)
- Another $3.5 billion notch in America’s widening “battery belt” (Axios)