| | | | | | | Hello. With 2023 set to become the warmest year on record, Jana Tauschinski, Becky Dale and Esme Stallard take a look at which countries’ commitments can actually make a difference in limiting the worst impact of climate change. In Russia, Steve Rosenberg talks to former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl about her decision to accept a job in St Petersburg. Finally, we travel to an Italian village who can’t have enough of the juice of jujube fruits. |
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| | | | | | Questions Answered | | Country-by-country climate pledges |  | | Projected greenhouse gas emissions and future warming levels by actions taken. Source: Climate Action Tracker, Dec 2023. Broad lines show possible range. |
| | Any increase in global warming has an impact on human activities on the planet, but scientists say going past 1.5C (2.7F) would be calamitous for the world. Yet, not all countries’ climate commitments meet the goal of keeping global temperatures from rising above 1.5C from pre-industrial levels. Find out how your country is faring. |  | | Jana Tauschinski, Becky Dale and Esme Stallard, BBC News |
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| | Why do pledges matter? | | With world leaders at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, there is a renewed sense of urgency to limit emissions to curb the harshest impacts of climate change. Many of these governments have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep global warming levels below a 1.5C rise on pre-industrial levels. For the first time, countries have agreed to include the greenhouse gas emissions from food and agriculture in their national plans to tackle climate change. | | How do countries share the task of cutting emissions? | | Not all countries can independently afford the same kinds of emissions-reducing actions. Some less affluent countries set two different goals - one they plan to reach completely on their own, and a more ambitious one they aim to meet if they can get support from wealthy donors. | | Do pledges take into account countries’ track records on emissions? | | Historical responsibility for climate change is not shared equally across all nations. Countries that have contributed only a marginal amount to the overall total have a lesser "fair share" of responsibility than those that have been heavy emitters for many years. | | | | • | Milestone pledge: COP26 in Glasgow stopped short of calling for a “phase out” of fossil fuels. Climate editor Justin Rowlatt looks into whether COP28 can move the goalposts. | | • | Fossil fuel lobby: The number of delegates at COP28 who are also linked to coal, oil and gas industries has quadrupled since last year, according to campaigners opposed to their participation in the UN climate summit. |
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AT THE SCENE |  St Petersburg, Russia | | An Austrian ex-minister living in Russia |  | | Karin Kneissl complained of being unable to find work at home to explain why she first moved to France, then Lebanon, and now Russia. Credit: Reuters | | Karin Kneissl has worn many hats: a lecturer, a freelance journalist, an energy analyst. But the former Austrian foreign minister might be best known for sharing a waltz with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, in 2018. Now she’s moved to Russia but she’s still facing the music over her proximity to the Kremlin leader, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court as a suspected war criminal. |  | | Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor |
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| When I raise the subject of her 2018 wedding, there is a ding dong. But it's not wedding bells. "This is so boring," she says irritated. "The whole thing happened nearly six years ago. At the time I was foreign minister and I danced with President Putin. But I have done other things in my life before and after. Honestly, it's so boring. It's very boring," she adds. "To talk about the wedding?" She replies: "Yes. There are much more interesting topics we can discuss."
I spot the pictures on the cabinet behind her. Among them is a photo of Karin Kneissl with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; and a picture of her with President Putin. "From your meetings with Vladimir Putin," I ask, "what kind of a person do you think he is?" "He is the most intelligent gentleman, with the focus on gentleman - and I've met a few," she responds. "In the sense of what Jane Austen wrote in Pride and Prejudice about the accomplished gentleman, he amounts to this standard." |
| | | | • | Russian spies: The UK is accusing Russia's Security Service, the FSB, of a sustained cyber-hacking campaign. Russia has repeatedly denied claims it is involved in such activities. | | • | New recruits: Russia is trying to recruit foreign migrants, detained in a recent sweep at its border with Finland, for its war in Ukraine. |
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| | The big picture | | The farm workers heading to Israel |  | | Malawian Jamison Kupatamoyo has been working in Israel since last month and plans on staying for five years. Credit: Jamison Kupatamoyo |
| | More than 10,000 migrant farm workers - mostly Thai nationals - have left Israel since the deadly Hamas attacks on 7 October, which targeted Israelis and foreign nationals alike. With Palestinians now also barred from agricultural labour, Israel has turned to East African countries, such as Malawi and Kenya, to find workers for its farms. For the latest updates on the Israel-Gaza war, head to our live page. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | A sip of bliss | | This Italian hilltop village basks in jujube broth. | | |
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| | And finally... in England | | Here’s a legal conundrum for you. Does taking a wee in a lay-by (or, in American English, urinating on the side of the road) constitute littering? Such is the thorny question handled by a local council in England after a man with a weakened prostate was fined for doing so. Defending his case was a British celebrity lawyer nicknamed Mr Loophole (real name: Nick Freeman). The man’s fine was cancelled, but the debate rages on. |
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| | | | | | | | Future Earth Newsletter | | Essential climate news and hopeful developments, in your inbox every Tuesday. | | |
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– Sofia |
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