Comparative Politics

Mexico is playing a strange game. Reputable sources report that Mexico is expected to make major climate commitments at COP 27, such as a 1,000 Mw solar power plant and increasing lithium production for electric cars. However, the new president has been utterly opposed to climate change policy, as he tried to wriggle out of responsibility for 2030 commitments via the Supreme Court. He also bet a large chunk of the economy on fossil fuel energy, particularly coal. People believe he is incapable of doing anything to address climate issues, and want a new president in 2024 who is.

Portraying lithium production as a commitment to the climate is a very interesting tactic. Yeah, we make electric cars using it, but by that logic whale fishing is an honorable commitment because we could create biodegradable corsets. How much ruin will it take for countries to invest in car-independent infrastructure?

Egypt hasn't been under the spotlight since their coup in 2013. COP27 has shed light on many climate related issues in Egypt and other issues.

Sea level rise is not noted as a major threat as often as CO2 or natural disasters, but that's here in the US. Island nations like Kiribati and the Maldives see this as a different level of problem, as they would be almost entirely submerged if sea levels rise much more than this. Putting blame on India is interesting: is it entirely fair to demand additional efforts from a country which produces the level of emissions that it does due to sheer population mass rather than consumer habits?

Seems like a similar argument made by countries like Pakistan for climate reparations in general, except almost more urgent, simply because climate change threatens to literally submerge these island nations. To protect against sea level rise like the netherlands has would be incredibly expensive, so it makes sense that the money would go into a fund to rebuild after climate change disasters. I just wonder what they will do to actually stop their islands from disappearing.

"Iran protests: Tehran court sentences first person to death over unrest"

hydrogen demand expected to rise. By 2050, green hydrogen could increase the GDP of Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa by $126bn, which is equivalent to 12% of these countries' current GDP. Investment of $450-$900 billion needed between now and 2050. Would be beneficial for climate change while also growing economy.

I like to see that we are trying to find solutions for both the climate and economic problems that are currently happening in countries that do not exactly have the resources to do it themselves. Both problems are intertwined so I hope this is able to help! If we start doing it now that is.

Despite all this text in this article, it seems like this organization and the ILO have no idea what to do to reduce the emissions from maritime shipping. The ILO guidelines are focused on providing current sailors the training to operate vessels that use alternative fuels, to ensure they don't lose their jobs. Question: where are these vessels? Who is making eco-friendly cargo ships? 15 ships make more N2O than all the cars in the world. Is making sure their sailors are more educated something that needs to happen before we build the vessels to replace them?

46% of the land in Africa is being degraded by unsustainable agricultural practices. Agriculture needs to adapt to climate change through clean energy and better irrigation to avoid widespread famine.

We utilize carbon in our society constantly: economies, housing, and transportation. However, this article focuses on a specific type of carbon: Blue Carbon. The video explains that Blue Carbon is the carbon that is stored in the soil and plants of coastal habitats. Specifically, it is the coastal ecosystems that are very helpful in storing carbon from the atmosphere. The ecological term is a carbon sink which can store up to 10 times the amount of carbon as a tropical rainforest.

"Why other rich nations have surpassed the U.S. in protecting pedestrians, cyclists and motorists."

US and Iran will play each other tomorrow. There is a lot of tension due to conflict between the two governments, and there have been protests in Iran for the last 10 weeks. Many fans have brought politics into the soccer games, such as booing at the national anthem and waving protest flags. Iran's leaders have arrested a bunch of people, and there are a lot of eyes on the team as they continue to advance.

There are so many political issues surrounding the World Cup that sometimes more important ones are ignored. Most of the attention has been directed toward Qatar and less toward what is happening with Iran. The media reporting more about how players are banned from wearing one-love arm bands and other less important issues distracts people from other more important things going on.

After today's game where Iranian players sang the national anthem after some of their families had allegedly been threatened, it is incredibly obvious that the Iranian government intends to use the world cup as a key political tool in dismissing unrest at home.

I have not seen much news coverage about this. TOP TV is Saudi Arabia's most used distributor of the world cup and it has been suspended by the Media Ministry of Saudi Arabia. There seems to be a pattern of censorship in a lot of the larger non democratic regimes.

This is really interesting, and I know a lot of Saudi Arabians are upset that they cannot watch the World Cup. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are in conflict since Saudi Arabia boycotted Qatar due to their support for political Islamists, ties with Iran, and funding of Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia is going to have to figure it out though or citizens will get increasingly upset.

Interesting find, Subby. Do you know if the clamp down by the Saudi government is persisting? And to Anika's clarifying of why there is so much tension between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. . . wow.

Qatar, which is non-democratic and run by monarchs, has been widely criticized for its many human rights violations and its exploitation of workers. However, this is being ignored by other governments in the world who seek to become allied with Qatar. Geopolitical goals are prioritized over human rights.

It's not really surprise considering Qatar's history surrounding human rights issues. I know that right now I believe the kafala system is still in place, which in principle deceives workers and gives a great amount of control to people over these workers. Basically increases cheap labor for migrants. Furthermore, though I the ILO keeping stressing that the workers welfare is being taken care of, it is clear that this is untrue seeing that there are plenty of injuries. Frankly, I don't think the ILO ever thought they could stop anything.

I'd love to know more about the "kafala system." What's "the ILO," Nicole? International Labor Organization? What is that? A UN body?

As many take to the streets in China to protest covid restrictions, the people's dissatisfaction with freedom of expression and democracy resurface. While the effort is valiant and Chinese politicians have made certain promises to satisfy protesters, it remains unclear whether these protest will have any long-term difference. Protests in Hong Kong in 2019 were seemingly larger and had a large impact in the moment, but after the movement was suppressed, the communist party silenced those behind them. Given this past, will these protests create any real change?

I don't any change will come. The government has all the resources needed to prevent the protests and could simply slowly deploy vaccines and lessen the restrictions to stop the protests. The protests haven't been advocating for much change in the structure of Chinese society, so the government still maintains all the power.

And now the Chinese government has softened a bit to accommodate the protestors' demands for vaccines--maybe even fewer lockdowns; but not for free speech. Let's see how that goes with the protestors; will they be appeased? See https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/world/asia/china-covid-protests-restrictions.html