Africa
Major nations agree on first global tax on shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions
Many of the world’s largest shipping nations decided on Friday to impose a minimum tax of $100 for every ton of carbon dioxide emitted by ships, if their planet-heating emissions are not already accounted for, making it effectively the first global tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
The fee will be charged if nations have not contributed enough to the International Maritime Organization’s net zero fund and their ships are not meeting their compliance target.
Members of the International Maritime Organization — with the United States noticeably absent — reached the agreement which will become effective by 2028. The group also set a marine fuel standard to phase in cleaner fuels.
Emissions from shipping have increased over the last decade— to about 3% of the global total, according to the United Nations — as vessels have gotten bigger, delivering more cargo per trip and using immense amounts of fuel.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said at the closing that the group forged a meaningful consensus in the face of complex challenges to combat climate change and modernize shipping.
On Thursday, delegates approved a proposal to designate an emissions control area in the North-East Atlantic Ocean. Ships traveling through the area will have to abide by more stringent controls on fuels and their engines to reduce pollution.
The IMO, which regulates international shipping, has set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050 and has committed to promoting fuels with zero or near-zero emissions.
The Marine Environment Protection Committee, which is part of the IMO, has been in meetings all week in London and finalized its decision Friday.
One major issue during the meetings was the way a tax would be charged. More than 60 countries entered the negotiations pushing for a simple tax charged per metric ton of emissions. They were led by Pacific island nations, whose very existence is threatened by climate change.
Other countries with sizable maritime fleets — notably China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa — wanted a credit trading model instead of a fixed levy. Finally, a compromise between the two models was reached.
The United States didn’t participate in the negotiations in London, instead urging other governments to oppose the greenhouse gas emission measures under consideration.
The Trump administration said it would reject any efforts to impose economic measures against its ships based on emissions or fuel choice, which it said would burden the sector and drive inflation. It threatened possible reciprocal measures if any fees are charged.
The electoral process for Gabon’s local and legislative elections is officially underway.
The timetable for the September 27 vote has been announced and members of the national election commission have been sworn in by the Constitutional Court.
The revision of electoral rolls across the country begins on July 14 and continues until August 12. This will ensure new voters are added and deceased or ineligible voters removed from the rolls. It will also register any changes of voting centre and update personal data.
People aged 18 and over with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) are automatically registered and need only choose their polling center.
Local electoral commissions will be set up by July 26 and deployed across the country and abroad.
Nominations for the legislative and local elections are open from July 27 to August 7.
Fifth Republic
The Ministry of the Interior and national election commission reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring “credible, transparent and peaceful” elections, and called on citizens to play an active part in building the Fifth Republic.
Last week, two years after seizing power in a coup, President Brice Oligui Nguema unveiled a new political party, the Democratic Union of Builders, or UDB. Oligui secured nearly 95 percent of the vote in April’s presidential election.
The launch of the UDB appears to signal Oligui’s intent to transition from military leader to long-term political figure. While he initially presented himself as a reformer leading a transitional government, the creation of a political party gives structure to his leadership and a platform for future governance.
Scheduled to take place for the first time in almost forty years, local and municipal elections in the Central African Republic have been once again postponed.
Initially planned for the end of August, officials say the vote will now be held in December, in conjunction with the legislative and presidential elections.
President Touadéra, who has been in office since 2016, launched a biometric voter registration exercise last year to update the electoral roll.
Authorities say the postponement is due to a delay in mobilizing funds as well as technical and organizational hiccups.
Members of the opposition BRDC are calling for an overhaul of the electoral authority and a dialogue with President Touadéra.
CAR has been battling conflict since 2013 when predominantly Muslim rebels seized power and forced the then-president from office. The United Nations has said the elections represent a ”crucial opportunity” to strengthen democratic governance, promote reconciliation and consolidate stability.
The landlocked country is one of the poorest in the world, despite having significant natural resources, including uranium, oil, gold and diamonds.
After 10 days of negotiations, including a final overnight marathon, France has reached an agreement with New Caledonia. The deal grants the South Pacific territory more autonomy — but stops short of the independence sought by many indigenous Kanaks.
President Macron hailed the deal as historic but it still needs final approval in New Caledonia. If passed, it would create a state of Caledonia within the French Republic incscribed in the French constitution and a Caledonian nationality alongside French nationality.
The talks stemmed from deadly rioting last year prompted by proposed changes to electoral rules that pro-independence groups said would marginalize Indigenous voters.
The territory has held three referenda on the question of independence, with voters each time opting to remain with France.
A special congress will be held to finalize next steps. Media reports say they could include more sovereignty for New Caledonia over international affairs, security and justice.
The accord could also eventually allow New Caledonians to change the territory’s name, flag and hymn.
Negotiators stressed the importance of rehabilitating and diversifying New Caledonia’s indebted economy, which depends heavily on nickel mining, and making it less reliant on the French mainland.
France colonized the Pacific archipelago in the 1850s, and it became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.
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