Jesse Chase-Lubitz
@jessechaselubitz.bsky.social
Climate journalist @Devex | @Pulitzer grantee | Former editor of @Nature Briefing: Anthropocene | @HLuceFdn scholar | @LSEGeography | @ColumbiaGS
Last week at the 2026 @munsecconf.bsky.social, the balance between defense priorities and global development goals was a key topic of discussion. Devex reported from the summit to explore the evolving role of aid in an era of heightened security. #MSC26 #mediapartner #globaldevelopment
Check out @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social's key takeaways from the conference via the link below.
Special edition: Development plays defense at Munich Security Conference
As world leaders at the Munich Security Conference declared the old order dead, global development found itself wondering about its place in the conversation over what's next.
devex.com
With USAID dismantled, #Germany’s @BMZ is now the world’s largest aid agency. Minister Reem Alabali Radovan just unveiled a massive overhaul to meet the moment: - Focus on the poorest nations - Africa & Ukraine prioritized - Pivot to private sector & loans www.devex.com/news/germany...
Germany charts a new course for global aid
Facing steep budget cuts and rising political pressure, BMZ unveils a strategy to prioritize high-impact regions and private sector partnerships
devex.com
What is it like being at COP30? Devex’s @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social provides an update on the logistics of getting around the conference venue in Belém and some of the conversations that are happening at the summit. #COP30 #climatechange #Belem
Don't know much about climate adaptation finance? Here's a video to help 📹 @devex.com m.youtube.com/watch?v=jRCS...
Adaptation finance: Moving from pledges to delivery
YouTube video by Devex
m.youtube.com
Huge crowd today to watch Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, Mayor Gavin Buckley of Annapolis and Mayor Van Johnson of Savannah. This is likely to be one of the few events featuring any level of US leadership at @cop30brazil.bsky.social
COP30 is officially underway! Devex’s @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social is on the ground and provides an update from the conference. #COP30 #Belem #climatechange #climateaction
All those people who think they can dodge the effects of the climate crisis because they live in a nice developed country are about to get punched in the face. It’s coming in hard everywhere.
England facing drastic measures due to extreme drought next year
Government and water companies are devising emergency plans for worst water shortage in decades
theguardian.com
Halfway through the “decisive decade,” global #climate action is slipping. A new WRI report finds not one of 45 climate indicators is on track. Check out my @devex.com story www.devex.com/news/45-clim...
Devex's @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social speaks to experts to unpack the political and philosophical debates holding the sector back and highlight what can be done to improve services worldwide. Read the full article on the topic⬇️
Water and sanitation fall through the cracks of development
WASH is essential to everything from schools to hospitals, yet programs are chronically underfunded, leaving 1 in 4 people without safe water and billions without proper sanitation.
devex.com
Check out @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social's full story.⬇️
China's big development projects are getting smaller
China’s shift from massive infrastructure projects to smaller, self-sustaining initiatives marks a strategic pivot in its foreign aid approach, raising questions about its true motivations.
devex.com
🔴HAPPENING NOW: We are in Rome for COP16 and are waiting as heads of delegations negotiate a new draft on resource mobilization. 📸Photo credits: @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social
Final day of #COP16.2 in Rome today and basically everything is still on the table. It’s a tight deadline. Based on meeting rules, everything has to be finished within 13 hours. So either delegates find a middle ground by 11pm or parties would have to agree on yet another extension. @devex.com
Following along at the resumed #COP16 meetings today in #Rome on biodiversity. These are expected to be a streamlined version of the official meetings in October. The pressure is on delegates to conclude the unfinished business of Colombia. Today’s focus: resource mobilization @devex.com
#Afghanistan still relies on the U.S. for aid. Since the #USAID stop-work order, its currency has devalued, its hospitals are struggling to function, and NGOs are panicking trying to figure out what the #waivers cover. Read our coverage on the reverberations of the USAID freeze @devex.com
NGOs in Afghanistan left guessing on waivers as humanitarian aid stalls
A 90-day USAID funding freeze is crippling Afghanistan's health care, education, and basic services, with NGOs left scrambling for clarity on waivers and facing operational chaos amid a collapsing eco...
devex.com
One of the many fatalities of the USAID order is a #climate program, SERVIR, which has spent the last 20 years helping countries foresee and prepare for #disasters. It has saved lives and, experts say, helped stave off migration into the U.S. Read more @devex.com 👇 www.devex.com/news/trump-f...
Trump freeze on USAID-funded climate program could worsen migration
USAID’s SERVIR program, which uses NASA satellite data to help countries manage climate disasters, has been suspended. Experts say that could lead to more migration to the U.S.
devex.com
With #USAID frozen, #climate programs will undoubtedly suffer. 🌍 Under the last Trump administration, organizations were able to "fly climate under the radar" but some humanitarian officials say "it’s not going to be as easy to just tweak the language this time around." @devex.com
What the aid funding freeze means for climate change
The Trump administration’s funding freeze on USAID sent shockwaves through the climate and development sector, triggering layoffs and long-term uncertainty.
devex.com
On Thursday, a USAID-funded resource that provides early warning alerts on famines went offline and company emails bounced back. Officials are outraged, nervous, and sad. “Holy shit. FEWS NET is like the Bible," one official told us. "We rely on them." @devex.com www.devex.com/news/usaid-f...
USAID-funded famine early warning system goes offline due to aid freeze
A key food insecurity data tool used by humanitarian groups worldwide has been taken down due to the Trump administration's stop-work order on USAID, raising alarm among aid workers.
devex.com
Five developed countries met the UN’s target for foreign aid in 2023
It's big year for climate action and there's a lot to keep track of. I’ve broken down the key milestones to watch — from Trump's #inauguration to #COP30 in Brazil. Take a look 👇 devex.shorthandstories.com/the-climate-...
The climate development milestones to watch in 2025
This year’s key climate milestones — from conferences to key deadlines — will shape global development efforts leading up to COP30 in Belém. Here’s a month-by-month guide to what’s happening, why it m...
devex.shorthandstories.com
Climate change may not feature in elections as high a priority, but it's clear that the world's global elite are certainly worried. www.weforum.org/stories/2025...
Excellent investigation (as always) by @peter-yeung.bsky.social into how water is flowing to companies like Coca-Cola rather than to residents. This is keeping residents reliant on the sugary drink while restricting their access to safe water. www.aljazeera.com/news/longfor...
‘Forgotten’: How one Mexican city struggles against big industry for water
A Coca-Cola plant pumps millions of litres of water in San Cristóbal de las Casas. But locals say their faucets run dry.
aljazeera.com
Almost 100 countries & 12 international organizations appeared before the International Court of Justice, seeking to clarify the duties that high-emitting countries have to fight climate change. It’s the largest case the UN has ever seen, Devex climate reporter @jessechaselubitz.bsky.social writes.
Nations turn to ICJ for clarity on climate accountability
The International Court of Justice has concluded historic hearings with over 100 participants seeking legal clarity on states’ obligations to combat climate change and address its consequences.
devex.com
Good morning. Carbon markets don’t work. Just 16% of carbon credits correspond to actual emissions reductions, per new research COP29 formalised a Wild West market that might make some consultancies rich but which is going to doom our planet www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Systematic assessment of the achieved emission reductions of carbon crediting projects - Nature Communications
Carbon markets are key in climate strategies, but only 16% of carbon credits represent real emission reductions, based on a study of 2,346 projects. Reforms are needed to improve the effectiveness of ...
nature.com
Agreed. A few big falsehoods here that @theguardian.com let through
Rishika Pardikar@rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2y agoThe claim here that $300billion "will come primarily in the form they are most in need of – grants and low-interest loans from the developed world" is false. The #COP29 climate finance decision text does *not* say this www.theguardian.com/environment/...
2:40am and we have a deal: $300 billion will flow from north to south countries…with a few new caveats. Keep an eye out for @Devex’s coverage.
