No deforestation goal agreed upon at Amazon summit: Eight Amazon nations failed to reach consensus on a common goal to end deforestation at a major rainforest summit held in Brazil’s Belem, although they did agree to a number of unified environmental policies and measures to strengthen regional cooperation, Reuters reports. Although the summit aimed to create an alliance to combat deforestation, it left each country to determine its own deforestation targets. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been trying to bring the Amazon nations together behind a unified policy to end deforestation by 2030, a goal his own country has already adopted.

But perhaps a unified front at COP28? Lula hopes rainforest countries will present a unified front at international climate talks, according to another Reuters report. He has repeatedly urged wealthy nations to deliver on pledges for climate finance for poor and vulnerable nations who contribute little to global warming. “We want to prepare for the first time a joint document of all forest countries to arrive united at COP28, in the United Arab Emirates, that we can seriously discuss with rich countries,” Lula said last week.

Japan partners with Namibia in search for EV battery minerals: The Japanese government has signed an agreement with Namibia to jointly explore for cobalt and other minerals critical to EV battery production in the African country, Reuters reports. Namibia has known deposits of lithium, graphite, tantalum, and cobalt, which was first discovered in the country in 2018. The Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security is already working with Namibia's state-owned mining firm Epangelo on developing the country’s Lofdil project, which has reserves of yttrium — critical to wind turbine manufacturing — as well as dysprosium and terbium, both valuable rare earths used in permanent magnets that go into EVs and wind turbines.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • China snaps up a 60% share of global EV sales in 1H: Chinese EV manufacturers recorded a 48% y-o-y rise in sales for 1H, selling some 3.65 mn vehicles and capturing 60% of the global EV market. (Global Times)
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