Jesse Chase-Lubitz

United Kingdom

Climate Journalist at Freelance

Climate Reporter at Devex

Articles

COP30 presidency calls for shift from climate pledges to implementation

6 days ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

In the face of “climate urgency,” the Brazilian presidency of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, called for a focus on implementing climate action in the lead-up to the summit in Belém this November.
Why are 400,000 boxes of food for malnourished kids stuck in the US?

1 week ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

A Rhode Island nonprofit that manufactures lifesaving peanut paste called Plumpy’Nut to feed severely malnourished children has 123,188 boxes of the product sitting in its warehouse. Down in Georgia, another company that produces a similar paste has around 300,000 boxes sitting on its dock. The boxes, which are meant to go to countries including Sudan and Somalia, have been stuck there since February.
Kenya’s climate commitment sets standard before COP30

1 week ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

Despite contributing less than 0.1% of global emissions, Kenya’s ambitious NDC charts a path to 100% renewable electricity and deeper climate integration across its entire economy. Kenya submitted its nationally determined contribution, or NDC, on Friday, and experts are impressed. NDCs are country-specific plans that outline how a country will contribute to the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming. Countries must submit new NDCs every five years.
How cities are getting a seat at the global climate finance table

1 week ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

City leaders from lower-income countries have long pushed for direct access to financing from multilateral development banks rather than going through their national governments. Central governments tend to get the loans because they usually have the resources to guarantee payback. But city leaders say that creates barriers to their access. Cities have grown rapidly over the last decade. In 2007, the number of people in urban settings overtook those living in rural areas.
Special edition: The World Bank Spring Meetings go quiet on climate

2 weeks ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

Despite a strange overall mood hanging over Washington, D.C., these days, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings felt oddly normal this week. The meetings were busy, and the talks were largely hopeful; I spent most of my time failing to find a seat in packed rooms and ending up on the floor next to squeaky dress shoes. Several experts seemed more interested in discussing ideas that predated the Trump administration or didn’t rely on the United States.
Climate goals quietly survive at the World Bank despite Trump tensions

2 weeks ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

As the Trump administration cracks down on funding earmarked for climate-related programming, the World Bank says it’s upholding its commitment to boosting climate finance. But at the bank’s annual Spring Meetings in Washington this week, climate change was conspicuously light on the agenda — suggesting that the institution might be keeping a low profile on the topic. The United States is the bank’s largest shareholder, with 17.5%, meaning that it holds sway and veto power.
US tariffs threaten to push debt-distressed nations closer to the brink

3 weeks ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

Escalating trade tensions following the Trump administration’s tariff announcement earlier this month are wreaking havoc on the world’s most debt-distressed countries. While a 90-day pause on some of the highest levies offers some reprieve, experts warn that the damage from all the uncertainty is causing economic chaos and leaving nations with a lot of debt and few choices.
Philanthropies fear Trump will target their tax-exempt status

3 weeks ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

U.S. President Donald Trump made remarks on Thursday that his administration will be investigating the tax-exempt status of groups that contribute to climate projects. Though details have yet to emerge, such a move could have vast implications for U.S.-based philanthropies and nonprofits whose programs target climate change in particular.
World Bank’s Ajay Banga defends climate strategy ahead of Spring Meetings

4 weeks ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

World Bank President Ajay Banga defended the bank’s commitment to devoting 45% of its annual lending to climate-related projects in fiscal year 2025, which ends June 30, saying that focusing on climate doesn’t distract from the bank’s overall mission to end poverty. The World Bank committed to ramping up the percentage from 35% to 45% last year, when it managed to reach 44%.
In 2024, global aid fell for the first time in five years

4 weeks ago | devex.com | Jesse Chase-Lubitz

Global aid flows fell sharply in 2024, marking the first decline in official development assistance, or ODA, from major donor countries in half a decade, according to preliminary figures released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Wednesday. Member countries of the Development Assistance Committee, or DAC, contributed a combined $212.1 billion in ODA last year, representing 0.33% of their collective gross national income.