IN FOCUS
By Padmashree Anandhan

European Commission approves Nature Restoration Law:  Five takeaways

On 22 June, the European Commission adopted the proposal on “Nature Restoration Law” which targets to restore the EU’s land and sea, with a specific focus on habitats and species. The proposal lays down key provisions to not only improve and re-work the existing laws towards wetlands, forests, and lakes, but it also provides a restoration plan for pollinating insects, river connectivity, forest, urban, agricultural, and marine ecosystems. The adopted proposal is expected to come into practice from 12 July (20 days from the publishing of the proposal). EU countries will get two years to submit their national targets and their approach to achieving the targets. Upon which the European Environmental Agency will form technical reports to assess the progress. Later, the reports will be forwarded to the European Parliament and Council.

Five Takeaways
First, renewed attempts to restore nature and biodiversity. The first attempt of the EU, as part of its Biodiversity Strategy 2020 to draft laws and implement a procedure to conserve and restore nature failed to materialize. The second attempt of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 adds legal value to nature restoration efforts. Although the target set by the European Commission to bring back 20 per cent of the land and sea area by 2030 does seem promising, achieving the same across the targeted ecosystems seems like a high-end goal.

Second, declining plant biodiversity on land and sea. The EU has found its environments around peatlands, grasslands, and dunes to be affected by close to 80 per cent, and mainly 50 per cent of its Wetlands located in the Western, Central to have been eroded since 1970. This is mainly due to the increase in GHG and removal of land which has affected the natural carbon removal process. Apart from this, the soil quality has gone down by 70 per cent resulting in a loss in agricultural produce of EUR 1.25 billion.

Third, the challenge of extinction of species on land and sea. Species such as three bees, and butterflies are one amongst 10 species under the threat of extinction. Such species which are called pollinators are important for terrestrial ecosystems, and food security, and contribute immensely to agricultural yield. The law also brings a new focus on marine habitats such as fish which have reduced by 71 per cent and the amphibian population has shrunk by 60 per cent. It is mainly due to the problem of overfishing and not allowing time to breed.

Fourth, addressing nature restoration. When it comes to deciphering the restoration, strategies opted by the EU, the approach to bring back the grasslands, wetlands and peatland have been laid briefly to include different cultivation methods, and sustainable farming methods, it is not in the case of dunes. For conserving the soil, the EU has opted the EU soil strategy 2030 which covers both soils on land and subsoil in the seabed to maintain the minerals and organic carbon through rewetting practices. To promote healthy marine ecosystems and fishing practise, it has a marine strategy to address the deterioration of fisheries and marine habitats, with regards to Amphibians the law does not provide any key provision to address the decline. The same applies to increasing the pollinator species population where the problem is well highlighted in the provision but the way or methods to be taken by the member states to address the issue are absent.

Five, “One Health” and food system as the driving force. The overall nature restoration law seems to be drafted targeting “One health” and ensuring a continuous supply of food aimed at food security. The concept of one health is to maintain the food supply chain for all organisms from humans, animals, and marine beings to the whole nature and ecosystem. Thereby the regulations and provisions that form part of the Nature Restoration Law produce a holistic plan to bring back the depreciating nature, and animal species in a way to stop the further degradation of nature and help maintain the earth’s nature.

Reference
"Proposal for a Nature Restoration Law," The European Commission, 22 June 2022

War in Ukraine: Day 132
By Emmanuel Selva Royan
 
War on the Ground
On 05 July, president Zelenskyy in his virtual address to the opening of the 26th annual economist government roundtable conference stated that the only way the world can make Russia end the conflict in Ukraine and its aggressive foreign policy is by applying consistent pressure on all fronts.

Separatists backed by Russia have taken control of two foreign-flagged ships in Mariupol, a port city in eastern Ukraine, and declared them to be "state property." After being under siege for several months, Mariupol, which is located on the southern coast of Ukraine, was captured by Russian and rebel forces in May.

Also on the same day, Ukrainian defense ministry spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanuk stated that the Russian Combined Arms Armies, forces of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and tank and Airborne forces are currently active in the Donbas and attempting to advance on Slovyansk. The Ukrainian general staff had also informed that Russian forces conducted an airstrike near Siversk and fired on residential buildings in Serebryanka, a settlement five kilometers northeast of Siversk directly along the Luhansk-Donetsk Oblast border.

The Moscow View
Claims by Russia
On 05 July, in its second reading, the Russian State Duma approved a law that labels treason to the extent of defecting to the enemy during hostilities. The bill adds a new offense, "defection to the enemy amid an armed conflict, hostilities, or other action … that Russia participates in," to article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Defection is described in the bill as "participating in forces of foreign state, international, or foreign organization, which directly oppose Russia in an armed war, hostilities, or other action, with the use of weapons and military vehicles."

The parliament also approved two bills that will require industries to supply the military with goods and work extensively. Deputy prime minister Yuri Boriso stated: "The load on the defense industry has increased significantly. In order to guarantee the supply of weapons and ammunition, it is necessary to optimize the work of the military-industrial complex and enterprises that are part of cooperation chains."  

Also on the same day, the Russian diplomat Yevgeny Ustinov condemned the UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet‘s report on the situation in Ukraine claiming that it is a part of a campaign to spread lies about Moscow's actions. 

The West View
Responses from the US and Europe 
On 05 July, the participants of the Ukraine Recovery conference signed the Lugano Declaration in Switzerland. The declaration outlined a set of principles for rebuilding Ukraine. The Lugano principles emphasized that "“the recovery process has to contribute to accelerating, deepening, broadening and achieving Ukraine’s reform efforts and resilience in line with Ukraine’s European path.” The document called for Ukraine to be rebuilt in a "sustainable manner" and for the rehabilitation process to be "inclusive and achieve gender equality." During the conference, the president of Switzerland announced to fund Ukraine an addition of CHF 100 million by the end of 2023. Furthermore, the Kingdom of the Netherlands has also allocated EUR 200 million in loans for Ukraine’s public sector operations through the International Monetary Fund.

Also on 05 July, the prime minister of the UK Boris Johnson in a phone call with president Zelenskyy said that he believed Ukraine’s military could recapture territory taken over by the Russian forces. He also informed him that ten self-propelled artillery systems and loitering munitions from the UK will be arriving soon. Furthermore, the deputy head of the UK delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) Deirdre Brown reported on the devastating cost for civilians in the war in Ukraine at the OSCE permanent council meeting. She called upon Russia to abide by the “principles of proportionality and distinction, and to immediately cease the indiscriminate use of wide-area impact weapons in civilian areas.”

The Global Fallouts
Implications of the Ukraine war
On 05 July, the UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet stated that there have been 270 cases of verified arbitrary imprisonment of civilians by the Russian military and other armed groups in Ukraine and announced plans to increase monitoring. The findings were based on evidence from field visits by the monitors, interviews with little over 500 victims and witnesses of human rights breaches, and other sources of information. Furthermore, the UN Food Agency (FAO) reported that they have received USD 17 million from Japan to fund the grain storage infrastructure in Ukraine to control the rising food prices.

On 04 July, at the tenth World Peace Forum Russian and Western diplomats clashed over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia's ambassador to China, Andrey Ivanovich Denisov, refuted the US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, who claimed that Russia's military actions in Ukraine posed the greatest threat to the current international system.

The forum urged major powers to find a way to contain the impact of the conflicts' spillover effects and concentrate on areas of shared interest, such as preserving peace and the current international order supported by the UN Charter and international law.

Also on the same day, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Kremlin, stated that Russia has no doubt that the Uzbek government will make an aggressive effort to address the problems the country is currently experiencing. Peskov referred to the country as Russia's "ally and key partner" and said that what is taking place is an internal matter during a press conference.

References
“President: Democracy and freedom will be protected as long as Europe and the world can support Ukraine,” President of Ukraine, 05 July 2022
 Jonathan Saul, “Russian separatists seize two foreign ships in Mariupol,” Reuters, 05 July 2022
“Russian parliament passes first vote on war economy measures,” Reuters, 05 July 2022
“Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 5,” Institute for the study of war, 05 July 2022
“Russian State Duma equals defection during armed conflict to treason - Russian Politics & Diplomacy,” TASS, 05 July 2022
“Russia slams UNRC report on Ukraine as mendacious - Russian Politics & Diplomacy,” TASS, 05 July 2022
Belarus freezes foreign holdings in 190 companies,” Reuters, 05 July 2022
“Russia not going to withdraw from OSCE — Russian senator, Reuters, 05 July 2022
Russia's defense chief prioritizes tasks in Ukraine special operation
“Netherlands allocates EUR 200M loan for Ukraine,” Kyiv Post, 05 July 2022
“Switzerland to increase support for Ukraine to 100M francs,” Kyiv Post, 05 July 2022
“Ukraine, allies adopt principles for reconstruction,” Kyiv Post, 05 July 2022
“Boris Johnson to Zelenskiy: Ukraine can retake territory from Russia,” Reuters, 05 July 2022
Maytaal Angel, “UN's FAO receives $17 million for Ukraine grain storage,” Reuters, 05 Jul 2022
“Russia's intensified attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE,” Government of UK, 05 July 2022
“Arbitrary detention widespread in Russian-held parts of Ukraine - UN rights chief,” Reuters, 05 July 2022
“US, Russian envoys clash over Ukraine crisis at Beijing forum as Chinese experts call on major powers to control 'spillover effect',” Global Times, 05 July 2022
“Russia says Uzbek leadership will handle protests in Karakalpakstan,” Anadolu Agency, 05 July 2022

IN BRIEF
By Sai Pranav

FRANCE
France repatriate Syrian women and children from Kurdish camps
On 05 July, the foreign ministry in France repatriated 35 children and 16 mothers from Kurdish-run camps in northern Syria. The camps were allegedly holding family members of suspected Islamic State jihadists. The statement by the foreign ministry said that the minors were handed over to child protection services. However, the mothers will face judicial proceedings shortly. Until now, France’s policy has been to give primacy to the their own internal security over the welfare concerns of the detained. However, this repatriation effort will be the largest since the ousting of the Islamic State in 2019. (“France repatriates 51 from Syria camps in policy change,” France24, 05 July 2022)

NORWAY
Forced settlement ends the Norwegian oil and gas workers' strike
On 05 July, the Labour ministry of Norway intervened in the strike conducted by the Lederne union members. The workers from Norway's largest oil and gas producer, Equinor, went on a strike over an increase in their wages during the inflation. The strike was terminated by the government stepping in to impose a forced settlement. If the strike had continued, almost 60 per cent of Norway's energy export would have been cut short. Many West European countries now rely on Norway for their energy supply and a prolonged strike would have created difficulties for them. (Gwladys Fouche, Nora Buli and Victoria Klesty, “Norway oil and gas workers end strike as government steps in,” Reuters, 06 July 2022; “Norway's government ends oil and gas strike,” Deutsche Welle, 05 July 2022)

THE UK
Two prominent Cabinet ministers resign from the government
On 05 July, Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak quit Boris Johnson's government due to differences in opinions. Javid, who was the former health minister, said that he could not continue to work for Johnson under good conscience. Sunak, the former finance minister, said that the conduct of the leadership was bad and it might affect their name too. Reportedly, the attitude of the prime minister regarding the scandals and the way Johnson handled the narrow no-confidence vote upset both individuals. The competency of Johnson as a leader and his lack of looking at the nation's interests were also distressing to the former ministers. The resignation of these two ministers could lead to the eventual collapse of Boris Johnson's administration. (“UK Cabinet ministers resign over Boris Johnson's leadership,” Deutsche Welle, 05 July 2022)

UKRAINE
Ukraine-born mathematician becomes second ever woman to win the Fields Medal
On 05 July, Ukraine’s Prof Maryna Viazovska, teaching at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, became the second woman ever to receive the Fields Medal. Her work deals with a 400 year old puzzle on packing spheres. The prestigious field medal is given to mathematicians of great caliber under the age of 40, and is considered an equivalent of a Nobel prize for mathematics. Along with her, three other mathematicians, Prof James Maynard from Oxford University Hugo Duminil-Copin from the University of Geneva and Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, and June Huh of Princeton University were also announced as winners of the prize. (Nicola Davis and Ian Sample, “Fields medal: Kyiv-born professor and Oxford expert among winners,” The Guardian, 05 July 2022)

REGIONAL
Criminal operations conducted by Europol across five countries
On 05 July, Europol conducted a huge operation against human trafficking criminal network. Over 130 suspects across Germany, the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands were arrested due to them being part of the massive human trafficking criminal network across the English Channel to get to the UK. Europol along with Eurojust and local police conducted the raid and arrested around 18 people just in Germany. Around ten thousand migrants had been smuggled across the English Channel through dangerous and small inflatable boats that had many people on board. Many of the people who were smuggled were from war-torn countries like Iran and Iraq. The raid was said to be the largest international criminal operation ever to take place in Europe.(John Silk, “Police carry out Europe-wide raids targeting human trafficking,” Deutsche Welle, 05 July 2022; “Suspected people smugglers arrested across Europe,” BBC News, 05 July 2022)

Euro experiences worst slump since 2002
On 05 July, it was reported that Eurozone’s shared currency, the Euro has fallen to a 20-year low against the US Dollar. It slumped by 1.3% against USD 1.0281 and is the weakest since December 2002. This dip comes as a part of a long-term trend, and is exacerbating fears of a recession in the 19-nation Eurozone. Other currencies related to the euro like the Hungary’s forint, Poland’s zloty and Romania’s leu have also fallen considerably against the US currency. (“Euro falls to 20-year low against the dollar,” Deutsche Welle, 05 July 2022)

The stock market falls due to recession panic
On 05 July, European stock markets plummeted down to a 20-year record low and the value of the euro against the dollar hit the lowest ever whereas the pound hit the lowest since the pandemic. The fear of recession slumped the stock market in Europe. Oil and Gas prices that are soaring are the main cause of the worries about the recession. The soaring inflation pushes the central banks of Europe to desperately increase the interest rate thereby burdening the investors. The strike in Norway has also contributed to the rising energy prices. The stock rate fell in New York as well as in the UK. The interest rates on government bonds of the US, the UK, and the Eurozone have also tumbled. (Graeme Wearden, “European stock markets tumble on rising fears of recession,” The Guardian, 05 July 2022)

CLIMATE CHANGE
Finnish researchers install a sand battery
On 05 July, BBC reported that researchers have successfully installed a ‘sand battery’ which stores green power for months. The device uses low-grade sand and is charged with heat from solar or wind energy. Hence heat, which is stored at around 500 degrees Celsius can then be used to warm homes in the winter. The project was conducted by a team of researchers from Finland working with a small power plant in Kankaanpää. (Matt McGrath, “Climate change: 'Sand battery' could solve green energy's big problem,” BBC News, 05 July 2022)

Snow melting faster near Sonnblick Observatory
On 05 July, The Guardian reported that snow at the highest observatory in the world is expected to melt earlier than usual. The Sonnblick Observatory, in Austrain Central Alps, is 10,190 feet above sea level. They reported that this year, the snow started to melt more than a month before the time that had been recorded so far. The observatory, which records snow levels every 10 minutes along with other data said that the heatwave across Europe is one of the main reasons for the early melting of snow in the region. (Helena Horton, “Snow at one of world’s highest observatories melting earlier than ever before,” The Guardian, 05 July 2022