Sebastian Rodriguez

Sebastián Rodríguez joined Climate Home News in 2022 as special projects editor. Based in San José Costa Rica, he started out as a reporter for Ojo al Clima, Central America’s first climate news outlet. He has reported on climate for Reuters, DW and Mongabay. Before joining Climate Home News, he was editor in chief at Climate Tracker.

A group of biologists check a book in the forest of Liberia

Biodiversity finance grew ahead of COP16 but came mostly as loans, says OECD

Funding for efforts to protect and restore nature increased to $15.4 billion in 2022 – mostly driven by concessional loans from multilateral banks

Slow progress in Baku risks derailing talks on new climate finance goal at COP29

Azerbaijan’s COP29 president calls for determination and leadership from all countries to bridge the gaps on finance

UN: Human rights must be "at the core" of mining for transition minerals

Human rights must be “at the core” of mining for transition minerals, UN panel says

The UN Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals launches principles to guide responsible, fair extraction of minerals for green value chains

green climate fund nicaragua human rights

UN climate fund axes Nicaragua forest project over human rights concerns

In its first such move, the Green Climate Fund has pulled out of a project after developers failed to address environmental and social compliance issues

cop28 ministers greeting in plenary in Dubai

Dubai deal: Ministers and observers react to the UAE consensus

The final Cop28 text was regarded as historic by delegates, including the US, EU and small islands, but most agree there’s still work ahead

Cop28 bulletin: Adaptation stalemate jeopardises Cop28 outcome

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UN climate chief Simon Stiell gives a press conference at Cop28

As fossil fuel phase-out gathers steam, resistance builds

Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Turkey are among the most vocal opponents of a decision at Cop28 to phase out coal, oil and gas

Cop28 bulletin: IPCC chief defends Al Jaber over science firestorm

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a demonstration at Cop28 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza

Cop28 bulletin: Al Jaber goes off script, denies science

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Brazil's President Lula embraces environment minister Marina Silva, with tears in his eyes

Cop28 bulletin: US GCF pledge and ‘greenwash’ oil and gas charter

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a water feature and people in suits walking through the Cop28 climate conference venue

Cop28 bulletin: Fossil fuel phaseout is on the table

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silhouettes of a selection of world leaders due to speak at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai

As it happened: World leaders speak at Cop28 in Dubai

World leaders set out their climate plans and negotiating positions at Cop28. Follow the news and views with Climate Home News, live

US, China, UK left off UN Climate Action Summit guestlist. UN chief calls on governments to ban fossil fuel ads

‘First movers’ only: US, China, UK left off UN climate guestlist

Only five of the G20 major economies made the cut for Antonio Guterres’ Climate Ambition Summit in New York, despite pressure from big powers

UN report: Climate plans fall short of meeting climate goals

UN says more needed ‘on all fronts’ to meet climate goals

The UN Global Stocktake report calls on governments to scale up renewable energy and phase out all “unabated” fossil fuels.

Brazil's president Lula da Silva giving a speech at the Amazon Summit. Lula scraps Bolsonaro's cuts to Brazilian climate target ambition

Amazon nations fail to agree on deforestation goal at summit

Eight South American nations agreed on a list of joint actions to protect the Amazon rainforest, but failed to mention a long-awaited target to halt deforestation.

UN deep-sea mining talks deadlocked over agenda clash

A dozen countries want to officially debate for the first time in history the possibility to halt deep-sea mining, but have faced opposition from China and the island-nation of Nauru.

Truck driving timber across deforested lands in Indonesia.

“Green” funds destroy Indonesia’s forests – Climate Weekly

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Lula da Silva and Xi Jinping meeting in China to cooperate on climate change.

China and Brazil to cooperate in stopping illegal trade fueling deforestation

Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva, met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping in China and announced new collaborations to control illegal deforestation.

An agriculture worker in Nicaragua's Caribbean region, where a GCF project is under a complaint. Funding Stagnation Puts Green Climate Fund Ambition at Risk

Green Climate Fund credibility hangs over response to violence in Nicaragua project

Indigenous people in Nicaragua have accused a Green Climate Fund project of exacerbating violence with settlers invading their land

Mexico plans to ban solar geoengineering after rogue experiment

A US startup carried out a geoengineering experiment in Mexico, which the country claims was done without prior notice and consent