Editor's Note:

The Africa Adaptation Summit will kick off on September 5 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The summit is the first major test of the developed world's commitment made at the most recent UN climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, to double its financial support for climate-proofing projects in developing countries by 2025. It is also expected to lay the foundation for an adaptation breakthrough for Africa at COP27 in November. However, while African leaders are heading for the summit seeking delivery on the commitment, most of their European counterparts may reportedly skip the meeting. While record heat waves, along with an energy crisis partly caused by the US-instigated Russia-Ukraine crisis, have forced some European countries to backpedal on their climate goals, climate change in the US has descended to an issue for partisan struggle and a topic to smear China. Chinese climate experts slammed Western countries for trying to wriggle out of their promise of giving financial aid to African countries, which possibly casts a shadow over the upcoming COP27. In contrast, China is steadily promoting green development under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Shunned promises Graphic: Tang Tengfei, Chen He/GT