SIPRI: Weapons trade booming worldwide, especially in Russia
Earnings from weapons sales rose worldwide in 2023. According to Sweden-based peace research institute SIPRI, arms manufacturers from Russia and the Middle East grew the most.
The wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip are primarily driving demand for weapons and military equipment, but growing tensions in East Asia also have a role.
In 2023, the total revenue of the world's 100 largest weapons producers grew to $632 billion (€598 bio) a 4.2% increase from 2022. This is according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SIPRI, which analyzes the business figures of the 100 biggest arms makers.
"The biggest development in 2023 was how especially European and US companies, are finally able to translate rising demand from the war in Ukraine into actual increasing revenue," Xiao Liang, one of the report's authors, explained to DW.
"In 2022 we saw a lot of companies were still struggling with COVID pandemic supply chain disruptions and were having difficulties ramping up their production," he added.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.