insert_link Business / Economics Women lifestyle influencers are changing the face of the far right – podcast By Avery Anapol When you think about the far right, you probably picture groups of young, white men carrying images of swastikas or torches like those seen at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. But the face of the far right is changing, at least on social media. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we hear about new research into a cohort […] todayJanuary 25, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Lagos styrofoam, plastics ban brings applause and concern From trash-strewn pavements to street vendors packing meals in polystyrene containers, plastic waste is a constant menace in the urban landscape of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital and the continent's most populous city. That image could soon change if the local Lagos State government manages to implement its recent ambitious ban on the use of polystyrene and single-use plastics. Sunday's announcement of the ban on styrofoam boxes and single-use plastics, "with […] todayJanuary 25, 2024 21
insert_link Environment Albatrosses are threatened with extinction – and climate change could put their nesting sites at risk By Mia Momberg, University of Pretoria The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the world’s largest flying bird, with a wingspan reaching an incredible 3.5 metres. These birds are oceanic nomads: they spend most of their 60 years of life at sea and only come to land to breed approximately every two years once they have reached sexual maturity. Their playground is the vast Southern Ocean – the region between […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 16
insert_link Business / Economics King coal set to lose crown for electricity production: IEA Renewables are set to displace coal as the top source of energy for electricity production globally in 2025, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. In its annual report on the electricity market, the IEA said that renewables -- in particular from solar panels -- should see their share of total electricity production surpass a third of the total, passing from 30 percent last year to 37 percent in 2026. If […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 13
insert_link Environment Cape fishers worried about declining fish populations Mario Jacobs has been doing commercial fishing for decades. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks By Liezl Human via GroundUp Mario Jacobs is worried. He has had a commercial fishing license since 1998, and has an annual quota for catching sardines and anchovies. But sardine stocks have been in poor shape for years and 2023 was the worst year on record for anchovy stocks. Jacobs, who is from Hangberg in Hout Bay, says his […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 13
insert_link Business / Economics We need a better understanding of how crops fare under solar panels, study shows Farmers in Bihar, India, growing crops amidst solar panels. Image by C. de Bode/CGIAR via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). By Ruth Kamnitzer via MongaBay The dream of agrivoltaics is to generate your electricity and eat your edamame too. But a recent study in Agroforestry Systems shows that agrivoltaics — growing food beneath solar panels — is not so simple. Research published in September finds that overall crop yields decrease when paired with solar panels and offers […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 14
Environment South Africa’s Agulhas long-billed lark: adapting and surviving despite farming taking over their nesting grounds By Robert Leslie Thomson, University of Cape Town The Agulhas long-billed lark (Certhilauda brevirostris) is only found in South Africa. It builds nests on the ground mainly in Renosterveld fynbos, a type of vegetation filled with grasses and wild spring flowers that is critically endangered by agricultural expansion. The University of Cape Town’s FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology recently published the first study into the nesting practices of […] todayJanuary 23, 2024 10
insert_link Environment ‘Hold Developed States to Account for Climate Justice’, Secretary-General Urges in Remarks to Group of 77 Plus China Summit Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China, in Kampala: It is a pleasure to join you for this very important summit. I thank the Government of Uganda for its hospitality and congratulate it on the leadership of the Group of 77 (G77) plus China. Sixty years ago, recognizing the need for unity and solidarity in the face of […] todayJanuary 23, 2024 14
insert_link Environment Conservationists aim to save South America’s super tiny wild cat, the guina Image courtesy of Jerry Laker/Fauna Australis. By Petro Kotzé via MongaBay For more than 200 million years, the ancient Valdivian Temperate Forest in southwestern Chile has been a refuge for plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth. This global biodiversity hotspot is home to monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana), the endangered chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera), threatened southern pudu (Pudu puda) — the world’s smallest deer — and two critically endangered species: the […] todayJanuary 23, 2024 38
