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Construction Begins on $7 Billion Power Africa Project

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Tam Harbert
Nighttime Near Nairobi: Only 18 percent of Kenyan house-holds have access to electricity.
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This spring, construction is set to begin on the first projects coordinated through Power Africa, a multibillion-dollar Obama administration initiative that seeks to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa within five years, and in some cases accelerate reforms in the governments of the nations involved. Among the initial projects are wind farms in Kenya and Tanzania, and a solar project in Tanzania.

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Construction Begins on $7 Billion Power Africa Project

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The Most Disruptive Force on the Planet

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MoneyMorning.com.au
Everyone stands as Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, enters the World Future Energy Summit on January 20.
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The most disruptive technological force on the planet is happening quietly and relatively unseen by most of us.

When you plug your cellphone charger into a wall socket, you are probably connecting to one of about 500 coal-fired power plants in the United States.

What if all of them were shut down by 2050?

What if instead of getting your power from a centralised source, you got it from a small generating plant on top of your house or business or car?

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The Most Disruptive Force on the Planet

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Peacekeeping Budgets Equal Less than Two Days of Military Spending

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Michael Renner
U.N. Peacekeeping Budget, 1950 - 2013
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The approved budget for United Nations peacekeeping operations from July 2013 to June 2014 runs to $7.83 billion—$390 million higher than in the previous year.1 (See Figure 1.) This is the third-highest budget since the record $8.26 billion spent in 2009–10.2 Despite some relatively minor fluctuations in the last seven years, peacekeeping budgets are much more stable now than in the 1990s, when a rapid rise in spending was followed by an abrupt decline.

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Peacekeeping Budgets Equal Less than Two Days of Military Spending

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Climate action needs to be part of city planning - urban leaders

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Author: 

Samuel Mintz
People visit the beach on New Year's Day in Durban, South Africa, on January 1, 2014.
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LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – From Durban, South Africa, to West Chester, Pennsylvania, local and municipal governments are trying to do their part to slow the advance of global climate change and adapt their communities to new climate realities, as laid out in the latest IPCC report by scientists this week.

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Climate action needs to be part of city planning - urban leaders

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World must end 'dirty' fuel use - UN

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Author: 

Matt McGrath
Scientists believe there needs to be a step change in the energy sector
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A long-awaited UN report on how to curb climate change says the world must rapidly move away from carbon-intensive fuels.

There must be a "massive shift" to renewable energy, says the study released in Berlin.

It has been finalised after a week of negotiations between scientists and government officials.

Natural gas is seen as a key bridge to move energy production away from oil and coal.

But there have been battles between participants over who will pay for this energy transition.

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World must end 'dirty' fuel use - UN

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This Tower Pulls Drinking Water Out of Thin Air

Submitted by shermmarshall on

Author: 

Tuan C. Nguyen
Warka Water towers are designed to take advantage of condensation. (Architecture and Vision )
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In some parts of Ethiopia, finding potable water is a six-hour journey.

People in the region spend 40 billion hours a year trying to find and collect water, says a group called the Water Project. And even when they find it, the water is often not safe, collected from ponds or lakes teeming with infectious bacteria, contaminated with animal waste or other harmful substances. 

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This Tower Pulls Drinking Water Out of Thin Air

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Made in America: Staggering amounts of toxic chemicals

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Richard Denison
Although concerned about chemicals such as BPA, consumers often don't know what chemicals are present in the products they use.
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Recent spills in West Virginia and North Carolina cast a spotlight on toxic hazards in our midst. But as bad as they are, these acute incidents pale in scope compared to the chronic flow of hazardous chemicals coursing through our lives each day with little notice and minimal regulation.

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Made in America: Staggering amounts of toxic chemicals

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Aquaculture Continues to Gain on Wild Fish Capture

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Author: 

Michael Renner
Global Fish Production, 1950 - 2013
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According to preliminary estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), total global fish production was expected to reach an all-time high of 160 million tons in 2013, up from 157.9 million tons in 2012. This figure includes a projected wild capture of 90 million tons, down from 91.3 million tons in the previous year and from 93.7 million tons in 2011.

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Aquaculture Continues to Gain on Wild Fish Capture

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