Affordable Clean Energy

Famine is a Policy Choice: The Afterlife of Covid, Institutional decay, and Privatization—Part 2

This is the second in a series of two articles. Click here for Part 1

COLOMBO (IDN) — What was never mentioned in connection with power cuts and soaring fuel and energy prices was the privatization of sale of the Yugadanavi power plant to an American New Fortress company in a corrupt mid-night deal in November 2021 by former US citizen President Rajapakse, before he took wing to New York to address the United Nation’s General Assembly to boast about his green energy and fertilizer policies that had bought Sri Lanka to the current disaster!

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 June 2022

Photo: Nepal’s reliance on India for electricity has continued even as the country has been exploring options to export power to the southern neighbour. Source: The Kathmandu Post

Nepal Hammered by One of the Worst Power Crises in India

By Lekhanath Pandey

This article was issued by NewsClick, and is being republished courtesy of that independent media organization in India.

KATHMANDU (IDN) — Nepal's industrial sector has been hit hard by power cuts in recent weeks, with many small, medium as well as large firms forced to shut down operations due to a lack of electricity.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; South Asia; 14 May 2022

Photo: Overlooking the central Kumasi market at closing time in Kumasi, Ghana, June 22, 2006. Credit: Jonathan Ernst / World Bank (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Ukraine and Africa: Food Crisis, Energy Ambiguity and An Uncertain Political Outcome

This article was issued by The Institute for International Political Studies - ISPI.

Viewpoint by Lucia Ragazzi

MILAN (IDN) — Since the war in Ukraine broke out in Europe, its consequences and side effects have been reverberating across African countries. Rising food and energy prices, supply disruptions, and inflationary pressures have created additional challenges on the road to a post-pandemic economic recovery the continent painstakingly embarked upon, in what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called a 'perfect storm'.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 08 May 2022

Image: Pipeline construction in Nigeria as part of the Trans-Sahara natural gas pipeline, expected to run through Northern Nigeria into Niger and Algeria, connecting to Europe. Credit: Pipeline & Gas Journal.

The Russian Oil Ban Opens Up New Prospects for Africa

Viewpoint by Olatubora Ayodeji

LAGOS, Nigeria (IDN) — It's very important to understand that Russia is the world's third biggest oil producer, behind the US and Saudi Arabia and of about five million barrels of crude oil it exports each day, more than half went to Europe before the sanctions were announced. Before the announcement, Russia accounted for about 8% and 3% of the UK and US oil demand respectively.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 May 2022

MiniMines Mixes Lithium Extraction with Circular Economy and UN SDGs

By Anupam Kumar B.Tech***

NEW DELHI (IDN) — In 2018, the notion of circular economy and its inherent link to the UN SDGs gained currency globally especially after the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

UNCTAD defines a circular economy entailing markets that give incentives to recycling and reusing products, rather than scrapping them and then extracting new resources.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 18 March 2022

Photo: The President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Gene Leon. Source: Caricom Today.

Sustainable Energy Transition Vital for Caribbean Development

By J C Suresh

TORONTO | GEORGETOWN (IDN) — The President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Gene Leon, has cited the transition to sustainable energy a critical imperative for regional development, according to Caricom Today.

"Our development in the region must be seen from a holistic perspective and, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, a sustainable energy transition is one of our most important trans-generational obligations," said Dr Leon at the Turks and Caicos Energy Forum in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, on October 21.

: J C Suresh; SUSTAINABILITY; Affordable Clean Energy; 23 October 2021

New Fortress Energy, Sri Lanka, and Planet Earth

By Dr Asoka Bandarage

The writer, a scholar and practitioner, has taught at Yale, Brandeis, Mount Holyoke (where she received tenure), Georgetown, American and other universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad.

COLOMBO (IDN) — On September 17, New Fortress Energy (NFE), a U.S.-based energy infrastructure company, signed a momentous legal agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). The signing apparently took place in the dead of the night, at 12.06 a.m., and the foreigner who came for the signing swiftly returned to the U.S. on a flight at 2 a.m.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Affordable Clean Energy; 30 September 2021

Photo: Prime Minister of Fiji addressing the UN General Assembly virtually on September 25, 2021. Source: PM's official Website.

Security Challenges We Face Are Climate and Disease, World Leaders Need to Rise Up

By Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama

Fiji Islands Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama is the current Chair of the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum. Addressing the UN General Assembly virtually on September 25, he called on the global community to embrace Fiji's vision of a better, greener, bluer and safer future for humanity.

SUVA (IDN) — The United Nations report to the UN General Assembly this year is titled “Our multilateral challenges: UN 2:0” a Common Agenda the blueprint for a future that is better, greener, and safer—and I would humbly add, “bluer”.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 28 September 2021

Pandemic Raises Stakes for Success of The SDGs — Private Sector Collaboration Crucial

Viewpoint by Tina Nybo Jensen*

AMSTERDAM (IDN) — In this Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we hear much about how organizations, countries and individuals are stepping up their efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Despite this, the reality is that the pace of action has not been quick enough, and we are already far behind on delivering the Global Goals.

: Europe Editor; OPINION; 24 September 2021

Photo: Damilola Ogunbiyi. Credit: UNDESA.

Achieving SDG7 Will Put Us on A Pathway to Net-Zero

Viewpoint by Damilola Ogunbiyi

The writer is CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

VIENNA (IDN | UNDESA) — The energy transition story is a story of energy access. I’ve often said this, and it’s worth repeating. The climate crisis and the energy access crisis are intrinsically linked. The billions of people who lack access to safe, clean, and reliable electricity and cooking fuels are forced to rely on polluting means to go about their daily lives.