BRI, BRICS, & Global South~

Emerging economies are increasingly investing in clean power grids over polluting power plants but many are still reluctant to quit coal. Vietnam is experiencing a solar energy boom Researchers say the amount of electricity generated from burning fossil fuels has likely peaked worldwide as emerging markets invest in clean and cheap renewables over coal, oil and gas. That is the finding of a report published Wednesday by environmental think tanks […]

On April 1, 2021, the Cuban News Agency (ACN) reported that the use of renewable energy sources in Cuba during 2020 reached and installed power potential of 297,4 Megawatts, which is expected to increase in tune with a national energy strategy aimed at diversifying energy sources. Cuba began investing in renewable energy in 2014 and is ramping up its efforts in a push to make renewables its principal source of […]

Forest clearance in Southeast Asia is accelerating, leading to unprecedented increases in carbon emissions, according to new research. A joint China-UK research team led by the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China, with collaboration from the researchers from The University of Hong Kong, Leeds University UK, Mae Jo University, Thailand and the Wildlife Conservation Society, USA, has shown that forest clearance in Southeast Asia is accelerating […]

Total carbon emissions, per capita amounts, main drivers, and outlook. Carbon dioxide emissions are the primary driver of climate change, but they’re not the only one.1 Other greenhouse gases include methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (that includes hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride).2 While it’s difficult to quantify all greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide emissions data provide a more straightforward way to understand the severity of their […]

US trade war and illegal sanctions risk shortages in world’s top silicon-producing region. TOKYO — on 4 July 2021, the Nikkei Asia news outlet reported that US sanctions against the Chinese solar manufacturing industry “are now casting a shadow over the solar industry” and “one of the world’s biggest sources of silicon.” The article reported that “the price of silicon used to make polycrystalline wafers for solar panels now stands at […]

US trade war and illegal sanctions risk shortages in world’s top silicon-producing region. TOKYO — on 4 July 2021, the Nikkei Asia news outlet reported that US sanctions against the Chinese solar manufacturing industry “are now casting a shadow over the solar industry” and “one of the world’s biggest sources of silicon.” The article reported that “the price of silicon used to make polycrystalline wafers for solar panels now stands at […]

Vietnam has been a Southeast Asia solar success story. It went from having barely any generation in 2018 to a quarter of its total installed capacity being solar – a 100-fold increase in two years. This rapid growth is mainly down to the Vietnamese government’s feed-in tariff which provides a guaranteed above-market price for renewable energy producers; other incentives signed off in 2017 in an attempt to pivot away from lagging fossil fuel projects; and cheaper solar […]