ASIA: South Korea, which is Asia’s fourth largest economy, has joined the race for carbon neutrality by 2050. President Moon Jae-in made this announcement during a speech to lawmakers this morning. He announced the investment of eight million won in a “Green New Deal” that proposes socio-economic recovery and environmental optimization. South Korea which is among the world’s heavy consumers of coal is making this commitment ahead of COP 26 to be held in Glasgow, Scotland. President Moon’s plan for carbon neutrality involves incorporating 20% renewables into the energy grid by 2030, closing 40 existing coal plants by 2034, replace old buildings and public rentals with eco-friendly facilities and expand the use of hydrogen powered vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs).
AFRICA: Education has played both victim and arsenal in conflict ridden zones, especially in Africa. The need to protect and provide education in times of emergency has been an agenda of the United Nations since 2010. The formation of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack was to raise awareness of children’s plight in countries affected by conflict. The ideology behind the attacks on education presents terrorist with an opportunity for mass casualties indicating the incompetence of government to protect their citizens. The recent Chibok Girls abduction that happened in Nigeria in 2014 is a typical example of Islamic militants capitalizing on the vulnerability of education. The reasons for their attack on education are varied, but the most common is their animosity for western civilization which is perpetuated through education. In the words of Craig Bailie, “The attack on education by armed groups fuels a vicious cycle of underdevelopment and insecurity, causing more violence.”
NORTH AMERICA: Canada which is renowned for its mining prowess and is said to own mining assets valued at $174.4 billion dollars is allegedly accused of slave labor and torture. Cases of human rights abuses were first reported in 2014 by three Eritrean plaintiffs that claim to be among the involuntary workers at the Bisha mine. They claimed to be “beaten with sticks, tied up and left to lie in the hot sand in temperatures of up to 50oC” when they tried to escape. Unsurprisingly, Canada has a history of being held accountable for human rights and environmental abuses. A famous example is the Quebec case of 1998 where toxic waste had spilled into Guyana’s main river, the Essequibo. However, what is disturbing is the secrecy to which settlements are made with a cloak of conspiracy and injustice.
UNITED KINGDOM: Tesla has partnered with Octopus Energy to provide renewable energy for UK homes without electric vehicles. It offers its flexible energy tariffs to homes with solar and energy storage technologies, granting them access to its virtual power plant. According to the firm, the virtual power plant optimizes homes’ energy consumption to lower electricity bills while protecting from power cuts. Tesla also affirms that this energy plan is the cheapest in the UK offering a potential saving of 75% on customers’ bills when compared with ‘Big Six’ providers. Tesla is offering the highest rates for Solar Export Guarantee (SEG), a policy enabling consumers of solar power to sell their excess energy to the grid.