Infrastructure was often built to move resources efficiently to ports, not to connect domestic or continental markets to one another. Trade routes pointed outwards rather than inwards. The legacy of this model still shapes how economies, societies function today. currencynews.co.za/the-next-ene...
www.youtube.com/shorts/84ZCO...
“We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” ... In South Africa the term 'now-now' is a relatable, common feint/excuse/fob/con. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/u...
Whenever they find a reality that doesn’t suit them
they alter it with a bulldozer
- Mahmoud Darwish
"The people paying most directly for this war are in Iran, where devastation reigns. But the costs do not stop there—they travel, in fuel prices, food costs, and debt distress, to Harare, Khayelitsha, and dozens of other places where governments had no say in the decision..."
1/ New working paper by Greg Muttitt and me, on equitable fossil fuel transitions. GST called for nationally determined contributions to global efforts, incl “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner”.
commerce.uct.ac.za/sites/defaul...
Greenpoint park, a view of the lily ponds linking mountain & ocean streams
Greenpoint promenade, a view of the ocean at midday
Cape Town today 💚
A heartbreaking editorial. "A war whose architects have no theory of victory, no ground forces, no plan for the morning after. Nothing but the confidence that the consequences will be borne by others."
africasacountry.com/list/campaig...
Excellent South African coal-fired power station availability + other generation availability data contribution (see link to 10-year spreadsheet at the end) and perspective by @amabhungane.bsky.social ⭐ amabhungane.org/the-sobering...
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The author considers the numbers of lives taken in various historically recognised genocides including the Armenian genocide (+-1 million), the Holocaust (6 million), Rwanda (+-800000) to Gaza (67000+). Points out that the ICC deemed the 8372 Bosnians killed in the former Yugoslavia, a genocide.
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Good writing about good eating, making an effort to connect and grab some lingering joy. www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...
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Quote about inequality by Goran Therborn, pointing to the violation of human dignity, denail of possibility and its many side effects e.g. premature death, ill-health, exclusion, powerlessness and stress.
🎯Goran Therborn description of what inequality does to people 💯
Spent two weeks in Armenia recently, finalising some research during the hot middle parts of the day and enjoying the freshest air and outstanding views in the early mornings and evenings. What a magnificent country filled with the loveliest people.
65% of Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) grant funds are going to private corporations—mostly international consultancies. Less than 25% goes to local NGOs, public entities, or universities without reaching communities on the ground.
https://www.opensecrets.org.za/the-climate-consultants/
"If our politicians cannot be human, let us, at the very least, remain so. ... Educate yourself and others, create a culture in which each person is able to turn to their neighbours and recognise them, irrevocably, as fellow human beings." www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/...
For those interested in research relevant to the influential stakeholders operating within the South African energy transition (public sector) ecosystem.
www.linkedin.com/posts/brenda...
Such a vital point re. the value of optimal diversity & inclusion. Without it, we simply don't know what we miss out on. Low diversity = limited insight, experience, vision, perspective, possibility...
"The key power of representation is that you not only look like someone who hasn’t been at the table, but that you in fact change the nature of which discussions are prioritized, and that you’re fighting for a different set of priorities that have been ignored." africasacountry.com/2020/01/roti...
No matter how often I see this data, I always find it shocking. Of all the massive growth in output produced by the world's workers since 1980, more than half of it has been captured by the richest 1%. This is what happens when capital controls production.
Our inequality is one of the most important factors that leads to the divisions between us.
"...wealth is not the marker of the comfort class. Security is." 💯. Points made in this insightful article are globally relevant to considerations of socio-economic inequality. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
I know everyone is overwhelmed with multiple crises around the world right now, but please take 3 minutes to remind yourself of what may be the worst of them all - but probably gets the least international attention: #Sudan.
www.hrw.org/the-day-in-h...
The chapters in this book are derived from the Regional Africa Human Rights Academic Network Conference 2023, held from 13-15 September 2023 at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Sometimes I forget I can do what I want
And then I remember - with a slap, a sigh, or sudden sweetness,
I don’t owe anything or anyone the version of me I outgrew.
- Yrsa Daley-Ward 💙
