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- Mongabay
‘Devastating’ rush for critical minerals has little to do with green energy: Report
A recent report by the Oakland Institute warns that the global scramble for critical minerals severely impacts communities and ecosystems, particularly in Africa. The study challenges the assumption that surging mining activity is primarily driven by green energy demands, raising concerns for international development and resource governance.
- Mongabay
In South Africa, renewable energy latest part of timber industry’s green efforts
South African forestry firm York Timber Holdings recently partnered with a power trader to supply its Jessievale facility with clean electricity. Renewable sources will cover the vast majority of the sawmill's energy needs. This transition highlights a broader commercial trend toward sustainable power adoption within the nation's industrial sector.
- Mongabay
Wind energy surplus fuels unregulated data centers in Brazil’s dry land
Surplus wind energy in Brazil's arid northeast is driving the unannounced development of unregulated data centers. This technology expansion brings high rental costs and noise pollution to local communities, raising concerns over rapid, unmonitored industrial growth in vulnerable rural regions.
- UN News
Middle East: 94 per cent need shelter in Gaza, Israel ramps up demolitions in Lebanon
UN agencies report that ongoing military operations in Gaza have left 94 percent of the population lacking adequate housing. Simultaneously, escalating demolitions in Lebanon worsen regional displacement. These compounding crises severely strain humanitarian response capacities and heighten the vulnerability of affected civilian populations.
- UN News
The clean energy transition needs land. Can it help restore it too?
Expanding clean energy infrastructure requires significant land use, which risks environmental conflict. However, innovative siting and dual-use strategies allow renewable energy projects to simultaneously rehabilitate degraded ecosystems. Integrating ecological restoration into these developments is crucial for meeting global climate targets while preserving natural resources and supporting local communities.
- Mongabay
Despite energy crisis, Bangladesh’s factories are slow to adopt solar power: Study
Despite severe fuel shortages and soaring electricity costs, Bangladesh’s garment industry is slow to install rooftop solar panels. Thousands of factory roofs remain unutilized for renewable energy. Accelerating photovoltaic adoption could alleviate the nation's escalating power crisis and reduce operational expenses for manufacturers.
- Mongabay
Lake Powell hits record low, threatening key water and electricity supply for millions
Lake Powell, the second-largest U.S. reservoir, has dropped to a historic low water level. This milestone intensifies the crisis facing the Colorado River basin. Consequently, critical water and electricity supplies for millions of residents in the region are now severely threatened.
- Inter Press Service
Asia’s Energy Progress Is Great, But Must Pick Up Pace
Across the Asia-Pacific region, electricity access and clean cooking adoption have expanded significantly alongside strong renewable energy growth. However, experts emphasize that national clean-energy transitions must accelerate further to meet broader climate targets and secure sustainable development outcomes across the entire region.
- UN News
Food prices edged up in July amid heatwaves and energy price hikes
Global food commodity prices rose in July due to intense heatwaves and rising energy costs driven by geopolitical tensions. For development and humanitarian practitioners, this slight increase signals renewed pressure on vulnerable food supply chains and heightens the risk of food insecurity in import-dependent regions.
- UN News
Strait of Hormuz disruption hits energy, fertilizer and industrial trade
Recent blockades in the Strait of Hormuz have significantly curtailed international shipments of fuel, agricultural nutrients, and manufacturing supplies. This disruption highlights the fragility of major maritime transit corridors, threatening worldwide supply chains and potentially driving up costs for essential commodities across global markets.
- The Guardian — Global development
‘We count every litre’: how Cuba’s energy crisis sparked a daily struggle for water
Chronic electricity shortages across Cuba have severely disrupted municipal water supplies, leaving millions of residents reliant on manual collection methods for basic daily needs. In Havana, widespread blackouts regularly disable pumping stations, causing prolonged outages that compound humanitarian hardships for vulnerable urban populations.
- Inter Press Service
ALBANIA: ‘The Public Only Learns about These Development Megaprojects Once Construction Machinery Arrives’
- UN News
Critical minerals: The hidden resources powering the clean energy future
- Inter Press Service
Efficiency Becomes the World’s ‘First Fuel’ as Leaders at IEA Conference Chart Course for Cleaner, More Secure Energy Future
Over 600 energy leaders convened in Montreal for the 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency, organized by the International Energy Agency. The conference focused on addressing rising electricity demand and climate challenges, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency as a critical component in achieving a cleaner and more secure energy future.
- Inter Press Service
Invasive Prickly Pear Turned into Food, Clean Energy Source
An academic collaboration is transforming the invasive prickly pear cactus in Laikipia County, Kenya, into a sustainable food and clean energy source. Initiated in 2017, the project aims to enhance food security and mitigate resource conflicts, providing local communities with new opportunities for development and stability.
- World Health Organization
655 million people still living without electricity underscore urgent need to deliver on universal energy access target
The World Health Organization reports that 655 million people worldwide lack electricity access, while two billion rely on harmful fuels for cooking. This situation highlights the pressing need to achieve universal energy access, particularly as energy security and affordability become critical issues on the global development agenda.
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