Europe

Russia’s Ukraine War and Energy Crisis have Scared the World into Turbocharging adoption of Wind, Solar for Power

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new report by the International Energy Agency suggests that the 2022 global energy crisis, caused in part by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, has had the effect of greatly accelerating the world’s rush to green energy. The IEA suggests that its estimates for the pace of the transition to […]

Russia

The Forgotten War: what Russia could win from the reignited Conflict in Syria

The Conversation

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham | – (The Conversation) – Largely overshadowed by the war in Ukraine, Syria remains a deeply divided and violent country, where military conflict has recently reignited. This new period of conflict in Syria, with Russia, Turkey and Israel all launching attacks, also reflects some of the battle lines of the […]

Russia

Historical Reasons that Turkey is the pivot point between Russia and the US on Ukraine War

The Conversation

By Georgios Giannakopoulos, City, University of London | – (The Conversation) – The war in Ukraine has put Turkey into the geopolitical spotlight. One of Nato’s earliest member states, with a special relationship with Russia, Turkey is attempting to balance its competing interests, as well as increasing its own influence. Meanwhile, Turkey is in the […]

Climate Crisis

Tumultuous First Year for Germany’s Government may start Energy Transition Push

Benjamin Wehrmann

Benjamin Wehrmann | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – One year after taking over Germany’s government, chancellor Olaf Scholz’s “traffic light” coalition [so called because his Social Democratic Party (SPD) is symbolized by red, the center-right Free Democrats (FDP) are yellow, and the Green Party is, well, green], the looks back at some turbulent […]

Children

Yemen: Ukraine War, boosting Wheat Prices, has increased Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition for Children

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Russia’s War on Ukraine has added to global inflation along many dimensions, including higher gasoline and fossil gas prices. It has also affected the price of wheat, since Ukraine and Russia used to be responsible for 9% and 19% of global wheat exports. Although wheat shortages of the magnitude that […]

Africa

What Climate Debt Does the North Owe the South?

John Feffer

( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Richer countries haven’t met their $100 billion promise to help poorer countries move beyond fossil fuels. Where’s the money going to come from? By John Feffer | November 30, 2022 To keep the planet from overheating, there’s just so much more carbon that humans can pump into the […]

China

A Letter to President Joe Biden: About that pledge you Made of “Diplomacy First”

H. Patricia Hynes

Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment) – Dear Joe, Remember the mid-March snowball fight with some boys in our 8th grade class at St Helena’s School in Wilmington, Delaware? The snow was wet and made for hard, icy snowballs, so I hid my young sister Monica behind a parked car. You joined me against the […]

Climate Crisis

Ukraine War, Energy Crisis, pushes Germans’ Acceptance of Wind Turbines to Record Level

Clean Energy Wire

By Sören Amelang | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Onshore wind power has become more popular than ever among people living in Germany as a result of the war in Ukraine, a poll has found. One in three respondents said Russia’s war and Germany’s previous dependence on energy imports from Russia have made the expansion […]

Displaced and Refugees

Anti-War Russians find a new Home in Turkey

Global Voices

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – ( Globalvoices.org) – In a lively neighborhood of Istanbul’s Kadikoy district, Grao Cafeteria is nestled in between local shops and restaurants. Grao’s owner is 32-year-old Igor, native of St. Petersburg. He arrived in Istanbul in March 2022 after a year of traveling abroad, visiting India, Nepal and Thailand. After a […]