South Africa
A world more afraid: Wars fuelling rising fears of foreign attacks
The world is simultaneously more afraid of war and less willing to fight one, according to the 2026 Democracy Perception Index. Governments are spending more on defence, but in the Western world the citizens are increasingly unwilling to go to war.
Global democracy perception of US collapses, behind Russia and China for first time
A survey of nearly 100,000 people across 98 countries has found that global perception of the US has collapsed to its lowest recorded level — placing it among the five most negatively perceived countries in the world, behind both Russia and China,
Solar-plus-storage fall below those of fossil fuels - IRENA
wRenewable power paired with battery storage is becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuels for around-the-clock electricity supply, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Super El Niño threat could add to Iran war inflation shock
A growing risk of a “Super El Niño” later this year is fuelling concerns among economists and commodity traders that it will only add to the inflation shock already on the way as a result of spiking energy prices due to the Iran war.
Low-carbon sources met all of 2025’s electricity demand growth - OWID
Solar and wind energy have grown quickly in recent years, but global electricity demand has grown faster. So while their share of electricity generation kept rising, it wasn't enough to push fossil fuels into absolute decline.
Coal mines are leaking vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere and almost no one is measuring it - Ember
Almost five years after 159 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge committing to cut anthropogenic methane emissions by 30% by 2030, coal mines are releasing roughly the same amount of the potent greenhouse gases.
COMMENT: We are fighting the wrong war
Imagine if an alien bug invaded the earth. I'm not talking about the big slick black monsters that bite your head off from the Alien franchise. I'm talking about tiny little nondescript bugs that gnaw away at plants and have a taste for concrete.
IMF: Africa shifts from external to domestic debt come with rewards and risks
A major transformation is underway in sub-Saharan Africa: Governments are increasingly shifting borrowing away from external debt and toward domestic debt. This trend brings fresh opportunities to build resilience and support development.
Renewables met 100% of global electricity demand growth in 2025 that will speed America's decline
For the first time in history, renewables covered all new global electricity demand in 2025, and the oil shock of the Iran war will only accelerate the move away from the reliance on fossil fuels, according to a report by Ember.
Number of people without electricity halved since 2000 – OWID
Most people in the world would think very little before flicking on the lights, charging a mobile phone or turning on a laptop to read this.
Rift surfaces in BRICS over West Asia conflict
In spite of the diplomatic impasse at the declaration level, the consultations reportedly addressed humanitarian conditions across several conflict-affected states and examined prospects for post-conflict stabilisation in the broader MENA region.
South Africa vanadium push deepens as dual-listed VR8 signs US offtake deal
Vanadium Resources secures US offtake deal for its Steelpoortdrift project in South Africa, advancing efforts to build a major non-China vanadium supply hub.
A super El Niño due this year and the world is not ready
The numbers released last week by an international consortium of climate scientists are remarkable in their uniformity. Every single key indicator of the state of the Earth's climate system set a new record in 2025. And not in a good way.
IMF: Can advanced economies avoid debt distress?
Many highly indebted advanced economies face a grim fiscal outlook. Under current policies, the public debt ratios of countries including Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are set to deteriorate over the next two decades.
Which countries have fertility rates above the replacement level - OWID
Fertility rates — which measure the average number of children per woman — have been falling worldwide. Since 1950, global fertility rates have halved, from almost 5 children per woman to 2.2, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Renewables overtake coal in global electricity mix – Statista
Ten years after the Paris Agreement was opened for signature by member states at the UN Headquarters in New York on April 22, 2016, the global energy transition is beginning to reshape the electricity mix, Statista reports.
Where elections are seen as fair or flawed - OWID
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month directing the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile lists of US citizens eligible to vote in each state, Statista reports.
Developing countries skip landlines and go straight to mobile phones - OWID
The concept of “leapfrogging” is popular in development. It suggests that, as they develop, lower-income countries can skip intermediate technologies or systems and go straight to the modern equivalent, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Germany grants new $234mn climate loan to South Africa amid grid strain
Germany has extended a €200mn concessional loan to South Africa to support grid expansion & renewable energy, reinforcing European backing for the country’s just energy transition as transmission constraints continue to limit new power capacity.
South Africa's Eskom selects Thyspunt as preferred site for nuclear plant amid heritage risk
South Africa’s state-owned utility Eskom has identified Thyspunt on the Eastern Cape coast as the preferred site for a proposed 5,200MW nuclear power station, according to a draft environmental scoping report.