Group items tagged

1 in 3 Africans do not have access to electricity. Providers are not reliable due to a lack on infrastructure. New measures may be able to change this helping both the providers and the customers.

I think that it's great that there are these new measures to implement affordable electricity to parts of Africa, but I wish the article went into more detail on when they are planning to take action/what year do they aim to have this completed.

Good point!

An interesting perspective on what transnational means from the IEEE, world's oldest association of electrical engineers!

This article intelligently reveals the difficulties of bridging many different countries, which vary politically and culturally, under one goal or line of thought. The specific laws within each country (and each region of each country) must hinder uniform implementation to a notable extent, but I admire the organization's dedication to its vision. However, I wonder if, with the various global regions and political orientations into which the IEEE is divided, interpretations, and not just implementations, of the organization's vision may be different. With that in mind, can implementations change not only according to local laws, but also according to personal biases?

I found the part about regulations in certain countries especially interesting. It seems ridiculous that a country would ban the import a technical journal. The fact that the author never gives specifics about which country he is referring to further backs his points about what it means to maintain a transnational organization. And while I'm sure that the IEEE is committed to its goal, I am not sure how committed its members might be and if they might bring about international disputes despite the IEEE's best efforts.

Mexico is playing a strange game. Reputable sources report that Mexico is expected to make major climate commitments at COP 27, such as a 1,000 Mw solar power plant and increasing lithium production for electric cars. However, the new president has been utterly opposed to climate change policy, as he tried to wriggle out of responsibility for 2030 commitments via the Supreme Court. He also bet a large chunk of the economy on fossil fuel energy, particularly coal. People believe he is incapable of doing anything to address climate issues, and want a new president in 2024 who is.

Portraying lithium production as a commitment to the climate is a very interesting tactic. Yeah, we make electric cars using it, but by that logic whale fishing is an honorable commitment because we could create biodegradable corsets. How much ruin will it take for countries to invest in car-independent infrastructure?

Think Differently about future transportation; Author has a podcast about transportation as well.

An interesting and scary article from the US Defense Secretary's address last week. He explained that the country is vulnerable to foreign computer terrorists and a "Pearl Habor-like" attack is possible. The hackers could derail trains, contaminate water supplies, and knock out electrical grids throughout the country.

The environmental/electrical crisis is creating unlivable conditions for the nearly one million children living in Gaza.

Volcon is a company that sells electric offroading vehicles. It seems like they are mostly targeting tourists with this expansion. Tourism is a significant share of the Guatemalan economy.

Natural disasters and the inability to generate enough electricity are stalling most sectors of the Chinese economy. People are saying that it is hard to earn money. This may seem like a good thing for the US, but the Chinese economy is intricately linked with the American one -- it is certainly related to the global supply chain issues.

I find this article interesting as you always hear about the "rise of China" in the 21st century, and this article shows that the rise is having a few minor roadblocks.

I agree with Sam Denny that it's not often you hear about the roadblocks to the "rise of China", so this is a novel article in that regard (at least for me). I'd be interested to see how the Chinese government responds to this, if at all.

Cobalt mining