South Africa
US DoE muddies the ClimateCrisis waters with report downplaying the emissions problem
As part of the Trump administration’s attempts to take the Climate Crisis off the agenda, the US Department of Energy has released a report downplaying the impact of fossil fuels on global warming.
South Africa reduces policy rate to 7% from 7.25%
South Africa's central bank has cut the country's key interest rate by 25 basis points to 7%.
IMF corrects growth forecast upwards – Statista
Despite uncertain market conditions amid the Trump administration's tariff regime and major global conflicts, the International Monetary Fund has upped its global economic growth forecasts for 2025 and 2026 slightly, Statista reported on July 30.
Trump to kill US Climate Crisis commitment by gutting the EPA of its powers
The Trump administration will end any pretence of trying to fight the accelerating Climate Crisis with a plan to gut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its authority and end its core programmes to reduce emissions.
IPCC releases dire sixth climate update in run-up to COP30
“Any further delay in global action to slow climate change and adapt to its impacts will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all”.
USAID funding cuts have disrupted crucial Demographic and Health Surveys in 23 countries, says OWID
Demographic and Health Surveys that provided crucial data on health, mortality and development in many lower- and middle-income countries were funded by USAID, but are no more.
ICJ declares healthy environment is a human right in landmark climate ruling
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued a historic advisory opinion recognising a clean and sustainable environment as a human right, declaring that states which fail to curb emissions may be in violation of international law.
Earth overshoot day is already long past – Statista
July 24 marks this year's Earth Overshoot Day, the day that humanity’s demand for ecological resources exceeds the resources Earth can regenerate within that year, Statista reports. That day has already long passed.
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Brazil to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at ICJ
Brazil is set to formally join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, in a move likely to ratchet up international legal pressure on Tel Aviv over the Gaza conflict.
World has less than three years to avert worst climate impacts, scientists warn
A new global climate report warns that the world is on the brink of irreversible damage. The findings come amid sluggish international action ahead of COP30.
COMMENT: Can BRICS deliver beyond the rhetoric? experts weigh in
BRICS has evolved from an emerging economies club into a coalition Trump sees as threatening enough to warrant tariffs. Experts reveal tensions between China's dominance and multipolar goals, with institutional gaps but growing Global South support.
Fitch upgrades Trump’s effective tariff rate to 19.4%
President Donald Trump’s evolving trade policy is set to sharply increase the United States’ effective tariff rate (ETR), with Fitch Ratings warning of substantial rises as new duties take effect on August 1.
Geopolitics is weighing on FDI, capital chasing certainty over scale – study
The world is living through turbulent times, but investors are still chasing returns which has affected the flows of international foreign direct investment.
IMF: The debate over falling fertility
A decline in global population later this century may threaten human progress, or it may lead to better lives.
COMMENT: Bogotá summit marks Global South’s legal break with the West over Gaza
At the Bogotá summit, the Global South takes charge – no longer waiting for Western permission to enforce international law. From South Africa’s ICJ case to Colombia cutting ties with Israel, countries are defying US pressure over Gaza.
UNFPA survey reveals why millions can’t have the families they dream of
A growing global crisis in reproductive agency – not overpopulation or declining birth rates – is one of the most urgent demographic challenges of our time, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said.
Melting icecaps will cause more and bigger volcanic eruptions, study shows
As the weight of melting ice is lifted off volcanos, eruptions will become more common and more violent, according to a new study of volcanos in Chile’s Patagonia region.
Tipping Point: when populations peak – Statista
As July 11 marks World Population Day, celebrating the approximate date that the world's population reached 5bn in 1987, we're taking a closer at one of the population trends that will affect many countries sooner or later in the 21st Century.
Global warming may create a "permanent El Nino", changing the world's weather patterns
Scientists are warning that global warming is disrupting the natural rhythm of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), potentially creating the conditions for a “permanent El Niño”-like climate state, with significant weather consequences.
Global sea temperatures reach 21°C to set new all-time record high in June
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average sea surface temperature reached 20.96°C in June, the highest for the month since records began.