AFRICA: The dichotomy between Nigerian civilians and the military has emphasized the inefficiency of the military in handling civil unrest. The just concluded #EndSars protest, where the military was accused of the mass shooting at Lekki toll gate has brought to limelight the heated relationship between civilians and soldiers. In an interview with Wale Fatade, from The Conversation Africa, Kester Onor, a lecturer of the department of political science and international relations at covenant university, was of the opinion that “soldiers can be used to deal with civil protest.” He further went on to deny Nigeria’s democratic status, stating that Nigeria is practicing “pseudo-democracy” at best, and is yet to demilitarize its society. While differentiating the unique roles between the Nigerian police and army, he gave the suggestion of setting up a military unit that specializes in civilian protest similar to the National Guard of United States.
GLOBAL WARMING: Emissions from global food system threaten warming beyond 1.5oC. Current policies and interventions are usually geared towards fossil fuel emissions in other sectors, neglecting the impact of agriculture on climate change. According to a joint research by John Lynch, postdoctoral researcher in physics at the University of Oxford, if global food system continues as usual, it will warm the earth beyond 1.5oC rise in 2060. Howbeit, this outcome is not inevitable if improvements to “what we eat and how we farm” are pursued with urgency. The same intensity of effort applied to reduction of carbon emission in other sectors should be applied to agriculture. These efforts include but not limited to halting deforestation for new farmlands and switching energy sources used in farming operations from fossil fuels to renewables.
UNITED KINGDOM: As the word transitions to a net zero economy, the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 is set to boost the United Kingdom’s economy when the right policies are implemented. Government’s intended plan to phase out polluting vehicles by 2040 has been pulled forward to 2035. However, debates and investigations are ongoing to bring forward the date to 2030. According to a recent report published today by Greenpeace, the creation of 32,000 new jobs, and an increased GDP of 4.2 billion pounds are the rewards of an early adoption (in 2030) as opposed to the set date of 2040. Another importance of an early adoption by the UK is having a larger market share of electric vehicles (EVs) in both domestic and European markets. The report also argues that in addition to a ‘first-mover advantage’, the UK also has additional economic gains, especially through the development of a UK-based Gigafactory.
UNITED STATES: Joe Biden’s election to the white house could see a total transformation of policies parallel to the Trump administration. Prominent among these policies include racial justice, climate justice, policing and international relations. The American people are counting on Biden to make true his campaign words by restoring the “soul of America”. However, some of these policies would be hardly effected if he doesn’t win the opinion of the Senate.