Rare Earth Elements are a group of seventeen minerals that are vital for many industries, including renewable energies, high-tech, as well as defence industries. Thus, they are essential for modern economies and their armed forces. They are difficult to acquire, considering the expensive mining and refining practices necessary to exploit them. These minerals gained attention in 2010, when China, with a near-monopoly on the market, imposed a short-lived embargo on rare earth exports to Japan. More than a mere trade dispute, this incident raised concerns and questions over China’s possible use of economic statecraft. Concerned by the situation, both the United States and the European Union have engaged in taking actions that aim to strengthen their positions in the global supply chain and diminish the risks of future disruptions.

After the breakout of the civil war, Libya’s fragmented political landscape led to internal partitions and the rise of two political establishments, in addition to other armed militias. In the ongoing conflict, all belligerent parts are fighting for the control of oil, among other things. More specifically, Libya’s hydrocarbon sector has long been a magnet for non-state groups such as armed militias and even terrorist organisations, which are trying to gain control over oil facilities with the purpose of gaining political power and capitalising on illicit oil smuggling. This paper aims to delve into the role of oil in the Libyan crisis, by briefly investigating what sort of political outcomes each belligerent faction would obtain by control of oil facilities.

Last year, the world watched in utter shock as Australia burned. In Australia, bushfires are a natural phenomenon that affects numerous parts of the country yearly. However, the fires of the “Black Summer period” of 2019/2020 were unprecedented in nature and scope. By March 2020, the fires had engulfed over 19 million hectares of Australian land, destroyed over 3000 houses, killed 33 people and over 1 billion animals. One would think that the extensive economic and social heartache that resulted from these fires would create a political and cultural shift in recognising climate change as a priority at a national level. However, in the aftermath of this crisis, a political and cultural persistence of climate change denial trickles down from the national level to the Australian population who are thus more likely to believe that climate change is not at all a serious issue. Australian news readers are more likely to believe that climate change is not at all a serious issue compared to their global counterparts.

Energy export and production can be a source of political leverage for producers and a vulnerability for non-producing countries and developing energy producers. New energy entrants like Tanzania stand to benefit if resources are properly managed and invested. The recent discovery of over 46 trillion cubic feet of offshore natural gas in Tanzania places the East African country as a significant competitor in the global Liquified Natural Gas market. Their proximity to the Asian LNG market heightens the expectation of this resource for power generation, regional supply, and intercontinental export. However, the political, legal, and security environment, along with the collapse in oil prices (to which most liquified gas exports are linked) and increased demand for cheaper and cleaner energy sources caused by COVID-19 all present challenges to Tanzania.

In August 2016, Morocco introduced a new gas pipeline project - one that extends all the way to Nigeria. This project is in line with Morocco’s South-South Agenda; a key focus of Rabat’s foreign policy for greater engagement with Sub-Saharan Africa. The Morocco-Nigeria pipeline, both onshore and offshore, would supply gas to 13 countries in West and North Africa as a continuation of the existing West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) between Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana. With a possible extension to Europe through Spain, the Morocco-Nigeria pipeline would be one of the longest worldwide (5,660 kilometers, or 3,517 miles), and a new opportunity for socio-economic development in Western Africa. Yet, the project faces fundamental obstacles. Indeed, this initiative could become an open door to more corruption and disastrous environmental issues — one of the main reasons behind slow social and economic development in West Africa. Furthermore, the pipeline seems to rekindle cross-border tensions regarding the exploitation of natural resources.

For decades, organizations like The Climate Mobilization have argued that, ‘entering emergency mode is the critical first step to launching the comprehensive mobilization required to rescue and rebuild civilization’ . By using language historically reserved for war, insurrection, or terrorism, climate activists hope to inspire a sense of urgency in governments that have been dragging their feet on making the necessary policy changes. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many in the world lived in blissful ignorance as to what exactly a state of emergency would entail. Now that we are witnessing the real implications of a global emergency, should we still endorse its use in relation to the climate?

When asked to identify trends that shape the world today, most commonly listed issues were climate change, the rise of China as a global power, the surge of nationalism, and the potential implications of artificial intelligence1. The World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers found that ‘nearly half (48.8%) of the survey participants chose climate change as their top concern, and 78.1% said they would be willing to change their lifestyle to protect the environment’2. The impact of Climate Change on the environment can be felt in many areas including the intensification of natural disasters, the increasing number of endangered species, arctic ice  melting, and the expansion of the Sahara3. When attempting to comprehend the security implications as a result of climate conditions, it is important to refer to aspects that have the potential to affect everyday life for communities. This piece presents the impact of Climate Change on the Global South and focuses on Sub-Saharan regions in regard to accessibility to natural resources and its relation with intra-regional migration.

Environmental Migration and Conflict in West Africa

“In the coming decades, climate change will push an astounding number of people to flee their homes in West Africa to search for new places where food, health, and environmental security will be more accessible. Addressing this issue in the earliest phases will play a fundamental role in the coming decades’ policy outcome".”