For farmers in rural Zambia, payday comes just once a year, at harvest time. This fact impacts nearly every aspect of their lives, but until now researchers hadn’t realized the true extent. Economist Kelsey Jack, an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, sought to investigate how this extreme seasonality affects farmers’ livelihoods, as well as...
Nationalistic behaviour by governments may exclude some countries from gaining access to COVID-19 vaccines and cost the global economy up to $1.2 trillion a year in GDP, according to a new study from the not-for-profit research organisation RAND Europe. If countries demonstrate ‘vaccine nationalism’ – prioritising their own citizens and insisting on first access to...
As part of its foreign policy, Germany hopes to promote energy transitions abroad through international energy partnerships. A new study by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) analyses these bilateral energy partnerships. Building on its reputation as an energy transition frontrunner, Germany is currently pursuing a soft power strategy aimed at winning over foreign...
Leopards are fascinating animals. In addition to being sublime hunters that will eat nearly anything and can survive in varied habitats from forests to deserts, they are able to withstand temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius during winter to plus 40 degrees in summer. Despite their resilience, the majority of leopard species are endangered....
Grief is a natural reaction to the death of a loved one, but in cases of tragic or unexpected loss, that sadness can stretch out, affecting day-to-day functioning and reducing quality of life. Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a condition characterized by intense longing for the deceased, and by severe and persistent emotional pain. People...
As the threat of a COVID-19 pandemic emerged earlier this year, many felt a sense of apprehension about what would happen when it reached Africa. Concerns over the combination of overstretched and underfunded health systems and the existing load of infectious and non-infectious diseases often led to it being talked about in apocalyptic terms. However,...
If countries want to lower emissions as substantially, rapidly and cost-effectively as possible, they should prioritize support for renewables, rather than nuclear power. That’s the finding of new analysis of 123 countries over 25 years by the University of Sussex Business School and the ISM International School of Management which reveals that nuclear energy programmes...
How will you cope with the death of your mother or spouse? Their death may disturb your concentration, causing accidents or lowering your productivity. Some bereaved cannot sleep, and others cannot get out of bed. Some lose all appetite, while others binge eat constantly. Some grow alcoholic, and some suicidal. Our responses may depend on...
Thirty-one million people living in river deltas are at high risk of experiencing flooding and other impacts from tropical cyclones and climate change, according to a study by Indiana University (IU) researchers. “To date, no one has successfully quantified the global population on river deltas and assessed the cumulative impacts from climate change,” said Douglas Edmonds,...
Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) scientists have conducted new research highlighting the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Kenya and Uganda with more than two-thirds of those surveyed having experienced economic hardship due to the pandemic. Dr. Monica Kansiime led a team of researchers who discovered, from a random sample of...
