Green.view New on Economist.com An altered political landscape in South Africa (EIU ViewsWire) Apr 28th 2009 Sri Lankas war is close to an end Apr 27th 2009 Does a new virus from Mexico threaten a global pandemic? MORE

As COVID-19 continues to spread worldwide, the pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on the global economy and commodity markets, including cobalt. Roskill has so far recorded the closure of 21 operations as a result of the outbreak, including: Vale’s Voisey’s Bay and Glencore’s Sudbury in Canada; Ambatovy in Madagascar; Coral Bay and Taganito in the Philippines; CTT in Morocco. MORE

Prayon is a leading global producer of phosphate materials for various industrial applications and its high-purity. Jointly owned by OCP SA (Office Chérifien des Phosphates, Morocco) and SRIW (Belgium), Prayon. Materials company Umicore and phosphate producer Prayon are forming a joint venture—beLife—to develop and produce. phosphate-based cathode materials for use in lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries. MORE

These include France, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, South Africa, Morocco, and Chile. Map of 48 major shale gas basins in 32 countries. Source: EIA. Click to enlarge. Initial assessments of 48 shale gas basins containing almost 70 shale gas formations in 32 countries suggest that shale gas resources, which have recently provided a major boost to US natural gas production, are also available in other world regions. A new EIA-sponsored study by Advanced Resources International, Inc. MORE

“In every planning scenario we built, our worst assumptions on the state of the global economy have been met or exceeded, with the continuing grip on credit and declining consumer confidence being the most damaging factors. Globally, Nissan sold a total of 2,633,000 vehicles in the first nine months, down 3.0% Countermeasures to the global crisis include the following: Nissan will suspend its 2008-2012 midterm business plan, Nissan GT 2012, to focus on recovery actions. MORE

EPA administrator Scott Pruitt would be controversial even if he hadn't flown to Morocco in December (first-class, on the taxpayer dime) to lobby the country on the benefits of liquified natural gas while living in a condo owned by a lobbyist for the country's largest LNG exporter. EPA global warming CO2 climate change carbon dioxide regulation science Donald Trump MORE

of global and 17% of European reserves. The US tops the list of the richest oil shale reserves, accounting for more than 60% globally, with the most concentrated deposits located in the Green River Formation that lies in western Colorado, eastern Utah and southern Wyoming. There are also significant reserves in Jordan, Morocco, Sweden, Syria and Turkey. MORE

Used Vehicles and the Environment - A Global Overview of Used Light Duty Vehicles: Flow, Scale and Regulation , the first report of its kind, calls for action to fill the current policy vacuum with the adoption of harmonized minimum quality standards that will ensure used vehicles contribute to cleaner, safer fleets in importing countries. Cleaning up the global vehicle fleet is a priority to meet global and local air quality and climate targets. MORE

European ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies will join French firm Flying Whales’ program to build a 60-ton Large Capacity Airship (LCA60T, for the global transport market. For that purpose Morocco will become the “third parent country” of Flying Whales. Skeleton Technologies will join the program to help design and build hybrid propulsion for the LCA60T’s electric power systems. Average operational power is expected to be approximately 1.5 MORE

The findings suggest that developing nations are moving toward cleaner power but not nearly fast enough to limit global CO 2 emissions. Most notably, Vietnam, South Africa, Mexico and Morocco led the rankings with a combined investment of $16 billion in 2018. New investment in wind, solar, and other clean energy projects in developing nations dropped sharply in 2018, largely due to a slowdown in China. MORE

Ricardo’s Rising-15 automotive markets include: Argentina; Egypt; Indonesia; Iran; Malaysia; Mexico; Morocco; Nigeria; Peru; the Philippines; South Africa; Thailand; Turkey; Ukraine; and Vietnam. There have been winners and losers in the efforts of the current cohort of established global automakers to exploit growth within the BRIC region; the key strategic question now is where the next wave of growth based opportunity will arise. Positioning the Rising 15. MORE

The findings come a week ahead of the COP 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco, where UNICEF is calling on world leaders to take urgent action to cut air pollution in their countries. Reduce pollution: All countries should work to meet WHO global air quality guidelines to enhance the safety and wellbeing of children. M Winker (2016) “Global Estimates of Fine Particulate Matter using a Combined Geophysical-Statistical Method with Information from Satellites, Models, and Monitors”, Environ. MORE

Every cell generation is awarded in global competition to the leading manufacturer from both a technology and a business perspective. The BMW Group will source the cobalt needed as a key raw material for cell production directly from mines in Australia and Morocco and make it available to CATL and Samsung SDI. The company expects to see a steep growth curve up to 2025: Global sales of electrified vehicles should increase by an average of more than 30% every year. MORE

The joint venture will help meet the increasing global demand for licensed LFP. Global demand for LFP is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 30% between 2014 and 2020, mainly driven by industrial batteries, e-buses and e-cars. Prayon is a fully integrated global phosphate producer headquartered in Belgium, with manufacturing operations in Belgium, France and the United States. MORE