A well-argued case for rethinking a continent’s energy future.
Cameroonian author and entrepreneur Ayuk’s follow-up to Billions at Play (2019) offers a vision for plentiful and sustainable energy for Africa.
This book centers the needs of African countries in the discussion of fossil fuel usage and renewable energy. The author points out that a significant portion of the continent lives in energy poverty, with insufficient access to basic electricity, and he argues that focusing on expensive forms of renewable energy, such as solar or wind power, doesn’t provide a feasible path forward. Instead, the book recommends using gas to bring the entirety of Africa up to an acceptable level, with a stable power grid and sufficient electricity to meet current demand; this, he says, will allow for improved infrastructure, economic performance, and development that will make renewable energy possible in the medium term. The book addresses the many problems with the West’s current approach to development in Africa, showing how foreign aid and misguided investments have often prevented African countries from meeting their own needs, and offers concrete suggestions for a viable program of electrification, economic development, and capacity building that will lead to climate-friendly energy production. Ayuk is a strong writer, and he makes his arguments concisely and persuasively. His book takes a comprehensive approach to identifying the problems with current plans that focus on emissions reduction, but the well-organized narrative keeps it from becoming sprawling or unwieldy. The author explains why meeting current energy needs should be the continent's priority and demonstrates, with plenty of evidence, how the short-term use of fossil fuels can ultimately lead to a sustainably sourced energy infrastructure. He also addresses questions of governance, finance, human rights, and planning, acknowledging challenges and encouraging Western countries to embrace Africa as a full-scale partner in its own development. Nonexperts will find the text persuasive and easy to follow.
A well-argued case for rethinking a continent’s energy future.Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781641467506
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Made For Success Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is our life, these are our lighted seasons, and then we die. . . . In the meantime, in between time, we can see. . . we can work at making sense of (what) we see. . . to discover where we so incontrovertibly are. It's common sense; when you-move in, you try to learn the neighborhood." Dillard's "neighborhood" is hilly Virginia country where she lived alone, but essentially it is all those "shreds of creation" with which every human is surrounded, which she is trying to learn, to know — from finite variations to infinite possibilities of being and meaning. A tall order and Dillard doesn't quite fill it. She is too impatient to get about the soul's adventures to stay long with an egg-laying grasshopper, or other bits of flora and fauna, and her snatches from physics and biological/metaphysical studies are this side of frivolous. However, Ms. Dillard has a great deal going for her — in spite of some repetition of words and concepts, her prose is bright, fresh and occasionally emulates (not imitates) the Walden Master in a contemporary context: "Trees. . . extend impressively in both directions, . . . shearing rock and fanning air, doing their real business just out of reach." She has set herself no less a task than understanding emotionally, spiritually and intellectually the force of the creative extravagance of the universe in all its beauty and horhor ("There is a terrible innocence in the benumbed world of the lower animals, reducing life to a universal chomp.") Experience can be focused, and awareness sharpened, by a kind of meditative high. Thus this becomes somewhat exhausting reading, if taken in toto, but even if Dillard's reach exceeds her grasp, her sights are leagues higher than that of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea, regretfully (re her sex), the inevitable comparison.
Pub Date: March 13, 1974
ISBN: 0061233323
Page Count: -
Publisher: Harper's Magazine Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1974
IN THE NEWS
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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