In a rural, hard-to-reach area of Blantyre district in southern Malawi, Ephraim Louis cannot imagine where his life would be without the solar panel on the roof of his house. “I am not a captive of darkness anymore,” says Louis, 42. “It’s been more than 10 years since I installed this [solar panel] system. We still don’t have the main grid anywhere near us and no one here thinks it will ever come.” 

A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

UK and Ireland Will Connect Energy Networks (The Guardian)

Despite post-Brexit trade barriers, the UK and Ireland have announced a collaboration on renewable energy infrastructure to boost both nations’ energy efficiency and security. The deal is part of larger efforts to “harness the full potential” of the Irish and Celtic seas for offshore windfarms and national energy networks.

In December 2024, China banned exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony to the United States. Prices for these critical minerals soon reached all-time highs. The ban emphasized China’s dominance over the sector, including practically the entire graphite supply chain, 87% of rare earths refining, 70% of cobalt refining, and 60% of battery-grade lithium refining. 

A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

EU Parliament Suspends Rwandan Critical Mineral Pact Over Links to DRC Conflict (Mongabay)

Rwanda and the DRC both have large reserves of critical minerals essential to the clean energy transition. Yet the EU has voted to suspend a cooperation agreement on mineral extraction in the region after the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 seized key areas in the DRC’s eastern provinces.

A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Africa Energy Bank Aims to Boost Energy Supply (Al Jazeera)

Nearly 43% of the African continent lacks consistent access to electricity, which is the lowest level of modern energy usage in the world. A newly established Africa Energy Bank aims to boost the energy supply on the continent through investments in energy infrastructure projects.

Indonesia is at the heart of the next decade of growth in Asia. It also is at the frontier of Chinese industry’s move to develop clean energy markets overseas. The Indonesian government and Chinese investors are aligned on a narrative of decarbonization, but on the ground, coal remains central.

As the world inches closer to the critical 1.5°C warming threshold, the demand for decisive climate leadership has never been more pressing. The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on January 20, 2025 has left a leadership void. The confluence of these events also has raised the question of whether China can do more to fill the finance gap and help Global South countries decarbonize. 

Islands are not found in abundance in the middle of the continental United States, but Fort Knox has set out to challenge this notion. Indeed, it has been described as the first and only energy-independent installation in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)—and thus exists on an “energy island.”