I’m Caroline Doyle, an associate editor at Horizon Engage, and this week, our newsletter looks at countries straying away from the desired path. Turkey is fixing its reliance on Russian gas by relying on Russian coal instead, and K-Pop fans pressured Hyundai out of an aluminum supply deal with an Indonesian minerals giant. Last but not least, Namibia’s ruling party faces so many public scandals that it’s becoming hard to track. Read more below!
Turkey Replaces Russian Gas … With Russian Coal
Turkey must have found itself on the naughty list because there will be a lot of coal in the future. In an effort to transition away from Russian and Iranian gas toward energy independence, Turkey has relied increasingly on coal for power generation. In 2023, Turkey earned second place in Europe for the most coal-based power production with a staggering 118 terawatt-hours.
This is largely due to cheap coal imports from Russia, which supplied 17.4mn tons last year. Ironically, this shift has not reduced Turkey’s reliance on Russia; it merely replaced gas with coal. Furthermore, Turkey faces domestic and international criticism over the decision, with local environmentalists protesting mine expansions and the Climate Action Tracker calling its climate policies “critically insufficient.” If Ankara wants to put a strong foot forward at COP29, it’ll have to get a move on soon.
K-Pop Fans Bully Hyundai out of Aluminum Deal in Indonesia
This month, South Korean automaker Hyundai pulled out of an aluminum supply deal with Indonesia’s PT Adaro Minerals over environmental concerns: The company uses coal-powered electricity to smelt. The move was due to domestic pressure from … you guessed it, K-pop fans. An NGO called Kpop4Planet praised Hyundai’s move but warned they hadn’t earned full good graces just yet.
It’s quite rare for a large foreign company to cave to such demands, which goes to show how K-pop fans should not be underestimated. Notably, Indonesia does not have mandatory carbon emissions standards, and the regulations they do have are not enforced with much enthusiasm. However, environmental groups are increasingly pressuring Indonesian and foreign companies to clean up their act — lest they face the K-pop wrath.
Namibians Losing Count of Political Scandals
In disappointing-but-not-surprising news, Swapo is facing more scandals than I can count on my hands, which will certainly impact the ruling party’s performance in the upcoming November elections in Namibia. First, the former ministers of fisheries and justice are in jail after allegedly taking bribes to divert horse mackerel — yes, the fish — quotas to an Icelandic fishing company, Public enterprise August 26 Holdings, which has seen millions of dollars go “missing,” is under scrutiny from the opposition, who call for parliamentary action.
Among other accusations of favoritism, the government gifted a government house to the wife of a former minister, prompting accusations of misusing state resources. Swapo’s presidential candidate NNN running as the “integrity candidate” gives the numerous public scandals an extra ironic edge.
Quote of the Week
This week’s winning quote comes from Argentine President Javier Milei, who might have implied his sister should be president: “Moses was a great leader, but he wasn’t a great communicator, so God sent him Aaron. Karina is Moses, and I’m her spokesman.”
One might think the roles should be reversed, considering Javier leads the country while Karina serves as presidential chief of staff and No. 1 gatekeeper for her brother. Then again, he refers to her as “El Jefe” (The Boss) …
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