Meredith DeBoom

Many good things to read The tipping point on energy in China, maybe the US?

There's been a tonne of interesting stuff to read on China's green export boom, developmental green industrial policy & even US energy transition politics in the past couple weeks; here is an annotated list from me & @70sbachchan.bsky.social
buttondown.com/polycrisisdi...

I did this a couple of years ago and really benefitted from it! Great to get feedback but even better to read exciting new work from other ECRs before it’s published… 🤓🥰

graphic and QR code

Hey @geographers.bsky.social and #geographers please pass this great opportunity on in your networks!

Six paths of Global China: A genealogy of a contested geographical imaginary - Jessica DiCarlo, Meredith DeBoom, 2025 ‘Global China’ has emerged as a shorthand for China's relationship to the global, but its axiomatic uses disguise considerable complexity. This article tro...

🧵1/What is Global China? @meredeboom.bsky.social & I argue it’s not one thing, but a plural, evolving imaginary. We trace 6 paths—Other, Integration, Bridge, Status, Threat, Alternative—showing how China’s global role is imagined, claimed & contested as meanings collide & open possibilities.

'Global China' is suddenly everywhere, from think tank reports to political speeches to academic texts. But what political work does the term 'Global China' itself do? @jessicadicarlo.bsky.social and I identify six 'paths' of Global China: Other, Integration, Status, Bridge, Threat, & Alternative.

Great to see this article published in @politicsandspace.bsky.social:

'Displaced decarbonization: Climate necropolitics and the contested spatialities of green hydrogen in Namibia'

By @meredeboom.bsky.social 📝

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Thank you for your inspiration and encouragement! Publishing with @politicsandspace.bsky.social was a fantastic experience. ✨

Windhoek’s Water Crisis Persists Despite Dams Filling Up - The Villager Newspaper By: Loise Shiimi Despite recent heavy rainfall and dam levels nearing full capacity, Windhoek remains gripped by a water crisis that has persisted since mid-2023. The city continues to operate under Category D water scarcity, classified as a period of severe drought, according to the… You must be logged in to continue reading. All articles are 100% FREE for logged in readers. log in

Despite near-full dams after recent rains, Windhoek remains under Category D drought since mid-2023. The city’s persistent water crisis highlights infrastructure and planning gaps, with severe implications for public health, equality, and sustainable urban living.

Zambia’s quiet diplomacy Long seen as a neutral player in global affairs, Zambia’s foreign policy is shifting under new pressures—from Western donors, Chinese investment, and its own strategic ambitions.

Long seen as a neutral player in global affairs, Zambia’s foreign policy is shifting under new pressures—from Western donors, Chinese investment, and its own strategic ambitions. africasacountry.com/2025/04/zamb...

Hedging energy transition: Green hydrogen, oil, and low-carbon resilience as state strategy in Namibia Publication date: May 2025 Source: Geoforum, Volume 161 Author(s): Meredith J. DeBoom

Namibia | DeBoom analyses how Namibia strategically hedges its green hydrogen ambitions with ongoing oil and gas exploration. The state frames both as compatible paths to low-carbon resilience, raising critical questions for a just and sustainable energy future in Southern Africa.

New World Order w/ Ilias Alami and Tim Sahay Featuring more analysis from Ilias Alami and Tim Sahay on the shape of global geopolitics and geoeconomics. We discuss: the fault lines of the green energy transition; the US and China battle for domi...

New Dig: Second episode in two-part series with @iliasalami.bsky.social and @70sbachchan.bsky.social on global geopolitical and geoeconomic conjuncture. Why economic weapon failed against Russia and China, struggle to control energy transition, and so much more! www.thedigradio.com/podcast/new-...

The most important paper on democratic backsliding I've read this year

Headline: Inequality in action; inaction on inequality Inequality of income and wealth is extremely high across most of Africa. World Bank estimates of Gini coefficients, a measure of income inequality, suggest that eight of the world’s 10 most unequal countries (for which data exist) are in Southern Africa. Extreme inequality isn’t good for social cohesion, democracy, or economic growth. Yet Africans overwhelmingly see their governments as failing to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. On average across 39 countries, only 16% give their government passing marks on addressing inequality, while 82% say it’s doing “fairly badly” or “very badly.” Among 17 issues on which respondents evaluated government performance, only inflation control gets a worse rating. Tanzania (35%) is the only country where more than a third of respondents are satisfied with efforts to reduce inequality. Fewer than one in 10 agree in 12 countries, with Gabon (3%) and Eswatini (5%) at the tail end. As we might expect, the poorest are most disappointed in their governments: Only 12% give a thumbs-up, compared to 22% of the wealthy. #VoicesAfrica #Inequality #EconomicGrowth #Africa

Inequality in action; inaction on inequality: Africans overwhelmingly see their governments as failing to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.

See Afrobarometer’s survey in this week’s issue of The Continent (pg 21)

Almost half a year’s worth of rain fell in 24hrs on Botswana, a semi-arid country. At least 15 people died & widespread flooding has caused extensive damage to homes, businesses & roads. This is the devastating reality of the worsening #ClimateCrisis, this is why we urgently need to #EndFossilFuels

As we reported last week, growing numbers of Africans are struggling to meet their basic needs for food, clean water, medical care, cooking fuel, and a cash income. On average, lived poverty is at its worst level in a quarter-century of Afrobarometer surveys. But average rates mask great variation. Fewer than two in 10 Seychellois (13%), Mauritians (16%), and Moroccans (18%) experienced a food shortage at least once in the past year, compared to over four-fifths of Angolans (81%), Mauritanians (82%), Nigerians (84%), Nigeriens (86%), and Brazzaville-Congolese (87%). In the past decade, severe deprivation (frequent or constant shortages of basic necessities) has fallen in Liberia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Morocco and Gabon, but risen sharply in Nigeria, Namibia, Mali, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Countries differ in the intensity of their people's lived poverty. In both South Africa and Ghana, about eight in 10 people experienced at least some shortage. But severe lived poverty was twice as common in South Africa (20% vs. 9%), while Ghanaians were more likely to report low lived poverty (50% vs 33%). #LivedPoverty #Afrobarometer #Africa #SouthAfrica #Ghana #Liberia #Nigeria #Mali #Namibia

Poverty is on the rise across the African continent. The pain, however, is not evenly distributed.

On average, lived poverty is at its worst level in a quarter-century of Afrobarometer surveys.

China tightens grip on tech, minerals and engineers as trade war spirals Groups such as Apple contractor Foxconn hit by efforts to stop knowhow and equipment leaving country

"Chinese authorities in recent months have made it more difficult for some engineers and equipment to leave the country, proposed new export controls to retain key battery technologies, and moved to restrict technologies for processing critical minerals" www.ft.com/content/d48e...

The cover of Issue 190 of The Continent is a depiction of Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa by illustrator Yemsrach Yetneberk. It's a city scene featuring the iconic Lion of Judah Statue as graffiti and other landmarks. In the foreground is a billboard reading "Now or never for the African Union". #AfricanUnion #AU #AddisAbaba #TheContinent

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 190 of The Continent

The world order is disintegrating. Whose interests will the African Union serve now?

Read it here: bit.ly/TC190

Subscribe | The Continent Subscribing to quality African journalism is easy and free.

We could really use your help. We’re beginning this year with a big push for new subscribers – because the more subscribers we have, the easier it is for us to raise funding to keep doing the kind of journalism we do. Our subscription details are here 👇

Ogallala Aquifer drops by more than a foot in parts of western Kansas Aquifer levels in parts of western Kansas that rely on groundwater for everything from drinking to irrigation fell more than a foot last year, Kansas Geological Survey scientists said Tuesday.

Aquifer levels in parts of western Kansas that rely on groundwater for everything from drinking to irrigation fell more than a foot last year, Kansas Geological Survey scientists said Tuesday.

via @kansasreflector.com
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/ogal...

A much-needed bright spot today: grad students, this is an awesome opportunity to work with @cplusc.bsky.social & @pmbigger.bsky.social on climate work that matters this summer--without risking your ability to make rent. The fellowship is 20 hours/week, $50/hour, 100% remote, flexible scheduling.

Learn all about our new work on the geography of wealth in Tom's Conversation piece!

A few months ago, I published my inaugural research article in @politicalgeography.bsky.social titled 'Gatekeeping Beyond the State: The Mombasa Port (...)'. It was a challenging but very rewarding experience, and hopefully, there will be many more articles to come! doi.org/10.1016/j.po...

"We need to re-imagine the world order to one in which our concerns are taken seriously."

Powerful writing here on the future of pan-Africanism. #Africa

Congratulations!! Really great to see this out in the world--excited to read the final version. Thank you for your work to pull this SI together!

I'm always eager for a @thecontinent.bsky.social headline to slap a grin on my face.

The cover of Issue 183 of The Continent shows a section of razorwire coiling into the horizon. At the bottom left of the cover are the words: "A line along the Limpopo". The photo was taken by South African photojournalist Paul Botes at border between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

All Protocol Observed.

Welcome to Issue 183 of The Continent.

This week, we travel to Beitbridge, where movement is free for the right price.

Get your free copy here: bit.ly/TheContinent...

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 181 of The Continent.

Trump is back: on the African continent we must build the post-American world order we want; the sun is setting on liberators in southern Africa; and rebuilding limbs in post-war Tigray.

Read the full issue here: bit.ly/TC181

The beginning of the end of the liberation party era It is getting harder and harder to win elections with struggle credentials alone.

The once-dominant liberation parties of southern Africa are having a terrible 2024. It’s getting more difficult to win elections with struggle credentials alone.

go.bsky.app/LaF8njG