developing world
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Batteries could make power grid unnecessary in some countries
Aquion specializes in making large batteries, cheaply. They don’t look like much -- they live in a former TV factory outside Pittsburgh, and you'll probably never buy any of their products.
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Uganda’s electric car is super cute
Meet the Kiira. It was built in Uganda, from parts mostly sourced in Uganda. It's a triumph of "African Science," a phrase that reminds this reporter of "gay parking," but whatever. And it is adoooooooorable. The Kiira is a two-seater that can go 50 miles on a charge, with a top speed of around 60 […]
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Troubling Health Trends Holding Back Progress on Life Expectancy
By Brigid Fitzgerald Reading People born today will live for 68 years on average, 20 years longer than those born in 1950. By the mid-twentieth century, industrial countries had already made major strides in extending lifespans with improvements in sanitation, nutrition, and public health. After World War II, rapid gains in life expectancy in developing […]
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Developing countries take the climate change bullet for the rest of us
Here's the 2012 Climate Change Vulnerability Index, produced by risk analysis firm Maplecroft, which shows the areas of the world that are most at risk from the impacts of climate change. Does it remind you of anything? Maybe a reverse map of the biggest climate change offenders? (This isn't the first time people have put […]
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What if population grows faster than the experts project?
Many demographers believe that global population will peak at 9.5 to 10 billion this century and then gradually decline as poorer countries develop. But what if they're wrong?
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How billions without electricity will benefit from clean energy
In the developing world, "alternative" energy means dangerous, inefficient cooking fires and kerosene. Cheap, clean energy sources could change that.
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1 million Bangladeshis use solar as sole source of electricity
It's the fastest expansion of solar power ever, says the government of Bangladesh: From 7,000 households in 2002 to 1 million in 2011. Ninety million of Bangladesh's 150 million people have no access to electricity at all, so access to small-scale solar is transformative for this population.