Briana - November 2021 - Media Brief Reflection

The articles I proposed for this edition of the media brief I found by keeping an eye out for any news article discussing energy. As I continue to be interested in energy transition, I could not not include an interesting article on what seems to be territory war between China and the US for cobalt, which is used in the production of solar panels. While this article is very interesting and details the specifics of how the US was outbid by China in purchasing a coal mine, I did think the article was written in a very Western, savior-complex perspective. Reading this article I was reminded of the caution we should exert when reading and taking information from news articles. In order words, I was reminded that we should not take everything at face value. As far as the other two articles I presented this month, I selected an article discussing expanded aid for winter energy expenses and an increase in energy prices by 50%, a significant and notable price hike for many households. I chose to present these articles because they each, in some way, show the vulnerabilities players in the energy markets (be it people who extract resources for energy production or people who use energy) experience.