Africa is at the forefront of the battle against climate change and biodiversity loss. With a quarter of the world’s biodiversity, the continent is facing both drought and flooding in many regions, putting immense pressure on its natural ecosystems. In order to protect the well-being of the human species, African leaders are coming together to form the A Pan African Conservation Trust Fund (A-PACT), which aims to pool resources and expand coverage of 8,600 protected and conserved areas across the continent. Africa is showing its leadership in this space and is now preparing for the 15th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15). Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
