Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with people under the age of 35 constituting about 65 percent of the population. This edition of Perspectives sheds light on youth politics and youth in politics in the continent and asks: Are the youth a political force?

The April issue of our Turkish "Perspectives" magazine portrays the environmental movement in Turkey and takes a closer look at its agenda, its protagonists, its biggest achievements and its relationship to the political sphere. Furthermore, it provides articles on the fields of democracy, culture, ecology and foreign policy.

Africa is facing a severe energy crisis and fails to meet the increasing demand for electricity. Renewable Energy Feed-in Tarifs (REFiTs) is one tool that has been successful in increasing the use of renewable technologies worldwide. This comprehensive study comissioned by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the World Future Council shows that REFiTs can unlock renewable energy development in Africa.

Publication Series on Democracy 31: The present study by Andrea Fleschenberg shows that in national and international debates about the transition process in Afghanistan women’s voices are seldom present, or taken into consideration.

This paper is a document that describes the drivers behind marginal oil investments and gives an overview of existing and potential projects across the globe. It contains important analysis that should be public knowledge and will productively feed the ongoing debate, from Cancun to Durban to Rio and beyond.

Shale gas is promoted as a safe and clean energy source that can help Europe increase its energy security and provide an affordable transition to a low carbon economy. The US experience, however, has shown what serious environmental and human health concerns are related to fracking.

The positive economic and environmental arguments for a shift in paradigm to ‘smart growth' using efficient technology, smart energy policy and proactive innovation.

Publication Series on Ecology 31: A profound flaw of our civilisation, with its multiple crises, could lie in the fact that we deny the world’s deeply creative, poetic and expressive processes, all of them constantly unfolding and bringing forth a multitude of dynamic, interacting relationships. We might have forgotten what it means to be alive.

The EU debt crisis has clearly shown that the monetary union cannot be upheld without coordinated fiscal and economic policies. But many citizens are under the impression that their voices, and those of their national parliaments, are being sidelined in favour of ever-greater centralisation – and that, in the process, democracy is being eroded.

In the wake of the Arab Revolts, the political landscape of the region is changing, fast. In the Arab Gulf Region, one political actor, in particular, is becoming more visible, seemingly more engaged in navigating these uncertainties and in filling the gaps in this political scene: The state of Qatar.