For more than 50 years, sulfur mining has shaped daily life at the Ijen volcano complex—a chain of composite volcanoes straddling the border of Banyuwangi and Bondowoso Regencies in East Java, Indonesia. This harsh, alien landscape is famed for its surreal blue fire and a highly acidic crater lake, but it's also home to one of the most grueling forms of manual labor on Earth.

Each day, around 300 miners climb over two miles up the steep slopes of Gunung Ijen. From there, they descend more than 900 yards into the toxic crater to extract chunks of bright yellow sulfur, known locally as "Devil’s Gold." The name reflects both the substance's vivid color and the danger involved in collecting it. Despite the suffocating sulfur dioxide fumes, extreme heat, and lack of protective gear, the miners carry baskets weighing up to 90 kilograms (200 pounds) back up the crater and down the mountain, making multiple trips per day.

The work is physically punishing and hazardous to health. Prolonged exposure to sulfur gas leaves many with respiratory issues, burned skin, and scarred bodies. These miners—some of whom have worked here for decades—bear the visible marks of their labor: poisoned lungs, chemical burns, and backs permanently hunched from the weight they carry. Yet for many, the income is essential in a region where alternative employment is scarce.

The Cape Town Water Crisis "Day Zero"—a phrase that typically signifies the final moment in a countdown—has long belonged to the realm of science fiction, often associated with dystopian futures and apocalyptic collapse. But in early 2018, this abstract concept became an imminent reality for Cape Town, South Africa—a modern metropolis of over four million people.

For the first time in modern history, a major city faced the possibility of its municipal water supply running dry. If Day Zero arrived, taps across the city would be turned off. Residents would have to queue at designated collection points under armed guard to receive their daily water rations. Schools, hospitals, businesses—life itself—would be profoundly disrupted.

What was once unimaginable had become terrifyingly real: a city on the verge of complete water depletion. Cape Town’s Day Zero was no longer a warning of things to come. It was a moment poised to redefine how the world thinks about water, resilience, and survival in the age of climate change.

With Alan Winde Western Cape Provincial Minister of Economic Opportunities Ian Douglas Neilson Deputy Mayor of Cape Town Sheikh Abduragmaan Alexander Religious Minister at Masjidul-Quds Chantelle Albury scenario strategist and bestselling author

The Belgica expedition

The Belgica expedition, led by Adrien de Gerlache, was the first to overwinter in Antarctica (1897-1899). It was a groundbreaking scientific voyage that charted new lands and oceans, while also facing extreme conditions and chal-lenges. The expedition is considered the first of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

First wintering in Antarctica:

The Belgica became trapped in the ice of the Bellingshausen Sea from March 2, 1898, to March 14, 1899.

While described as a Belgian expedition, it included a diverse international crew, with members from Belgium, Norway, Poland, Romania, and the United States.

The expedition gathered significant scientific data, including a full year of meteorological observations, and conducted research in geology, oceanography, and biology.

The crew endured a sunless polar winter, faced the threat of scurvy and starvation, and dealt with the psychological strain of isolation.

Adrien de Gerlache led the expedition, while Roald Amundsen (later the first to reach the South Pole) and Frederick Cook (a doctor and photographer) were also part of the crew. Cook played a crucial role in maintaining morale and helping the crew survive the harsh conditions. The Belgica expedition laid the foundation for future Antarctic exploration and proved that humans could survive extended periods in the Antarctic environment.

János Botond Kiss, an internationally renowned research biologist, has been living in and studying the Danube Delta for six decades. His oeuvre, books, hundreds of research papers present one of the most comprehensive collections within the body of scientific work on the Danube Delta. He has been exiled, has faced severe political discrimination. He founded the Danube Delta’s Corps of Guards and Inspectors, served as secretary of state for environmental protection; meanwhile, throughout his career, he remained a passionate natural scientist and a devoted advocate for the protection of the endangered animals, plants, natural habitats of the region.