Population

Agribusiness Is the Problem, Not the Solution

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
For two centuries, all too many discussions about hunger and resource scarcity has been haunted by the ghost of Parson Thomas Malthus. Malthus warned that rising populations would exhaust resources, especially those needed for food production. Exponential population growth would outstrip food output.

Mining Grabs Up Land, Deals Blow to Agriculture in Central America

By Edgardo Ayala
Like an octopus, metals mining has been spreading its tentacles throughout Central America and dealing a blow to the region's agriculture and natural ecosystems, according to affected villagers, activists and a new report on the problem.

What, After Buenos Aires Conference on South-South Cooperation?

By Branislav Gosovic
Initially, in its BAPA+40 follow-up, the Group of 77 should address – in its own circle and in a comprehensive manner – the challenges and opportunities facing South-South cooperation.

Q&A: What of the Carbon Neutral Countries?

By Desmond Brown
As High Forest Cover and Low Deforestation (HFLD) nations meet in Suriname at a major conference, it is obvious that the decision made by these countries to preserve their forests has been a difficult but good one.

Our Forests Provide the World With Oxygen But We Need More Climate Change Finance – HFLD Countries

By Desmond Brown
Suriname, the most forested country in the world, is this week hosting a major international conference on climate financing for High Forest Cover and Low Deforestation (HFLD) countries.

Q&A: A Cuban Film About Family in the “Global South” Premieres in Berlin

By A. D. McKenzie
A documentary about a Cuban family facing an uncertain future had its world premiere Feb. 12 at the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious cinema events. “La Arrancada” (On the starting line) is a debut feature by Brazilian director Aldemar Matias, focusing on a young athlete who is having doubts about her role in national sports in the Caribbean country. The narrative follows her as she considers her future, which may well lie abroad, she reluctantly realises.

Solar Energy Provides Hope for Poor Neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires

By Daniel Gutman
Solar panels shine on the rooftop terraces of 10 neat buildings with perfectly straight lines and of uniform height, an image of modernity that contrasts with the precariously-built dwellings with unplastered concrete block walls just a few metres away, with rooms added in a disorderly manner, surrounded by a tangle of electric cables.

Transforming Economies, States, & Societies – Building Evidence for Achieving SDGs

By Kunal Sen
Following on from Finn Tarp, my predecessor, is a daunting prospect, but I look forward to working with my colleagues at UNU-WIDER and with our many partners to build on the achievements of the past 10 years.

Canada Implements New Food Guidelines, But What About the Food Waste?

By Stephen Leahy
Canada introduced a new healthy eating food guide January 2019 and, for the first time, the meat, dairy and processed food and beverage industries were not involved. Based on the recommendations of health and nutrition experts, the guide places a new emphasis on eating plants, drinking water and cooking at home.

The Right to Life, Liberty, and Land

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Sustainable land management is becoming more important than ever as rates of emissions, deforestation, and water scarcity continue to increase. But what if you don’t have rights to the land? While the impact of agriculture on land is well known, the relationship between land degradation and land tenure seems to be less understood.

The Upcoming Generations Can Lift the Arab Region out of Its Current Crisis

By Idriss Jazairy
History testifies that there is no end to its evolution despite what some have claimed. This is because aspirations of its actors are in constant flux and because the quest for an « ideal city » is asymptotic.Each generation wants to put its imprint on the present and to be the architect of its future in the pursuit of its own ideal.

Bullets Against Pots and Pans in the Crackdown on Venezuela’s Protests

By Humberto Márquez
The protests in Venezuela demanding an end to the presidency of Nicolás Maduro in the last 10 days of January, whose soundtrack was the sound of banging on pots and pans in working-class neighbourhoods, had a high human cost: more than 40 deaths, dozens wounded and about a thousand detainees, including 100 women and 90 children under 18.

Mexican Village Wants to Turn Thermoelectric Plant into Solar Panel Factory

By Emilio Godoy
Social organisations in the central Mexican municipality of Yecapixtla managed to halt the construction of a large thermoelectric plant in the town and are now designing a project to convert the installation into a solar panel factory, which would bring the area socioeconomic and environmental dividends.

Gender Gap Made Worse by Land Degradation

By Desmond Brown
In parts of the world where the gender gap is already wide, land degradation places women and girls at even greater risk.

People Power Will Bring Change — Not Davos

By Jenny Ricks
They said they cared about climate change but they flew in on private jets in record numbers. They said they cared about inequality but laughed off the idea of higher taxes for the rich. They spoke about democracy and human rights but they dined with a far-right populist. If there was ever any doubt about Davos representing the epitome of duplicity, then 2019 has firmly laid that to rest.

Crusade Against Sex Education Undermines Progress Made in Latin America

By Fabiana Frayssinet
The crusade against comprehensive sex education by conservative and religious sectors undermines progress in Latin America and could further drive up rates of teen pregnancy, communicable diseases and abuse against girls and adolescents.

The Marrakech Compact on Migration: Myths & Realities

By Paul Tacon
When 164 UN member states adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (the Marrakech Compact on Migration) on 10 December last year, I read on social media that they had decided to give up control over migration to the UN.

The Silent, Invisible Crisis Destabilising Communities Could be a Subject of Hope

By Desmond Brown
New data show that globally two billion hectares of land—roughly twice the size of China—have been degraded. And of this amount, 500 million hectares are abandoned agricultural lands. 

Ending Poverty is Possible, but it Means Facing up to Inequality – Within & Between Countries

By Liu Zhenmin
World leaders have committed to ending poverty everywhere for all people by 2030.Achieving this aim means facing up to the need for dramatic declines in inequalities – in income, in opportunity, in exposure to risk, across gender, between countries and within countries – over the next decade.

Mexico Opens Its doors to Central American Migrants

By Daniela Pastrana
A few months ago, Candelario de JesúsChiquillo Cruz reached Mexico's southern border and ran into a fence reinforced with barbed wire, while a barrier of police officers sprayed him with gas. Today, he is walking freely over the bridge that crosses the Suchiate River, a natural border with Guatemala.

Making Tourism More Responsible

By Ida Karlsson
Long before Joy Daniels became the manager of a travel company she was cleaning rooms at a guesthouse. But after joining a Fair Trade-certified business, a place that valued its staff, in a few years she was soon promoted to manager. 
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