Climate Change

Growing Youth Activism for Environmental Protection in Africa

By the Kenya team of Young Environmental Journalists*
The mining sector in Africa is facing radical change as youth activists take action against the environmental degradation caused by mining industries. Tensions between activists and the mining industry have raised, however, concerns over human rights abuses.

Pandemic Crisis May Trigger Societal Restructuring

By Mah Hui Lim and Michael Heng
The Chinese word for crisis consists of two characters - “weiji”. Wei means danger and ji means opportunity. Every crisis is pregnant with danger and risks but also with opportunities – for some to make money, for others to learn valuable lessons, and for society to reorient or restructure its priorities, institutions and even the system.

Martin Khor, Third Worldist

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Martin Khor Kok Peng passed away just after the end of the first quarter of 2020. He leaves behind an unusually rich legacy. Atypically for people mainly working in the worldideas, he was also a very practical and pragmatic activist who successfully built and sustained several important initiatives which will live on after him.

In memoriam ‒ Martin Khor

By Yilmaz Akyüz and Richard Kozul-Wright
We are greatly saddened by the passing of Martin Khor, a long-time friend and colleague, an undaunted fighter for the poor and underprivileged, a passionate believer in a more balanced and inclusive multilateralism, a rare intellectual and eloquent orator, an icon of the Global South worthy of veneration, greatly respected for his struggle for justice and fairness against the dominance and double-standards of big economic powers.   

Walking the Talk on Climate Change after the Pandemic: Reorienting State-Owned Enterprises towards Sustainability

By Leonardo Beltran
This year started with the news of the appearance of a new virus, COVID-19. The impact and severity of its effects in public health, mortality and the world economy are overwhelming. No public health system was prepared for this crisis, and yet governments are reacting deploying different policies to mitigate the crisis, and recover as fast as possible.

Harness Youth to Change World’s Future

By IPS International Desk
Vanessa Nakate of Uganda may have been cropped out of a photograph taken at the World Economic Forum, but she along with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg have made the climate crisis centre stage.

Zimbabwe’s Afforestation Challenge

By Ignatius Banda
“I have never planted a tree in my life,” laughs Jairos Saunyama, a tobacco farmer, revelling at the absurdity of the question of whether he is involved in the country's afforestation efforts. Sawunyama is one of thousands of farmers who are blamed by local conservationists for turning the country's forests into deserts and dust bowls.

Is It Time to Postpone the 2020 Climate Summit?

By Felix Dodds and Michael Strauss
With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the planet and the governments of both wealthy and poorer nations overwhelmed by the demands of managing a response, the scheduling of this year’s critical UN Climate Summit is suddenly in doubt.

Why Empowering National Human Rights Institutions Helps on the Quest for Healthy Earth?

By Claudia Ituarte-Lima
We are living in a critical time. As we face existential environmental challenges from climate crises to the mass extinction of species, it is difficult sometimes to see solutions and new ideas. This is why we all need to celebrate and give visibility to creative and courageous efforts of people and organizations striving towards a healthy planet for all.

Fisherfolk Fix Both Food and Climate by Closing Fishing Grounds

By Kanis Dursin
Samsul sounded very happy last Monday (Mar. 16) when recounting his experience of catching crabs worth more than $60 in a single day. 

Women & Climate: Planting a Global Forest in a Connected World

By Rita Ann Wallace and Cynthia S Reyes
In January of this year, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, shocked much of the world when they announced they would be stepping down from their roles as senior royals.

Could the Coronavirus Pandemic have been Avoided if the World Listened to Indigenous Leaders?

By Samira Sadeque
Mina Setra remembers the story clearly. As a Dayak Pompakng indigenous person from Indonesia, when  visitors from the city who came into her community; brought bottled water with them because they were worried about the water not being suitable for drinking. 

Fight, Not Flight, Must Be the Strategy for Flattening the COVID-19 Curve

By Siddharth Chatterjee
The number of coronavirus cases in Kenya has jumped to three after the government confirmed two more cases. President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a raft of proactive measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Changing Weather Patterns Spell Doom for Unprepared Pakistan Farmers

By Xari Jalil
Unpredictable weather patterns in the form of excessive or prolonged rainfall are wreaking havoc for farmers across Pakistan as sowing and harvesting periods are severely affected.

An Ambitious Year for Climate Action Is a Big Year for Women’s Empowerment

By Frank Rijsberman and Ingvild Solvang
This year, the Paris Agreement’s effectiveness as a global response to the climate crisis is being tested as governments are preparing to submit more ambitious national targets for mitigation and adaptation.

Landmark deep-sea mission to boost ocean action

By PRESS RELEASE
A deep-sea scientific mission to uncharted depths in the Maldives and Seychelles will gather valuable data to support the Commonwealth Blue Charter on ocean action and train local scientists.

Sticky Floors, Glass Ceilings & Biased Barriers: the Architecture of Gender Inequality

By Pedro Conceição
Architectural metaphors are a popular way to think about inequality between men and women. When it comes to the fundamentals, we often talk about whether there is a “sticky floor” that is holding women and girls back. And the good news is that, for billions around the world, the floor is a lot less sticky than it used to be.

Want to Go for Inclusive Climate Action? Then Start with Integrating Gender Equality into Climate Finance

By Verania Chao and Koh Miyaoi
Gender equality and women’s rights have progressed immensely since the adoption of the most visionary agenda on women’s empowerment, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 25 years ago.

The Future Pacific Island Children Want

By Neena Bhandari
For 13-year-old Karen Semens, growing up on Pohnpei -- one of the four main island states in the Federated States of Micronesia, which comprises of more than 600 islands in the western Pacific Ocean -- the main challenge is being a girl. “In our culture, girls don’t have the same rights and opportunities nor do they get credit and recognition for their achievements as boys do. This prevents us from speaking our minds. For example in family meetings, only men make the decisions. I would like all girls to be treated as equals and have a say in decision making,” the 8th grade pupil from the Ohmine Public Elementary school in Pohnpei, tells IPS.

Senegal Farmer Succeeds with Regenerative Agriculture & Begins Teaching Others

By Lindsay Cobb and Ashleigh Burgess
Souylemane Samb sits under a crowded tent on a hot Senegalese day. He wears a canvas vest with Trees for the Future printed across the back.

The Italian Pyramid: Scientific Observatory at the Top of the World

By Valentina Gasbarri
Hello! Are you Italian? No, I’m from Nepal. Oops. Kaji Bista is the staff manager of the Ev-K2-CNR’s innovative Pyramid International Laboratory/Observatory (known as the Italian Pyramid) at 5,050 m a.s.l. located in Lobouche.
Next Page »