Economy & Trade

Lahore’s Dangerous Smog: Where Disease and Death Stalk

By Zofeen Ebrahim
"It's been horrible; I've been sick on and off for the last 10 days," said 29-year-old asthmatic Natasha Sohail, who teaches A-Level students at three private schools in Lahore. Last week, her condition worsened with a vertigo attack and fever. “It’s criminal what is happening here,” said an incensed Sohail, referring to the “band-aid measures” taken by the Punjab government.

Leather Cooperative Stops Unemployment in Northeast Brazil

By Carlos Müller
The small community of Ribeira stands out in the Northeast, the poorest region of Brazil. There is no unemployment here. One in five inhabitants make a living directly or indirectly from the Arteza Cooperative of Tanners and Leather Artisans.

Growing Death and Displacement Devastate Lebanon

By Oritro Karim
The ongoing, escalating violence in Lebanon forces millions of Lebanese civilians to face daily bombardment, repeated orders of evacuation, routine destruction of critical infrastructure, and limited access to basic services. With the death toll and rates of displacement on the rise, humanitarian organizations fear that the upcoming winter season is expected to exacerbate these harsh conditions, making Lebanon almost uninhabitable.

Cities Will Be Hit Hardest By Climate Change, UN Report Warns

By Oritro Karim
Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect. As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and an increase in overall temperature. The coastal areas that cities most often inhabit face the brunt of these effects, with marginalized populations being the most vulnerable.

Hustle Culture Emerges in Benin in Face of High Graduate Unemployment

By Megan Fahrney
At just 11 years old, with a heavy heart, Louis  peered up at his parents and said goodbye. He was leaving his small village in northern Benin to live with his uncle in Parakou, where the schools were better. Ever since, Louis has continued to make sacrifices to pursue a strong education and a better life. 

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: Preserving the Cultural Heritage

By Jan Lundius

 
More durable than bronze, higher than Pharaoh’s
pyramids is the monument I have made,
a shape that angry wind or hungry rain
cannot demolish, nor the innumerable ranks
of the years that march in centuries.
I shall not wholly die:
some part of me will cheat the goddess of death.

World Inequality Still Rising Despite Some Convergence

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Despite earlier income convergence among nations, many low-income countries (LICs) and people are falling further behind. Worse, the number of poor and hungry has been increasing again after declining for decades.

Brazil Promotes a Freer Global Biofuels Market

By Mario Osava
Holding this year's presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) large industrial and emerging economies is allowing Brazil to push forward the dream of creating a global biofuels market without the current trade barriers.

Mexican Cooperative Promotes Energy Transition on Indigenous Lands

By Emilio Godoy
What began as a search for fair prices for indigenous handicrafts in 1985 has evolved into a women's organisation in Mexico that promotes climate justice while advocating for land and environmental rights.

Voices from the Margins: Small-Scale Fishers Demand Rights, Recognition at COP16

By Aishwarya Bajpai
Small-scale fishers play a fundamental role in feeding people—they use sustainable methods of catching and processing fish products and are a significant force in the employment and livelihoods of millions of people internationally—yet, until now, they have been excluded from climate and biodiversity conferences.

Diverse Diets Are Essential for Nourishing a Healthy Planet as Well as Healthy People

By Shakuntala Thilsted and Cargele Masso
It’s often said that we are what we eat. However, our diets are also a reflection on the health of our food systems, the environment and agricultural biodiversity.

Is India Phasing Out Fossil Fuels Fast Enough To Achieve Its Emission Targets?

By Athar Parvaiz
While India continues to rely heavily on coal, the south Asian economic giant is also aggressively pushing renewable energy production, especially after the costs of renewable energy production have fallen drastically in recent years around the world.

Conditions Deteriorate from Persisting Gang Violence in Haiti

By Oritro Karim
Due to worsening political instability, escalating gang violence, and a lack of basic services, Haiti is in the midst of one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world. According to a 2024 ACAPS report, gangs have seized 85 percent of the nation’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, resulting in over 700,000 displaced persons.

Solar Energy Saves Dairy Cooperative in Brazil’s Semi-Arid Region

By Carlos Müller
“Ixe! If it wasn't for solar energy, we would have closed down, you can be sure. We had to stop due to the pandemic on 15 March 2020, but the energy costs were fixed,” said Erika Cazuza, administrative and financial manager of the Brazilian Cooperative of Rural Producers of Monteiro (Capribom).

Transforming Africa with the Power of Education

By Yasmine Sherif
Africa has the youngest population in the world today. Around 40% of the population is 15 or younger. They have a non-negotiable right to an inclusive and continued quality education, just like young people everywhere across the globe.

Death Toll in Lebanon Rising From Israeli Bombardment

By Oritro Karim
The eastern region of Baalbek, Lebanon was believed to be a “safe zone” for residents, and refugees who had been displaced by the increased hostilities across the country. That changed on October 29, when an Israeli airstrike on the region resulted in over sixty casualties, including two children.

Defending Biodiversity in Armed Conflict: Can COP16 Meet the Expectations?

By Stella Paul
José Aruna, a forest defender from Sud Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), remembers the night in September 2019 when a group of heavily armed men barged into his house in the middle of the night. Aruna and his wife—6 months pregnant at the time—were in bed when he heard sounds of boots on the front yard and quickly knew something was about to happen.

Hurricane Oscar Threatens Humanitarian Crisis in Cuba

By Oritro Karim
Although classified as a compact tropical cyclone and considered one of the smallest in the North Atlantic, Hurricane Oscar has caused considerable damage in eastern Cuba since it made landfall on October 20, 2024. Cuban authorities have confirmed that the death toll has risen to seven, in additional to the damage in infrastructure. Communications and relief efforts were greatly impeded by a nationwide power grid blackout, which continues on in much of Cuba at the time of publication.

Small Farmers Reap Growing Benefits From Solar Energy in Chile

By Orlando Milesi
The production of solar energy by means of panels installed on small farmers' properties or on the roofs of community organisations is starting to directly benefit more and more farmers in Chile.

Chickens as Well as Cheetahs: Biodiversity Conservation Must Also Include Livestock

By Christian Tiambo
As the UN’s COP16 biodiversity conference continues, the temptation is to focus on the wild flora and fauna under threat. But there is another, less obvious yet just as critical biodiversity crisis unfolding around the world that also deserves attention.

Sudanese Civil War Exacerbates Economies in Neighbouring Countries

By Oritro Karim
Critical levels of nationwide hunger in Sudan has only increased to critical levels since the start of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023. Escalated hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have led to limited mobility and repeated blockages of humanitarian aid. This, coupled with the volatile floods and droughts, have decimated crop fields which has only exacerbated famine levels greatly. All of these factors have left nearly 25 million people in Sudan in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024.
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