Environment

Nothing Beats Bushmeat, Not Even the Risk of Disease

By Busani Bafana
Meat from wild animals is relished across Africa and widely traded, but scientists are warning that eating bush meat is a potential health risk, especially in the wake of pandemics like COVID-19.

Human Rights & Sovereign Debt Restructurings: A Proposal for an Optimal Outcome

By Daniel Bradlow
Zambia defaulted on its debt in November 2021 but has not yet reached an agreement with its creditors. Its president recently warned that this situation is hurting its citizens and undermining its democracy because “you cannot eat democracy”.

Government Financing for Mayan Train Violates Socio-environmental Standards

By Emilio Godoy
Mexico’s development banks have violated their own socio-environmental standards while granting loans for the construction of the Mayan Train (TM), the flagship project of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Education Must Be Put Front and Centre on the G7 Agenda

By Yasmine Sherif
At this year’s G7 Hiroshima Summit in Japan, world leaders will have a chance to “uphold the international order based on the rule of law and extend outreach to the Global South.” Education, as a binding force that unites us all in our global efforts to protect human rights and ensure sustainable development, should be front and centre on the G7 Agenda.

The End of Dollar Supremacy

By Monica Hirst and Juan Gabriel Tokatlian
Half a century ago, the dominance of the United States dollar in the international finance and trade system was indisputable. By 1977, the US dollar reached a peak of 85 per cent as the prevailing currency in foreign exchange reserves; in 2001, this position was still around 73 per cent. But today, it is at approximately 58 per cent.

Will COP28 Catch the Next Green Wave … Or Will It Wipe Out?

By Felix Dodds and Chris Spence
Perhaps one of the least well known among Dubai’s many attractions is surfing. Locals and visitors enjoy the sport at Sunset Beach and elsewhere, especially in winter. There is even an artificial wave pool where surfers can hone their skills. To some, the pool is just another example of the host country’s entrepreneurial outlook.

Why Quality Seeds Are among the Most Valuable Currency in Climate Finance for Africa

By Michael Keller
At long last, momentum is growing for an overdue rethink of climate finance and development assistance to support countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Are Countries Ready for AI? How they can Ensure Ethical & Responsible Adoption

By Yasmine Hamdar, Keyzom Ngodun Massally and Gayan Peiris
From ChatGPT to deepfakes, the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) has recently been making headlines. But beyond the buzz, there are real benefits it holds for advancing development priorities.

Social Media Mobile Phone Data in Disaster Management and the Implications That It Has on Vulnerable Populations

By Hannah Tuckman with the UNC Water Institute and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Belmont Forum funded project
This week sees the review of the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It will bring governments, partners and communities together to reduce disaster risk and losses and to ensure a safer, sustainable future.

Unceasing Human Attacks on the Source of 80% of Food, 98% of Oxygen

By Baher Kamal
Two big facts are impressive enough: plants are the source of 80% of all food, and as much as 98% of all oxygen. Logically, it would be taken for granted that human beings would do whatever is needed to protect this essential source of life. But do they?

Climate Change Threatens Kenya’s Historical Sites in Coastal Region

By Diana Wanyonyi
Along coastal Kenya, historical sites and monuments are threatened due to the impacts of climate change—structures along the Indian Ocean are falling to ruin or collapsing into the ocean because of high tides.

Race to Zero in Asia and Pacific: Our Hopes in the Climate Fight

By Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
The latest synthesis report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes for grim reading: Every fraction of a degree of warming comes with escalated threats, from deadly heatwaves to severe hurricanes and droughts, affecting all economies and communities.

Can African Farmers Still Feed the World?

By Baher Kamal
Less than a decade ago, Africa was home to 60-65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land and 10% of renewable freshwater resources, as reported by the African Union in 2016, while concluding that African farmers could feed the world.

New Mosquito Species Could Derail Fight Against Malaria

By Wilson Odhiambo
‘Urban’ Kenya has been alerted because new mosquito species, Anopheles stephensi, threatens to derail decades of effort made in the fight against malaria.

Reshaping Multilateralism in Times of Crises

By Jens Martens
The world is in permanent crisis mode. In addition to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, the war in Ukraine and other violent conflicts, a worldwide cost of living crisis and an intensified debt crisis in more and more countries of the global South are affecting large parts of humanity.

How the Rise of Timor-Leste’s Aquaculture Sector Is a Blueprint for Other Small Island Nations

By Jharendu Pant
For Timor-Leste, as with most other islands in the Pacific, fortunes are to be found in fish – an equity food available to all regardless of status.

To Confront Our Current Crises, It’s Time to Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is

By Ayesha Khan, Éliane Ubalijoro and Yuriko Backes
The finance sector’s role in the current global crises – notably climate, biodiversity, and food security – is significant. Polluting activities and environmentally-destructive practices for short-term economic gains have catapulted us to our current untenable situation. We're ‘sawing off the branch we’re sitting on’ by sacrificing life-giving ecosystem services for profit, and that branch is sagging and splitting under our weight.

Tuberculosis Risk Factors Exacerbated by Climate Change

By Ed Holt
While there is no established causal relationship between climate change and tuberculosis (TB), studies have begun to highlight the potential impact its effects could have on the spread of the disease.

Rural Women’s Constant Struggle for Water in Central America

By Edgardo Ayala
“This is a very difficult place to live, because of the lack of water,” said Salvadoran farmer Marlene Carballo, as she cooked corn tortillas for lunch for her family, on a scorching day.

Empowering Women is Key to Breaking the Devastating Cycle of Poverty & Food Insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa

By Danielle Nierenberg and Emily Payne
Studies consistently show that women have lower rates of agricultural productivity compared to men in the region, but it’s not because they’re less efficient farmers.

Biodiversity Rich-Palau Launches Ambitious Marine Spatial Planning Initiative

By Busani Bafana
Growing up in Palau in the western Pacific Ocean, Surangel Whipps Jr. played on the reefs and spearfished on an island teeming with birds, giant clams, fish, and turtles.
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