Microfinance loans were meant to offer a pathway out of poverty in countries like Nigeria, particularly for women. But as climate change makes weather patterns more unpredictable, the risk of falling into further debt falls onto the shoulders of women farmers who face not just erratic farming conditions but social stigma from default.
Arrests of high-profile campaigns suggest that even those working on government-approved green initiatives with international backing aren’t safe from Vietnam’s crackdown on environmental activism. But some warn that staying below the radar can be even more dangerous.
After a Canadian mining company challenged a Zapotec community’s Indigenous identity, recalling the ancestral names of sacred landmarks helped reinvigorate their connection to the land – and defend it from extractive industries.
In a remote community enveloped in cloudforest, a whistled form of the Indigenous Chinantec language is perfectly adapted to the land and its weather. But who needs whistles when you can use WhatsApp?
For thousands of years, cultural hub Alexandria, Egypt has been at a geographical crossroads that puts it at risk from earthquakes and extreme weather events. Now, with massive real estate ventures underway, researchers say the government should look to the city’s past in preparation for the future.
Lagos, Nigeria is positioned to become West Africa’s economic hub for the 21st century. But boundless economic and physical growth at the expense of protective wetlands puts the entire city at risk of climate disaster.
Solutions addressing air pollution have a disturbing common denominator: they can be exclusionary. Without the important recognition of how class and race intersect with health vulnerabilities, steps to save lives run the risk of being discriminatory.
Curiosity and wonder are good anecdotes against fear.
“We’re all in the same boat, as climate change affects everyone, but very few have a life jacket.”
Zambia is a case in point. In 2020, the south African country was found to be a debt defaulter. The amount in question was 17 billion USD. But why is this happening to a country rich in copper and cobalt, two of the world’s most sought after metals?
