Global Development
In an increasingly globalized world, international development efforts aim to improve living conditions, equity, and human rights around the world. Our global development section tracks this globalization and reports on specific equitable and sustainable development initiatives.
What is degrowth and how can it help tackle climate change in an inclusive way?
We are indeed finding ourselves in a geological epoch – aka the Anthropocene – when human activity has become so earth-shaking it is throwing entire ecosystems and the planet’s climate out of balance. As the science behind global warming is becoming ever harder to dismiss, humanity is facing Read More...
These are just some of the new job opportunities in a zero-emissions world
There is tremendous economic potential in the transition to a renewable energy future, but detailed descriptions of what these green jobs will look like aren’t always available. We’ve talked about the job potential for renovating old oil and gas fields, but today we share a guide from Grist on Read More...
This African country is a guide towards protecting the oceans the right way
In 2010, the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) has set a target that 10 percent of coastal and marine areas across the world should fall under protection by 2020. Two years after the deadline, that target still hasn’t been met today. As safeguarding our oceans’ wellbeing is becoming an Read More...
Panama enacts landmark legislation giving Nature rights
Panama is among the 25 most megadiverse countries in the world. It is home to big cats like jaguars and ocelots, 6 distinct monkey species like capuchins, myriad marine and bird life, and many kinds of sloth like the pygmy sloth, who is endangered. Its mystifying array of creatures shoulders Panama Read More...
5 ways to save rainforests and the world every day
“At first, I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.” - Chico Mendes, Brazilian environmentalist July 28 is World Nature Conservation Day. In honor of this, we're happy to offer Read More...
“Count Down” ー Protecting our bodies and our fertility in the modern age
“Hormones get no respect. We think of them as the elusive chemicals that make us a bit moody, but these magical little molecules do so much more.” - Susannah Cahalan, Author, Brain on Fire Most of us know to wash our produce before eating it and not to microwave plastic, but what about Read More...
Sierra Leone backs bill to legalize abortion—a “monumental step forward”
The current laws surrounding maternal health, abortion, and contraceptive services in the West African country of Sierra Leone were adopted in 1861—a century before it won its independence from Britain. In the past, there were attempts at reforming the colonial-era legislation, including in 2015 Read More...
India bans single-use plastics
India experiences worse-than-average plastic pollution with single-use plastic water bottles and containers finding their way into streets and important waterways. To rein in this pollution, the Indian government announced from the capital of New Delhi on Friday that it will be imposing a ban Read More...
Tree cities: regreening and making cities more climate-resilient
We decided to revamp a story about a wonderful solution: tree cities. At The Optimist Daily, as you’ve probably guessed, we love solutions for urban green spaces. We’ve written quite a bit about these, with their ability to offset carbon emissions, help grow food, and help animals and Read More...
Lower traffic accidents linked to urban emissions laws
From the 1970s to the mid-1990s, the US and France were more or less the same in traffic fatality rates. In fact, they had both declined by 31 percent from 1979 to 1994. Today, though, people getting around in the US are three times more likely to die than in France. What happened? Bloomberg Read More...