Columns

Danielle Nierenberg It’s hard to be hopeful around food and agriculture—the climate crisis, social and racial injustice, lack of opportunity for youth, political chaos, conflict, famine, hunger, and poverty can make it seem like there aren’t solutions. Read More »

by Silvia Ribeiro Mexico City – Although the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, the progress toward reducing greenhouse-gas emissions remains as disappointing as ever, leading some to tout new technological solutions that could supposedly save the day. Harvard University’s David Keith, for example, would have us consider geoengineering – that is, deliberate, large-scale, and highly risky interventions ... Read More »

Upon retiring, many ‘teachers’ will look back with remorse and weep with sorrow and shame when they think about the number of children they tortured, traumatized, and perhaps damaged for life through their use of corporal punishment, but by then it’s too late Read More »

by Johan Rockström, Anders Wijkman, Sandrine Dixson-Declève Potsdam – As Europe roasts through another record-hot summer, it is encouraging to see that climate change is receiving the attention it deserves from Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president-elect. In confronting the climate emergency, she should acknowledge that rising global temperatures are a threat not just to public health and ... Read More »

Danielle Nierenberg Food Tank is thrilled to announce three proposed panels for South by Southwest (SXSW) 2020 in Austin, TX! We’ve developed three ideas that will engage eaters and activists, thinkers and doers, and all sorts of movers and shakers who are working for a more environmentally, economically, and socially just food system. These panels will bring underreported issues to ... Read More »

By Farhana Haque Rahman and Raghav Gaiha Horrific violence against women is unabated and rising in South Asia. Rome and New Delhi, Aug 6 2019 (IPS) – On a cold night in December 2012, a ghastly crime was committed in New Delhi which stunned the world. Six men dragged helpless Nirbhaya-a 23-year-old female physiotherapy intern- to the back of the ... Read More »

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, Jul 30 2019 (IPS) – July 2019 saw the 75th anniversary of the historic conference of 44 countries held at the Bretton Woods (BW) resort in New Hampshire during July 1-22, 1944. Conference Read More »

By Felix Dodds New York, Jul 29 2019 (IPS) – As some of you will know I have a new book out Stakeholder Democracy: Represented Democracy in a Time of Fear. (other contributors to the book were: Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Carolina Duque Chopitea, Minu Hemmati, Susanne Salz, Bernd Lakemeier, Laura Schmitz, and Jana Borkenhagen). Read More »

by Anton Hemerijck and Massimiliano Santini on 29th July 2019 The welfare state in Europe must become a social-investment state if the broken European social contract is to be renewed. The new European Commission, set to take office on November 1st, will face a daunting future. Today, many people feel that the main pillars of the social contract which kept ... Read More »

by Kirsty Hughes on 30th July 2019 In our ‘Europe2025’ series, Kirsty Hughes argues that a Green New Deal can gel the domestic and neighbourhood policies of the union. Read More »

by Alon Tal Tel Aviv – Electric bicycles and scooters are taking a lot of heat. Concerns about traffic fatalities, terrorized pedestrians, and urban lawlessness have led a growing chorus of politicians and media commentators to conclude that the technology should be banned outright. But these critics are missing the point. Small, portable, electric transportation options are a tremendous opportun ... Read More »

By Roberto Savio Rome, Jul 23 2019 (IPS) – When all is said and done, it appears that Thomas Hobbes, the 17th century English philosopher who had a dire vision of man, was not totally wrong. Read More »

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jul 23 2019 (IPS) – International financial institutions (IFIs) have typically imposed wide-ranging policy reforms – called ‘conditionalities’ – in exchange for country governments to secure access to financial assistance. Read More »

by Sophie Pornschlegel on 24th July 2019 In the latest contribution to our ‘Europe2025’ series, Sophie Pornschlegel argues the EU needs to rethink its mode of action, in addition to tackling the pressing policy challenges ahead. Read More »

by Neal Lawson on 23rd July 2019 The Labour Party has squandered three years in addressing the challenge posed by the Brexit referendum. The left is in a mess on Brexit—both in the UK and, despite lots of solidarity, in terms of creative thinking and practical help from the wider European left. Read More »

by Adam Tooze on 22nd July 2019 Adam Tooze argues that Europe must get beyond seeing the head of the IMF as part of the spoils from Bretton Woods. Read More »

Sudhirendar Sharma It seems a back-of-envelope estimation that a good samaritan has tossed up on social media to shock us out of slumber. Unbelievable though it may read, Ludhiana city dwellers have been credited for wasting some 15 million litres of water daily; Amritsar and Bhatinda account for 2.5 million litres; and Patiala some 2 million litres. It may seem ... Read More »

by President Michael D. Higgins on 18th July 2019 Europe needs a new eco-social paradigm if it is to ward off the populist sirens and offer a positive vision for the continent. We have as a global community to respond to the consequences of climate change, the need to achieve sustainability. A radical shift to a new economic paradigm in ... Read More »

by Danielle Nierenberg New Orleans – The word “migration” conjures images of war, natural disaster, and severe economic distress. All are important reasons why people seek refuge far from home. But the single most powerful driver of migration may well be food – or, rather, the lack of it. Read More »

by Zoleka Mandela, Etienne Krug, Howard Taylor Geneva – At the World Health Assembly in May, we made the case for why governments and United Nations agencies need to spend more on measures to prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), injury, and violence against children. One of us – Zoleka Mandela – spoke of losing her 13-year-old daughter to a drunk driver, ... Read More »

by George Tyler on 16th July 2019 The United States should learn from the better performance of European companies which have worker representation on boards. Read More »

By Baher Kamal Madrid, Jul 10 2019 (IPS) – In case you were not aware or just do not remember: all you eat, drink, breathe, wear, take as a medicine, the cosmetics you use, the walls of your house, among others, is full of chemicals. And all is really ALL. For instance, in your bathroom, formaldehyde often sits in your ... Read More »

By Dr Natalia Kanem UN, Jul 11 2019 (IPS) – Every year on World Population Day (July 11), UNFPA receives queries from journalists about the total number of people around the world. Numbers are indeed important because they help governments develop policies that respond to evolving needs for services such as education and health. Read More »

By Peter Koenig After the new coup attempt – or propaganda coup – Venezuela lives in a state of foreign imposed insecurity. The failed coup was executed on 30 April by Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed and Washington-trained and endorsed “interim President”, and the opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who was hurriedly freed from house arrest by Guaidó with a couple of ... Read More »

by Paul Mason Paul Mason continues his sketch of a postcapitalist world by drawing out its implications for something in increasingly short supply—time. If we are lucky, the world stands on the brink of a rapid transition beyond carbon. We know how the post-carbon transition will be measured: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other bodies have created fairly ... Read More »

By Christiana Figueres Brussels – In early 2015, the European Union became the first major economy to set a post-2020 target for limiting greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. By committing to reducing emissions to at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, the EU initiated a global movement that culminated in the adoption of the Paris climate agreement later that year. This ... Read More »

By Bertrand Badré Washington, DC – In 2015, the international community launched a renewed effort to tackle collective global challenges under the auspices of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). But after an initial flurry of interest, the progress that has been made toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and tackling climate ... Read More »

By Mark Paul and Connor Rupp Sarasota – US President Donald Trump’s anti-climate agenda is in full swing. His administration has already taken action 117 times to repeal or weaken climate regulations, and much more deregulation is in the works. By unraveling environmental protections on an unprecedented scale, including through executive orders, Trump is using every tool at his disposal ... Read More »

By Johan Rockström Potsdam –The leaders of the G20 countries head to Osaka this week for their annual summit. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will address them before traveling to Abu Dhabi to finalize the arrangements for September’s UN Climate Action Summit. These meetings should set the world on course for the fastest economic transition in history. Yet both are ... Read More »

By Frank Bainimarama SUVA, Fiji, Jun 27, 2019 (IPS) — Are the most climate-vulnerable nations of the world right to demand that developed and major economies commit to carbon neutrality by 2050? Should the poorest nations of the world insist that the “haves” put their significant economic and political resources behind aggressive efforts to combat climate change? Do we have ... Read More »