The climate crisis affects the entire planet. And the African continent is feeling those effects the hardest. Africa is the most climate-vulnerable region, despite contributing the least to historic carbon emissions.
As the crisis continues, global leaders must take action to lessen its impact. African countries are doing just that. Here are a few examples.
Rwanda
Photo credit: Jon Evans via Flickr Creative Commons
Did you know that Rwanda is plastic bag-free? That’s right, since 2008, Rwanda has banned plastic bags entirely. In...
Climate Change
Things… aren’t great in the world right now. If it feels like the world isn’t making the progress we need on climate change, equality, and poverty, that’s because, well, we’re not.
It can be hard to conceptualize what this long-term progress should look like. To break it down, we created five stats that help put things in perspective. We also have some ways you can take action. We’re not powerless to these challenges, no matter how big and gloomy they...
Feeling hot? Youre not the only one. As heat waves become more frequent and severe, those living in poverty are disproportionately affected. People with lower incomes face a 40% higher exposure to heat waves than those with higher incomes. Here are six ways that heat waves can make inequality worse.
1. Increased mortality rates
Older people, those with health problems, and the very young are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness and death. These groups are also more likely to live in...
It’s time to make the World Bank the “World’s Bank.”
Extreme poverty is on the increase for the first time in a generation. Countries affected by fragility and conflict are at the front line. We have 75 months to go before we use what is left of our carbon budget. After that we lose the battle to stay within 1.5°C.
The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years to come. Business as...
More than a hundred Presidents, celebrities and economists have come together to propose a ten-point-plan to reform the World Bank and make it fit for the 21st Century.
It’s getting colder in the North, the leaves are changing colour, and scarves are back in our wardrobes. But as the cool breeze of winter sets in, so does our need for warmer holidays.
But there‘s a catch. Climate change is going to make taking those warmer trips a bit more difficult unless we act now. From prolonged droughts to severe flooding, the climate crisis is affecting some of the world‘s natural wonders. In fact, in Africa, three-fifths of the...
As an organisation created to tackle extreme poverty and preventable disease, the past year has been a stark reminder to everyone at ONE just how important this mission is.
All around the world, we have seen how a single virus has brought chaos and fear — threatening people‘s lives and livelihoods and wreaking havoc on whole economies. As is so often the case, the poorest and most vulnerable have borne the brunt of this crisis; for them, an end to...
It’s that time of year again. The world’s most powerful leaders will soon be making their way to Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting, where they will spend a week in their mountain conclave discussing the world’s problems.
Those problems are mounting up. The Iran crisis has prompted renewed questions about peace, security and stability in the world’s most volatile region. The bushfires in Australia provide a daily reminder of our failure to respond adequately to the...
This story was originally reported by by Isaiah Esipisu. Editing by Sebastien Malo and Laurie Goering for the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
When local authorities in eastern Kenya slapped a ban on trading charcoal earlier this year in an effort to save the region’s dwindling forests, charcoal producers worried their income would disappear.
“It was a chilling announcement,” said Peninah Kilungya, 42, a mother of five with the bright red traditional fabric of the Maasai people tied around her waist.
“We always turn to...
As the new Global Goals start to sink in, it is exciting to appreciate how they are linked to some wisdom that has been passed on for many generations through African proverbs. Here is a sneak peak in to some of our favourites!