Pollution in the Western Balkans is among the most pressing global crises today. The antiquated industrial technology and inadequate environmental legislation in Western Balkan countries (WBC) results in substandard soil, air and water quality. According to the UN Environment Programme, Bosnia and Herzegovina is now the second deadliest nation in the world in terms of air pollution. The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo recorded the air quality index (AQI) of 383 in 2018 — nearly ten times the average and a level categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a threat to health. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that in 2018 two North Macedonian cities, Tetovo and Skopje, were identified by the European AQI as Europe’s most polluted cities. Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, topped the 2018 list of the world’s most polluted cities with an AQI of 415. Pristina is classified as having worse air quality than Beijing and New Delhi, and other towns throughout Kosovo are following suit.
The Cost of Coal
Pollution in the Western Balkans results from thermal power plants and open-cast lignite mines — lignite being the most toxic coal pollutant.
In Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina lies the country’s largest thermal power station. Burning lignite generates power, producing electricity. Tuzla’s plant, located across from a school, releases 51,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants annually. This cheap electricity (run by a state-owned company) is seen by officials as an economic opportunity and is exported to neighboring countries, but residents know that the price is not worth the cost.
Each year Bosnia and Herzegovina loses the equivalent of 44,000 years of life from particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide — like that produced in Tuzla — or ozone pollution. PM pollution in the Western Balkans causes respiratory and heart diseases, cancers, etc., and increases water acidity, soil depletion and crop damage.
Tuzla’s coal towers use filters that, when expired, are disposed of at designated sites. Winds blow the filters’ collected ash onto nearby homes. The power plant employs large amounts of water to pump waste ash and coal slag into huge landfill sites, resulting in swampy farmlands. Heavy metals from the waste discharge into nearby rivers, while anti-clogging chemicals added to pipes turn flooded areas a fluorescent blue color.
Tuzla, once Bosnia and Herzegovina’s largest producer of roses, is now a toxic swamp coated in ash. Reports state that pollution has reduced Tuzla’s population from 500 to approximately 30 residents.
Kosovo’s story is no better. A 2016 environmental study stated that impacts of Kosovo A and B lignite power plants total €352 million in health costs annually, with Kosovo A ranking as the biggest emitter of PM2.5 in the Western Balkan region. PM2.5 is small enough to enter the bloodstream and pulmonary alveoli.
In Bitola, North Macedonia, the area surrounding its thermal power plant and ash deposit are significant generators of PM10 and PM2.5. The European Environmental Agency’s air quality report states that North Macedonia has the highest annual mean value of PM2.5 in all of Europe — approximately three times more than the WHO’s recommendations. The World Bank estimates 1,350 North Macedonians die yearly from air pollution.
According to the WHO, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s air pollution costs the country more than one fifth its annual GDP yearly in lost work and school days, fuel costs, etc. In WBCs, school terms are shortened and many residents flee their homes, especially during winter when dense smog blankets cities and towns impairing visibility and worsening breathing. The World Bank reports that North Macedonia loses around 3.2 percent of its annual GDP to pollution.
Denials and Foreign Investments
The latest report on European air quality cites a steady improvement throughout Europe, except in WBCs where air quality steadily declines.
North Macedonian authorities claim the country’s extreme pollution results from the use of old vehicles and wood-burning stoves. Pristina’s officials claim heavy traffic as the main cause of its pollution and have imposed traffic restrictions. The North Macedonian government also claims chemical analyses and pollution studies are underway, but no reports have been published.
WBCs’ disregard for the UN’s and WHO’s warnings and EU regulations is reaching new heights via Chinese-backed investments in new coal-fired power plants throughout the region. These expansion plans, along with the refusal to admit responsibility and lack of emergency planning, are outraging citizens who have taken to the streets in protest.
International Response to Pollution in the Western Balkans
UN agencies are installing and refurbishing air quality monitoring stations equipped with real-time data throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. A WHO initiative is using software to provide data pertaining to air pollution types and their related health effects, hoping to drive government response policies. This transition will slash emissions by more than 90 percent, saving nearly €1 million in fuel costs annually.
The North Macedonian government launched an initiative to fight its air pollution and allocated €1.6 million for the program in its 2019 budget — aiming to reduce Skopje’s air pollution by 50 percent within two years through tax incentives for central heating and stricter industrial emissions controls. Activists say the government’s response and funding is inadequate and insufficient.
A joint effort by affected governments could combat pollution in the Western Balkans and aid in enacting stricter emissions control legislation of the Energy Community Treaty. There is hope on the horizon as Energy Community Contracting Parties, North Macedonia and Kosovo, have signed a 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on the Energy Sector. Their intention is to share developments, revive electricity interconnection lines and construct a gas interconnection between Skopje and Kosovo.
– Julianne Russo
Photo: Pixabay
The Fight Against Modern-Day Pirates
For the fishermen and industry workers that transport goods throughout the waters of the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa, pirates are an everyday encounter. These criminals steal millions of dollars, kidnap crew members and capture the goods being transported. For these workers and many others, it is a constant fight against modern-day pirates.
Transporting goods across ocean waters is one of the easier ways to get the product to the buyer. An estimated 90 percent of all African exports and imports are moved across high seas, and the shorelines often become a target due to the large amount of good shipped. For example, the number of incidents in the Horn of Africa doubled in 2017 from 2016. Attacks also rose in 2016 with a total of 94 incidents off the west coast of Africa. It is clear that pirates seek out and target these high trafficked shipping areas.
When pirates board ships, they not only steal the goods that are being transported but also kidnap the crew members and hold them for ransom. In 2016, Somali pirates released 26 Asian crew members that were held for five years, releasing them once the ransom was paid. It is estimated that between the years 2005 and 2012, $339 to $413 million dollars were paid to pirates in ransoms off the Somali coasts. The average haul for these pirates comes out to just about $2.7 million, which usually comes out to about $30,000 to $70,000 for each person. Those that operate in the Gulf of Aden usually make $120 million in net profits. Studies also point to outside investors frequently help to ‘fund’ these pirate attacks and who then receive a cut of the payment after.
There are many different ways that governments, organizations and individuals are uniting to combat the damage caused by pirates. Some governments are focusing on unregulated fishing which allows local fisherman to thrive. Doing so provides long term, sustainable careers for locals who may otherwise turn to piracy. Shipping companies have also implemented several anti-boarding devices and armed contractors to deter pirates. Some ships have collapsible electric fences that act as a barrier between the ship and pirates, and tear gas and orange smoke flare canisters are sometimes placed along the side of boats. These preventive measures fight against modern-day pirates, help keep the crew members safe and are now lowering these attacks.
With anti-boarding devices, armed contractors and the creation of employment opportunities, pirate attacks are now lowering in numbers. While there is still work to be done, the fight against modern-day pirates has produced encouraging results.
– Emme Chadwick
Photo: U.S. Coast Guard
Sleep Deprivation and Global Poverty
Sleep deprivation and global poverty are indisputably connected. Science has long acknowledged the relationship between adequate sleep and overall health. Lack of sleep leads to weight gain, a higher incidence of Type II diabetes and heart issues, to name just a few complications caused by poor sleep. Insufficient sleep also impairs cognitive abilities. All of these factors are hindrances to reaching one’s earning potential, contributing to the cycle of poverty.
Sleep Deprivation in Asia and Africa
Until relatively recently, there has been little available data to address the relationship between sleep deprivation and global poverty. Many studies of the public health of developing countries were focused on disease and malnutrition, widely considered more pressing health issues. However, a 2012 article detailed a study conducted in Asia and Africa that examined the sleep patterns of more than 40,000 participants.
The participants were a mix of men and women aged 50 or older from low-income settings in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, South Africa and Indonesia. Among the conclusions were correlations between sleep problems and depression, anxiety, physical disability, lower education and “poorer self-rated quality of life.”
Sleep Deprivation in India
India is one of the most sleep-deprived nations in the world, with a nightly average of 6 hours and 55 minutes. An article in India Today cited a study done by the brand Fitbit, famous for the wearable devices used to track heart rates, sleep patterns and calorie burning. The results illustrated that young people are not immune to the effects of inadequate sleep. The study found that teens who slept poorly scored lower in cognitive abilities than their well-rested counterparts. Type II diabetes, cardiovascular issues and hypertension are all on the rise in India, and all can be traced back to poor sleep.
For people on the lower end of the socioeconomic continuum in India, it is simply harder to get a good night’s sleep. Many of India’s poorest people live in a single room with multiple occupants, with few noise barriers to drown out incessant honking and other loud street noises. It is often extremely hot, and in many cases, individuals are sleeping on a hard floor without a pillow. Mosquitoes also tend to be a problem due to the humid climate.
Necessities of Sleep and How to Improve it
As the correlation between sleep deprivation and global poverty has begun to receive closer examination, academics are now asking more pointed questions about the impact of poor sleep on one’s decision-making abilities and how that can perpetuate a poverty cycle. University of Pennsylvania economist Heather Schofield, who conducted a sleep-related study in South India, posits that extreme fatigue can cause a complete abdication of decision-making. This can manifest itself as someone who is living at or below the poverty line being too exhausted to even think about how to improve their station in life, let alone actually take the steps to make a significant change. Sleep deprivation can also affect one’s ability or willpower to delay gratification. For example, the purchase of items like alcohol or tobacco may offer short-term relief or pleasure but are ultimately detrimental to a person’s physical and financial health.
Sleep is as essential to survival and optimal health as food and water. As such, the link between sleep deprivation and global poverty cannot be ignored. A worker who completes a 14-hour shift to sleep on a mat in a crowded room is not going to be as productive as someone who can collapse onto a comfortable bed in a cool, quiet room.
One of the governing principles of providing foreign aid is to set the stage for a developing nation to succeed on its own. Schofield found simple ways of measuring the effects of improved sleep on her test subjects, providing earplugs, blankets and sleep masks, as well as offering nap times, in some cases. These low-tech solutions made a substantial difference, demonstrating that increased awareness may be what is most needed to tackle the problem of sleep deprivation and global poverty.
– Raquel Ramos
Photo: Flickr
How SMS Messaging Helped to Combat Ebola in Sierra Leone
When the Ebola epidemic hit Sierra Leone in 2014, the outbreak began slowly but gradually built into a burst of cases, then increased exponentially from there. With little knowledge on how to contain the disease and even less on how to cure it, the country declared a state of emergency and proceeded to shut down schools, cinemas and other common gathering places in a bid to contain the disease.
SMS messaging also played a key role in eradicating Ebola in Sierra Leone by March 2016.
Global Response to the Ebola Epidemic
In response to the outbreak, UNICEF launched the Rapidpro free source platform, which provided SMS messaging in Sierra Leone that had no need for internet, a sophisticated phone or even phone credit. Users only needed a basic handset with a network connection. This system — launched globally in September of 2014 — has been lauded for its ease of use particularly on pre-existing equipment and phone networks, even in remote places.
Rapidpro is cloud-based, multi-language and multi-channel so it can be accessed through SMS, voice or Twitter. SMS messaging in Sierra Leone was first used by the UNICEF team behind the Ebola Community Care Centres (CCCs), which set up 46 centers in five districts with 404 beds in less than two months. They needed SMS to communicate information on triage numbers, admissions and results on a daily and monthly basis so that experts would be able to stay updated on the latest caseload trends.
SMS Messaging Helped Get Information to the Public
On November 7, 2015, the World Health Organization made an initial declaration that the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone was over, with the official announcement coming the following Spring. Over the course of the year and a half that the disease rampaged through the country, 8,704 people were infected and 3,589 died. Of those who died, 221 were health care workers.
As the country recovered from the epidemic, this system also allowed workers to monitor Observational Interim Care Centres (OICCs), report from district protection desks as well as follow up on family reunification efforts. Using a network of 788 monitors across the country, officials used SMS messaging in real-time to facilitate social mobilization.
SMS played a role in sharing information about school reopenings, plans for nutrition supply monitoring and reporting on HIV treatment. Thanks to this initiative, officials reached 1.2 million subscribers, containing the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone thanks to text messages.
SMS Messaging in the Aftermath
Today, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation uses SMS Messaging in Sierra Leone to monitor aid supplies received from the EU, DFID, USAID and UNICEF. SMS helps ensure that these life-saving supplies reach those in need at some 1,200 health facilities by simply sending a text message as soon as the products have arrived. Every facility is required to report the drugs and supplies within 24 hours of receiving them, saving everyone time. The previous, paper-based system, took many days to check and had a slow response time. SMS messaging increases trust for donors, governments and communities because they know that the supplies are reaching the people who direly need them.
Workers like Alfred Pujeh, an administrator at one of Sierra Leone’s OICCs use the system to answer questions immediately from the Ministry of Social Welfare and Gender and Children’s Welfare Agency in Freetown about the children in their care. SMS messaging makes his job easier and more efficient so he is able to focus more on the children who need him, instead of being weighed down by paperwork that could get lost en route to his supervisors.
– Michela Rahaim
Photo: Flickr
Credit Access in the Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands, one of the third largest archipelago countries, consists of nearly 900 islands with a total population of 400,000. It is located between the sea routes of the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea and the Coral Sea. Given its unique landscape and dispersed population, there is limited banking and credit access in the Solomon Islands. Currently, there are about 300 islands that are inhabited and within those islands, there are only 14 bank branches.
Current Status of Financial Inclusion
Limited banking and credit access in the Solomon Islands impact the way Solomon Islanders handle their finances. According to the Solomon Islands’ financial demand-side survey, the following statistics reveal the involvement in the Solomon Islands’ financial sector.
It is important to note the barriers that Solomon Islanders face when they attempt to enter the financial sector. One of the many barriers includes the country’s mountainous and rainforest-covered landscape which constrains their ability to access financial services such as banks or ATMs.
It was reported that those without bank accounts live an average of 6 hours away from a bank while those with bank accounts must travel about 2 hours to access banking services. The farther away Solomon Islanders are from accessible financial services the more costly it is to participate in the financial sector.
Understanding the Gender Gap
It is important to address gender disparity when it comes to the financial involvement between men and women in the Solomon Islands. Only 20 percent of adult women have a commercial bank account compared to 32 percent of males. The Solomon Islands National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2016-2020 (NFIS) notes that “Banked adults now average 4.5 years more schooling than the unbanked: a factor that helps explain the widening gender divide.” The gap is also evident in terms of literacy rates as 89 percent of men in the country are able to read and write compared to only 79 percent of women.
Solutions for Financial Exclusion
The government is prioritizing efforts to provide accessible banking and credit access in the Solomon Islands and though it has been a tedious process there has been some progress. The updated NFIS strategy has a goal of helping men, women and young people “to be financially competent and have access to a full range of financial services that help them achieve greater financial security and financial opportunity.” Overall, the goal is to ensure that 300,000 adults to have a form of formal or semi-formal financial accounts by 2020. The NFIS also seeks to ensure that 90 percent of the population will be able to access financial services within one hour of ordinary travel from their homes.
The Solomon Islands Government also launched the Women’s Financial Inclusion in the Solomon Islands which focuses on empowering women to realize “their full potential, importance, and status, and be increasingly recognized and heard in Solomon Islands society.” The program also seeks to provide women with the necessary tools to become business owners and participate in the private sector. A number of initiatives have been spearheaded under the Women’s’ Financial Inclusion program:
Overall, promoting financial inclusion through greater credit access to the Solomon Islands has the potential to bridge the gender gap in the country while creating economic opportunity for those in rural areas.
– Jocelyn Aguilar
Photo: Unsplash
Urgent Need to Address Malnutrition in the Horn of Africa
Due to the drought sweeping across the region:
People in the countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have also been heavily affected by the worst flooding in the area in 30 years. In Kenya, floods have affected 800,000 people and displaced 244,400 people. These conditions have also resulted in crop failure and loss of livestock, turning conditions from poor to dire.
Immediate Help to the Horn of Africa
Beginning in 2014, UNICEF has treated 135,000 children for severe acute malnutrition in Somalia. They have vaccinated nearly 2 million children against polio. In Ethiopia, 2.7 million children, mothers and pregnant women have been screened for malnutrition. UNICEF has started supplementary feeding programs to further combat the malnutrition in the Horn of Africa. In Kenya, they have expanded their assistance to the flood of refugees coming in from South Sudan.
Organizations like Oxfam are on the ground in these areas, working with locals to get to those most in need. They are providing emergency food distributions and working with people to produce their own food and incomes. They are combating malnutrition in the Horn of Africa by providing emergency water and sanitation to stop the spread of diseases like cholera and diarrhea.
Continued Help in the Region
UNICEF’s efforts have continued to focus on preventing and treating severe acute malnutrition. They seek to expand access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Their people are increasing the number of children that they are vaccinating so that they can better respond to childhood illnesses and prevent them. Their focus is also on the people’s access to assets and safety nets that are responsive to seasonal factors and other shocks.
While there are many organizations that are coming to the aid of the people in the Horn of Africa, they still need more support if they are going to overcome the political and environmental issues that are making their lives unliveable.
– Michela Rahaim
Photo: Flickr
Reducing Maternal Mortality in Africa
Upon learning they are pregnant, most women do not immediately wonder if it’s a fatal diagnosis. However, that is the stark reality for many women in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal mortality in Africa is a pervasive and devastating issue. Far hospitals, scarce doctors and poor healthcare systems all contribute to maternal mortality. Most maternal deaths are preventable and caused by complications treatable in developed nations. It is important to recognize the causes of maternal death and solutions already in place to further reduce maternal mortality in Africa.
Causes of Maternal Mortality
The most common causes of maternal mortality are severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy, delivery complications and unsafe abortions. In most cases, these are treatable with access to trained medical staff and proper medication. Access to maternal health care varies around the world. “A 5-year-old girl living in sub-Saharan Africa faces a 1 in 40 risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth during her lifetime. A girl of the same age living in Europe has a lifetime risk of 1 in 3,300,” according to Dr. Greeta Rao Gupta, deputy executive director of UNICEF. Factors such as “poverty, distance, lack of information, inadequate services, [and] cultural practices” prevent women from having access to the proper medical services they need.
Additionally, warfare in developing countries causes the breakdown of healthcare systems. This further prevents women from accessing life-saving medical care. For example, when the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone ended in 2002, it left less than 300 trained doctors and three obstetricians to treat the country’s 6 million people.
Solutions to Reduce Maternal Mortality
Many NGOs work throughout the region to combat maternal mortality in Africa. In fact, the United Nations initiated the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016-2030. Their goal is to “reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births” by 2030.
According to a study by the World Health Organization, there needs to be better documentation of maternal mortality in Africa to create more effective policy solutions. Currently, less than 40 percent of countries have a registration system documenting the causes of maternal mortality. Hence, this lack of information makes it difficult for the U.N. and NGOs to create effective solutions.
An unexpected yet effective way maternal mortality in Africa has been combated is through photography. Pulitzer-prize winning war correspondent Lynsey Addario took her camera to the region to document maternal mortality. Addario documented the experiences of many women, including 18-year-old Mamma Sessay in Sierra Leone. Sessay traveled for hours by canoe and ambulance while in excruciating labor to reach her nearest hospital. Addario stayed with Sessay for the entire experience, from the birth of her child to her subsequent hemorrhage and death. Addario even traveled with Sessay’s family back to their village to document Sessay’s funeral and her family’s grief.
Ultimately, TIME published Addario’s photographs. And as a result, Merck launched Merck for Mothers, giving $500 million to reduce maternal mortality rates worldwide. Addario stated, “I just couldn’t believe how unnecessary her death seemed, and it inspired me to continue documenting maternal health and death to try to turn these statistics around.”
The Bottom Line
The international community must continue to address maternal mortality, a preventable tragedy. No woman should have to fear for her own life or the life of her unborn child upon discovering she is pregnant. Through documentation, reporting and care, the international community can fight to reduce maternal mortality in Africa.
– Alina Patrick
Photo: Flickr
The Importance of the Keep Families Together Act
On June 19, 2018, Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, led over 190 House Democrats in introducing the Keep Families Together Act with the goal of ending family separation at the U.S Border. The Keep Families Together Act is a bill that prevents the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from taking children away from their parents (with the exception of extraordinary circumstances). Examples of extraordinary circumstances would be terminated parental rights if it’s in the minor’s best interest to be separated or if there are concerns of risk to the child, such as trafficking.
Without the Keep Families Together Act
In Jan. 2019, the Federal Government reported that approximately 3,000 children had been separated from their parents at the southern U.S. border. Due to the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, this number will only continue to grow unless the Keep Families Together Act passes. Nearly every adult that is caught attempting to cross illegally is prosecuted and nearly every child is taken from their family.
According to the New York Times, because of the absence of a formal tracking system and an influx that started in 2017, the actual number of children separated from their parent, guardian or family is unknown. It is believed that the separation of families is far larger than the administration had originally stated; possibly more than 700 children could have been separated before the announcement of the “zero tolerance” policy.
The Flores Settlement Agreement
As far as the treatment of children at the border goes, the parameters were set out in the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement. The agreement was born from a lawsuit that was “filed in 1985 that challenged the federal government’s treatment, detention and release of immigrant children.” The agreement requires that children be released to a parent, guardian or program. If no such person is available, then the government is required to detain the child in the “least restrictive” setting, but for no more than 20 days.
Later, in a 2016 federal court decision, the Flores agreement would cover children with guardians as well as those without. However, the Trump Administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy has led to the arrest of parents and guardians who are criminally charged at the border, making it impossible to keep the children with their families. As of 2018, a federal court decision ruled that these children must be reunited with their parents.
The Effects of Separating Families
This raises the question, how does being taken away from a parent or guardian affect a minor’s mental health and wellbeing? A minor who is separated from their parents experiences much more than just discomfort and stress. Children endure extreme psychological stress and lack vital emotional support. Having no foundation from a loved one or guardian during such a vulnerable time could lead to significant anxiety, depression, traumatic stress and many other disorders.
Families are fleeing to the U.S. for refuge, but they face danger on their journey as well as at the border. Without the Keep Families Together Act, parents, guardians and loved ones will continue to be separated from their children. Instead of harvesting a harsh environment for families running from danger, the Keep Families Together Act would be in place to help create safety and asylum for those in need.
Contact State Leaders and advocate for the passing of the Keep Families Together Act. An email, phone call or letter only takes a few minutes and can make a big difference. Learn how to call state senators and representatives here (https://borgenproject.org/
Photo: Flickr
6 Brands That Engage in One-for-One Giving
In 2006, the shoe and eyewear brand, TOMS revolutionized a charitable business model now known as one-for-one giving. This ‘buy one, give one’ model is now used by many brands in an effort to improve their image and do their part in fighting global poverty. When a customer buys a certain item, these brands will match their purchase by donating an item to those in poverty or providing some service that helps those in need.
TOMS started out by donating shoes to more than 60 countries and has now given more than 35 million pairs of shoes. The company has also expanded its charitable giving initiatives, providing eyeglasses to those in need as well as restoring the sight of more than 250,000 people to date.
6 Brands That Engage in One-for-One Giving
Here are six other brands that have followed TOMS’s socially conscious lead.
ROMA Boots
ROMA Boots is a socially conscious footwear company founded in 2007. After seeing countless children in Romania running through every type of weather with either broken shoes or no footwear at all, the founder decided to integrate the one-for-one giving model into this company. Now, for every pair of ROMA boots the company sells, a new pair of rainboots is donated to children and families in who are living in poverty. To date, the company has reached 26 countries and counting through the ROMA Foundation.
Better World Books
Better World Books is a website that buys and sells new and used books across the country at reduced prices. Their business model engages in one-for-one giving, and every time a book is bought, they donate a book to children and families who cannot afford books on their own. To date, the company has donated over 26 million books. Better World Books also enables its customers to support global literacy efforts with each purchase thanks to partnerships with organizations including Room to Read, the National Center for Families Learning and Books for Africa.
Project 7
Project 7 is a gum and mint company that partners with non-profit organizations in the United States and abroad. This company gives back to seven different causes, hence its name ‘Project 7’. One of the areas the company donates to is “Heal the Sick,” which delivers life-saving malaria treatments to people living in poverty. Another is “Quench the Thirsty,” which provides clean drinking water to those living without it. While this model isn’t exactly one-for-one, it uses proceeds from the products sold to provide other services to those in need.
WeWOOD
WeWOOD is a watch and eyewear company founded in Italy in 2010. Their one-for-one giving model is unique because for every wooden watch sold, the company plants a tree in return, restoring forests across the globe. To date, WeWOOD has planted over 600,000 trees and hopes to plant 1 million by 2020.
Warby Parker
Warby Parker is an eyeglass company that has distributed glasses to over 50 countries through their one-for-one giving program. Since its inception, the company has donated more than 4 million pairs of glasses to people with impaired vision all across the globe. The work they do has allowed for people living in poverty to work more effectively, and for children to learn.
This Bar Saves Lives
This Bar Saves Lives is a brand of snack bars that is aiming to end childhood malnutrition worldwide. The company has donated over 10 million nutritious bars to children worldwide thanks to one-for-one giving. Every time a customer purchases a bar, the company provides food aid to children in need, helping to minimize the number of children that are hungry every day.
One-for-one giving is an easy way to make an impact with little effort. Buying goods and doing good can now go hand in hand, and the one-for-one giving model is to thank for that.
– Charlotte Kriftcher
Photo: Flickr
Pollution in the Western Balkans and the International Response
Pollution in the Western Balkans is among the most pressing global crises today. The antiquated industrial technology and inadequate environmental legislation in Western Balkan countries (WBC) results in substandard soil, air and water quality. According to the UN Environment Programme, Bosnia and Herzegovina is now the second deadliest nation in the world in terms of air pollution. The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo recorded the air quality index (AQI) of 383 in 2018 — nearly ten times the average and a level categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a threat to health. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that in 2018 two North Macedonian cities, Tetovo and Skopje, were identified by the European AQI as Europe’s most polluted cities. Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, topped the 2018 list of the world’s most polluted cities with an AQI of 415. Pristina is classified as having worse air quality than Beijing and New Delhi, and other towns throughout Kosovo are following suit.
The Cost of Coal
Pollution in the Western Balkans results from thermal power plants and open-cast lignite mines — lignite being the most toxic coal pollutant.
In Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina lies the country’s largest thermal power station. Burning lignite generates power, producing electricity. Tuzla’s plant, located across from a school, releases 51,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants annually. This cheap electricity (run by a state-owned company) is seen by officials as an economic opportunity and is exported to neighboring countries, but residents know that the price is not worth the cost.
Each year Bosnia and Herzegovina loses the equivalent of 44,000 years of life from particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide — like that produced in Tuzla — or ozone pollution. PM pollution in the Western Balkans causes respiratory and heart diseases, cancers, etc., and increases water acidity, soil depletion and crop damage.
Tuzla’s coal towers use filters that, when expired, are disposed of at designated sites. Winds blow the filters’ collected ash onto nearby homes. The power plant employs large amounts of water to pump waste ash and coal slag into huge landfill sites, resulting in swampy farmlands. Heavy metals from the waste discharge into nearby rivers, while anti-clogging chemicals added to pipes turn flooded areas a fluorescent blue color.
Tuzla, once Bosnia and Herzegovina’s largest producer of roses, is now a toxic swamp coated in ash. Reports state that pollution has reduced Tuzla’s population from 500 to approximately 30 residents.
Kosovo’s story is no better. A 2016 environmental study stated that impacts of Kosovo A and B lignite power plants total €352 million in health costs annually, with Kosovo A ranking as the biggest emitter of PM2.5 in the Western Balkan region. PM2.5 is small enough to enter the bloodstream and pulmonary alveoli.
In Bitola, North Macedonia, the area surrounding its thermal power plant and ash deposit are significant generators of PM10 and PM2.5. The European Environmental Agency’s air quality report states that North Macedonia has the highest annual mean value of PM2.5 in all of Europe — approximately three times more than the WHO’s recommendations. The World Bank estimates 1,350 North Macedonians die yearly from air pollution.
According to the WHO, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s air pollution costs the country more than one fifth its annual GDP yearly in lost work and school days, fuel costs, etc. In WBCs, school terms are shortened and many residents flee their homes, especially during winter when dense smog blankets cities and towns impairing visibility and worsening breathing. The World Bank reports that North Macedonia loses around 3.2 percent of its annual GDP to pollution.
Denials and Foreign Investments
The latest report on European air quality cites a steady improvement throughout Europe, except in WBCs where air quality steadily declines.
North Macedonian authorities claim the country’s extreme pollution results from the use of old vehicles and wood-burning stoves. Pristina’s officials claim heavy traffic as the main cause of its pollution and have imposed traffic restrictions. The North Macedonian government also claims chemical analyses and pollution studies are underway, but no reports have been published.
WBCs’ disregard for the UN’s and WHO’s warnings and EU regulations is reaching new heights via Chinese-backed investments in new coal-fired power plants throughout the region. These expansion plans, along with the refusal to admit responsibility and lack of emergency planning, are outraging citizens who have taken to the streets in protest.
International Response to Pollution in the Western Balkans
UN agencies are installing and refurbishing air quality monitoring stations equipped with real-time data throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. A WHO initiative is using software to provide data pertaining to air pollution types and their related health effects, hoping to drive government response policies. This transition will slash emissions by more than 90 percent, saving nearly €1 million in fuel costs annually.
The North Macedonian government launched an initiative to fight its air pollution and allocated €1.6 million for the program in its 2019 budget — aiming to reduce Skopje’s air pollution by 50 percent within two years through tax incentives for central heating and stricter industrial emissions controls. Activists say the government’s response and funding is inadequate and insufficient.
A joint effort by affected governments could combat pollution in the Western Balkans and aid in enacting stricter emissions control legislation of the Energy Community Treaty. There is hope on the horizon as Energy Community Contracting Parties, North Macedonia and Kosovo, have signed a 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on the Energy Sector. Their intention is to share developments, revive electricity interconnection lines and construct a gas interconnection between Skopje and Kosovo.
– Julianne Russo
Photo: Pixabay
Startup PanalFresh Boosts Agriculture Industry in Bolivia
Since Bolivia gained independence from Spanish rule in 1825, the country has undergone several shifts in political power with long-term effects on economic stability. Similarly, the agriculture industry in Bolivia has experienced considerable changes, sometimes resulting in difficulty for farmers. A startup, PanalFresh, is working to improve difficult conditions and improve farmers’ access to markets.
Inequality in Agriculture Industry in Bolivia
In the late 1990s, former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada made substantial changes to the agriculture industry in Bolivia that have lingering effects to this day. Lozada’s Law of Agricultural Reform Services promoted a liberalization of trade in the agricultural sector and bolstered trade activities centered around exports. One negative consequence of the increased privatization was the fact that small-scale farmers were now forced to compete with much larger companies that could provide extremely cheap imports. The new structure crippled the ability of rural smallholder farmers to increase productivity and income.
The agriculture industry in Bolivia is a key part of the country’s economy, as it accounts for almost 14 percent of the total GDP and employs nearly 30 percent of the nation’s workforce. Unfortunately, with 57 percent of the rural population living below the poverty line, the potential for job creation and economic growth is not coming to fruition.
Tech Startups, Global Poverty and PanalFresh
Tech startups are tackling many of the toughest problems facing the world today. Companies like Viome and The Ocean Cleanup are undertaking monumental efforts to solve issues like prevalent diseases and plastic waste in oceans.
Similarly, a startup called PanalFresh is doing its part to address the “lack of infrastructure and access to markets” that results in rural poverty in Bolivia. PanalFresh provides next-morning delivery of fruits, vegetables and other grocery items through an online store available to customers in the cities Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. The truly unique part of PanalFresh’s business model is that all of the produce in the store comes from small-scale farmers in rural Bolivia. On top of providing farmers with an effective and far-reaching marketplace for their harvests, PanalFresh consults farmers on what to plant in order to meet with demands.
PanalFresh’s co-Founder, Andrea Puente, dedicates her time to helping farmers know what to grow and giving them a marketplace so they can be successful. Her platform claims to yield 10-15 percent better prices on the same crops and provides services to more than 400 farmers. By reconnecting the rural farmers of Bolivia to the more affluent urban customers, Puente is sure to increase the long-term financial stability of hard-working farmers who struggle with poverty day in and out.
While today’s agricultural sector faces many roadblocks, Panalfresh is an example of how achievements in technology can lift other industries into prosperity. With the collaboration of farmers and companies like Panalfresh, the future of agriculture in Bolivia is bright.
– John Chapman
Photo: Wikimedia Commons