The Turks and Caicos’ economy is seemingly the jewel of the Caribbean. The islands counted 405,000 tourists in 2021, which is quite low for overall numbers. However, compared to their population the islands ranked 2nd in the world for the number of tourists per resident — a staggering 8.9. With such a profitable industry driving the territory, the outlook for the residents should appear incredibly promising. This is not the case.
About 22% of the population is living under the $1.90 per day global poverty line. Around 60% of households aren’t able to consistently pay for essential items such as food and bills. Unemployment is at just under 10%, with the rural population influencing a large amount of the rate. Here is why it is one of the most sought-after destinations suffering so much from inequality.
An Over-Reliance on Tourism
The success of the tourism industry almost entirely drives Turks and Caicos’ economy. While, for the majority of the territory’s existence, this has been profitable, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how structurally dependent the Islands are.
In 2018, Turks and Caicos gained $787 million from visitors on vacation. Despite having a population of only 45,000, this number was 2% of the revenue for the entirety of the Caribbean. It also made up nearly 70% of Turks and Caicos’ GDP for the year.
The COVID-19 pandemic completely halted the progress Turks and Caicos made to become one of the most desirable tourist spots in the world. Around 2 million tourists dropped to only 370,000 in just one year. This global event exposed the glaring holes in the economy of the Islands.
Only $7.8 million worth of exports were transferred in 2021. The main categories for exports are mollusks, crustaceans, polyacetals and processed tobacco — none of which even generated $1 million alone. Imports totaled $286 million; petroleum, vehicles and meat are some of the biggest and most expensive imports.
Turks and Caicos’ Economy is incredibly fragile and over-reliant on one specific industry and with the incredibly high risk of natural disasters in the region, an over-reliance on a sector that requires perfect weather and facilities is a precarious situation to be in.
The People Affected
The citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands, also known as Belongers, have experienced a population boom over the last two decades, partly due to increased migration from neighboring Haiti. Of these migrants, around 50% live in poverty or at high risk of lowering below the line.
Many of these Haitians live on Providenciales Island, the third largest of the archipelago. The overpopulation of that island has caused a lack of work opportunities and poor living conditions including housing infrastructure and access to health care.
An occupation that usually generates a large percentage of jobs is farming. However, due to the lack of arable land across all of the islands, less than 100 people work in agriculture — only 15 of whom are full-time workers. Due to the low income generated by all of the exported goods, there are not any jobs there either to allow financially vulnerable people to train for.
As mentioned previously, natural hazards are a serious issue on the islands, and not only for monetary reasons. More than 20% of the population was affected by the hurricane season in 2008, exactly not what people suffering from poverty need.
Children are one of the most affected groups on the islands, with both Belongers and migrants facing similar issues. Children from all age groups often drop out of school to try and support their families with short-term work to supply some extra money to afford necessities, leading to a lack of basic education and employable skills.
Solutions
The main attempt to aid the thousands of people living in poverty is the development of new sectors across the islands. Turks and Caicos’ economy may lack diversity now, but there is an opportunity for technology to flourish on the islands. The government has created plans to improve technological infrastructure to draw in business in addition to already appealing low tax rates.
One main goal is to install a second fiber-optic cable across the territory to increase the capacity of the network and give remote workers a reliable connectivity service to not only invite business but to essentially create luxury resorts that a worker never has to leave, generating even more growth to the tourism industry.
These plans are in the National Physical Development Plan (NPDP), published in 2020. Other plans from this document include using hydroponic technology to increase farming capacity across North Caicos and utilizing the Blue Economy to produce more effective fishing practices, create even more desirable leisure activities and invest in biotechnology from seaweed.
Turks and Caicos’ economy is a relatively small and unstable one. However, the population of the territory allows for minor changes to make large impacts. Further development into new, exciting industries will generate foreign investment, with the poorest on the islands only succeeding with greater opportunities and improved living conditions.
If everything goes as planned and tourism stays a constant driver of GDP, the most vulnerable living on the beautiful archipelago will have the greatest prospect of hope out of almost any island in the world.
– Oliver Rayner
Photo: Flickr
The Digital Age and Internet Poverty: Lithuania and South Korea
What Is Internet Poverty?
Similar to other forms of poverty, internet poverty has specific parameters. The World Data Lab defines these parameters as each person having access to 1GB of data per month, with a download speed of at least 10 mbps. This internet expense should constitute up to 10% of an individual’s expenditure.
Using these parameters, more than 1 billion people live in internet poverty. This figure represents 13% of the global population. Almost half of these people live in Africa, and more than 400 million live in Asia. By percentage, Chad is the most afflicted, with 83.6% of its population stricken by internet poverty. India houses the most number of affected individuals – more than 230 million.
Internet connection is necessary, given how interconnected the world has become, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in working from home. Firstly, the internet is crucial for social mobility. It allows people to search for jobs, access certain industries and overcome particular obstacles, whether regarding geography or physical disabilities. Secondly, the internet increases people’s knowledge through the literal means of education and access to the news and resources from around the world. Constant network access also improves safety. For example, features allowing people to share their location with friends have been crucial in improving safety for women. Considering the advantages of having internet access, it is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Without it, huge inequalities across the world persist.
Lithuania and South Korea
Lithuania and South Korea are renowned for their internet coverage, with 90% and 96% of households having access to high-speed internet. Their internet speeds are fast, coverage wide and connections affordable. In this way, they subvert all three parameters of internet poverty. Despite being on different sides of the world, they share similar routes to internet supremacy.
First, both countries aggressively invested in internet infrastructure. South Korea’s Information Infrastructure program (KII) began in the mid-90s. The program gave millions of dollars worth of government loans to urban and industrial areas and service providers to install copper and fiber optic networks across the country. In 2005, the government expanded this program to provide rural areas with coverage. Lithuania invested similarly, with a particular focus on telecommunications starting in the 2000s. This focus has helped it to stand out as one of the most digitally connected countries, which is especially impressive given that it only gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
Secondly, both countries worked hard to make their populations tech-savvy. Lithuania’s Internet for All initiative and South Korea’s Internet Dream Village taught their citizens how to use the internet and provided free public spaces for the same cause. The latter program focused mainly on rural residents. Ensuring people are technologically literate is crucial to ensuring everyone benefits from network upgrades and unlocking all the advantages of the internet. For example, South Korea has become a massive hub of online gaming, an industry that made over $16 billion in the country alone in 2022.
Finally, both countries allowed the internet to flourish in a deregulated market. While aggressive investment was top-down, neither country provided extensive regulation to the internet market. As a result, numerous Internet Service Providers (ISPs) sprouted up with these investments, given that this market has a low barrier to entry. This change did two things. First, it pushed prices down, making connections affordable in both countries. Second, it encouraged innovation. For example, larger ISPs in South Korea switched to faster fiber-optic cables to fend off the competition they were receiving from smaller ISPs.
South Korea and Lithuania share similar paths to becoming internet leaders, and they provide examples of success stories that developing countries could take lessons from.
Looking Ahead
In conclusion, the emergence of internet poverty as a global issue highlights the importance of affordable and widespread internet access in today’s interconnected world. With more than 1 billion people affected by internet poverty, it’s clear that digital inclusion is crucial for social mobility, education and overall well-being. Countries like Lithuania and South Korea serve as success stories, demonstrating the effectiveness of aggressive investment in internet infrastructure, tech literacy programs and fostering a competitive, deregulated market. These lessons can provide valuable guidance for other nations seeking to bridge the digital divide and ensure that the benefits of the internet are accessible to all.
– Ryan Ratnam
Photo: Unsplash
5 Charities Operating in Syria
Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war which to date has claimed more than 230,000 civilians. The destruction of Syria’s economy and society means that today, 90% of its population lives in poverty. Here are five charities operating in Syria currently working to change this.
5 Charities Operating in Syria
Looking Ahead
While the Syrian civil war has had a destructive effect on its population, these charities operating in Syria have been working hard to improve the lives of ordinary Syrians. With current UN estimates suggesting that 13.1 million Syrians are in need of assistance, its work will continue to be vital moving forward.
– Jack Arrowsmith
Photo: Flickr
Turks and Caicos’ Economy: Affecting the Majority
The Turks and Caicos’ economy is seemingly the jewel of the Caribbean. The islands counted 405,000 tourists in 2021, which is quite low for overall numbers. However, compared to their population the islands ranked 2nd in the world for the number of tourists per resident — a staggering 8.9. With such a profitable industry driving the territory, the outlook for the residents should appear incredibly promising. This is not the case.
About 22% of the population is living under the $1.90 per day global poverty line. Around 60% of households aren’t able to consistently pay for essential items such as food and bills. Unemployment is at just under 10%, with the rural population influencing a large amount of the rate. Here is why it is one of the most sought-after destinations suffering so much from inequality.
An Over-Reliance on Tourism
The success of the tourism industry almost entirely drives Turks and Caicos’ economy. While, for the majority of the territory’s existence, this has been profitable, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how structurally dependent the Islands are.
In 2018, Turks and Caicos gained $787 million from visitors on vacation. Despite having a population of only 45,000, this number was 2% of the revenue for the entirety of the Caribbean. It also made up nearly 70% of Turks and Caicos’ GDP for the year.
The COVID-19 pandemic completely halted the progress Turks and Caicos made to become one of the most desirable tourist spots in the world. Around 2 million tourists dropped to only 370,000 in just one year. This global event exposed the glaring holes in the economy of the Islands.
Only $7.8 million worth of exports were transferred in 2021. The main categories for exports are mollusks, crustaceans, polyacetals and processed tobacco — none of which even generated $1 million alone. Imports totaled $286 million; petroleum, vehicles and meat are some of the biggest and most expensive imports.
Turks and Caicos’ Economy is incredibly fragile and over-reliant on one specific industry and with the incredibly high risk of natural disasters in the region, an over-reliance on a sector that requires perfect weather and facilities is a precarious situation to be in.
The People Affected
The citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands, also known as Belongers, have experienced a population boom over the last two decades, partly due to increased migration from neighboring Haiti. Of these migrants, around 50% live in poverty or at high risk of lowering below the line.
Many of these Haitians live on Providenciales Island, the third largest of the archipelago. The overpopulation of that island has caused a lack of work opportunities and poor living conditions including housing infrastructure and access to health care.
An occupation that usually generates a large percentage of jobs is farming. However, due to the lack of arable land across all of the islands, less than 100 people work in agriculture — only 15 of whom are full-time workers. Due to the low income generated by all of the exported goods, there are not any jobs there either to allow financially vulnerable people to train for.
As mentioned previously, natural hazards are a serious issue on the islands, and not only for monetary reasons. More than 20% of the population was affected by the hurricane season in 2008, exactly not what people suffering from poverty need.
Children are one of the most affected groups on the islands, with both Belongers and migrants facing similar issues. Children from all age groups often drop out of school to try and support their families with short-term work to supply some extra money to afford necessities, leading to a lack of basic education and employable skills.
Solutions
The main attempt to aid the thousands of people living in poverty is the development of new sectors across the islands. Turks and Caicos’ economy may lack diversity now, but there is an opportunity for technology to flourish on the islands. The government has created plans to improve technological infrastructure to draw in business in addition to already appealing low tax rates.
One main goal is to install a second fiber-optic cable across the territory to increase the capacity of the network and give remote workers a reliable connectivity service to not only invite business but to essentially create luxury resorts that a worker never has to leave, generating even more growth to the tourism industry.
These plans are in the National Physical Development Plan (NPDP), published in 2020. Other plans from this document include using hydroponic technology to increase farming capacity across North Caicos and utilizing the Blue Economy to produce more effective fishing practices, create even more desirable leisure activities and invest in biotechnology from seaweed.
Turks and Caicos’ economy is a relatively small and unstable one. However, the population of the territory allows for minor changes to make large impacts. Further development into new, exciting industries will generate foreign investment, with the poorest on the islands only succeeding with greater opportunities and improved living conditions.
If everything goes as planned and tourism stays a constant driver of GDP, the most vulnerable living on the beautiful archipelago will have the greatest prospect of hope out of almost any island in the world.
– Oliver Rayner
Photo: Flickr
Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean Drops To Pre-Pandemic Levels
The current rate of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is at 6.5%. This is a significant decrease of 2.4 million people compared to the previous year. The last time hunger levels fell this low was pre-COVID-19. Comparatively, the rate of hunger in these regions is lower than the rates in Africa, Asia and Oceania.
In addition to lowered hunger levels, undernourishment is slightly down, at 6.5% — lower than 2021’s rate of 7%, but still only level with that of 2020. Lastly, moderate and severe food insecurity also dropped in 2021. Severe food insecurity dropped from 13.9% to 12.6%, while moderate food insecurity dropped from 26.4% to 24.9%.
Progress Despite Hard Times
It is clear that hunger in Latin America has dropped, along with undernourishment and food insecurity, though several factors have slowed progress:
The COVID-19 pandemic particularly hit those with low income, as they did not have adequate resources to protect themselves. The urban areas of LAC are where the pandemic impacted the most vulnerable people.
In LAC, there were reportedly 65.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1.65 million deaths by March 2022. While LAC holds 8% of the world population, the region represents about 15% of COVID-19 cases and 28% of worldwide reported deaths.
Details About the LAC’s Challenges
In 2019, the GDP growth in Latin America and the Caribbean was at 0.7%, it then dropped to -6.5% in 2020 (during the pandemic) before rising to 6.7% in 2021. GDP growth is essential to financing important infrastructure and helping the region and its people to recover from the pandemic.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a catastrophic effect on the world, including an increase in the prices of fertilizers By September 2022, the price of fertilizer was triple what the rate was in early 2020. Low-income farmers across LAC had to reduce their plantings to avoid paying extremely high production costs. Once again, low-income farmers in LAC had their total income affected by global prices.
Finally, extreme weather has destroyed countless infrastructures across Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2022, 78 meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards occurred in the LAC region; 86% of these were both storm and flood-related.
Estimates have indicated that there were reports of $9 billion worth of damages to the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), primarily due to droughts (40%) and storms (32%). The actual figures for the impacts of extreme events are likely worse due to a lack of reporting.
Looking Ahead
Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean has seen a decrease despite many obstructions on the road to improvement. The combination of the pandemic, extreme weather and war has meant that production has not been as high as it could have been. Therefore, these challenges have affected hunger levels, malnutrition, food insecurity and the economy significantly. Despite all this, LAC has still been able to decrease levels of hunger, undernourishment and food insecurity. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps, poverty, hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity will continue to decrease for the people of LAC.
– Lewis Butcher
Photo: Pexels
Increasing Access To Electricity In Papua New Guinea
Electricity Problem in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is among one of the countries with the lowest electrification rates in the world, as approximately 20% of residents had access to electricity in 2021 and even fewer had on-grid electricity. Moreover, the vast majority of those with electricity are concentrated in urban centers, as the geographical landscape makes it difficult to deliver electricity to Papua New Guinea’s rural areas where the majority of its population lives. Additionally, because of Papua New Guinea’s reliance on diesel fuel to provide electricity, even urban places that do have access to electricity often experience undependable results.
The Relationship Between Poverty and Electricity Access
Low electrification levels have a strong correlation to many aspects of multidimensional poverty. According to a study by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2020, 96% of people who lacked electricity access (not including those in Europe and Central Asia) also experienced another aspect of multidimensional poverty. In Papua New Guinea, for example, only 60% of people are above the extreme poverty line and access to medical and education resources remains low. Hence, unsurprisingly, studies have shown that increasing access to electricity also significantly helps reduce the severity of other aspects of multidimensional poverty. Thus, increasing access to electricity in Papua New Guinea is particularly important to reducing poverty.
Solutions
In light of the strong correlation between electricity access and poverty, the U.S. has announced that they will provide $1.2 million to help build a solar mini-grid that will provide approximately 1,000 households and numerous businesses with new access to electricity in Papua New Guinea. The aid is significant in that it will not only help provide a new, clean source of energy to many people who previously did not have it, but also provide small businesses with greater electricity access. The solar grid will greatly increase these businesses’ ability to grow and thereby help grow Papua New Guinea’s economy. Additionally, the introduction of a new form of energy will potentially kickstart a new economic industry in Papua New Guinea, which will provide new jobs to a growing number of people. Hence, this aid will be a huge step in not only increasing access to electricity in Papua New Guinea but also in helping reduce extreme poverty.
Conclusion
There is a strong, inverse relationship between electrification rates and poverty levels across the world, and Papua New Guinea is exemplary — with one of the highest poverty levels and lowest electrification rates in the world. However, efforts by the U.S. government, in conjunction with the Japanese, Australian, New Zealand and Papua New Guinean governments, will work to decrease poverty levels by increasing access to electricity in Papua New Guinea.
– Athan Yanos
Photo: Flickr
Solar Power in Informal Settlements Tackle the Energy Crisis in South Africa
GreenCape
The nonprofit organization GreenCape has partnered with The iShack Project to launch a solar panel project that aims to deliver renewable energy to households in informal settlements. This project has helped install solar systems in 580 households, and inhabitants pay less for solar panels than they used to pay for harmful fuels like paraffin. Not only has GreenCape’s project brought clean energy to communities, but it also has helped combat South Africa’s high unemployment rates. Locals are also trained and employed to help install and maintain these solar structures, creating job opportunities for unemployed members of the community – this project created around 50 new jobs. Their training is ongoing, allowing them to continually develop employable skills and generate income for their families.
Zonke Energy
Zonke Energy is a South African Company that aims to provide safe and renewable energy to informal settlements and markets outside the formal national grid, especially within congested and urbanized environments. It delivers clean energy to informal settlements in Cape Town through a distributed solar system that is powered by a 1.5kW solar photovoltaic generator. Each system provides energy to 10-15 households, powering everyday appliances such as a television, lights and refrigerators from a central power hub, and is provided at a low cost for inhabitants of informal settlements. Zonke Energy has taken strides to solve South Africa’s energy crisis — in one of the informal settlements, it has delivered over 6MWh of clean electricity to 160 households since 2021.
The Umbane Project
The Umbane Project operates in Qando Qando, Cape Town, targeting South Africa’s energy crisis by installing solar microgrids to help power refrigerators. By setting up seven solar towers, with each tower powering up to 16 households, it has supplied over 100 families with clean and safe power. The supply of power for refrigerators in particular has had a positive impact on the local community, as many residents have expressed that the most important use for electricity is refrigeration.
Powering refrigerators allows citizens to store food for themselves and their families, as well as to generate income by selling cooled food and beverages. Part of the project also involves the provision of business support for female entrepreneurs through powering refrigeration, and dozens of people participated in a six-week entrepreneurship training course. As seen in a recent project evaluation, the project has been a success, with multiple participants reporting improvements to their start-ups and increases in their sales and revenue.
Striving Toward Clean Energy in South Africa’s Informal Settlements
With such a high demand for clean, safe and affordable energy, it is crucial to adopt innovative solutions to help improve the lives of local communities and lower-income families. By utilizing solar power, households in South Africa’s informal settlements can slowly but surely gain access to renewable energy at a low cost, and the installation of these solar grids can also create jobs, tackling high unemployment rates at the same time. Taking innovative approaches to bring safe and cost-effective energy to many households is crucial to solving South Africa’s energy crisis.
– Stephanie Chan
Photo: Flickr
The Local Women Tackling Period Poverty in the Solomon Islands
Australian Aid’s recent initiative, the New Targets Project, aims to improve sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. In its 2019 report of the principal island, it was found that 63% of women stated that they didn’t have enough money to purchase disposable sanitary pads and that 52% of women interviewed “still have questions or worries about menstruation.”
The Impact of Period Poverty on Girls’ Education
The powerful social stigma surrounding menstruation as something shameful and taboo translates into a widespread lack of understanding surrounding women’s and girl’s health. Without the knowledge nor resources to manage their periods, a worrying number of girls often miss school when menstruating, further exacerbating period poverty in the Solomon Islands.
The advocacy group Plan International found that while 70% of girls finish primary school, this figure drops to just 7% for secondary school. Amongst other factors such as underage marriage and gender-based violence, period poverty is a likely contributor to this figure.
The Women of Kwaio Communities Form a Solution
After overhearing her daughters and their friends talking about the embarrassment of attending school while menstruating, a Kwaio leader named Dorothy Esau decided that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of local girls.
As part of the Baru Conservation Alliance which is a Kwaio-led initiative committed to improving education, sustainability and maintaining positive cultural relations, Esau partnered with Dr. Michelle Redman-Maclaren of James Cook University (JCU) to find a solution.
The team wanted to create a pad that was sustainable and reusable to minimize long-term costs for the girls in need, which also needed to be hygienic in the hot, tropical environment of the Solomon Islands. Once a design plan was constructed, Esau recruited her cousins and other local women to create colorful and patterned reusable sanitary towels using sewing machines funded by JCU.
Long-Term Change in Local Schools
Once Esau and her team had the physical resources to ensure that girls were able to manage their periods without having to miss school, they needed to tackle the lack of awareness and education surrounding menstruation.
With little to no discussion of menstrual health in most school curricula, Esau asked a nurse to assist her when handing out the pads in a local school to help the students understand the biological process and educate them about female reproductive health. By offering a support system and a space to ask questions openly and without shame or ridicule, Esau and her team made huge strides in educating girls and reducing the stigma.
The team’s work has been so beneficial in ensuring that more girls are attending school that the principal requested that new girls be given the pads when they start secondary school. Other schools in the area quickly began to show interest in the program, as Dorothy has continued to tackle period poverty in the Solomon Islands and improve the quality of education for young women.
When discussing the growth of the program, Esau notes how no one’s contribution is too small to make a positive impact on the lives of others. She tells the women in her team, “We can start small, and that’s okay. Because small is beautiful. And after we work on the small system, we can help make a bigger project for the future.”
– Maia Winter
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Diseases Impacting Syria
The Syrian conflict has caused widespread damage to health care and sanitation facilities as well as the resettlement of 5.7 million people into crowded refugee camps where poverty is rife. The spread of these diseases and poverty goes hand-in-hand for multiple reasons. Firstly, malnutrition associated with poverty compromises the individual’s immune system and can make people more susceptible to disease. Secondly, crowded, unsanitary conditions associated with poverty are ripe for the spread of disease. This, coupled with a lack of access to basic health care, has meant that diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis and leishmaniasis (a parasitic infection that sandflies spread) are common and widespread. The sheer number of recorded cases speaks for itself in terms of just how common these diseases impacting Syria are:
Obstacles to Tackle to Eliminate Diseases Impacting Syria
Looking Ahead
While the situation in Syria is serious, international organizations and humanitarian groups continue to provide assistance. These organizations work tirelessly to deliver medical supplies, food and clean water to affected populations. Breaking the cycle of disease and poverty could require collaborative international efforts to provide aid and work toward sustainable peace in the region.
– Genevieve Martin
Photo: Pexels
Everything to Know About Poverty in Croatia
Croatia is a crescent-shaped country located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula. After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the separation has been hard on the people of Croatia as they struggle to maintain a strong, unified identity in the face of governmental transitions and poverty. Here is everything to know about the current state of poverty in Croatia.
Economy
In 1991, Croatia transitioned from a communist governmental system into a free-market system that changed social and political conditions in the nation. In 2022, 20.9% of people were at risk of poverty. Poverty often hits the elderly harder – citizens aged 65 and up are in the greatest risk group where the poverty rate is 32.4%.
The elderly comprise one-fifth of the population, and the pension system Croatia has in place is considerably stressed and unable to fulfill the basic needs of retired people. This often means that retirees have to rely on their working relatives for financial support and, ultimately, survival.
Economic growth in Croatia has recovered a bit since the global financial crisis in 2008, but recovery is slow and weak because of the late start they had in constructing a new economic system. The crisis inflicted long-lasting effects on Croatia, leaving them vulnerable to further financial disrepair.
Work and Education
Aside from the elderly, poverty in Croatia most actively hits the unemployed and those with poor education. That being said, employed people are still at risk for poverty, considering almost half of them are hardly making ends meet.
Half of the people who make an average income cannot afford any unexpected or luxurious expenses, and 5.7% of them cannot afford to sufficiently heat their homes in the bitter-cold winter months. Having a job does not save people from the fear and the pain that comes from impoverished status – harming the quality of life and access to necessary resources like education, nutritious food and medical aid.
When it comes to poverty in Croatia, education is a vital issue. Skilled professionals are largely seeking employment elsewhere in the European Union (EU), while those left behind are often lacking in the education/skills necessary to fill the positions within Croatia. While primary/elementary school is free and required of Croatian children, any secondary school is optional and often too expensive for those living in poverty.
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is another issue plaguing Croatia as agricultural stunting runs rampant. Croatia relies heavily on food importation as a means of feeding its people, which raises the expenses of quality food provisions.
Over the past decade, Croatia’s food insecurity rate has steadily increased until 2021. As of 2020, those experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity stood at 11.4%, but the rate fell to 9.7% in 2021 thanks to Croatia’s Ministry of Agriculture implementing an emergency plan that provides more financial and land-management support to farmers.
Croatia’s population in rural areas continually decreases and leaves the plots to be small, fragmented and undeveloped. There is low productivity with extremely high labor costs and the administration in charge is currently slow and largely ineffective at solving the agricultural issues.
Looking Ahead
In 2022, the Croatian government adopted a national plan, the “National plan for fighting poverty and social exclusion,” to help ease the pain of poverty for their people. By 2030, the plan aims to reduce poverty in Croatia by 15% and to lower the percentage of those living at risk of poverty from 20.9% down to 17.8%.
The national plan is working to implement laws and policies that will support those living at the edge of poverty in Croatia, using methods like improving social welfare provisions and land management policy. Though the plan has kinks to work through in these beginning years, Croatia has already decreased the amount of youth that fall under the NEET (not in education, employment or training) category.
Additionally, Croatia’s land has diverse and nearly perfect conditions to be lush with agriculture. After the outbreak of COVID-19 and the Ukrainian war challenged the global relationship with agriculture, Croatia has received the chance to rework how they use their land. Though the Ministry’s process to help farmers may appear to be slow, it is steady and already making a difference in the rate of food insecurity.
Despite the political and social tensions affecting the lives of millions, Croatia’s people persevere. The poverty rate is declining as Croatia continues to work toward poverty relief.
– Eden Ambrovich
Photo: Unsplash
How Renewable Energy in Pakistan Can Reduce Poverty
Energy in Pakistan
The International Trade Administration highlights that Pakistan’s energy issues are significantly hindering economic advancements in the country. The ITA says, “Although Pakistan has managed to increase power generation since 2013 and mitigate power blackouts that plagued the country over the past decade, expensive fuel sources, a reliance on imported energy products, chronic natural gas shortages, major debt in the power sector and aging and insufficient transmission and distribution systems have prevented the sector from growing and modernizing.” Furthermore, the ITA says, “Weak governance, uncoordinated energy policymaking and a lack of long-term energy planning only add to Pakistan’s current energy woes. ”
Pakistan heavily relies on importing expensive fossil fuels — about 63% of Pakistan’s energy comes from fossil fuels, according to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) 2021 report. The expensive nature of fossil fuel reliance is already catching up to Pakistan as the government is currently in $10 billion of circular debt.
Presently, 54.6% of Pakistani households are affected by energy poverty, with 91.7% of rural households in Punjab affected alone, says a research article by Kiran Batool and others published in 2022.
Due to energy overloads and Pakistan’s inability to pay, frequent power outages occur. These power outages can last for hours, even days. This is why the January 2023 power outage did not come as a surprise to locals considering Pakistan’s increasing debt and unrehabilitated, outdated infrastructure.
To reduce strain on the electricity grid and conserve energy, Pakistan implements load-shedding — cuts of power in several areas of the nation. This has affected quality of life and the economic activities of locals, pushing already struggling households further into poverty.
The nation’s economy is facing the effects of the energy crisis. For example, due to the nation’s electricity issues, Pakistan’s textile industry saw a loss of $70 million. To reduce energy usage, Pakistan reduced work weeks from six days to five in June 2023. And, when 1,600 garment mills closed in October 2022 due to the withdrawal of power, 5 million workers lost their jobs.
Renewable Energy Potential
“Pakistan has several well-known wind corridors and average wind speeds of 7.87 m/s in 10 percent of its windiest areas,” the World Bank notes. Experts have theorized that Pakistan has the potential to generate about 50,000 MW of electricity through wind turbines. Pakistan also has strong potential for solar power with nine-and-a-half hours of sunlight. There are a number of factors in Pakistan that allow for sunlight, such as its location in a solar-rich belt, minimal cloud cover and low levels of air pollution. According to a recent World Bank study, “utilizing just 0.071 percent of the country’s area for solar [photovoltaics] would meet Pakistan’s current electricity demand.”
Pakistan recognizes that renewable energy can solve poverty in Pakistan and has made strides to implement it. Currently, 5.4% of the country’s energy comes from wind and solar energy. There are a few projects underway to guarantee an increase in renewable energy. Pakistan has made it financially attractive to switch to solar, with net metering, feed-in tariffs and tax incentives. The government plans to have wind and solar energy make up 30% of Pakistan’s overall energy by 2030. However, the large investments needed for renewable energy sources have not yet been reached.
Poverty Reduction Potential
Renewable energy is also more affordable. Renewable energy can cost $0.04 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to the cost of fossil fuel energy, $0.22 per kWh. More affordable energy will relieve the nation of its energy debt. Renewable energy also spurs employment — Not only can old jobs be saved (as energy debt has softened) but the renewable energy sector will lead to the creation of new jobs, for instance, in repair and maintenance work.
An example of renewable energy projects benefiting the community is visible in the Jhimpir wind corridor. Until about 2010, this area in the Sindh Province of southeast Pakistan was nothing but a barren desert as the high forces of wind made the land unsuitable for agriculture. However, the strong wind power meant the area had high potential for renewable energy. Gul Ahmed Energy is one of the companies that invested in creating wind farms in the area.
After installing wind turbines and solar panels in 2016, the Jhimpir wind corridor is now a bustling community with roads, schools and homes that have access to clean water and electricity. Additionally, the installation of wind turbines and solar panels has created 1,000 permanent jobs for locals to maintain the energy infrastructure. Renewable energy in Pakistan can reduce poverty by creating new jobs and bringing electricity to impoverished families.
A Bright Future
If Pakistan continues down the path of renewable energy reliance, the nation’s energy crisis could resolve and the people could have a brighter future ahead of them.
– Uzair Khan
Photo: Unsplash