The first half of 2022 saw India being the second-highest methane emitter in the world. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is almost 84 times more potent in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. According to data that Kayrros SAS analyzed from images that the Sentinel-5P satellite sent, about 78 out of 82 units of methane released in India during the first six months of 2022 were primarily from landfills, livestock, agriculture and sewage. These toxic emissions from open-air landfills are not only adding to the problem of global warming but are also becoming an increasing health hazard for people living near the dumps. These people are mostly from lower-income groups living in the slums, with little to no means to move to another location or change anything about their current situation. The problem does not lie with the landfills per se, but with India’s waste management system.
Deficiencies in India’s Waste Management System
Organic waste that decomposes without the presence of oxygen produces methane. According to Bloomberg, in Indian landfills, about 60% of the waste is organic, such as leftover food, peelings of vegetables, livestock manure, etc. However, the lack of segregation of organic material at the source and the failure to use the waste for composting is a massive setback in solid waste.
India generates “62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually.” Out of the 43 million tonnes of MSW collected, about 31 million tonnes end up in landfills while only 12 million tonnes undergo treatment. This is an abysmally small percentage.
An important player in the waste segregation process is the informally trained waste or rag pickers coming from the nearby slums. These workers, however, do not receive proper instructions on how to separate the trash into different categories. In fact, they often end up burning the waste in open areas for warmth on cold nights, causing pollution, according to Recycling Magazine. Moreover, these workers do not have adequate gear to protect themselves from hazardous and unsanitary materials, exposing them to skin and blood infections.
According to The New York Times, “a few hundred thousand people earn income” from waste picking in Delhi. The government, therefore, doesn’t restrict the informal recycling sector from operating in fear of political backlash from them.
The lack of publicly available bins, poorly covered garbage trucks and widespread littering by citizens only adds to the problem. According to Recycling Magazine, the government introduced solid waste management rules in 2016, which focused on recovery, reuse and recycling. However, there has been no proper enforcement of the guidelines to date.
Consequences of Improper Waste Management
One of the most infamous dumps is the Ghazipur dump near New Delhi, spanning an area larger than what the Taj Mahal covers. On March 22, 2022, the Ghazipur dump leaked an estimated 2.17 metric tonnes of methane in an hour, according to Bloomberg. Besides causing fires, pollution and landslides, the landfill is also a breeding ground for tuberculosis and dengue.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Owais, a citizen living close to Ghazipur said, “Most of us have health problems. There’s no government health center in our community and many people don’t realize that pollution from the dump is what is causing health problems.”
The Deonar landfill in Mumbai, India is Asia’s largest dumping ground – the size of 268 football fields. Nine thousand metric tonnes of waste ends here daily but the litter neither undergoes segregation nor processing. The stench and smoke from the garbage are the cause of many heart and respiratory diseases in people living in the nearby slums.
According to the Tata Institute of Social Science, there is a high case of malnutrition and tuberculosis among nearby residents. Their life expectancy is around 40, compared to the average urban life expectancy of 73-74. Farha Shaikh, a 19-year-old waste picker in Deonar, stated in an interview with BBC that “Hunger will kill us if not illness.”
The Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi released a study in 2020 which concluded that there are 3,159 garbage dumps in India holding 800 million tonnes of waste. The sizes of these rubbish mountains are only increasing with time with no concrete plans of converting them into sanitary landfills anytime soon.
The Efforts to Improve India’s Waste Management System
In 2019, the government submitted a report that listed recommendations for Solid Waste Management (SWM) in India. Some of the key recommendations were converting landfills into parks, installing more Waste to Compost plants in the country, and formalizing the informal recycling sector. In 2021, the government submitted a report containing the actions taken on those recommendations. One significant progress made by the government was an improvement in the door-to-door collection of garbage and processing the solid waste.
A report that NITI Aayog and the Centre for Science and Environment released in December 2021 highlighted successes in improving India’s waste management system.
Three cities have “adopted a ‘zero-landfill model’ of development,” which focuses on reducing the volume of waste through recovery and recycling, thus eliminating the need for new landfills, The Print reported. One of the cities, Ambikapur, has pulled off 100% collection, segregation, and treatment of waste, while another city in Maharashtra achieved a 100% rate of collecting and processing sanitary waste. Using solar power and radio frequency technology to collect and treat garbage is also proving to be a success in some Indian cities.
Although there have been recent developments and improvements, more source segregation and awareness campaigns could further improve India’s waste management system.
– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
How AI Education in China is Reducing Inequalities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the world and how it works. Machine learning offers new and more efficient solutions to the distribution and organization of services and resources. Specifically, AI is becoming a substitute for human decision-making in all fields from the justice system to sports.
China has started to apply AI to the education system, which has many potential benefits. China currently suffers from a large urban-rural divide that the strict household registration of Hukou has exaggerated. Hukou is a household registration system that has placed limitations on domestic migration in China. This makes it more difficult for those living in rural areas to migrate to the cities and obtain secure jobs.
As a result, China’s education level is surprisingly low for a country that is growing at such a vast rate. About 70% of the labor force in China does not have a high school education, falling far below the levels of countries with comparable incomes. AI provides opportunities for the entire Chinese population to receive an education. On top of this, AI education in China should allow for more specialized and accurate teaching schemes.
AI Education in China
An example of AI education in China is Squirrel AI. Squirrel AI specializes in “intelligent adaptive education.” The company is putting money into AI scientists so that they can invest more research into the field. Squirrel AI uses an algorithm so that students received 70% of teaching suggestions from AI and the other 30% from human teachers. This allows for an education tailored to the needs of each child whilst maintaining some human control to manage the machine learning process.
China has huge potential to implement schemes such as this due to its high development level in AI. The percentage of research papers from China working on AI development has risen from 4.2% in 1997 to 27.7% in 2017. China is now the leader in publications as well. On top of this, China is also the leader in patent applications concerning AI.
China’s other important advantage in AI research is that it is a one-nation state. This means that AI developers that the government backs have access to mass amounts of data compared to other nations. On top of this, it means that the implementation and regulation changes occur much more rapidly in China. This has helped enhance the production and development process of AI in China.
For example, China has utilized school-industry partnerships and school curriculums to bolster the understanding and implementation of AI in society.
Consequently, the growth of AI access, and efficacy in the education sector, has been sizable in China. For example, 248 schools from areas of low income received access to online lessons from a top-level high school. On top of this, AI education in China is also acting to shift the focus of the education system in China from the ‘assembly line’ approach of mass education to higher quality education for the masses. Instead of mass testing, AI programs will develop to meet the needs of each child’s abilities. On top of this, AI provides many benefits in its application as it is cheaper, and people can utilize it at any time and in any place.
Squirrel AI itself reflects this success, opening more than 1,800 learning centers in more than 300 cities. This shows the potential for the implementation of AI education in China.
Reduction in Urban-Rural Divide
This presents new hopes in reducing the 70% not graduating from high school in China. This could help to present new opportunities to the rural areas of China, and therefore, reduce inequality levels across the country. China needs to ensure that AI emerges in a way that does not act to further exacerbate these divides by promoting its accessibility to all. Other countries should be keenly watching the events that unfold in China’s near future, whether that be avoiding the mistakes China may make or adopting the AI and implementation process China pursues.
– Reuben Cochrane
Photo: Unsplash
Food Systems in Ghana
Around 12% of Ghana’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. For many Ghanaians, including those in poverty, food security is a pressing issue. Ghana, a country of more than 31 million people on Africa’s west coast, is currently in the midst of a food crisis. Food systems in Ghana have experienced strain due to recent global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War, leading to supply chain and food system shortages.
The 2020 Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis report for Ghana said that 63.8% of Ghanaians experienced a shock from COVID-19 that contributed to food insecurity. That same report concluded that in 2020, 11.7% of households in Ghana were food insecure.
War’s Impact
Despite occurring on a different continent, the war between Russia and Ukraine has had a devastating impact on Ghana. Agriculture is one of the pillars of Ghana’s economy, with half of the workforce being in the agriculture sector.
Food systems in Ghana are highly reliant on nitrogen fertilizer, which it has imported from Russia. Due to sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, prices for Russian exports have skyrocketed and fertilizer was no exception. New York 1 reported that Ghana relies on Russia for one-fifth of its imports of fertilizer.
The Northern Development and Democratic Institute released a grim report with projections for the remainder of 2022. Ghana is likely to see an increase in hunger and a worsening food insecurity crisis in the final two quarters of the year, heading into 2023.
This problem is not unique to Ghana, though. Many countries are suffering the effects of supply chain issues and price hikes for fertilizer and other imports. In August 2022, the United States Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned of a worsening food insecurity crisis as an effect of the war in Ukraine.
“That would mean that more than 40 million people will have become food insecure since [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin chose to invade his neighbor and steal their land. That is more people than the entire population of Ghana,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
Looking Ahead
The future is not bleak for food systems in Ghana, though. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on August 5 that they are committing $2.5 million in aid to Ghana to alleviate the food crisis.
According to the press release, the aid money will go toward:
In addition to the money from USAID, the World Bank will contribute to efforts to stabilize the food systems in Ghana. The Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP-2) recently received approval for an additional $315 million in funding from the International Development Association. FSRP-2 will provide aid to three Western African countries: Sierra Leone, Chad and Ghana. The efforts that FSRP-2 funded should reduce food insecurity in the region by 25%.
Overall, food systems in Ghana are struggling but not entirely broken. Outside factors like the war in Ukraine and supply chain shocks that the COVID-19 pandemic caused hampered food security in the West African nation, but the existing strength of the agricultural sector as well as foreign aid should stabilize and revitalize Ghana’s food systems.
– Emma Rushworth
Photo: Flickr
A Shrinking Workforce in Burkina Faso
A shrinking workforce in Burkina Faso has implications far and wide for the economic and social state of the country. Political instability and limited natural resources have exacerbated the country’s poor financial state. Following a coup d’état in January 2022, Burkina Faso ended up in political chaos once again. Though the country has many transitional bodies which seek to aid the transition, the instability and harsh economic conditions make progress slow and difficult. A shrinking workforce in Burkina Faso makes progress forward difficult while economic and social progress itself makes tackling the high unemployment rate challenging.
The main issue is the downward trend in employment. The labor force participation rate has been steadily declining since the 1990s, meaning that the progress of the last three decades has been lost. Technological progress particularly has been slow and costly and the country lags behind its African and global competitors.
The Workforce
Primarily, the country’s workforce struggles to keep up with its growing population. Current estimates show that the population is growing at a rate of over 3%, yet more than 40% of the population lives in poverty. Seven out of 10 people are under the age of 30, but the working age population is weak and underdeveloped. In 2005, approximately 89.1% of the working-age population had employment. However, in 2018, the World Bank reported that only nearly 45% of the working-age population in Burkina Faso was participating in the labor force in 2018. Certainly, the problem is not as simple as it seems.
The country faces problems as the underdeveloped workforce and infrastructure struggle to cope with the growing population. Sectors such as health care have borne the brunt of the lack of resources. Government expenditure on health care in Burkina Faso has nearly disappeared. Even before the lack of investment in health care, there were not enough health care workers to support the system and the needs of the people. Children and infants experienced significant hardship as a result of this.
Children have suffered differently. The Department of Labor reported that nearly half of all children in Burkina Faso work as of 2012. Though unemployment is high, child labor is cheap and exploitable, so children comprise a significant portion of the workforce in the country. Activists have the daunting task of reorienting a shrinking workforce in Burkina Faso so that fewer children and more adults enter the workforce.
Economic Rebound
One positive sign is that Burkina Faso’s post-COVID-19 economic rebound has been successful. The country grew an estimated 8.5% in 2021. Though the 2022 coup caused some to question the financial stability and prospects of the country, a high growth rate, to 6.5% in 2021, shows that Burkina Faso is resilient. Many believe that an investment in gold mining and related infrastructure is the way forward for Burkina Faso. Gold is Burkina Faso’s top export to the United States. Some believe that gold will be lucrative in the future and will be able to support a growing workforce. However, the reliance on gold will be challenging, as those in Burkina Faso will need to be stringent and careful about the labor requirements and fulfillments that it will need to strengthen its workforce.
Looking Ahead
The country is eligible for what is known as “preferential trade benefits” under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which means that global partners recognize the need to invest in and prioritize the country. Ultimately, strong and positive growth is possible on the trend that Burkina Faso is on at the moment. Progress will need to be cautious and prudent, but many are hopeful that a stronger workforce and therefore a stronger country is possible.
– Lara Drinan
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
How Gemcorp is Supporting Waste Pickers in India
Hidden in corners of the world lie countless waste facilities, sprawled across hundreds of acres, these dumps intake thousands of tonnes of garbage daily. With this growth of garbage collection worldwide, waste pickers have emerged in countries like India, scavenging, collecting and living off the garbage piles.
One company, in particular, Gemcorp Recycling, has found a way to utilize this community to obtain recyclable material in the waste facilities as well as recognize the importance of reclaimers or waste pickers in India and other parts of the globe. Gemcorp is supporting waste pickers by providing health care and proper documentation so they may see benefits and support from the Indian government.
The World of Waste Picking
Around the world, nearly 20 million people sift through and sell materials others have thrown away. Waste pickers typically rummage garbage on the streets, in neighborhoods and at large landfill sites. Typically, waste pickers are rummaging for sellable materials or items necessary for their livelihood.
The term ‘waste picker’ emerged in 2008 in Columbia. Although this name is the most common, many countries prefer to use their established name: reclaimers, scavengers, bagerazi, canners, etc.
Waste pickers contribute to local economies, environmental sustainability and public health and safety. Although this community plays an important role in many countries’ ecosystems, it often has a low social status and receives little to no government support.
Deonar’s Rubbish Mountain
Located near Mumbai, India, an astronomical 16 million tonnes of trash exists across 300 acres, making up Deonar’s rubbish mountain – one of the largest garbage landfill sites in the world. In this landfill, waste reaches as high as 120 feet and releases hazardous gasses such as methane and carbon monoxide into the air, contributing largely to India’s air pollution.
A 26-year active court case has been underway to close the Deonar landfill, but the country faces the question of finding a different source to dispose of garbage. With a population of 1.3 billion people, this is a difficult task. The country has started to turn to waste pickers, who have been scavenging the area for years. Estimates have stated that there are 3 million waste pickers in India alone, with a large percentage visiting Deonar’s rubbish mountain every day. This community plays a vital role in the waste ecosystem of India.
Gemcorp’s Role
As the human population grows, so does human waste, and with more waste, more waste pickers emerge. As the community grows, so do the tasks, responsibilities and expectations of the lifestyle. Located in the heart of Deonar’s rubbish mountain, one company is working to simultaneously utilize and support these workers.
In 2019, Gemcorp, or Gemini Corporation, began a recycling program to establish legitimate recycling within one of the world’s largest waste landfills, Deonar’s rubbish mountain.
“Gemcorp seeks to strengthen the plastic recycling ecosystem in a fair and equitable way with a strong focus on efficient logistics, provision of finance for working capital, upliftment, education, and on-ground action.” Through supporting reclaimers, Gemcorp aims to recycle more than 50,000 tonnes of plastic by 2025.
The company provides waste pickers in India, renamed “reclaimers” with recycling machinery and sanitation equipment to properly begin recycling the 79% of recyclable materials that end up in the garbage. The main equipment that the company uses is commercial grade balers, which can help compress materials for easy storing, shipping or redistribution with more ease.
Gemcorp Recycling
Gemcorp recognized the importance of waste pickers and began the program, Gemcorp Recycling, to provide resources and health care to waste pickers and their families. The first step the company took was to ensure safety both within the work site and at home. Gemcorp is supporting waste pickers by creating government IDs, making provisions for clean drinking water, banning child labor and opening bank accounts for their new employees.
Starting with just 10 reclaimer employees, Gemcorp has grown to uplift approximately five families a week, working with nearly 1,000 by 2022 and aims to reach 2000 by 2025. Since its initial endeavor in 2019, several other countries and companies have mimicked these practices.
Today, we see many waste pickers around the world scavenging for recyclable materials. Gemcorp represents a positive shift in the world’s waste ecosystem and supports a community that may just play a vital role in waste management.
– Sierra Winch
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts about Panama’s Healthcare System
According to a study, both physical and mental health have links with poverty. Being able to perform basic tasks such as breastfeeding, going to school, growing food and feeding a family all require one to be in good health to stay alive and be a productive member of society. In the same context, if someone is making below minimum wage consistently or struggling in poverty, they likely will not be able to afford adequate health care to keep up with the tasks involved in being a healthy and productive member of society. While Panama has issues in its healthcare system, available facts show the country has one of the better healthcare systems in the world. Here is some information about health in Panama along with fives facts about Panama’s healthcare system.
A Brief Overview of Health in Panama
As early as 2019, Panama had a population of 4.2 million people, with a fertility rate of 2.4. The average year that a citizen of Panama completed their education was year 10. There also appears to be a trend in the life average life expectancy of those in Panama increasing while the fertility rate of Panama will gradually decrease.
Estimates have determined that by 2030, the average life expectancy for males will increase from around 73.8 to 76 years. Meanwhile, for females, life expectancy should rise from 78.1 to around 83 years. Simultaneously, as early as 2017, the fertility rate of Panama went down from 2.8 to 2.3 and should continue to decrease into the future.
5 Facts About Panama’s Healthcare System
Panama’s healthcare system certainly has positives that the world can emulate. Affordable healthcare is important in ensuring healthy and productive members of society.
– Alex Havardansky
Photo: Flickr
Gender Wage Gap in Canada
The gender wage gap in Canada between men and women is due to several factors including gender roles in the workplace and how employers advertise job listings. Here is some information about the gender wage gap in Canada and some suggestions on how to eliminate it.
The Gender Wage Gap’s Presence in the Workforce
In the past 70 years, women have joined the workforce in increasing numbers, despite it previously including mostly men. As the Canadian Women’s Foundation reported in 1950, about 21.6% between the age range of 25 to 54 had employment. The number increased to 82% in 2015. Despite the slight growth, the gender wage gap in Canada is still present. Data from the year 2018 from Statistics Canada displayed the economic disparities between women and men. For every dollar a man receives, a woman earns 87 cents, which is a difference of $4.13 per hour if a man makes $31.05 and a woman makes $26.92.
Another example of wage disparities is a report from Robyn Doolittle, a writer for the Globe and Mail who reported that in February, women made 25% less than their male peers who made $200,000. Jodie Primeau, who works at Deep River, Ontario’s Primeau Law Professional Corporation, stated that gender wage segregation, the way others treat women in the law firm and how customers view women lawyers all play into the gender wage gap.
Gender wage segregation is where people view certain jobs as acceptable for women such as roles as assistants, receptionists and clerks. As a result, women often fill these roles at legal firms, which tend to be lower paying than other positions.
The way others treat women in the law firm impacts their wages in that in corporate law, they may end up with tasks like research letters rather than legal documents. The circumstance of how women are socialized to accept certain kinds of work could potentially lead them to make less money.
The way that customers view women lawyers may influence their success in the workplace as well. After a male lawyer sent emails with his female coworker’s signature, he found that clients were more difficult and required more explanation than when he signed emails with his own name.
Recommended Steps to Ensure Pay Equality in the Workplace
The gender wage gap in Canada is a major problem with the salary for women being 12.1% less than their male counterparts. Despite earning degrees and working in fields having a much higher income, women are still earning half of their male counterparts instead of earning the same amount. On June 1, 2022, Canada requires employees to submit income data indicating the wage gap. Doing so will display the unjust reality of what women go through despite having the qualifications to work.
The Toronto Star, a news site, suggested four steps to eliminate the wage gap. The first step is to inspect how wages differ between men and women who work in similar jobs. The second suggestion is for job listings to indicate the pay range for the role which should prevent women from asking for too little when negotiating for a job. For the third step, the Toronto Star recommended that is for job listings not include present-day or preceding wages as it is not important to employees. Some states in the U.S. have placed a ban on including wage history in job postings and have seen a low rate of pay discrepancies between men and women. The final step is for employers to promote fairness by hiring a range of people from different backgrounds.
The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition
The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition has been working to resolve the gender wage gap. This coalition is a collection of trade unions and other organizations that promote pay equity for employees including women. Since its beginning in 1976, it had a role in promoting increases in the minimum wage, restoring the province of Ontario’s Employment Equity Act and encouraging the Pay Equity Act.
The Equal Pay Coalition compiled four steps to close the gender wage gap in Canada. Here are its recommendations.
Despite wage disparities between men and women and gender roles in the workforce, the steps that the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition recommended should help reduce the gender wage gap and promote awareness of the issue.
– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
How India’s Waste Management System is Causing Health Issues
The first half of 2022 saw India being the second-highest methane emitter in the world. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is almost 84 times more potent in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. According to data that Kayrros SAS analyzed from images that the Sentinel-5P satellite sent, about 78 out of 82 units of methane released in India during the first six months of 2022 were primarily from landfills, livestock, agriculture and sewage. These toxic emissions from open-air landfills are not only adding to the problem of global warming but are also becoming an increasing health hazard for people living near the dumps. These people are mostly from lower-income groups living in the slums, with little to no means to move to another location or change anything about their current situation. The problem does not lie with the landfills per se, but with India’s waste management system.
Deficiencies in India’s Waste Management System
Organic waste that decomposes without the presence of oxygen produces methane. According to Bloomberg, in Indian landfills, about 60% of the waste is organic, such as leftover food, peelings of vegetables, livestock manure, etc. However, the lack of segregation of organic material at the source and the failure to use the waste for composting is a massive setback in solid waste.
India generates “62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually.” Out of the 43 million tonnes of MSW collected, about 31 million tonnes end up in landfills while only 12 million tonnes undergo treatment. This is an abysmally small percentage.
An important player in the waste segregation process is the informally trained waste or rag pickers coming from the nearby slums. These workers, however, do not receive proper instructions on how to separate the trash into different categories. In fact, they often end up burning the waste in open areas for warmth on cold nights, causing pollution, according to Recycling Magazine. Moreover, these workers do not have adequate gear to protect themselves from hazardous and unsanitary materials, exposing them to skin and blood infections.
According to The New York Times, “a few hundred thousand people earn income” from waste picking in Delhi. The government, therefore, doesn’t restrict the informal recycling sector from operating in fear of political backlash from them.
The lack of publicly available bins, poorly covered garbage trucks and widespread littering by citizens only adds to the problem. According to Recycling Magazine, the government introduced solid waste management rules in 2016, which focused on recovery, reuse and recycling. However, there has been no proper enforcement of the guidelines to date.
Consequences of Improper Waste Management
One of the most infamous dumps is the Ghazipur dump near New Delhi, spanning an area larger than what the Taj Mahal covers. On March 22, 2022, the Ghazipur dump leaked an estimated 2.17 metric tonnes of methane in an hour, according to Bloomberg. Besides causing fires, pollution and landslides, the landfill is also a breeding ground for tuberculosis and dengue.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Owais, a citizen living close to Ghazipur said, “Most of us have health problems. There’s no government health center in our community and many people don’t realize that pollution from the dump is what is causing health problems.”
The Deonar landfill in Mumbai, India is Asia’s largest dumping ground – the size of 268 football fields. Nine thousand metric tonnes of waste ends here daily but the litter neither undergoes segregation nor processing. The stench and smoke from the garbage are the cause of many heart and respiratory diseases in people living in the nearby slums.
According to the Tata Institute of Social Science, there is a high case of malnutrition and tuberculosis among nearby residents. Their life expectancy is around 40, compared to the average urban life expectancy of 73-74. Farha Shaikh, a 19-year-old waste picker in Deonar, stated in an interview with BBC that “Hunger will kill us if not illness.”
The Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi released a study in 2020 which concluded that there are 3,159 garbage dumps in India holding 800 million tonnes of waste. The sizes of these rubbish mountains are only increasing with time with no concrete plans of converting them into sanitary landfills anytime soon.
The Efforts to Improve India’s Waste Management System
In 2019, the government submitted a report that listed recommendations for Solid Waste Management (SWM) in India. Some of the key recommendations were converting landfills into parks, installing more Waste to Compost plants in the country, and formalizing the informal recycling sector. In 2021, the government submitted a report containing the actions taken on those recommendations. One significant progress made by the government was an improvement in the door-to-door collection of garbage and processing the solid waste.
A report that NITI Aayog and the Centre for Science and Environment released in December 2021 highlighted successes in improving India’s waste management system.
Three cities have “adopted a ‘zero-landfill model’ of development,” which focuses on reducing the volume of waste through recovery and recycling, thus eliminating the need for new landfills, The Print reported. One of the cities, Ambikapur, has pulled off 100% collection, segregation, and treatment of waste, while another city in Maharashtra achieved a 100% rate of collecting and processing sanitary waste. Using solar power and radio frequency technology to collect and treat garbage is also proving to be a success in some Indian cities.
Although there have been recent developments and improvements, more source segregation and awareness campaigns could further improve India’s waste management system.
– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
How Droughts in Iraq Impact the Impoverished
The United Nations reported in August 2022 that Iraq stood as one of the top five countries most susceptible to the impacts of extreme weather events. In 2022, Iraq experienced some of the most severe droughts reported in the last 40 years. These droughts in Iraq also cause an increase in both frequency and severity of large dust storms across Iraq. These massive dust storms, while relatively a common occurrence in Iraq, nevertheless pose serious problems for the more vulnerable impoverished farmers. Additionally, in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iraq has lost much of its exporting and importing capabilities. These two major factors, along with the conflict in Ukraine causing food prices to rise worldwide, have led to severe repercussions for impoverished farmers living in the “breadbasket” of Iraq.
The Impact of Droughts in Iraq
In April 2022, an expert from the Iraqi Water Resources Ministry gave a warning that Iraq’s water reserves have shrunk by 50% since the year prior due to cumulative impacts of the “drought, lack of rainfall and declining river levels,” says the International Federation of Red Cross. A report by the Ministry at the close of 2021 predicted that “unless urgent action is taken to combat declining water levels, Iraq’s two main rivers will be entirely dry by coming years.” The drought is causing long-term issues such as “shortages of drinking water and poor-quality drinking water” along with impacts on “sanitation, hygiene and food and nutrition,” aggravating the humanitarian situation in Iraq.
The Iraq Ministry of Trade reports that, due to the droughts in Iraq, wheat production yields have decreased from 5 million metric tonnes in 2020 to 3.37 million in 2021. By 2022, these yields decreased further to just 1.34 million metric tonnes.
Additionally, “between October 2020 and November 2021, the price of 50 kilograms of wheat flour went up from 41,100 dinars ($28) to 50,000 dinars ($34),” an increase of about 25%, The New Humanitarian reports. Another systemic problem lies in the Iraqi farmers’ reliance on outdated farming techniques and technologies that do not factor in climate resilience.
Between June and December 2021, just under 2,000 people in the province of Nineveh alone had to leave their homes because of the droughts, the International Organization for Migration highlighted. The U.N. reported that, as of July 2020, about 33% of Iraq’s people lived below the poverty line.
Taking Action to Address the Impacts of Multiple Events
USAID reports that, as of March 2022, the World Food Programme (WFP) has reached more than 700,000 people in Iraq with food assistance, including vulnerable school children through the WFP-supported national school feeding program. Also, as many experienced displacements due to the increased cost of living caused by the conflict in Ukraine, the droughts in Iraq and the conflict within Iraq, USAID reports that three USG partners have funded the distribution of temporary shelter as well as other relief measures. Additionally, several USAID partners have worked to put into place water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) measures.
Organizations have made significant efforts to provide short-term resolution for Iraqis amid the drought, however, long-term solutions are essential for a sustainable future as these issues persist and evolve.
– Chris Dickinson
Photo: Flickr
The Crises Threatening Global Food Security
In June 2022, Dr. Cary Fowler, Special Envoy for Global Food Security highlighted in a call with Jim O’Brien, head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, that extreme weather conditions, conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic threaten global food security. The recent war in Ukraine is also exacerbating global food insecurity, particularly affecting the world’s poor, with its distinctive multicausal nature.
The 3 Cs Impacting Global Food Security
The Impacts of the Russian Invasion
The Russian invasion has caused Ukraine’s exports to collapse as the conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine’s ports. Before the conflict, Ukraine stood as a large exporter of key food supplies such as cooking oils, maize and wheat. As a result of the conflict, 20 million tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine from the previous harvest in 2021, said Reuters in an August 2022 article. To compensate, others, such as India and the EU, have ramped up exports, but this compensation only partly covers export losses from Ukraine.
Fears of food shortages have prompted some countries to implement export restrictions disrupting the free flow of goods to keep key food products for their own nations to deal with surging prices and food shortages. The European Union is an example, placing export restrictions on some cereals.
The chaos caused by the conflict is far-reaching due to the vital role that both Russia and Ukraine play in global commodity markets. Russia and Ukraine produce 30% of the world’s wheat supply and 18% of global corn exports. Before the war, Ukraine exported roughly “4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports.” Therefore, it is no surprise that lower-income countries that are heavily reliant on commodity exports from these countries face detrimental impacts.
Dependency Issues
The threat that the conflict poses to global food security is notable. Food prices have surged, especially affecting the world’s poor. The issue here is dependency as certain countries are close to wholly dependent on exports from Ukraine and Russia for products such as wheat, maize and oilseeds.
Countries such as “Turkey, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Congo and Namibia” are highly dependent on wheat imports from Ukraine and Russia. Brazil, Argentina and Bangladesh rely on Russian fertilizer for their crops, as do the African countries of Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast. These countries are vulnerable and in need of finding new suppliers during this time of conflict.
The United States Responds
The U.S.’s response to the Ukraine crisis and the subsequent rise in food insecurity has been primarily geared toward restoring global food security. In June 2022, the U.S. government invested $760 million in humanitarian aid to “mitigate further increases in poverty, hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable countries impacted by high prices of food, fertilizer and fuel.”
Via USAID, the U.S. will mobilize $640 million worth of economic assistance “to support bilateral targeted agriculture and food security programs to strengthen agricultural capacity and resilience in more than 40 of the most vulnerable countries.” These programs will be customized according to each country’s specific needs. The White House has said that solutions will “tackle urgent global fertilizer shortages, purchase resilient seeds, mitigate price shortages for fertilizer, scale-up social safety nets for families suffering from hunger and malnutrition and avert food and humanitarian crises in the most vulnerable countries.”
The crisis in Ukraine is challenging global food security, resulting in reduced production in Ukraine, inaccessibility of the Black Sea ports and an increase in food prices. It comes at a time when countries are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related issues. Hence, the U.S. has stepped in to provide aid to combat the crises that threaten global food security and affect lower-income countries that are heavily dependent on food imports from Russia and Ukraine.
– Claudia Efemini
Photo: Flickr
US Provides $116 Million in Aid to Mozambique Amid Humanitarian Crisis
Recent Conflicts in Mozambique
Since 2017, the terrorist group al-Shabaab has been destroying Mozambique’s northern province, Cabo Delgado. Cabo Delgado contains much of Mozambique’s rich natural gas supply, which is vital to its economy. Al-Shabaab has committed several violent acts toward the people who live there such as destroying schools and hospitals, kidnapping children and killing numerous people. In March 2022, 88,000 people fled the town of Palma because of a terrorist attack. This destruction has threatened the continuation of many gas fields in the province.
Along with the terrorism, cyclone Gombe wreaked havoc on the country in March 2022. This was only one of three natural disasters that struck Mozambique during its cyclonic season. The hurricane affected approximately 736,015 people or 148,253 families and displaced around 23,000 people. Additionally, Gombe destroyed an estimated 91,000 hectares (approximately 225,000 acres) of crops.
In total, because of these issues, more than 800,000 people have experienced displacement. Mozambique has not been able to recover from the damage of these two problems it has faced, especially with the current Russia-Ukraine war and the food insecurity it has caused.
Relief to Mozambique
The United States has a history of giving foreign aid to African countries. In 2019, the U.S. donated an estimated total of $7.1 billion to sub-Saharan Africa. This aid went towards addressing health and humanitarian issues. The U.S. is also Mozambique’s biggest donor as it provides more than $560 million annually.
Currently, in Africa, there are 27.1 million refugees and 53 million internally displaced people, and 800,000 of them are located in Mozambique.
In addition to the $592 million already pledged to countries in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. has committed $116 million in aid to Mozambique. This funding is part of Biden’s plan to provide a total of $2 billion to African nations and those affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war. Feed the Future, an organization that President Obama established, has labeled Mozambique as one of the eight countries the organization will target to increase its support and stop its humanitarian issues. Other partners of USAID have also pledged to send other resources to help with the food, water, sanitary, hygienic and agricultural needs.
Aid to Improve Mozambique’s Infrastructure
In addition to the $116 million aid package to Mozambique, the U.S. plans to invest $10 million to help address the country’s infrastructure and development needs. Some of this money will go toward helping smallholder farmers develop sustainable farming practices while also allowing them to access a wide variety of crops to grow.
The U.S. is hard at work ensuring that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine affected receive assistance. Its donation of $116 million to aid Mozambique is just a portion of its end goal of donating $2 billion to countries affected by this war. Millions across these countries will receive aid and relief, helping alleviate some of the damage that the Russian-Ukrainian war caused. Mozambique specifically will greatly benefit from this money, and the 800,000 displaced persons will receive resources to help their situation.
– Janae O’Connell
Photo: Wikimedia