A celebration, a paradox, a fundamental question Algeria is celebrating Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice. A sacred moment of remembrance, sharing, and spirituality. Yet, once again this year,…
Food security, where everyone has access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food at all times, is not just a development goal. It is a human right. Yet in Nigeria and across the globe,…
The contrast could not be starker. In 2024, with over 60 countries covering half the world’s population going to the polls, there was a clear tendency to vote in right-wing…
Regardless of the shape or structure of the world, food remains an essential necessity for human survival. Whether in developed countries that have advanced with the latest benchmarks of modern…
Less than four months into the second Trump presidency, we’ve witnessed a barrage of destructive policies, aggressive actions, and increasingly alarming rhetoric driven by greed and authoritarian ambition. While I am…
This is the first in a series on Possible Worlds, envisioning alternatives to the current system in the spirit of “Another world is possible.” Confronting our current political situation, we need…
Soil is one of nature's most precious gifts, providing the foundation for life on Earth. It sustains ecosystems, nurtures biodiversity, and plays a vital role in global food production. Every…
As a biologist I have a deep love for the extraordinary web of life of which we are a part, as well as some special insights into the destruction we are…
Followers of the Small Is Beautiful school of environmentalism (to which I subscribe) often critique globalization and advocate localism. The controversial new Trump tariffs seem purpose-made to choke off global trade and…
The increasing and complex problems people face at world level as well as various kinds of corruption and deception responsible for these should be expected to lead to the involvement…
The world has changed dramatically since the start of the second Trump administration. But how best to describe this shift? Many see it as potentially the end of American democracy,…
Amongst the many related categories of development, ‘human development’ ‘political development’, ‘economic development’, ‘social development’ or ‘cultural development’, human development is the most important to all of us. Human…
For the next few weeks, the buzzword in US debates on the liberal/left about economics and ecology will be “abundance” after the release of the book with that title by Ezra Klein (New York…
The human world of the early 21st century is dominated by science, cities, and high technology. However, both our modern way of life and our way of thinking about the world…
In a county where most villagers have very small farms, a significant way of reducing poverty can be to convert a part of these farms into small orchards and vegetable…
Rob Hopkins, a pioneer in sustainability and community-driven change, believes that the future isn’t something we stumble upon—it’s something we actively create or fail at. At the heart of his…
Since its creation I have supported Rupert Read’s Climate Majority Project as the answer to achieving the climate action we need. Read observes that the majority of people are concerned…
Local landscapes were once powerful forces in their own right, shaping how people lived, farmed, traded, and made sense of the world. The land created people, and as people worked,…
One of the most important means of improving the livelihood base of tribal communities is to increase the income they can derive on sustainable basis from non-timber forest produce, also…
The shock being experienced in Washington D.C. since January 20 is exposing gaping holes in the fantasies we told ourselves were rock-solid truths—lasting for whole (gasp) generations!. It is also…
Maali Ram’s small home and farm may appear to be very ordinary to outsiders, but local people who know better are increasingly attracted by what this bheel (tribal community) farmer…
Ezan, a woman from Meena adivasi community, is tired yet happy. “Yes, I have been working very hard in my new orchard, as I must make a success of this.…
When Bajrang Sharma retired from government service in India after serving very capably for decades in senior positions in the state of Rajasthan, he could take particular satisfaction from two…
Whether we examine the present-day conditions at the village level or city level, national level or world level, the existing situation generally falls far short of the ideal based on…
The most rational path for humanity and the one most guaranteed to reduce distress (in the short-term as well as the long –term) as well as to increase welfare is…
At a very crucial time of world history when the present and the upcoming generations face nothing less than a survival crisis, there is increasing urgency of aligning the world’s…
In the middle of all the controversies and confusions of a world in turmoil, two big truths stand out which must never be neglected or ignored. Firstly a very real…
Life may be unique to Earth. Even if single-celled organisms can readily evolve in conditions that exist on millions or billions of other planets, we have no actual evidence that complex, multi-cellular…
In early 2024, I offered an online 12-week course called “An Economics of Love” under the auspices of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. I hosted an introductory session to describe…
It seems to me that when people talk about voluntary simplicity, they are talking about refusing to engage with wasteful lifestyle patterns. Which is well and good at face value.…
Wrong way world A consistent theme through my life has been to understand our world, to assemble a comprehensive picture the best I can, respecting the world’s boggling complexity and…
There is a somewhat tired saying, which holds that “first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”. The claim is probably not…
A recently organized national dialogue in Delhi called Swaraj Samvad linked the concept of Swaraj to current concerns particularly climate change. In the course of the dialogue several important messages…
As climate change intensifies and the inadequacy of the west-driven climate response becomes clearer by the day, it is helpful for the entire effort if countries of the global south…
There is increasing realization that while various countries have varying levels of success in their food and farming policies, on the whole, at world level, the existing farming and food…
Most thoughtful people are likely to agree that what the world needs most is a protective agenda—protective towards vulnerable and poorest people as well as protective towards environment. However in…
In this article, econometrician and sustainability researcher Gaya Herrington considers whether a transition to a Wellbeing Economy is possible and what that would mean for our society and how we…
Below I republish an article I wrote almost ten years ago. It can give new readers a summary of my perspective on the food system. For those interested in even…
In Richard Connell’s popular short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” hunter Sanger Rainsford goes overboard while sailing to the Amazon, washing up on an island owned by deceivingly charismatic General Zaroff.…
Societies around the globe face multiple crises. In this context, is marshaling hope and dreaming up beautiful futures—imagining a world that could be—a useful response, or is it escapism? Our…
Few in recent years have made a more significant contribution to our ecological salvation than Richard, and in my dogmatic opinion his most recent essay is stating many of the lessons we…
Several small farmers of an OBC community in Mahuari village have formed a group called Pragtisheel (translated as progressive). In the course of just three years or so they have…
If you’re anything like me, over the past few weeks since Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory, you’ve been engaged in deep and prolonged reflection about what it means that such…
Last week, I spent some time in dialogue with some brilliant minds on the potential framework and pathways for a gender just energy transition in India. But before I share…
Bangladesh is a small country that sits within the Northeast of South Asia with India wrapped around it, and Myanmar to the South. Despite its small size and relatively recent…
Efforts to increase food production generally emphasize intensively developed areas which already have high levels of production. On the one hand many areas recording much lower levels of food production…
by Tawakkol Karman, Saul Perlmutter, and Brian Schmidt SYDNEY – Having just been elected president of the United States for a second time, Donald Trump is poised to reshape international…
Seven Observations On 2024 and What’s Next In 2024, over 2 billion of us voted in national elections. So what have we learned so far this year, in general and…
Rethinking abundance, wellbeing, and security in a post-growth world. To offer a meaningful alternative economic system, I believe it is essential that we engage with what we dream of as…
Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, recently wrote that, “On our present path, civilization as we know it will disappear.” More than a century’s worth…
The environmental crisis is a many-sided crisis which has many important and inter-related aspects including air pollution, space pollution, freshwater shortages and pollution, climate change and increasing disasters, pollution and…
Education reform has been discussed a lot but has been seldom taken forward in the true spirit. All too often, this has been discussed in very narrow contexts with a…
by Esther Afolaranmi, Carter Dillard, Beatrix Homler and Mwesigye Robert We have laws to ensure children are born into a safe, sustainable, and unpolluted environment. These laws are also meant…
Co-written by Fatih Birol and Ajay Mathur PARIS – Solar power has been the star of the clean-energy transition, delivering major benefits for the climate, the cost of living, and…
It’s essential that we stabilise the global economy. More people understand this every year, but corporations and governments don’t, and so we continue to destroy nature for profit. They’ve built up…
For those who care about peace, equality and the future of the planet, the global political swing to the right over the past few years is deeply worrying. It has…
Growth is a story of success—until it isn’t. In most people’s minds, “growth” is inevitably associated with biological development: food crops and babies grow. In those instances, growth is understood…
We will continue with our exploration of the sustainable development journey in this part. Our Pressing Problems Because in nature, as well as in our global systems, everything is interconnected,…
An in-depth look at the issues surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals for the world. I was born and raised in the city of Indore in the central part of India.…
Mangal Turbine is a highly praised innovation by a farmer scientist of India which makes it possible to lift water without diesel and electricity from small rivers, streams and canals.…
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