Global poverty is on the rise. With the toxic mixture of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the ensuing economic instability, and the mushrooming cost of living crises, for people and communities around the world it is difficult to imagine how life could be any harder or how it could improve. The World Bank estimates that in 2020 the number of people living in extreme poverty rose by 70 million to more than 700 million. The bumpy road to post-pandemic recovery has brought little improvement as the present overall number is only expected to have dropped to around 685 million people. If this global turbulence were to continue then we can expect to still see 574 million people living in extreme poverty i.e. living on less than $2.15 a day, in 2030 (The World Bank, 2022)…

Cop15 2022 put biodiversity on the map for many in the financial and investment world and with it came a reminder of how crucial biodiversity and the natural world are to our ability to survive and thrive. US$41.7 trillion of economic value generation is either all or in part dependent upon nature, making the protection of our wild spaces and the various flora and fauna which reside within them of the upmost importance. However, the key to securing a balance between biodiversity and human development is not to look upon the value of the natural world in solely monetary terms. Instead, we must remind ourselves of how our survival as a species is deeply interconnected with those ecosystems on which we rely for food, fresh air, water, and raw materials.

Over the past few years racial inequality has found itself once again in the headlines. Former students of residential schools run by the Catholic church across Canada have been speaking out on the decades long abuse experienced by indigenous pupils. The shocking murder of George Floyd electrified the world to action for Black Lives Matter. The hate crimes against people of Asian heritage rocketed with the outbreak of Covid-19. The conflict in Syria brought thousands of migrants to the gates of Europe and the US leading to far right backlash and scenes of racial hatred not seen since Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech. The once bright image of a cosmopolitan, globalised and egalitarian society almost appeared to be disintegrating as inequality, the Covid-19 pandemic, a shaky economy and government parties dividing faster than bacteria began to jeopardise the harmony that communities across the globe have been striving to achieve. Yet, race-based inequality continues to reach its bony fingers into the structural inequalities we see and hear about in education, employment and general standard of living. Hidden away in plain view are the environmental inequalities that numerous minority ethnic and Indigenous communities are now experiencing as climate change lands on their doorstep and large polluting companies set up shop in their back yard.

Asia and the Pacific is one of the most expansive and diverse regions on earth. It contains some of the greatest disparities in wealth and access resources whilst being rich in culture and innovation. There are areas where you can walk for miles and never meet a soul and in others you can barely move through the hustle and bustle of densely populated cities. The sheer complexity of cultures and peoples is all at once overwhelming and at the same time a magnificent display of the human capacity to adapt and be creative. Yet, as the climate crisis worsens, and few places are left untouched by its impacts, the strengths and weaknesses of political systems and local methods of resilience will be tested in equal measure.

Women have been the strength and stay of many African Nations throughout history as warriors, mothers, matriarchs, freedom fighters and now politicians, NGO workers and climate activists. The disenfranchised, poor, and repressed image of African women and girls often portrayed in global media could not be further from the truth for many amazing women who are taking their place in what was and to some extent remains a patriarchal society in almost every nation across the continent. The strength of these women to defy traditional gender roles and seek a career and voice outside of the home evidences at least in part the importance of their role in politics and in particular their steering of the climate policies to come. In a region which is already experiencing the grave impacts of climate change in the form of drought, desertification, forced migration, etc. the inevitable loss of life, livelihoods and futures are often felt most deeply by women due to the systemic gender inequalities which are so deeply rooted in African society. This does not mean however that these women are either powerless or vulnerable as many have weathered far greater storms and when given the opportunity will exhibit far greater resilience to disasters and crises than their male counterparts. 

Climate news can often leave one feeling despondent about the future of our natural world. As great tree's that have seen more of history than a mere human could ever hope to are felled to meet the short-term needs of a greedy society and plastic chokes our oceans, destroying ecosystems which have existed untouched for thousands of years, the consequences of our presence on this planet continue to be truly catastrophic and yet hope remains as is evidenced both in the small and larger acts that can be identified if we look hard enough.