It’s no secret that we start being a little cramped in cities. According to estimations, by 2050 more than two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in them. This global urbanization trend brings with it a host of socioecological challenges, such as ensuring equitable access to resources and safe and affordable housing.
Zooming out from the city, let’s look at the Great Green Wall (GGW). A pan-African initiative launched almost 20 years ago to combat desertification and promote socioeconomic development, it stretches from Senegal and Mauritania in the West through the Sahel to Eritrea and Ethiopia in the East.
In their report Innovation and Adaptation in the Climate Crisis: Technology for the New Normal, the World Economic Forum looks at six key technologies – like AI, drones or Earth observation- that can play a role in global climate adaptation. They certainly do, but not alone.
Plastic is all around. As per the latest research there are 3.2 million tons of plastic in the ocean, and half a million ton is added to this every year. Although this is significantly lower than previous estimations, it is still far too much. Regardless of numbers, plastic waste’s harms for biodiversity and human health haven’t diminished.
No matter how many ‘back to school’ ads pop around (and one tries to ignore), mid August is still summer. Which means holiday travelling for many, myself included. Sometimes I feel a sort of hopelessness when walking through certain old towns in certain cities, or visiting some coastal areas. Everything seems so prepared to be ‘locally’ authentic (paella, sangria, amigo) that it looks fake, and the number of tourists is inversely proportional to the locals', who are conspicuous by their absence.
