Before defining regenerative agriculture, it’s important to note what it isn’t. Recognizing the harmful practices that have led to the urgent need for regenerative methods provides crucial context. Regenerative agriculture offers a powerful solution to today’s interconnected crises, including the climate crisis, poverty, declining food security, and biodiversity loss.
A breath of fresh air is hard to find. More than 99 percent of the world’s population now breathes unhealthy air, and poor air quality is linked to 1 in 8 deaths globally. In low- and middle-income countries, the statistics are worse. India had a staggering 99 of the top 100 worst polluted cities in the world in 2019, and populations in South Asia and Africa face the highest burden of disease related to air quality. Air pollution has ripple effects on everything from health, to economic growth, to the climate crisis.
The circular economy, a crucial means to an end to achieve sustainable development, offers an opportunity to change the way we live and work. It provides a pathway to live within our planet’s limits by making the concept of ‘waste’ obsolete, and drastically lowering emissions and material use. While the idea behind a circular economy is not new, it’s growing in popularity: circular economy strategies, action plans and agendas are increasingly making their way into policy and business strategies.
If there is energy, there is development,” says a coffee buyer in Colombia.
Years of conflict have led to significant underdevelopment in rural and hard-to-reach communities in Colombia. Many of these communities struggle to access a reliable, affordable, and sustainable source of energy, which negatively affects their quality of life and economic prospects. Even when there is political will to help, local governments face challenges in providing energy, and the private sector has largely lacked interest in these investments due to high costs, risks, and consumers’ inability to pay for the services.
Climate change is a global challenge that demands collective action and innovative solutions. As we stand at the forefront of transformative change, it becomes imperative to evaluate the progress made in climate action, particularly in the Global South. Climate action in the Global South is linked to the idea of climate and energy justice. Since most of the vulnerable population lives in countries in the Global South, the energy transition will not only be an environmental imperative but also moral and economic.
A 13-month streak of record-breaking global warmth has ended.
From June 2023 until June 2024, air and ocean surface water temperatures averaged a quarter of a degree Celsius higher than records set only a few years previously. Air temperatures in July 2024 were slightly cooler than the previous July (0.04°C, the narrowest of margins) according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
