I dag våknet jeg til vanvittige bilder fra Chile: Over 1 million mennesker ute i gatene som synger og går fredelig i protest mot det som for hele verden har sett ut som Latin-Amerikas største suksess historie. Forklaringen som har festet seg er at det dreier seg om ulikhet. Men er det hele historien?
SDG 7 aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, despite considerable talk in national and international circles on the urgency of solving Africa’s power woes, all available evidence points to slow and uneven progress.
Rwanda has been making news headlines in recent weeks. It plans not only to manufacture the first “Made in Africa” smartphone but is also actively promoting renewable energy projects and encouraging urban inhabitants to actively use electric vehicles.
I was thrilled to be back in my home city of Maracay at the beginning of this year when I went to Venezuela for fieldwork. It had been over 4 years since I had been in the country. During those four years –as the central bank statistics later confirmed – the economy had shrunk more than half, and millions of people had left the desperate conditions.
Addressing the challenges of climate disruption, international migration, pandemics, violent conflicts and poverty eradication require increased collaboration across national borders. The growth of nationalism and protectionist policies are, however, forcing many to rethink well-established understandings of the benefits of globalization. With the United States backtracking on previously negotiated agreements on climate, and signalling its desire to cut foreign aid, China has emerged as one of the strongest champions of globalization.