Business & Economy

This category focuses on value creation, showcasing projects and activities that promote sustainability and health for both the planet and its inhabitants.

Wadhwani Foundation push to turn research into public value

A non-profit is backing innovation hubs that aim to move Indian research from laboratories into usable technologies

Editorial Team SDG8

May 96 min read

Critical minerals are reshaping the clean energy transition and global power

Rising demand for transition minerals is exposing new tensions over mining, sovereignty and fairer economic returns

Editorial Team SDG12

May 76 min read

ETC Group and the politics of the bioeconomy

A civil society watchdog tracks how the bioeconomy could reshape power, land, food systems and democratic oversight

Editorial Team SDG2

May 65 min read

Infrastructure, power, and people: inside Africa’s shift from ambition to execution

Insights from the Africa We Build Summit 2026 on Africa’s infrastructure shift, capital, and regional integration

Edwin Ochola

May 23 min read

How Europe’s debt architecture is draining public budgets in the global south

Rising repayments to creditors linked to London and other European financial centres are squeezing health, schools and climate action

Editorial Team SDG3

Apr 136 min read

Fragile countries are paying for crises they did not cause

Drought, hunger, inflation, aid cuts and geopolitical shocks are colliding across the world’s most vulnerable states

Editorial Team SDG10

Apr 96 min read

External shocks still shape economic futures more than domestic planning alone

War, fuel prices and fertiliser costs still outweigh national plans across Africa, despite reforms and stronger policy ambitions

Editorial Team SDG2

Apr 86 min read

Methane leaks are a fast climate target, but only if governments and industry act on what is already visible

Methane warms fast, leaks can often be fixed cheaply, and new monitoring is making inaction harder to hide

Editorial Team SDG7

Apr 66 min read

Just transition, how to cut emissions without deepening inequality

Climate policy can move faster when governments protect household budgets, workers and the regions most exposed to change

Editorial Team SDG7

Apr 56 min read

Grid connection has become Europe’s main energy transition bottleneck

Clean power can be built quickly, but grid links, permits and court challenges often take far longer

Editorial Team SDG7

Apr 46 min read

How long-duration energy storage works, what it costs, and why it matters for renewable grids

Long-duration energy storage could help power systems absorb more wind and solar, but cost, siting and policy still decide its future

Editorial Team SDG7

Apr 36 min read

Nuclear power and the energy transition, where costs, timelines, safety and waste really stand

Nuclear can cut emissions, but high upfront costs and long build times shape how it compares with renewables and storage

Editorial Team SDG7

Apr 17 min read

Ashoka and the rise of social entrepreneurship as a civic force

The organisation helped define social entrepreneurship, but its larger wager is that changemaking should become a social norm

Editorial Team SDG17

Mar 286 min read

From demographic dividend to digital power: AI and the future of work in Africa

Closing the skills gap is now central to competitiveness, productivity and long-term prosperity

Edwin Ochola

Mar 253 min read

The cost of living far from work, mobility as a driver of poverty

When cheaper housing lies on the urban edge, the daily journey to earn a living can deepen hardship

Editorial Team SDG8

Mar 246 min read

Post-harvest waste in middle-income countries, the simple fixes that can save food fast

From crates to cold rooms, small changes in handling and logistics can cut losses across Eastern Europe and the Balkans

Editorial Team SDG12

Mar 68 min read

Migration forum and ILO recruitment strategy set 2026 test for migrant worker rights

Global plans due in May and through 2030 seek to turn promises on migrant workers into enforceable labour protections and easier access to redress

Editorial Team SDG8

Mar 53 min read

Finance turns to regulation as biodiversity markets mature in early 2026

New disclosure rules, emerging nature credits and expanding BIOFIN plans are reshaping how capital is directed towards SDG 15

Editorial Team SDG15

Mar 23 min read

The hidden cost of scaling social projects too quickly

Rapid growth can dilute impact, weaken accountability and burn out communities before systems are ready.

Editorial Team SDG16

Mar 17 min read

Global finance still fuels destruction despite urgent call for nature positive investment

A 30 to 1 imbalance in global funding shows the world is still financing its own extinction as nature based investment lags far behind

Editorial Team SDG15

Feb 104 min read

Aboitiz circular economy initiative gives new life to e-waste and funds social change

Aboitiz Foundation and AEV expand their partnership with Humble Sustainability to transform waste into community value

Editorial Team SDG12

Feb 92 min read

Meat waste emerges as the costliest burden in global food supply chains

New analysis reveals that meat waste now accounts for nearly €86 billion in annual global losses, driven by inefficiencies and shifting demand

Editorial Team SDG12

Jan 302 min read

Africa at the World Economic Forum 2026: civil society perspectives on global dialogue and development impact

Why Africa is closely watching Davos 2026, and what the continent expects from global leadership in a fragmented world

Edwin Ochola

Jan 283 min read

Is salt, just salt … or not?

From ancient “white gold” to modern brine purification, salt’s story spans culture, chemistry, and surprising sustainability gains.

Petra Fritz

Jan 259 min read

Migrant Workers Centre advances workplace justice for migrant labour

Community based education and advocacy protecting migrant workers from exploitation in Victoria

Editorial Team SDG8

Jan 182 min read

Heterojunction technology becomes the new benchmark for solar efficiency in 2026

High bifacial performance and durability reinforce photovoltaic innovation worldwide

Editorial Team SDG7

Jan 133 min read

The green paradox of progress: when booming green jobs still fall short of protecting the planet

Rapid growth in sustainable employment exposes deep skills gaps, social inequalities and the limits of job creation alone

Editorial Team SDG8

Jan 32 min read

Last day of the year: when change did not come from governments

An end-of-year reflection on real progress driven by people and civil society, one Sustainable Development Goal at a time.

Editorial Team SDG17

Dec 31, 20254 min read

Year in review: twelve stories that shaped 2025

A month-by-month selection of the most meaningful shifts, voices and ideas featured on Global Society News.

Editorial

Dec 30, 20258 min read

Digital power, inclusion, and the global society: Patrick Lumumba’s peer interview with Edwin Ochola

A conversation on digital inclusion, African leadership, and building an inclusive global society through connection and shared responsibility.

Patrick Lumumba

Dec 25, 20255 min read

When green slowly turns dark green

A calm reflection on climate actions that, beneath a sustainable narrative, reveal social and environmental costs that cannot be ignored

Editorial Team SDG17

Dec 23, 20254 min read

Global shipping pollution still rising despite green pledges

As ships carry over 90% of world trade, their environmental cost threatens ocean health and climate stability

Editorial Team SDG12

Dec 5, 20253 min read

A turning point in youth employment and sustainable agriculture

how a new generation of farmers could reshape food security and decent work in Ghana

Editorial Team SDG8

Dec 4, 20253 min read

The long shadow of animal testing in global cosmetics

Why the world still struggles to leave animal testing behind in beauty and personal care

Editorial Team SDG12

Dec 1, 20253 min read

Bamboo rising as a sustainable alternative to timber

An emerging natural material offering rapid renewal, soil restoration and lower-impact production for a changing world

Editorial Team SDG12

Nov 26, 20252 min read

Is the global fish trade fair?

Uneven rules, imported seafood and what fairness would look like for oceans and the people who fish them.

Editorial Team SDG12

Nov 18, 20255 min read

Concrete on demand: 3D-printed homes are reshaping housebuilding

From prototypes to communities, automated concrete printing edges toward the mainstream, with NGOs proving real-world value

Editorial Team SDG9

Nov 14, 20255 min read

Cheap smoke, costly consequences

How low prices, market expansion, and tax policy shape smoking in low-income countries, and who benefits

Editorial Team SDG3

Nov 13, 20255 min read

Multilateralism under pressure needs smarter partnerships to save the 2030 promise

As the UN turns 80, a Bangkok policy dialogue spotlights risks to cooperation, and the fixes that could still work

Editorial Team SDG16

Nov 8, 20254 min read

Solar surge in Africa promises and pitfalls of a greener economy

Rising panel imports point to momentum, yet capital costs, skills gaps and supply chain control will decide who really benefits

Editorial Team SDG7

Nov 6, 20254 min read

Europe’s regulatory retreat risks leaving developing nations exposed

Simplifying EU environmental and chemical rules could erode the global standards that protect the world’s poorest economies

Editorial Team SDG10

Oct 31, 20253 min read

Green metals, grey rights: can the clean-energy transition escape old injustices

Civil society pushes for global mineral governance as demand for lithium, cobalt and copper exposes deep human-rights and equity gaps

Editorial Team SDG12

Oct 29, 20253 min read

Global plan to quadruple use of sustainable fuels by 2034

Brazil leads initiative to boost biofuels, biogas, hydrogen and synthetic e-fuels for hard-to-abate sectors

Editorial Team SDG7

Oct 29, 20253 min read

Youth, innovation, and ocean literacy as the foundation of a regenerative blue economy

Empowering youth through ocean literacy and innovation to build a regenerative, resilient, and inclusive blue economy

Gabriela Casuso

Oct 28, 20252 min read

Rethinking climate finance to scale global flows to USD 1.3 trillion

As Brazil leads a coalition from Baku to Belém, a bold roadmap seeks to reshape global climate finance, yet debt, fairness and access remain unresolved tensions

Editorial Team SDG13

Oct 27, 20253 min read

Financing the mining rethink for a just clean energy shift

Towards more transparent, equitable and sustainable mineral value chains

Editorial Team SDG12

Oct 19, 20254 min read

The taste of convenience undermines global health

Packaged drinks promise vitality but deliver addiction, waste, and a rising global health burden

Editorial Team SDG12

Oct 18, 20255 min read

Grid queuing in Europe is stalling 1.7 TW of renewable projects

A backlog of renewable projects is straining outdated power grids and exposing flaws in Europe’s clean energy transition

Editorial Team SDG7

Oct 9, 20253 min read

Children in the shadows of tech coltan dilemma

The capture of Rubaya mine exposes child labour at the heart of the digital economy and fragile efforts to end it

Editorial

Sep 28, 20253 min read

Renewables bring light, jobs, and hope to poor countries

Clean energy can fight poverty, cut costs, and create jobs where traditional power grids fail

Editorial Team SDG7

Sep 15, 20253 min read

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Business & Economy

This section highlights the endeavours of innovative entrepreneurs who are not just running businesses but are also at the forefront of value creation within the economy. It delves into how these leaders take risks to develop sustainable business models and practices that go beyond profit, emphasizing the importance of capital and investment when used to foster long-term value.
Key topics include the circular economy, which reimagines industrial and economic systems to eliminate waste and continually reuse resources. We explore how businesses incorporate this model to enhance sustainability and efficiency. Additionally, the section covers innovations in business that contribute to environmental and social welfare, showcasing companies that prioritize ecological integrity and fair labor practices, particularly in protecting children in the workforce.
Through in-depth articles, interviews, and analysis, it provides insights into how businesses can thrive economically while being stewards of social and environmental responsibility. This category is a resource for readers interested in how economic activity can be for the benefit of all, rather than just enriching small groups on the backs of nature and people. It is offering examples of how investment and entrepreneurial spirit is driving significant, positive changes in our world.