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Context & Politics
In this category correspondents articulate their personal perspectives, offering evaluative insights on the broader implications of global society and political activities.
Who owns the scientific data needed to protect the planet?
Satellite records, climate observations and genetic databases expose tensions over access, profit and public funding
Editorial Team SDG13
33 minutes ago5 min read
The Engine Room tests a community-led model for safer civil society technology
The non-profit combines digital security, responsible data and research as civic groups face expanding technological risks
Editorial Team SDG16
Sep 75 min read
How cities can protect people from extreme heat
Heat plans combine public warnings and emergency relief with long-term changes to streets, homes and workplaces
Editorial Team SDG11
Sep 15 min read
TRAFFIC tracks the systems behind illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade
The monitoring network turns trade data into policy and enforcement support, while confronting gaps in evidence and capacity
Editorial Team SDG15
Aug 284 min read
Rewilding benefits and conflicts in shared landscapes
Restoring ecological processes can revive habitats, but land, livelihoods and consent shape whether projects endure
Editorial Team SDG15
Aug 275 min read
ClientEarth tests the reach of environmental law in public accountability cases
The legal charity targets governments and companies, while court outcomes reveal the reach and limits of climate litigation
Editorial Team SDG16
Aug 245 min read
How abusive lawsuits can silence environmental criticism
Anti-SLAPP reforms seek to stop legal process being used as punishment while preserving valid reputation claims
Editorial Team SDG16
Aug 216 min read
MareCet maps marine mammal habitats
Long-term field research in Malaysia is turning sightings of dolphins, dugongs and whales into evidence for marine planning
Editorial Team SDG14
Aug 184 min read
The world changes when society chooses to change it - part two
Global progress continues, but many of humanity’s greatest challenges remain. Civil society, innovation and cooperation can help shape a more sustainable future
Editorial Team SDG17
Aug 185 min read
Environmental crime operates as a global organised economy
Illegal extraction and dumping converge through corruption, financial secrecy and international commodity chains
Editorial Team SDG16
Aug 145 min read
Debt-for-nature swaps face a test of lasting conservation
Debt relief can fund forests and oceans, but durable results depend on transparent finance and public consent
Editorial Team SDG14
Aug 105 min read
Environmental cooperation turns shared resources into channels for dialogue
Shared ecosystems can open contact across conflict lines, but cooperation depends on rights, power and durable local institutions
Editorial Team SDG6
Aug 85 min read
Debt repayments squeeze climate resilience investment in lower-income countries
Rising debt costs narrow budgets for flood protection, health systems, clean energy and disaster readiness
Editorial Team SDG17
Aug 74 min read
The world changes when society chooses to change it - part one
History shows that organised citizens have shaped many of the world’s greatest advances, proving that lasting change often begins far beyond the corridors of power
Editorial Team SDG17
Aug 65 min read
When coastlines can no longer be defended
Managed retreat tests whether governments can reduce coastal risk without dismantling communities
Editorial Team SDG11
Aug 16 min read
When climate risk makes insurance unaffordable
Repeated disasters are pushing insurance, mortgages and public budgets into a growing protection gap
Editorial Team SDG13
Jul 296 min read
The Advocates for Human Rights links legal aid to systemic reform
How documentation, pro bono representation and international advocacy turn individual cases into wider human rights action
Editorial Team SDG16
Jul 286 min read
ARTICLE 19 turns free expression principles into practical protection
How a global rights organisation uses law, policy and local partnerships to defend speech and the public’s right to know
Editorial Team SDG16
Jul 255 min read
The politics of clean air: health, power and environmental justice
Air pollution exposes how transport, energy and urban policy determine who breathes safely and who carries the greatest health burden
Editorial Team SDG3
Jul 186 min read
The science and politics of vaccine hesitancy
Declining vaccination rates in some countries are creating new public health risks, driven by distrust, misinformation and political polarisation
Editorial Team SDG3
Jul 176 min read
Libraries as democratic infrastructure for education and public life
Libraries protect equal access to knowledge, digital services and lifelong learning amid widening social and information divides
Editorial Team SDG4
Jul 167 min read
Digital Defenders Partnership strengthens digital security for civil society under threat
The programme funds emergency responses and long-term protection for activists, journalists and human rights organisations
Editorial Team SDG16
Jul 126 min read
When tourism becomes a local burden
Tourism can support cities, but unmanaged growth can displace residents, strain resources and turn communities into visitor economies
Editorial Team SDG11
Jul 127 min read
The forgotten right to sanitation
Safe toilets and wastewater systems protect health, education, equality and dignity, yet remain neglected in public policy
Editorial Team SDG6
Jul 107 min read
Locked out of finance, trapped in poverty
Banking exclusion leaves low-income workers, migrants and rural communities paying more and facing greater risks
Editorial Team SDG1
Jul 107 min read
ARTICLE 19 defends freedom of expression in an increasingly restrictive information environment
The organisation combines legal expertise, advocacy and training to protect the rights to speak, know and participate
Editorial Team SDG16
Jul 96 min read
Library For All and the case for culturally relevant children's books
Library For All works to expand early literacy by creating books that reflect the languages and lives of underserved children
Editorial Team SDG4
Jul 87 min read
The ethics of climate adaptation and the question of who is protected first
As climate risks intensify, adaptation choices are becoming tests of fairness, power and public responsibility
Editorial Team SDG13
Jul 75 min read
International Rivers challenges the dam-first model reshaping vulnerable waterways
Large dams, water stress and climate risks are forcing a rethink of river governance and community rights
Editorial Team SDG6
Jul 65 min read
Climate communication becomes a test of public trust
Climate Outreach highlights why public engagement now matters as much as policy design in climate action
Editorial Team SDG13
Jul 45 min read
Lake Sevan clean-up pledge draws attention to a wider water crisis
A foundation linked to Cape Town’s WeCare Foundation says it will fund shoreline waste removal in Armenia while urging stronger action on sewage, runoff and water withdrawals.
Editorial Team SDG6
Jul 34 min read
EarthRights International puts corporate abuse in extractive industries under scrutiny
Communities facing mining, oil and gas harms are pushing for stronger human rights and environmental accountability
Editorial Team SDG16
Jul 25 min read
Civic technology only matters when it gives people usable power
Digital tools can support participation and accountability, but only when they solve real civic problems
Editorial Team SDG16
Jul 16 min read
After the tremor, the question we can no longer postpone
Venezuela must turn its natural resources into reconstruction, dignity and a shared future
Editorial
Jun 276 min read
Civic technology only matters when it gives people usable power
Digital tools can support participation and accountability, but only when they solve real civic problems
Editorial Team SDG16
Jun 256 min read
The ageing planet is testing how societies share care, work and security
Longer lives are reshaping pensions, housing, health systems and intergenerational fairness across ageing societies
Editorial Team SDG3
Jun 246 min read
Cities that exclude the poor show how inequality is built into urban life
Housing, transport, green space and services determine who can fully belong in a city
Editorial Team SDG11
Jun 236 min read
Grassroots peacebuilding shows why peace is community work
Local organisations are reducing violence, rebuilding trust and making SDG 16 visible in daily life
Editorial Team SDG16
Jun 226 min read
The return of local manufacturing can strengthen resilience, but only if work is decent
Shorter supply chains are gaining attention as communities seek resilience, repair skills and fairer industrial jobs
Editorial Team SDG8
Jun 206 min read
The new geography of water stress is testing public responsibility
Water scarcity is spreading beyond dry regions, exposing gaps in fairness, planning and governance
Editorial Team SDG6
Jun 195 min read
Soil as a public good is becoming a food security test
Soil degradation is no longer only a farming concern. It is a climate, hunger and civic resilience issue
Editorial Team SDG2
Jun 176 min read
The hidden cost of cheap food
Low prices can conceal weak wages, soil damage and wasteful supply chains behind supermarket abundance
Editorial Team SDG12
Jun 165 min read
SELCO Foundation and the case for energy access as development infrastructure
Sustainable energy is treated not as a stand-alone technology, but as a route to livelihoods, healthcare and education
Editorial Team SDG7
Jun 155 min read
Aidsmap, the public value of reliable HIV information
An HIV information service shows why evidence, access and trust still matter in the global response to HIV
Editorial Team SDG3
Jun 144 min read
Liter of Light and the practical politics of community-built solar lighting
A low-cost solar lighting model links energy access, local skills and climate resilience in underserved communities
Editorial Team SDG7
Jun 134 min read
Practical Action and the development case for locally maintained technology
The organisation links agriculture, energy, water and climate resilience through technologies communities can sustain
Editorial Team SDG1
Jun 125 min read
Ashden, the public value of practical climate innovation
The charity supports climate and energy solutions led by communities, cities and social enterprises
Editorial Team SDG13
Jun 115 min read
When a child has to go viral to receive treatment, the system has already failed
In Spain, the case of a boy from Seville with butterfly skin disease has exposed a deeper problem: life-changing medicines should not depend on television, social media pressure or a photograph with a regional president.
Editorial Team SDG3
Jun 45 min read
Green infrastructure emerges as a new weapon against climate change
Renewable energy is strengthening Kenya’s climate resilience, but coastal communities warn that clean growth must not come at the expense of marine ecosystems
Clare Ochieng
May 304 min read
From the strait of Hormuz to the streets of Nairobi: How global conflict is reshaping east Africa’s economic stability
Middle East tensions are driving fuel prices higher across East Africa, exposing fragile economies and deepening unrest
Edwin Ochola
May 264 min read
Context & Politics
This section focuses on how political decisions, societal structures, and collaborative efforts shape the projects and initiatives aimed at creating a sustainable and healthy planet.
Through incisive commentary and opinion pieces, our correspondents dissect the political frameworks and global institutions that influence environmental and social policies. They critically assess how these policies support or hinder the development of a sustainable global society across various regions and communities. The category aims to enlighten readers about the interconnectedness of politics and sustainable practices, highlighting the importance of governance in fostering or frustrating efforts to improve global health and environmental preservation.
It connects the dots between diverse topics discussed across other categories and provides a deeper understanding of how cultural dynamics, economic interests, and innovative technologies are all influenced by political agendas and, in turn, impact the global commitment to sustainability.
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