A graph shows the number of people living in extreme poverty from 1850 to 2015. The absolute number of people living in extreme poverty increased gradually until the 1990s and then dropped sharply. (the chart is from Our World in Data)

Bill Gates’s new view on climate change is irrational

Bill Gates published a blog post last week, titled Three tough truths about climate (A new way to look at the problem). He argues that we need to continue funding programs that tackle poverty and health (fine!) but that these funds should come at the expense of programs to mitigate climate change, which he claims won’t be so bad. I look into his motivation for such a misguided proposal that does nothing for the Global South. Continue reading Bill Gates’s new view on climate change is irrational

Three different Fairtrade International logos are shown on the left (explained in the caption) while three other program logos are shown on the right. They are, Fair For Life, the World Fair Trade Organization, and Fair Trade USA.

Should you support fair trade?

Third-party certifications provide one of the more accessible ways to practice ethical consumption. They provide a means of communicating to the consumer that a corporate supply chain maintains certain social or environmental standards. This topic is highly relevant right now because of the systematic undermining of regulations, environmental protections, human rights, and corporate oversight that is taking place in America. Continue reading Should you support fair trade?