Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
Image by Pixabay The global effort to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 1—ending poverty everywhere by 2030—faces some pretty major challenges. Recent reports increasingly show significant budget cuts to international development agencies and other poverty relief programs. While global tensions and economic changes certainly add to development problems, less funding for important anti-poverty work could undo decades of progress and leave millions perpetually trapped in poverty. The recent and almost total eradication of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), historically a cornerstone of global anti-poverty efforts, has dealt by far the biggest blow. Groups like Oxfam America have shown how big drops in USAID funding directly harm programs that provide essential services and opportunities in low-income nations. These include vital health initiatives, food aid, and economic development projects. For example, Oxfam America notes that such c . . .
Image by Jürgen from Pixabay What are international dollars? (Our World in Data) Where in the world are babies at the lowest risk of dying? (Our World in Data) Why are solar panels and batteries from China so cheap? (Hannah Ritchie) What's the carbon footprint of using ChatGPT? (Hannah Ritchie) Real cost of disasters is 10 times higher than previously thought, says UN (UN News) The Environmental Impact of Bioplastics: A Growing Solution to Plastic Pollution (Happy Eco news) How New Coral Reef Restoration Technology is Giving Corals a Fighting Chance (Happy Eco news) Revealed: Saudi Arabia’s secretive rehabilitation ‘prisons’ for disobedient women (The Guardian) Pakistan sends ‘important signal’ of hope in a gloomy world of pushbacks on women’s rights (The Guardian) ‘I don’t want to be here. But we can’t go home’: what life is like for people forced to flee floods and fighting (The Guardian) . . .
Image by Sergio Serjão from Pixabay How effective and safe are measles vaccines? (Our World in Data) Do imports of cheap solar panel and other technologies help or hurt domestic jobs in clean energy? (Hannah Ritchie) Many second-hand electric cars are cheaper up-front than their petrol equivalents (Hannah Ritchie) Climate crisis driving surge in gender-based violence, UN report finds (UN News) UN chief hails Pope Francis as ‘a transcendent voice for peace’ (UN News) Earth Day 2025: Our Power, Our Planet (Happy Eco news) Nature-Based Tree Growth Acceleration to Help Fight Climate Change (Happy Eco news) ‘Spiral of silence’: climate action is very popular, so why don’t people realise it? (The Guardian) On thin ice: the brutal cold of Canada’s Arctic was once a defence, but a warming climate has changed that (The Guardian) Grassroots activists who took on corruption and corporate power share 2025 Goldman prize (The Guardian) . . .
India's plan to turn isles into own 'Hong Kong' riles environmentalists (Nikkei) Spain Pledges $502M for Desalination Plants (GreenCitizen) UN issues global alert over teacher shortage (UN) China solar industry's record-breaking growth to stall in 2024 (CNA) How ancient 'skywells' are keeping Chinese homes cool (FuturePlanet) Many people don't know that nuclear power is low-carbon (Hannah Ritchie) ‘Fight waste to fight hunger’: food banks embrace imperfection to feed millions in Brazil (The Guardian) New scheme to up plastic recycling rates in Hong Kong gets broad support, but consumers want higher rebates (Eco-business) How psychology can help people live more climate-friendly lives – lessons from around the world (The Conversation) . . .
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay The energy transition can be fair, just and inclusive – but the window of opportunity is closing fast (The Conversation) Scientists challenge ‘flawed communication’ of study claiming 1.5°C warming breach (Eco-business) ‘Taking the pulse of the planet’: could we monitor biodiversity from space as we do the weather? (The Guardian) Loss and damage must be a focus of IPCC’s next reports (CHN) The beekeepers of Sine Saloum: How all-women team tends to Senegal mangrove (Aljazeera) Young activists lobby for Australian law on climate harm (reuters) China is building more coal plants but might burn less coal (Hannah Ritchie) Squirrel and Japanese knotweed: The chefs cooking with invasive species (Future Planet) EV charging void has US, Europe drivers trying new routes to power up (CNA) WMO confirms 2023 as warmest year on record ‘by a huge margin’ (UN) . . .
Image by PDPics from Pixabay Global energy demand could be lower in 2050, despite the world getting richer (SBN) Benefits of Renewables Outweigh Negative Impacts, REN21 Report Finds (IISD) Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agriculture (The Conversation) ‘It’s almost carbon-negative’: how hemp became a surprise building material (The Guardian) Citizen Planet: 10 Things to Do for the Climate in 2024 (greenqueen) Blended finance can perpetuate climate colonialism (CHN) These founders want a more ethical company structure for startups (TechCrunch) New study points to more climate extremes (ScienceDaily) Asia-Pacific off track on path to SDGs, UN data shows (UN) . . .
Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay "Peace is the Missing Piece": UN Secretary-General on Priorities for 2024 (IISD) Trees can make farms more sustainable (The Conversation) To help Chinese communities adapt to climate change, listen to them (Eco-business) How to fix the carbon crisis in fast fashion (Eco-business) "Shameful": Shell uses carbon credits under investigation to meet climate targets (CHN) January was world's warmest on record, EU scientists say (reuters) What turned Earth into a giant snowball 700m years ago? (ScienceDaily) Why we need to highlight stories of progress to build a better future (substack) How planting trees is bringing clean water to a tropical nation (FuturePlanet) Australians Transform Coffee Waste into Stronger Sustainable Concrete (GreenCitizen) Pakistan bucks global trend with 30-year mangrove expansion (Mongabay) . . .
Ema is at Renaissance College HK where she is a very active member of a variety of clubs. Her main SDG focus and passion is with the oceans. She is also an avid film maker and is a leading figure in Hong Kong’s youth film landscape when it comes to documentary making that highlights ocean issues and wonders. Ema has won awards around the world for her films. She is also the founder of the Making Waves Club which uses film and story telling to raise awareness and stimulate activity to support ocean cleaning and protection among Hong Kong youth. Ema also graduated the 2022 running of the Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific programme run by ourselves and the UN. . . .
