A Green New Deal?

The roundup

Another week has gone by, and if you found yourself in the U.S., the focus seemed to have been single-handedly directed at the yet-to-be-released Mueller report (and whether the public will ever get to lay eyes on its contents). Eastern Africa has been affected by the destruction of cyclone Idai – with the world beginning to understand how ill-prepared it is for a changing climate. While Pakistan is forced once again to face the country's systemic issue of violence against women.

Welcome back to FairPlanet's weekly roundup. A place to find some hope within the chaos with reporting that cuts through the status quo.

Read, Debate: Engage.

The good

Image courtesy of www.ourworldindata.org

The gender pay gap is becoming smaller

Over the past half a century, the gender pay gap in 34 member countries who make up The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has gone through a sharp decline. The U.K. alone was able to successfully reduce its gender pay gap from 50 percent in 1970, to 17 percent in 2016. But while this is a huge step forward, it is crucial to remember that 17 percent of women currently earn almost a fifth lower than their male counterparts for exactly the same roles in Britain – with worst gaps around the world.

It is up to us the population, alongside gender equality advocates, policymakers and grassroots organisation to continue pushing for an equal opportunity and pay for all genders and across all nations. The fight cannot, and should not, cease until this goal is met.

The bad

The Green New Deal is being heavily criticized

Numerous politicians and media outlets continue to trump the premise of the currently cooking U.S. Green New Deal. Spearheaded by recently elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the deal sets out to create new jobs and lessen inequality, while working to almost eliminate U.S. greenhouse gas pollution over the coming decade.

But while the deal is becoming widely discussed – gaining recognition and support – its critics are equally accumulating power across Congress and pundits.

Join the Sunrise Movement and help make the Green New Deal a reality

by Yair Oded

The Sunrise Movement mobilizes youths from across the US to pressure politicians to abandon oil and adopt the Green New Deal. Join their fight today!

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What else happened this week?

	What cyclone Idai has taught the world by Bob Koigi Climate change impacts and disaster responses are closely interlinked and require a more systematic and comprehensive approach to disaster risk management. Read

	University of the People: changing the world, one student at a time by Yair Oded Established in 2009, the University of the People is the world's only tuition free online university, which now offers degrees in Business Administration, Computer Science, Health Science, and Education to students from all across the globe. Their diverse student body is comprised primarily of individuals who would have either limited or no access to education otherwise, as well as of members of vulnerable communities, such as refugees and undocumented persons. Read

	Polluted air awakens the spirits of rigid communism by Katarina Panić It’s been less than five years since Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) installed its first air quality meters. For that period of time, it reached several unwanted records. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2016 and in 2017, it was among the top ten countries for air pollution mortality. Read

More than just a faraway dream

Sustainable agriculture is possible

by Frank Odenthal

Dr Hans R. Herren, a Swiss agronomist/entomologist, is one of the world’s leading experts on biological pest control and sustainable agriculture. He successfully implemented a biological control programme that has literally saved millions of lives.

Read

Country focus

New Zealand

The Pacific nation of New Zealand – one of the Southernest inhabited places on planet Earth – is home to 4.7 million citizens as of a 2016 consensus, and made up of two main islands and a number of smaller ones. New Zealand's population is made up of European descent, and the Maori, who are descendants of Polynesian settlers.

New Zealand is one of the leading countries for gender equality, and in 2016 it was ranked 9th out of a total of 144 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report. Taken account by the report is gender equality in the population under four larger lenses: economic participation, health, education and political empowerment.

All stories about New Zealand

May we introduce

Yair Oded

Yair Oded is a Maryland and New York City-based writer and editor of socio-political content with a background in humanitarian work and international affairs.

Yair, the U.S. (like the rest of the world but somehow more amplified) is dealing with a President who relentlessly deems news as fake. How does this affect you as a resident, writer and journalist?

Trump's rhetoric regarding "fake news" creates a toxic environment for journalists in America. It feels as though any chance for sober public criticism of reporting that's inflicted by sensationalism and bias is being eradicated by absolute paranoia and distrust in media sources and pundits. I can't help but meditate on the chilling similarities between the language used to characterise the press in America today, and the one used in Germany in the 1930s. It can be discouraging to see how little people learn from history.

Perhaps one of the few positive effects of this 'fake news' hysteria on me is that it encourages me to be extra-cautious and meticulous in my work, search a little harder for truth, and ensure that my message is well-thought out and fact-based.

All stories by Yair Oded

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