This is how we Swedes can protect the Amazon and support its environmental fighters

Last year, the devastation of the Amazon in Brazil increased by 22 percent compared to 2020. This is the highest annual deforestation in 15 years. Photo: quapan. Source: flickr.

Of: Ebba Eriksson

The destruction of the Amazon, the lungs of the earth, threatens biodiversity as well as the rights and lives of indigenous peoples. Alarming reports of deforestation of an area as large as France and images of burning primeval forest arouse strong feelings in many and a desire to be able to help - and we in Sweden can be involved and influence.

March 1, 2022, Think piece

Functional law is a necessity in climate work

People with disabilities have a special vulnerability to increased climate change, according to the organization MyRight. Pictured: a wheelchair on the ground in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: MyRight.

Of: MyRight

People with disabilities are almost never included in the work for a better climate, nor do they receive information about climate change in available formats. Without information, it is difficult to be involved and change. It writes MyRight, the Swedish disability movement's organization for international development cooperation.

January 31, 2022, Guest chronicle

Who will scoop and who will row?

Rising sea levels make the island nation of Kiribati one of the countries in the world most exposed to climate change. Photo: United Nations Photo. Source: Flickr.

Of: Sofia Johnson

We waited a long time for the international climate summit in Glasgow, the summit that would lead the way to a sustainable society. But now afterwards, when I sit on my bike in the rain, it feels like I'm the only one who cares, why is that? It writes sustainability specialist Sofia Jonson.

January 18, 2022, Guest chronicle

That is why many Palestinians do not believe in a two-state solution

Two police officers arrest a 14-year-old boy despite being in a grocery store during a clash between Palestinians and Israeli police. Photo: Carl Bradshaw.

Of: Carl Bradshaw

How long should one stick to a strategy that overturns rather than helps? Among Palestinians in the West Bank, few believe in a two-state solution, and the Oslo Accords are seen as a tool for Israeli annexation rather than peace.

January 14, 2022, Guest chronicle

Peace begins with meeting as human beings

Israeli settler Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger (left) and Palestinian peace activist Khaled Abu Awwad (right) share a vision to bring more people together. Photo: Ebba Åkerman.

Of: Ebba Åkerman

"Go home as a strong supporter of Palestine. Go home as a strong supporter of Israel. Go home as a strong supporter for a solution. To support both peoples is to support peace ”. The call comes from Rabbi Schlesinger - a former New York resident, Israeli settler, peace activist and co-founder of the organization Roots.

January 13, 2022, Guest chronicle

When will Palestinian children be able to go to school in peace and security?

The children at the school between the villages of as-Sawyia and al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, the West Bank, meet heavily armed soldiers on the way to school every day. This is what such a day can look like. Photo: Fanny Lingqvist.

Of: Fanny Lingqvist

Every day when the children go to school along the highway, they are met by heavily armed soldiers. Some days the soldiers aim their weapons at the children, other days they block the way to school. On particularly bad days, children are arrested and abducted in military vehicles, often in front of their schoolmates or family members who are desperately trying to get them released.

January 11, 2022, Guest chronicle

Hunger is used as a weapon in conflict

In the Tigray region of Ethiopia, soldiers and rebels are accused of actively starving the population. Photo: Rod Waddington. Source: Flickr.

The number of people living on the brink of starvation is increasing drastically in the world. At the same time, hunger and starvation by civilians are used as weapons in warfare, including in the Ethiopian region of Tigray. The link between armed conflict and hunger has been highlighted by international organizations in recent years, but a new view of food as a right is needed to truly eradicate world hunger.

December 23, 2021, Think piece

Omikron, travel ban and uncertainty around Christmas

FUF correspondent Sofia Karlsson is unsure whether she will celebrate Christmas in Sweden or in Zambia, where she now lives for a volunteer position at the UN. Photo: Sofia Karlsson.

I wake up to the buzzing of the air conditioning and to a notice of new travel restrictions. A new covid variant called omicron has been discovered in South Africa. Many countries are now closing their borders to travelers from this region. Zambia, where I currently live and work as a volunteer at the UN, is also covered by these new restrictions.

December 15, 2021, FUF-correspondents, Think piece

Are countries underdeveloped or overexploited?

The organization "Black History Walks" organizes guided tours in London, where they highlight the colonial history that has built up the city and its streets. Photo: Leandra Pedretti.

Of: Leandra Pedretti

During a guided tour with the organization Black History Walks in London's financial district, I reflect on the assumptions that exist in the language we use when discussing development issues. What do we really mean when we talk about "underdeveloped" countries? What does it mean to be underdeveloped? I find my own answers to these questions in the colonial history of England.

November 30, 2021, FUF-correspondents, Think piece

My attempt to live in an environmentally friendly way in Ukraine goes like this

"For many, it depends on how easy it is to live environmentally friendly. If it's easy, we do it." It writes FUF correspondent Nick Nguyen in a column. Photo: Nick Nguyen.

Of: Nick Nguyen

It is easy to live environmentally friendly in Uppsala where I study. You can always walk or cycle to where you are going. You can choose environmentally friendly products at ICA and it is easy to sort waste. Even though I am not a vegetarian, I often eat vegetarian food. I always travel by train to other cities and I never have to drive. But it is also easy to quickly get used to this lifestyle when you are abroad.

October 14, 2021, FUF-correspondents, Think piece