The cultivation of the future takes place below the surface

Seaweed can be a valuable resource in reducing world hunger and poverty, according to the UN Global Compact Sustainability Initiative. Photo: Canva.

Increased pressure on companies, individuals and governments to produce and consume sustainably has created an interest in alternative materials and food. One of the new shooting stars is the seagrass. As a multifaceted, climate-positive and a possible replacement for both burgers and plastics, companies have begun their investments along the continents' coasts. The question is what consequences industrial seagrass cultivation will have for local residents, ecosystems and international politics.

December 20, 2021, Analysis

Week 45: Debator calls world leaders hypocrites after the climate conference

Will the Glasgow climate conference really make a difference? That issue was hotly debated last week. Photo: Markus Spiske. Source: Unsplash.

Of: Sara Lannebo

Last week's debate revolved around the COP26 climate conference, which ended on Saturday. Climate debt, hypocrisy and Sweden's role in climate change were discussed on Swedish debate pages while world leaders were in the final negotiations at the conference.

November 15, 2021, Current debate

Many Swedish companies are too streamlined for CSR

Of: Frida Hjärtman

Utvecklingsmagasinet talks with Marianne Bogle from CSR Sweden about how Swedish companies work with responsibility and sustainability issues, so-called CSR issues. As operations manager for an actor who works for goal 17 on partnership, she describes how Swedish companies are good at, among other things, environmental and climate issues. But there are still obstacles for companies to fully promote the work towards sustainability goals and too strong a focus on efficiency and growth in Swedish companies hinders the prioritization of CSR.

June 24, 2021, Interview

Capital means power and power means responsibility

If you own the profits from a polluting business, you also have a responsibility to deal with those negative consequences. Photo: Ryan Lackey, Flickr.

Of: Marcus Karlén

Capital pollutes the environment, not people. The environmental and climate debate therefore requires a new division of responsibilities based on the world's extreme climate inequality, says Marcus Karlén, who is involved in FUF's local group Stockholm Södra.

May 11, 2021, Chronicle

New service makes it easier to set requirements for sustainability in public procurement

Easier to set requirements in the procurement of clothing with a new service. Photo: Rab Lawrence, Flickr.

Of: Josephine Hagby

Through public procurement, it is possible to set requirements for sustainable business. But with today's complex supply chain, it is difficult to know when requirements should be set. But now the Procurement Authority has developed a service with the aim of simplifying and clarifying where in the ranks risks are.

May 6, 2021, News

The exploitation of the Amazon continues - the financial industry can reverse the trend

If the Amazon reaches a tipping point, it would have major consequences for the planet. Photo: Ejaugsburg

Of: Linnea Ljungar and Myra Pernvall

The financial sector has a key role to play in the fight for a sustainable world. Green investments can be crucial in the fight for Amazon's survival when Brazil's government actively opposes sustainable environmental reforms in the country.
- The democratic conversation no longer works, says Beatrice Crona, associate professor of environmental research.

March 31, 2021, Report

Become aware of what affects the ecological footprint the most

Of: Elin Petersson

Living without a car, avoiding air travel, switching to a plant-based diet and having fewer children are some changes that have major environmental benefits and should therefore be prioritized. Despite this, many consumers associate environmental friendliness with less effective changes such as choosing locally produced products, organic food or introducing a vegetarian day a week. If the public lacks the ability to distinguish effective changes from ineffective ones, the chances are low that Sweden will achieve consumption-related environmental goals, says Elin Petersson, a student at Linnaeus University.

February 26, 2021, Debate

That is why it is important to spread knowledge about the world

Johanna Wolf, non-profit active in FUF Stockholm

Of: Johanna Wolff and Max Ericson

The world is getting smaller with digitalisation. At the same time, we also see how complex the world is and that the challenges can be difficult to solve when we are not working together or towards the same goal. But why is it important that we have knowledge of the world and all the challenges we face? Read more about what our two non-profit active members from FUF think about this. They talk about the importance of finding their glow and getting a platform to express themselves.

February 8, 2021, Chronicle

High time for a new type of global development

Photo: UNDP

Of: Josefin Pasanen

The new year comes with promises of large-scale Covid vaccination and a glimmer of hope that things can soon return to "normal" again. But there are many indications that it is precisely our "normal" way of life that has triggered the pandemic and the global socio-economic crisis that has come in its wake. The latest UN report on human development (HDR 2020) shows that the Covid-19 pandemic risks becoming a warning of what is to come, if humanity does not change course and work to restore balance on the planet.

January 29, 2021, Debate