5 Cities To Visit Before They’re Underwater

Rising sea levels are slowly swallowing some of the world’s most exciting cities. Even with defensive measures in place, and immediate cuts to carbon emissions, these levels will continue to rise. 

In the twentieth century, climate change has driven global sea levels up by 11-16 cm. Even with immediate cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the average global sea level will likely rise at least one foot above those reported in the 2000s. Under high emission scenarios, the UN claims that ocean levels may approach or exceed 2 meters in the case of early-onset Antarctic ice sheet instability. 

Although it won’t happen instantly, these increases will be irreversible at a temperature rise of 3C. As a direct side effect, the rising oceans threaten to erase some of the world’s greatest cities. The longer actions go without being taken, the less time people have to experience these locations as they’re known and loved today.   

1: Rio De Janeiro

In the past few years, the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro has experienced extreme precipitation and deadly floods. The city’s poor drainage infrastructure stands small to the combined effects of heavy rainfall and sea-level rise caused by climate change. Despite efforts by the city government, projections show Rio’s famous beaches, including Copacabana, the waterfront domestic airport and the Barra de Tijuca neighborhood, where they hosted the Olympic Games in 2016, will be underwater by the year 2100. According to The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), 60% of the city’s population lives within 60 km of the coast. Flooding of the areas could mean the displacement of 1.8 million people and cost jobs and businesses that rely on tourism brought by Rio’s coast of beach destinations. 

2: Shanghai

Shanghai is the most flood-prone city on earth. It sits on the Yangtze River estuary, where the tide meets the stream. The land itself is soft and low-lying, which means the city is sinking while sea levels are rising. Shanghai is victim to two to three typhoons each year, and by 2050 it is estimated the megacity will experience flooding and rainfall that is 20% higher than the global average. 

If seawater infiltrates its groundwater reserves, Shanghai will need access to enough freshwater to support its  24 million people. So, in the face of these threats, the city constructed 520 km of protective seawalls that stretch across Hangzhou Bay and around islands like Chongming, Hengsha and Changxing. In an effort they call the “sponge strategy,” Shanghai city governments plan to modify and reconstruct public spaces, schools and residential areas so that 80% of urban land is capable of absorbing and reusing 70% of stormwater. But, as we’ve seen in cities like Venice, defensive measures can only go so far. 

3: Venice

Only two years ago, Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, told NPR that the city was “on its knees” after the highest tide in 50 years put 70% of the city underwater. Strong winds and storms broke through seawalls put in place to protect the city and made their way through to leave landmarks like the Saint Mark’s Basilica and La Fenice Opera House underwater. The city consists of over 100 islands inside of a lagoon along the North-East coast of Italy. Venice experiences its most severe flooding in the Winter, a period of time Venetians refer to as the “Acqua Alta.” 

In the last century, these high tides have increased from less than 10 times a year to over 60. Areas hit hard include the scenic canals and historic district in the South and the beach resorts of Lido and Pellestrina. In addition to the threat of sea-level rise, it is estimated that by 2100, 76% of the population, or 35,000 residents, will be displaced. An ambitious project called MOSE was conducted in 2003 that placed movable undersea barriers around the city to protect it from high waters to combat this. However, the project remains to be completed due to corruption and lack of funding. 

4: Bangkok

More than 10% of people in Thailand currently live on land that will be underwater by 2050. The commercial capital, Bangkok, is significantly endangered. Its location at the Southern end of the Chao Phraya River Basin, low land elevation and six-month-long rainy season are only said to worsen due to the impacts of climate change. As global temperatures continue to go up sea levels will rise, and Bangkok will continue to sink into the compressible clay soil on which it was built.  Additionally, it is estimated parts of the city are sinking by 2 cm a year. Bangkok is expected to be 40% underwater due to rainfall and see a 15 cm sea-level rise by the year 2030. By 2080, those numbers increase to 70% underwater and an 88 cm sea-level rise. The Thai National Reform Council predicts that Bangkok could be underwater in less than 15 years due to the compounding effects of rainfall, rising oceans, climate change and land subsidence.  

5: Amsterdam

Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole have learned to co-exist with water. From dikes, dams and floodgates to flood-friendly public spaces, the Netherlands has the most sophisticated water control systems in the world. However, the infrastructure in place today won’t protect Amsterdam forever. It is projected that sea-level rise will overrun the systems put in place to protect the city. Many of these structures are more than 500 years old, and a significant number of the city’s 1600 bridges and 200 km of canals need updates. 

Sharon Dijksma, Mayor of Utrecht, told CNN that at least 5% of the city’s brick canal walls are in a poor state of repair. The work will require trees to be cut down, parking removed and roads closed to vehicles, which will ultimately alter the accessibility and livability of the city. The amount of land and population it will put at risk will require an estimated 450 million euros, or 530 million dollars, worth of delicate repairs. Unless city governments can figure out how to carry it through, the medieval infrastructures that Amsterdam is known and loved for could be lost.

Research published in Nature found that 150 million people are currently living on land that will be underwater by the middle of the century. Rising sea levels not only threaten to destroy cities as we know them but have the potential to displace enough people to constitute the greatest refugee crisis in history. Beyond an environmental issue, this is a humanitarian issue. The flooding won’t just destroy cities, but also cultural heritage. Climate change can fuel socioeconomic tension and will likely  limit access to land, food and water. The limits to these vital resources will cause a migration that can possibly set off or heighten regional conflicts across the globe. It’s critical countries prepare now and  begin to consider the costs should they fail to do so.  

Claire Redden

Claire is a freelance journalist from Chicago, where she received her Bachelor’s of Communications from the University of Illinois. While living and studying in Paris, Claire wrote for the magazine, Toute La Culture. As a freelancer she contributes to travel guides for the up and coming brand, Thalby. She plans to take her skills to London, where she’ll pursue her Master’s of Arts and Lifestyle Journalism at the University of Arts, London College of Communication. 

The Women of Kenya’s Lake Victoria Reject “Fish for Sex”

In a small fishing village on the shores of Lake Victoria, women are breaking the gender roles that dominate the area. A cooperative called No Sex For Fish brings women together to source fish for themselves, without trading their bodies.

A woman carrying a bucket by her boat in Lake Victoria. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“No Sex For Fish” is a bold name. It summarizes what the women of Nyamare have fought for. In the villages along Lake Victoria in Kenya, the fishing industry is split by gender: men do the fishing, women do the selling. Due to overfishing and environmental issues, the lake’s fish population ran low in the 1970s and the fisherman couldn’t catch enough product to supply all of the women. 

In a practice the locals refer to as “jaboya,” the men offered the women a trade-off: sex for fish. The women were left without a choice. For many, their families depend on the money they earn from selling fish. To sustain their loved ones and send their children to school, the women complied. After almost 40 years of this routine, the “jaboya” practice went from exploitative to dangerous. Studies have estimated the prevalence of HIV fishing communities around Lake Victoria to be between 21 and 30 percent. 

Due to the lack of economic opportunities in the area, the women of Nyamare found themselves in a situation familiar to women across the globe: a position of powerlessness in a system controlled by men. Then in 2011, a woman named ​​Justine Adhiambo Obura led the No Sex For Fish cooperative. The women obtained 30 boats through grants from PEPFAR, USAID and the World Connect charity. 

In a testimonial to the World Connect Charity, Justine said, “We are very thankful for this program; it has allowed us to become businesswomen and to control our own finances. The men have to ask us for the money. Though the business has many challenges, we keep working.” With access to their own boats, the women hired men to fish for them. Alice Akinyi Amonde told NPR she’d earn about 50 dollars a day when things were going well, but now she’s lucky if she makes 3 dollars.

In March 2020, after months of heavy rain, the water levels in Lake Victoria climbed to the highest degree in decades. The floods swamped farmland, engulfed homes and displaced thousands of people. Unfortunately, this timing coincided with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic activity was put at a standstill. With no homes, no boats and no farmland, the community has been left in limbo. 

The organized fishing trade that once supported the families along Lake Victoria’s shore has collapsed. In interviews with NPR in September 2020, the women from No Sex For Fish said that they worry that, even if fishing were to become possible again, the practice of trading sex would re-emerge due to the difficulty imposed by the weed-clogged lake. They also said that, while they want to go back to the trade, they’ll need financial support. 

Ruth Odinga, the Kisumu County director of special programs, told NPR that “when such tragedies occur, the government only assists to save lives and not to make life comfortable for them.” With minimal assistance from the government, these women are looking for other ways to earn a living. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, the women of Nyamare are still hopeful for the future.

Claire Redden

Claire is a freelance journalist from Chicago, where she received her Bachelor’s of Communications from the University of Illinois. While living and studying in Paris, Claire wrote for the magazine, Toute La Culture. As a freelancer she contributes to travel guides for the up and coming brand, Thalby. She plans to take her skills to London, where she’ll pursue her Master’s of Arts and Lifestyle Journalism at the University of Arts, London College of Communication.

Hong Kong Activist Group Forced to Delete Social Media

In order to comply with China’s recent national security law, a well-known pro-democracy group was ordered to scrub its online presence. 

A  2015 vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests. VeryBusyPeople. CC BY-SA 2.0

In early September 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, a well-known activist group in Hong Kong, received notices from officials to delete all online content to comply with the recent national security law. As a result, the group has closed its website as well as all social media pages, including their Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. The Hong Kong Alliance is most well known for hosting vigils for the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The protests in 1989 called for political and economic reform, and Chinese police responded violently and arrested tens of thousands of protesters. In addition, the group is known for advocating for democratic movements and does not hesitate to criticize the government online. Officials also used the national security law to arrest several leaders of the group who refused to provide information to police regarding the group’s funding and membership.

The security law went into effect on June 30, 2020, causing concerns that Hong Kong was losing its judiciary independence and other democratic freedoms such as freedom of speech and assembly. Under the initial 1997 agreement, when China gained control of Hong Kong from Britain, there was always supposed to be a national security law in Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong would retain a separate judiciary system. Hong Kong has previously had protests starting in 2019 in response to a law that allowed extradition to the mainland. The protests turned increasingly violent, and eventually, the extradition bill was withdrawn. The controversial security law criminalized succession, subversion of state power, terrorism and collusion with foreign entities. The law takes precedence over a local Hong Kong law, and a National Security Committee will be put in place with no local oversight. In addition, crimes considered to be serious national security threats will be tried on the mainland in Chinese courts, essentially a version of the extradition bill that was thrown out as a result of the 2019 protests. 

The Hong Kong Alliance was not the first group that faced the consequences of the recent security law. Shortly after the law was enacted in 2020, many people deleted their social media, and pro-democracy media outlets deleted old posts and entire archives. The Hong Kong alliance has restarted a Facebook page. Still, it is unclear how the group will be using social media in the future.

Dana Flynn

Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University and holds a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.

What Happens to Afghan Refugees Once They Flee? 

People have been leaving Afghanistan for 40 years, hoping to escape conflict, violence, and poverty. The Taliban’s recent takeover has exacerbated the displacement and flight of Afghan people, but where do they go once they’ve left? 

Why are people fleeing Afghanistan? 

This year, 20 years after The Taliban was ousted from power in Afghanistan, the insurgent group regained control of the country. On August 15, Taliban forces took Kabul, the nation’s capital, with little resistance. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and the government collapsed, securing The Taliban’s position of power. 

Following The Taliban’s seizure of Kabul and effective takeover of the country, tens of thousands of people fled Afghanistan, fearing their safety under Taliban rule. 

Amnesty International reports that at present, there are over 2.6 million registered refugees from Afghanistan worldwide and more who haven’t been registered or who are asylum seekers (meaning they haven’t yet been legally recognized as refugees). People began leaving Afghanistan forty years ago, seeking refuge from conflict, violence and poverty. However, the recent Taliban takeover has escalated the amount of violence faced by people in Afghanistan and raised human rights concerns, especially over the treatment of women and girls. 

The United Nations Refugee Agency predicts that up to half a million people could flee Afghanistan by the end of the year. As many as 125,000 people fled between August 16 and 26 during a multinational evacuation effort led by the U.S. military. However, more Afghans are still displaced and trying to escape Taliban rule. 

What happens to Afghan refugees once they leave the country? 

If Afghans can make it out of the country, what happens next varies. Those leaving via land borders often live in temporary refugee camps, like the ones set up by Iran and Tajikistan. 

Pakistan and Iran have been the countries to take in the largest numbers of Afghan refugees in the past. However, this time, officials from both countries have said that they cannot take another large influx of refugees. Instead, they will be expected to stay in camps on the borders until they  return to Afghanistan. 

On August 16, the UNHRC issued a non-return advisory, meaning that no country can deport people to Afghanistan right now. 

Some governments, such as Austria, Poland, Turkey and Switzerland, have made clear that they will not welcome any Afghan refugees and are upping border security to guard against anyone entering their countries illegally. However, other governments, such as France, Germany, Canada, Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., have pledged to host Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers.

United States

Axios reports that an expected 37,000 Afghan refugees will soon be entering the U.S., likely the first group of several. They will be sent to 46 states, excluding Hawaii, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming, with California and Texas receiving the most people. 

More than half of the Afghan refugees who have already arrived in the U.S. helped the U.S. officals and their families, some of whom hold Special Immigrant Visas. This next wave of 37,000 also includes many people regarded as U.S. allies, who either have an SIV or have applied for one. 

Those refugees who are not eligible for an SIV can apply for other types of relief, such as asylum or a temporary visa. In additoin, they can still enter the U.S., even without a valid visa, if they have applied for humanitarian parole, which allows those facing an emergency or urgent humanitarian crisis to enter the country for a temporary period. 

All Afghan refugees are eligible to apply for humanitarian parole and asylum, and they can also apply for a U.S. visa. However, those who have applied for either but have not yet completed the lengthy screening and interview process to receive clearance are being sent to third-party countries before they can enter the United States. Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia and Uganda have agreed to temporarily host smaller numbers of refugees ultimately destined for the U.S. 

When Afghan refugees arrive in the U.S., legal residents or U.S. citizens are tested for COVID-19 and then released to go to their destinations. Those who are not will be sent to military bases for processing, which includes a health screening and services such as help to apply for work authorization. After processing, these refugees are connected with a refugee resettlement agency. 

Resettlement agencies, like RAICES in Texas, are funded by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Resettlement agencies, using a $1200-per-person stiped, set up housing, including utilities and furniture, for the refugees, and enroll children in school and sign families up for social services programs such as Medicaid. The agencies also provide job skills training and help refugees with their job searches; they also help refugees adjust to their new homes through cultural orientation programs. In addition, some refugees qualify for monthly cash assistance, which the resettlement agencies also provide. 

United Kingdom 

The Home Office, the U.K.’s lead immigration department, has announced that any Afghans that worked for the U.K. government or British military can stay in the U.K. permanently. There are currently over 8000 Afghan refugees in the U.K., and many of those who were initially only granted temporary residency can now upgrade their immigration status and find permanent housing and jobs. 

Right now, manyf Afghan refugees in the U.K. are living in hotels, but the government hopes to have them resettled more permanently soon. The government has developed two resettlement plans for Afghan refugees—the one currently in progress is known as Operation Warm Welcome, which provides support similar to that of U.S. resettlement agencies such as enrolling kids in school, registering refugees for healthcare and helping them to find housing. The second plan, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, is a longer-term plan, aiming to take in an additional 20,000 refugees over the next few years. 

The refugees who are not currently eligible for permanent residency  can apply for a five-year visa; after the visa is up they can apply for permanent residence.

France

Between August 16 and 27, France evacuated over 2500 Afghans from Kabul, mainly activists. Many of these refugees left families behind in Afghanistan and now worry that they will be unable to reunite. France is notoriously slow at approving family reunification applications, with Afghans having to wait an average of three years before bringing their relatives. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has expressed concerns about a large influx of immigrants, saying that though France will continue to protect those who are most threatened under Taliban rule, “irregular migratory flows” need to be stemmed. 

According to the European Resettlement Network, refugees who can enter France are granted a temporary, six-month leave to work and receive certain social services benefits. After that, all refugees are required to lodge an asylum claim, which, when approved, grants them official refugee status. After gaining refugee status, refugees may apply for French citizenship. 

Challenges 

Whether refugees are in camps or have found refuge in other countries, they often face challenges like unsanitary conditions, a lack of food and housing, and harassment from people around them. Though people leaving Afghanistan are safe from the more immediate dangers of conflict and violence, just leaving the country does not ensure their long-term well being. 

Organizations like Refugees International and Amnesty International have put forth recommendations on how countries can best respond to the Afghan refugee crisis and better help refugees. 

To Get Involved: 

To learn how to support Women for Women International’s emergency relief fund, click here. 

To get involved with the International Rescue Organization, click here. 

To learn more about Afghan Aid, an organization that has been working in Afghanistan for nearly 40 years, click here. 

Ways to help Afghan refugees are different depending on where you live, so consider looking into local and national organizations as well. 

Rachel Lynch

Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.

5 African World Heritage Sites Under Threat

Of the 17 natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are in danger, 12 are located in Africa. Here is a deep-dive into five of these unique sites and the looming threats that surround them.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) awards landmarks and areas around the world status as a ‘World Heritage Site’ for the location's unique cultural, historical or environmental significance. As part of this, World Heritage Sites are provided legal protection by UNESCO, however, many of these sites are now endangered. According to UNESCO, Africa and the Middle East have the largest number of threatened sites. Of the 17 UNESCO natural world heritage sites that are endangered, 12 are located in Africa. Five of these endangered African parks and reserves are described below.

1. Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park, Central African Republic

Black rhinoceros, Central African Republic. Photo by Wynand Uys on Unsplash. 

This Central African national park is located in the prefecture of Bamingui-Bangoran near the Chad border on the Bahr Aouk and Kameur Rivers. It was awarded status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 because of its unique biodiversity and is the largest park in the country, with around 6,700 square miles of land. This park’s historical significance lies in its unique flora and fauna and its position as a “crossroads” savanna. This location acts as the intersection where species from Eastern and Western savanna communities and Southern savanna communities meet. Straddling the Sudano-Sahelian and Sudano-Guinean biogeographical zones, the park hosts various habitats from grassy floodplains and wetlands in the north to savannas with gallery forests in the south. The park is home to various rare species, including black rhinoceroses, elephants, sudanese cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, red-fronted gazelles, buffalo and hippopotamus. 

Around 320 bird species  can be spotted in the park, with at least 25 of them being species of raptors. Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park is home to many rare animals; however, its unique biodiversity has made it a target for illegal poaching of rhinoceros, elephants and giraffes as well as grazing. The western black rhinoceros that was indigenous to the land went extinct in 2011. The park is now governed by the Ministry of Water and Forests, Hunting and Fishing in efforts to protect the property. 

2. Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo

Ituri Forest, near Okapi Wildlife Reserve. MONUSCO. CC BY-SA 2.0. 

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, occupying one-fifth of the Ituri forest. It is part of one of the largest drainage systems in Africa, the Congo river basin. Labeled as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and categorized as “in danger” by 1997, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve stretches to around 5,300 square miles. The reserve is home to many threatened species of primates and birds, including leopards, forest buffalos, bongos, water chevrotain, dwarf antelopes and giant forest hogs. It also provides refuge to 5,000 of the estimated 30,000 remaining okapis, a forest giraffe and has the country’s largest population of forest elephants and chimpanzees. 

In addition to the 17 species of primates, the reserve is inhabited by nomads and hunter-gatherers like the Mbuti and Efe pygmies. Although the Ituri forest is mostly untouched by logging and other development activities, the reserve is threatened by slash and burn deforestation, commercial hunting and gold mining. 

3. Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserve, Niger

Dorcas Gazelle which can be found in Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserve, Niger. FurLined. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserve in Niger covers 29,870 square miles, awarding it position as the second-largest nature reserve in Africa. It was first established as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991 to preserve endangered species, various habitats and beautiful desert landscapes. The reserve is made up of two main zones: the eastern half of the Aïr mountains and the western sections of the Ténéré desert. The mountainous and plain landscapes are home to Saharo-Sahelian flora and fauna that exist within the various habitats of the reserve. Everything from it’s living dunes and stony gravel desert, to cliff valleys and water holes is necessary to preserve  the reserve’s biodiversity. The property provides a sanctuary for many threatened species, emphasizing desert antelopes, including the addax, the white antelope native to the Sahara desert, the dorcas gazelle, ostrich,  fennec fox, barbary sheep and cheetah. The mountains also attract large numbers of migratory birds, totaling around 165 different species of birds. However, political instability in northern Niger, poaching and illegal grazing and other threats have led to the disappearance and decline of many endangered species and designated the site in danger by 1992. The civil unrest left the reserve with no official management plan; poaching led to the extinction of rare species, grazing of domestic animals and crop production minimized resources for wildlife and denied wildlife access to certain crucial wetland habitats. 

4. Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal 

Bordering the Gambia river, Niokolo-Koba National Park is located in the Sudano-Guinean zone. The park is home to the Derby Eland, an open forest and savanna antelope, chimpanzees, lions, elephants, leopards and more than 300 bird species. 

Waterways, gallery forests, dry forests, savanna floodplains and rocky slopes are all landscapes that are found in this endangered World Heritage Site. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, the park is managed through the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection and the National Parks Directorate. Poaching, one of the most significant factors contributing to landing the park on UNESCOs danger list in 2007, has been a major threat to the park for decades and has eliminated most giraffes and elephants that resided in the park. Bush fires, poor soil and the premature drying up of ponds are other factors that have endangered the park. 

5. Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania 

The Selous Game Reserve is located in Tanzania and covers more than 21,000 square miles of land. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the reserve has diverse wildlife and habitats such as Miombo woodlands and its inhabitants—African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, East African wild dog, Cape buffaloes, Masai giraffe, Plains zebra and Nile crocodile—grasslands, Acacia savanna, rivers and swamps.

One of the most famous rivers in the region includes the Rufiji River, which flows into the Indian ocean. While the reserve held the largest number of elephants in the world in the mid-1970s, more than 100,000, the number of elephants in the ecosystem fell to about 15,000 by 2014. The reserve was labeled as endangered by UNESCO in 2014 and is threatened by poaching, deforestation, mining, oil and gas exploration and dam construction. The national government approved a plan to build a hydroelectric dam across the Rufiji River in 2018, and the dam is currently under construction. The damage caused by the dam’s construction has tempted UNESCO to strip the reserve of its status as a World Heritage Site.

Mia Khatib

Mia is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in journalism and minoring in international relations. As a Palestinian-American, Mia is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and is interested in investigative and data-driven journalism. She hopes to start out as a breaking news reporter and one day earn a position as editor of a major publication.

Brazil’s Black Lives Matter Movement 

Brazil, the last South American country to abolish slavery in the late 1800s, struggles to uplift their nation’s Black lives. Through pay gaps, urban designs, government representation and policing, Brazil’s society threatens the Black community. 

A protester on the streets in Brazil. Michelle Guimarães.

Over the course of 300 years, approximately four million Africans were taken to Brazil as slaves. Today, Brazil’s racial demographics are  47.7 percent white, 43.1 percent multiracial and 7.6 percent Black. The average income for white Brazilians is almost double that of the average income for Black or multiracial Brazilians, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Also, 78.5 percent of people in Brazil who are receiving the lowest rate of income (equivalent to $5.50 U.S. dollars per day) are Black or multiracial people.

This May, Black Lives Matter protests filled the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasília after 28 people died during a police raid. Human rights activists said that the officers killed people who wanted to surrender and posed no threat. The raid took place in Rio de Janeiro, where heavily armed officers with helicopters and vehicles went into Jacarezinho, a poor neighborhood. Thousands of residents were subject to nine hours of terror.

Organizers said that 7,000 people took to the streets in Sao Paulo. Protesters painted the Brazilian flag with red paint and held up a school uniform stained with blood. In Rio de Janeiro, protestors chanted, “Don’t kill me, kill racism.”

As Brazilian author and activist Djamila Ribeiro said, “The Brazilian state didn't create any kind of public policy to integrate Black people in society," and that "although we didn't have a legal apartheid like the U.S. or South Africa, society is very segregated—institutionally and structurally."

In 2019, the police killed 6,357 people in Brazil, which is one of the highest rates of police killings in the world—and almost 80 percent of the victims were Black. 

During COVID-19, Black Brazilians were more likely than other racial groups to report COVID-19 symptoms, and more likely to die in the hospital. Experts attributed this disparity to high rates of informal employment among Black people, preventing them from the ability to work from home, and a higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions. Specifically, in 2019, Black Brazilians already accounted for the majority of unemployed workers (64.2%); therefore, they already lacked economic support even before the pandemic.

An artist’s photoshoot with Brazil flag covering their bodies. Eriscolors. 

Only a quarter of federal deputies in the lower chamber of Brazil’s Congress and a third of managerial roles in companies were Black people, according to the IBGE statistics from 2019.  

Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, said during his campaign in 2018 that descendants of people who were enslaved were “good for nothing, not even to procreate,” while using the slogan “my color is Brazil.”

Keisha-Khan Y. Perry, a professor at the University of Texas, conducted an ethnographic study looking at how Black women in Gamboa de Baixo—a city culturally and historically tied to Black Brazilians—are leading the community towards social activism against racist politics. Specifically, these racist policies include political urban revitalization programs that push out Black and poor people. Perry said that these policies are a political tactic continually utilized in Brazilian cities. 

However, recently in May, Milton Barbosa, one of the founders of the most notable Black civil rights organization in Brazil, Unified Black Movement, said, “There’s been an increase in awareness nationally… We still have to fight, but there have been important changes.” 

Kyla Denisevich

Kyla is an upcoming senior at Boston University, and is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Anthropology. She writes articles for the Daily Free Press at BU and a local paper in Malden, Massachusetts called Urban Media Arts. Pursuing journalism is her passion, and she aims to highlight stories from people of all walks of life to encourage productive, educated conversation. In the future, Kyla hopes to create well researched multimedia stories which emphasize under-recognized narratives.

Report Finds W.H.O. Workers Sexually Exploited Women During Ebola Mission

Women were sexually exploited and abused by aid workers in order to obtain or keep jobs during the Ebola Crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A young girl washes her hands at a checkpoint at the border between Uganda and the DRC. UK Department for International Development. CC BY 2.0

According to a report commissioned by the agency’s head, World Health Organization workers sexually abused women while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to aid the Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020. The report found that 83 people participated in the abuse, and in 21 cases, those involved were confirmed to be WHO officials. The investigation started in September 2020 when The New Humanitarian and the Thomas Reuters Foundation published a report investigating abuse claims. The report found that 31 out of 50 women interviewed reported abuse and exploitation from men working for the WHO. In response, leadership in the World Health Organization ordered an independent commission to investigate. After working in Beni, one woman interviewed by the commission stated, “To get ahead in the job, you had to have sex … Everyone had sex in exchange for something. It was very common.” In addition, women reported that they were sexually harrassed and faced exploitation in order to keep their jobs, get paid or get a promotion. In some cases women were dismissed from their jobs when they refused to have sex with supervisors.

The commission established that the majority of the victims were already vulnerable because of precarious social and economic status, and women with more education and economic power were less vulnerable to abuse. The report found that there was a “systematic tendency to reject all reports of sexual exploitation and abuse unless they were made in writing”. While the WHO has training in place to prevent sexual abuse, the report found that training for employees did not happen until November 2019, months after the outbreak had been declared an emergency. Only 371 out of 2,800 workers attended the training. Additionally, men make up the vast majority of employees during the crisis, averaging 73.4% overall. The report cites that men held 77.49% of leadership positions and 91.52% of operations support and logistic positions.

The WHO was not the only organization accused of abuse, The New Humanitarian’s investigation found that there were allegations against workers at World Vision, Unicef and Alima, among others. Additionally, the investigation found that underreporting was prevalent in these cases, with one woman stating, “Why would you even ask if I reported it?” The New Humanitarian found that many women were unaware of how to report abuse or exploitation at all. Most aid agencies claimed they had received no reports of abuse, and the WHO stated they had received only a small number of complaints. ​​Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, apologized to victims and said it was his top priority to hold perpetrators accountable during a press conference after the report’s publication.

Dana Flynn

Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University with a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.

8 Animals Recently Declared Extinct

Anywhere from 24 to 150 animal species go extinct daily, with human activity as a primary cause. Here are eight animals that have recently gone extinct.

Many animal species have recently gone extinct at the hands of humans, which should be a wake up call about how our actions can harm wildlife and the environment. Learn about these eight recently extinct animals to see what you can do to help.

Poison Arrow Frog (Dendrobatidae). Jerry Kirkhart. CC BY 2.0.

1) Splendid Poison Frog

The IUCN added the splendid poison frog to the Red List of Endangered Species in 2004 and officially declared the species extinct in 2020, making it one of the most recently extinct species on the planet. These frogs are often referred to as poison arrow or poison dart frogs, and they are the brightest colored frogs in the world. Splendid poison frogs’ diets cause them to secrete toxins from their skin, and their bright colors warn predators of their toxicity. While the species lived in the humid lowlands and forests of western Panama, deforestation and habitat degradation severely harmed these areas and threatened the frogs. Human invasion such as with logging and construction in the area decreased the species’ population significantly.

Paddlefish, his mouth firmly shut. Shankar S. CC BY 2.0.

2) Chinese paddlefish

Like the baiji dolphin, the Chinese paddlefish (also known as the Chinese swordfish) was most commonly found in the Yangtze River and was one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. This ancient fish species has lived since the Lower Jurassic period and survived the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and many reptiles. Yet, the biggest threat to their existence was human activities. In the 1970s and 80s, overfishing and construction severely decreased the species’ population size. By 1993, this disruption caused the fish to become functionally extinct, which meant that the species lacked the numbers to meaningfully reproduce. The species has not been spotted since 2003, and it was officially declared extinct in 2020.

Sumatran rhino. David Ellis. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

3) Sumatran Rhino

Sumatran rhinos—also known as Asian Two-Horned Rhinos—are the smallest and most endangered rhino species in the world. They generally live for between 35 and 40 years, and their habitat is the  dense tropical forests mainly on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Due to poaching, the species’ numbers have decreased more than 70% over the last 20 years. The Sumatran rhino was officially declared extinct in mainland Malaysia in 2015 and in Malaysian Borneo in 2019. The last Sumatran rhino died in 2019.

Lonesome George. A.Davey. CC BY 2.0.

4) Pinta giant tortoise

In 2012, “Lonesome George,” the world-famous tortoise, passed away at the estimated age of 100 years. George was the last remaining land tortoise from Pinta Island, a northern island in the Galapagos, and lived at the Charles Darwin Research Station since he was found in 1971. Most of his species went extinct because they were used as an onboard food source for 19th-century whalers, as well as due to habitat destruction. The Galapagos National Park searched for a mate for George for over three decades to try to save the Pinta subspecies, but they could not find one. When George passed away in 2012, the Pinta subspecies passed with him.

Black rhino. Corrie Barklimore. CC BY 2.0.

5) Western black rhino

The western black rhino, which was the most uncommon of the black rhino subspecies, went extinct in 2011. In the past, the species had a large range across central and western Africa, but it was not able to survive in the 20th century. Hunting for sport quickly decreased rhino populations, and industrial agriculture cleared rhino habitats to make fields and settlements. In addition, between 1960 and 1995, 98% of black rhinos were killed by poachers. By 1980, the western black rhino’s range had shrunk to only two countries: Cameroon and Chad. The species’ population had fallen to about 10 rhinos by 1997. Due to this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature added the species to the critically endangered species list in 2008, and declared them extinct in 2011.

Baiji, Lipotes vexillifer. CC BY-SA 4.0

6) Baiji

Commonly referred to as the Yangtze River dolphin, Baiji is the first dolphin species to become extinct because of human activity. The Yangtze River was the Baiji’s home for 20 million years, and it only took humans 50 years to completely wipe them out. The Baiji’s ability to communicate, navigate, avoid danger and find food became very challenging as the river became noisier and noisier due to humans. In 2006, researchers embarked on a six-week journey on the river for over 2,000 miles to search for the Baiji, but they were not able to detect any existing dolphins. They were declared extinct in 2007.

7) Cryptic treehunter

There have been no records of the cryptic treehunter since 2007, mainly due to extensive habitat loss in its region, Brazil. Cryptic treehunters were usually found in grasslands, woodlands and humid forests. Logging and conversion of forest to sugarcane plantations and pastureland was a major reason for the species’ decline. Some scientists believe that the species has not completely vanished due to their incredible hiding abilities, but since one has not been seen since 2007, it is unlikely.

Bouquetin—the French name for Pyrenean ibex. Jean-Raphaël Guillaumin. CC BY-SA 2.0.

8) Pyrenean ibex

Once a large population which roamed across France and Spain, the Pyrenean ibex is one of two subspecies of the Spanish ibex that was declared extinct in 2000. The last Pyrenean ibex died in January of 2000 when a falling tree killed her. After she died, scientists took skin cells from her ear and preserved them in liquid nitrogen. In 2003, her DNA was cloned into a new ibex, becoming the first species to be “unextinct.” However, the clone died minutes after it was created due to lung issues. Scientists suspect that the species went extinct due to poaching, disease and competition for food.

Isabelle Durso

Isabelle is an undergraduate student at Boston University currently on campus in Boston. She is double majoring in Journalism and Film & Television, and she is interested in being a travel writer and writing human-interest stories around the world. Isabelle loves to explore and experience new cultures, and she hopes to share other people's stories through her writing. In the future, she intends to keep writing journalistic articles as well as creative screenplays.

U.S. House Passes Bill Repealing Prevention of Abortion Abroad

A new U.S. State Department spending bill includes provisions that expand global abortion rights. The bill passed in the House on July 28 and requires Senate approval by Sept. 30. 

On July 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Department of State, foreign operations and related programs budget bill for the 2022 fiscal year. If the bill passes in the Senate and becomes law, it will have major implications for the global health industry. 

The bill is the first of its type since 1973 to exclude language from the Helms Amendment, which blocks U.S. foreign aid money from funding health services abroad related to abortions. 

The Helms Amendment’s language specifically prevents U.S. funds from paying for abortions as a method of family planning—yet foreign aid organizations have interpreted the amendment much more restrictively, to ban funding for abortions in other cases, such as rape, incest and life-threatening pregnancies. USAID has used the amendment to enforce a ban on the purchase of equipment and drugs to aid in post-abortion care. 

Around 73 million abortions occur annually worldwide, even in countries where access to abortions is restricted. In fact, data shows that abortion rates are often higher in countries where abortion is restricted than in those where abortion is legal. Abortion restrictions, which the Helms Amendment helps to maintain, do not mean that pregnant people are not getting abortions—they just mean that access to safe abortions is severely limited. 

The World Health Organization defines an unsafe abortion as one carried out by a person lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not meet minimal medical standards. Out of the 73 million annual abortions, nearly 35 million are estimated to occur in unsafe conditions. Unsafe abortions account for 8% of maternal mortality worldwide; each year about 47,000 women die from unsafe abortions. 

Unsafe abortions occur overwhelmingly in developing countries, where U.S. funding could be crucial to removing obstacles for safe abortions.  

The recent bill also permanently repealed the 1984 Global Gag Rule, which prevented foreign non-governmental organizations that were receiving U.S. funding from providing assistance on anything related to abortions, including information, referrals, or services. The Global Gag Rule banned such foreign organizations from providing abortion-related assistance even if they used their own, non-U.S. funds. 

A 2019 study found that the Global Gag Rule effectively prevented NGOs from providing functional reproductive health services. The rule caused NGOs to reduce sexual and reproductive health and pregnancy counseling and stop providing information on legal abortion services. The Global Gag Rule also prevents NGOs from involvement in pro-abortion advocacy. 

The U.S. is the largest funder and implementer of global health worldwide, but for nearly 50 years, the Helms Amendment and the Global Gag Rule have meant that a large portion of the healthcare sector misses out on this funding. Rather than preventing abortions, this legislation has served as further obstacles for people seeking safe abortions. Therefore, their exclusion from the most recent U.S. foreign spending budget bill is monumental. 

In addition to the provisions regarding the Helms Amendment and Global Gag Rule, the bill allocated $760 million for family planning and reproductive health services, an $185 million increase from last year’s bill. 

The spending bill passed in the House by a slim majority of 217 to 212. To become law, the bill must pass the Senate in the same form. The final 2022 fiscal year budget needs to be approved by Sept. 30. 

If the bill passes the Senate without mention of the Helms Amendment and with the inclusion of the Global Gag Rule repeal, it will become a landmark piece of legislation for sexual and reproductive health rights around the world. 

To Get Involved: 

For more information about global reproductive health policy and how you can support initiatives to make safe abortions accessible, visit the Guttmacher Institute here or PAI here. 

Rachel Lynch

Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.

Wildfires Burn Through Turkey as Climate Crisis Worsens 

Hundreds of wildfires have blazed across Turkey as the Mediterranean experiences extreme heat this summer. At least eight people have died in the fires and thousands have fled as firefighters and residents struggle to extinguish the fires.

Mountains in the smoke of fires in Turkey, on the Turkish coast in Marmaris, 2021. Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash

Wildfires have been spreading across Turkey since July 28, terrorizing residents, hospitalizing dozens, and killing at least eight people and more than 2,000 farm animals. Around 200 wildfires have burned through more than 40 Turkish provinces, destroying more than 500 square miles of forest, in addition to villages, homes and farmland. Thousands have been forced to leave their shelter and livestock behind just to make it out alive. 

The fires started in Manavgat in the Antalya province, and the majority have broken out along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. Antalya and Mulga, among other beach districts, have been hit the hardest, with a total of 21 wildfires and 14 wildfires respectively, more than double the number of wildfires in other districts. While popular tourist destination Antalya is accustomed to averaging near the mid-30s Celsius over the summer, the district has experienced highs of more than 40 degrees Celsius this summer. Cizre, a southeastern Turkish town, broke the country’s 60-year-old temperature and set the new record at 49.1 degrees Celsius on July 20. Experts believe the wildfires in Turkey and the Mediterranean may have been caused by extreme heat that hailed from North Africa. High winds—around 31 mph—have also facilitated these fires by making them difficult to extinguish and easier to spread. 

Turkey is not alone in this, as southern European nations including Greece, Spain, Italy and Lebanon have also been affected by blazing wildfires and soaring temperatures over the past few weeks. However, Turkey has experienced the bulk of the destruction and the worst wildfires in the nation in decades. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticized for failing to fight the inferno and for the nation’s lack of firefighting planes. Meanwhile, government officials have attempted to offset the blame from Erdogan by accusing political opponents and saboteurs of igniting the fires to get international intervention and undermine the current government. Some help has come in the form of  international assistance from the Middle East, Europe and some of Turkey’s neighbors, such as Azerbaijan and Iran, , but many residents were still left to fight the fires in their backyards alone.

Politics and conspiracies aside, Turkey’s recent wildfires are representative of a larger trend of worsening climate change and an increase in extreme weather events around the world. While the majority of wildfires can be attributed to human activities such as lighting campfires and throwing lit cigarettes on the ground, severe heat and drought make forests drier and more prone to catching on fire. Additionally, the average wildfire season has increased by three and a half months due to winter snowpacks melting about a month earlier than they did in the past. Scientists are comfortable linking these environmental circumstances—and Turkey’s recent extreme weather conditions in particular—to climate change, which is accelerating “dangerously close” to irreversible change. 

As one of six countries that has not ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, Turkey’s commitment to climate policies is weaker in comparison to that of other nations. Without the necessary fire-combatting equipment, including a usable fleet of water-dropping planes, Turkey is struggling to overcome this natural disaster. Despite the government and its supporters’ claims that Turkey can fight this alone, many residents continue to ask for increased international assistance. 

Get Involved

While Russia, Ukraine and other nations send tangible assistance to Turkey, there are ways for individuals to help as well. The World Wide Fund for Nature works to reduce human impact on the environment and preserve wildlife around the world, and is constantly looking for donors to monetarily contribute to the fight against climate change.

More specifically, Turkish Philanthropy Funds has set up a Wildlife Relief Fund to supply Turkey with the equipment necessary to rebuild and recover affected communities. Individual GoFundMe pages are also circulating across social media to facilitate Turkey's relief efforts.

To not only help Turkey but to help push forward the climate agenda in general, individuals can contribute by regulating and lowering their carbon footprint and voting for officials who will prioritize the environment. 

Mia Khatib

Mia is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in journalism and minoring in international relations. As a Palestinian-American, Mia is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and is interested in investigative and data-driven journalism. She hopes to start out as a breaking news reporter and one day earn a position as editor of a major publication.

Deforestation in Myanmar Amid Political Unrest

While deforestation has been a major issue in Myanmar for decades, recent data shows a surge in deforestation that could be linked  to the nation’s recent coup and ongoing internal conflict. 

Environment and Food Security in Myanmar. United Nations Development Programme. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

On February 1, a coup took place in Myanmar. The Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, overthrew many democratically elected members of the National League for Democracy , the ruling party in Myanmar following the November 2020 general elections. After  the coup, the Tatmadaw enforced a year-long state of emergency, transferring power from the elected democratic authorities to the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing. The military assumed control of the nation and invalidated the November vote on the premise that the elections were fraudulent; however, many question the legitimacy of this premise. Some believe that this reasoning was a cover for the Tatmadaw to step in because many members of its party lost in the election. 

Interestingly, the coup took place the day before the Parliament of Myanmar swore in the newly elected members from the November 2020 election, preventing the election. Unsurprisingly, residents did not welcome the control of the Tatmadaw with open arms—many protested the coup and experienced grave, and sometimes deadly, consequences. Citizens who spoke out against the Tatmadaw authorities were punished, as freedom of speech and the press are not guaranteed by law in Myanmar. Since the conflict began, over 900 civilians have been killed by military or police forces and at least 5,000 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced. Additionally, three prominent members of the NLD have died while under police custody in March.

 While this political situation in Myanmar is new, its environmental situation is not. When the nation achieved its independence from the British in 1948, Myanmar, previously known as Burma, had a landscape that was  70 percent forest. In 2014, there was around 48 percent forest cover, as the nation lost around 19 percent of its forests between 1990 and 2010. Although Myanmar’s deforestation rate is less than some of its neighbors, including Indonesia and Vietnam, deforestation is still a major concern in the region. Deforestation in Myanmar is often attributed to three major factors: unsustainable and illegal logging, unresolved land disputes and agricultural development. Despite deforestation, Myanmar has the largest tropical forest in mainland Southeast Asia that is home to more than 80 endemic species. Despite the size of Myanmar’s forests, only around six percent of its land is protected by law while the rest is susceptible to deforestation. 

 Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region exemplifies the consequences deforestation can have on Myanmar’s wildlife. Satellite data from the University of Maryland shows that deforestation is increasing in the nation, especially in the Mergui and Kawthoung districts of the Tanintharyi. According to UMD, Mergui and Kawthoung lost around 15 percent of their tree cover between 2001 and 2019, and recent data from UMD’s Global Analysis and Discovery lab suggest that this number may be higher in 2020 and beyond. 

Gurney’s pittas, small birds with a stubby tail, live in the area between Mergui and Kawthoung in the Tanintharyi. These birds were thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered in the 80s. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Gurney’s pitta is a critically endangered species with only between 1,000 and 2,500 remaining in 2019, a drastic decline from the 10,300 to 17,000 that were alive 15 years earlier. Habitat loss is the reason behind this decline. 

 Gurney pitta. darwin_initiative. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Beyond threatening extinction for wildlife that has been around for decades, deforestation in Myanmar is also threatening the advancement of science in studying biodiversity. New species have recently been discovered in the Tanintharyi region. In 2015 and 2016, researchers discovered two species of geckos, genus Cyrtodactylus, that are known for their bent toes. In 2019, another group of researchers discovered an Asian rock gecko known as Cnemaspis tanintharyi. Some scientists are worried that continued deforestation in the Tanintharyi region could mean the extinction of undiscovered and recently discovered species, in addition to well-known species.

 Myanmar’s political climate has implications for its environmental situation. With Myanmar’s 70-year-long and ongoing internal conflict as well as the recent coup, displaced individuals have turned to its forests for support. Many have taken up farming in the Tanintharyi to make a living and others have sought refuge in surrounding forests—both of which have contributed to increased deforestation in the Tanintharyi region and the decline of unique, local species.

In addition to the environmental consequences of displacement, experts speculate that the coup has opened the nation to increased illegal deforestation as international oversight and trade partnerships deteriorate. With other nations increasing sanctions against Myanmar and refusing to cooperate with the country because of the coup, Myanmar is more susceptible to illegal deforestation and the selling of illegally obtained wood to foreign partners who neglect to question its legitimacy. Satellite data by Planet Labs, Google Earth and Global Forest Watch show that large patches of forest have been removed between January and April of this year. Despite this incriminating data, there is no clear evidence that directly links the recent deforestation to illegal activities conducted by the Tatmadaw.

Mia Khatib 

Mia is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in journalism and minoring in international relations. As a Palestinian-American, Mia is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and is interested in investigative and data-driven journalism. She hopes to start out as a breaking news reporter and one day earn a position as editor of a major publication.

Water Protests Erupt in the Middle East

Droughts have caused agricultural collapse and water shortages across several Middle Eastern countries, with recent protests erupting, calling for governments to take action.

Lut Desert, Iran. Ninara. CC BY 2.0.

The recent  protests in Iran over water scarcity were a part of unrest and rebellion across the entire Middle East after droughts caused agricultural collapse and water shortages in several countries.

The protests began in the oil-rich southwestern province of Khuzestan after accusations that the Iranian government is diverting water to drill for oil. At least eight protestors were killed in different cities.

Climate change is partly responsible for the protests, due to droughts and sandstorms but years of government inefficiency have also largely contributed to the problem. Many development projects put forth in Khuzestan over the years have caused environmental damage and water shortages, including the construction of hydroelectric dams, water transfers to neighboring provinces and irrigation schemes that have only fed agriculture.

According to Khuzestan lawmaker Mojtaba Youssefi, more than 700 villages in the province do not have drinking water and many farmers’ livestock have died of thirst.

Authorities in the area have reacted to the water protests with violence and have cut internet access.

Drought is one of the most significant drivers of conflict not just in Iran, but also everywhere in the Middle East. For example, agricultural collapse and droughts caused many rural Syrian families to migrate to cities and fight for resources and jobs.

The northern Syrian countryside in high summer. Charles Roffey. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Droughts have been a historical constant in the Middle East, but water shortages are becoming even more intense and are present for greater lengths of time due to longer dry seasons and higher temperatures which are driven by global warming.

Yet, politicians and government corruption are also to blame for the droughts. Water shortages only continue to point toward unrest and rebellion, prolonging the social and political trouble that climate change has already caused. Also, the ineffectiveness of water dams in Iraq have caused acute and chronic water shortages there as well.

To make up for these water shortages, farmers and governments are pumping huge amounts of groundwater, which risks turning fertile land into deserts. In 2015, NASA satellites mapped water losses in the region since 2002 and found that parts of Iran and Iraq had lost from 6 to 10 inches of groundwater due to human activity.

As the conflict progresses in Iran, there are risks of violence between neighboring states competing over water resources.

GET INVOLVED

The Borgen Project is a nonprofit that addresses global poverty and hunger and works towards ending them. With their project on the water crisis in the Middle East, they offer internships and volunteering opportunities as well as accept donations. 

Water for People is another organization which brings water, sanitation and hygiene services to those in need. People can get involved with this nonprofit by fundraising, partnering with the company and volunteering.

Isabelle Durso

Isabelle is an undergraduate student at Boston University currently on campus in Boston. She is double majoring in Journalism and Film & Television, and she is interested in being a travel writer and writing human-interest stories around the world. Isabelle loves to explore and experience new cultures, and she hopes to share other people's stories through her writing. In the future, she intends to keep writing journalistic articles as well as creative screenplays.

Trekking Up Le Morne Brabant Mountain in Mauritius

This mountain, which serves as a symbol of hope, offers hikers a breathtaking view of Le Morne beach and remains a meaningful part of local Mauritian culture. 

Le Morne beach in Mauritius. Colours of Mauritius. Unsplash. 

Tucked away in Mauritius lies Le Morne Brabant mountain, a site known for its beautiful hiking path and bird’s-eye views of the surrounding beach.

With the mountain sitting at 1,824 feet above sea level, the hike to the top takes around three to four hours depending on the speed and size of the group. This hike is no easy feat, as special equipment is required to actually reach the summit due to the steepness of the climb. The trail measures over two miles and is shrouded in greenery and vegetation. Since Le Morne Brabant is situated on private land, it is notably one of the most well preserved and wildest mountains on the island.

The mountain was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 2008, and was closed to the public shortly after. It was not until 2016 that the site reopened to visitors. This was a rather controversial decision, as many believed that reopening the site would contribute to its destruction.  Because of this, there are several restrictions in place for visitors to ensure that this doesn’t happen. For example, most hikers need to be accompanied by a professional guide with EFR/WFA certification, and hikers need a further specialized guide to access the second area of the trail. 

The site also has a rich historical significance. Back in the 1600s, the Dutch East India Company first took slaves to Mauritius to work on sugarcane and tobacco plantations, and by the late 1700s, many more slaves were brought over from other places in Africa and India. Before slavery was later abolished under British rule, Le Morne Brabant was used as a makeshift refuge shelter for runaway slaves. Due to Le Morne’s steep cliffs and isolated location, the escaped slaves were able to easily hide there . They eventually created small settlements on the summit and in the caves along the mountain, where they were able to remain safe. 

Today, the community continues to honor the meaningful history of the mountain,  which is viewed as a beacon of hope. Every year on February 1, the community celebrates the commemoration of the abolition of slavery at the International Slave Route monument, which is situated at the foot of the mountain. 

Zara Irshad

Zara Irshad is a third year Communication student at the University of California, San Diego. Her passion for journalism comes from her love of storytelling and desire to learn about others. In addition to writing at CATALYST, she is an Opinion Writer for the UCSD Guardian, which allows her to incorporate various perspectives into her work.

The Best Places to Rock Climb Around the World 

Rock climbing has been growing in popularity over recent years. These 5 spots are just a few of the world’s most impressive outdoor rock climbing sites. 

Rock climbing is a popular form of exercise; recently, indoor climbing gyms have become more and more common, and sport climbing was added to the Olympics for the Tokyo 2020 games. There are several types of climbing to explore around the world, with varying levels of difficulty and types of gear necessary for each. These five outdoor climbing sites—some of the most famous or unique climbing experiences across the globe—are just a small sampling of the numerous places for climbers of every level to explore. 

North America

El Capitan, California

Located in the Western part of Yosemite National Park’s Yosemite Valley, the granite walls of El Capitan reach more than 3,000 feet in the air. The rock face was formed millions of years ago after the collision of North America with another tectonic plate, forming magma which eventually crystallized into granite. El Capitan is one of several impressive granite rock faces in Yosemite Valley which allow for big wall climbing—a climb up a vertical expanse of rock that often takes multiple days. El Capitan is probably one of the most well-known rock formations among climbers, and it has become famous enough that even those who’ve never climbed may recognize the name. El Capitan has been the subject of a few films, including the Oscar-winning Free Solo, which follows Alex Honnold’s successful summit of the formation without any ropes or safety gear. El Capitan offers dozens of climbing routes for experienced climbers, such as The Nose and Muir Wall. Yosemite also has numerous routes for inexperienced climbers, and guides to help climbers learn the ropes. 

Other places to climb in North America are Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, Mount Asgard on Baffin Island in Canada and Acadia National Park in Maine.  

Europe

Kalymnos, Greece

One of Greece’s Dodecanese Islands near the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, Kalymnos is lauded as one of the greatest sport climbing destinations in the world. Sport climbing is a form of high-intensity climbing on routes that are often relatively short. This type of climbing is distinguished by the fact that it relies on preplaced bolts and anchors drilled into the rock. Kalymnos is rather barren, dotted with low shrubs and very few trees; the terrain is mostly mountainous, consisting of major rock formations all along the west coast. In the past, Kalymnos’ barrenness meant that the local population had to turn to the sea to make a living, and the island became a hub for sponge-divers. Beginning in the late 1990s, the island’s rocky terrain began to serve a new purpose, as Italian climber Andrea di Bari and a group of other climbers created sport climbing routes on the cliffs. Today, there are over 3,000 routes on Kalymnos for climbers of varying levels, and the island hosts an annual climbing festival where climbers from around the world travel to compete and set up new routes. 

Europe is considered the birthplace of climbing, and there are a variety of other incredible climbing spots across the continent, including the Dolomites in Italy, Frankenjura in Germany, Fontainebleau in France and Lofoten in Norway. 

South America

La Esfinge, Peru 

Like California’s El Capitan, La Esfinge is an impressive site for big wall climbing. La Esfinge (The Sphinx) is in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which is located in the northern part of the country. Cordillera Blanca is home to abundant native plants and animals, as well as ruins from Inca civilization and pre-Inca cultures. La Esfinge is the most popular rock climbing site in the Cordillera Blanca and is regarded as South America’s premier big wall, a towering granite monolith standing at over 2,000 feet tall. There are many routes up La Esfinge, but the one most traversed by climbers is known as The Original Route, or the 1985 Route, because it is the route that climbers first took to summit in 1985. The 1985 route goes straight up the Eastern face of La Esfinge and is technically the easiest route on the wall, yet it is still a tremendous climb. 

Other prominent climbing destinations in South America include Mount Fitz Roy in Argentina, Cajon del Maipo in Chile, El Gunko in Panama and El Potrero Chico in Mexico. 

Africa

Todra Gorge, Morocco

In Southern Morocco, about six hours east of Marrakesh, lies the Todra Gorge, one of the world’s most beautiful canyons and a stunning climbing spot for climbers of all levels. Made by the River Todra carving its way through the limestone for thousands of years, the Todra Gorge is a canyon with cliffs rising over 400 meters high on either side. Todra Gorge boasts more than four hundred climbing routes, ranging from beginner to advanced. The first climbing routes in Todra Gorge were set by Spanish and French climbers in the 1970s, and new routes are constantly being developed by climbers who visit the gorge. One of the things which draws climbers to Todra Gorge is that it can be climbed year-round, as the weather and location ensures that there will always be a cliff in the sun during the winter or the shade during the summer. 

Other challenging climbs in Africa are the Milner Amphitheater and Table Mountain in South Africa, and Mount Kenya in Kenya. 

Asia

Railay Beach, Thailand 

Located in the Krabi Province of southern Thailand, Railay is a picturesque peninsula that juts off from the mainland. Although Railay is connected to the rest of Thailand, a series of steep cliffs separates the area from the rest of Thailand, meaning that no roads are able to come through to the peninsula and it is only accessible by boat. Railay has three beaches, all of which are lined by imposing limestone cliffs which make the area popular for rock climbing. Railay offers both sport climbing and bouldering, a form of free climbing. The most popular beach for climbing is Railay West, on the western side of the peninsula, but there are numerous routes on the other Railay beaches as well. Railay Beach boasts routes for climbers of varying levels, as well as some incredible views of the Gulf of Thailand. Two of the most-climbed areas of Railay Beach are the 123 wall and the Thaiwand Wall. Because of its location on the water, the beach provides another unique climbing experience: deep-water soloing. Deep-water soloing combines the free solo climbing style (no ropes or equipment) with water; without equipment, climbers make their way up craggy cliffs over deep bodies of water so if they fall, they land safely in the water. 

There are numerous other rock climbing destinations in Asia, including Long Dong in Taiwan, Cat Ba Island in Vietnam, Yangshuo in China and Mount Katsu in Japan. 

Rachel Lynch

Rachel is a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY currently taking a semester off. She plans to study Writing and Child Development. Rachel loves to travel and is inspired by the places she’s been and everywhere she wants to go. She hopes to educate people on social justice issues and the history and culture of travel destinations through her writing.