Infrastructure
‘It’s a lose-lose situation’: Carbon ‘offset’ project in Cambodia accused of human rights violations
Companies around the world try to make up for their carbon emission by purchasing “offsets,” financing projects intended to preserve forests or otherwise compensate for their emissions. In Cambodia, Human Rights Watch recently issued a report about violations against Indigenous people in a carbon offset program in the Cardamom mountains.
Delhi is rolling out the welcome mat as leaders arrive for the G20 summit in India
But critics say that India has turned the G20 into a marketing campaign for itself — and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi — ahead of general elections next year. The summit will also be a test for India as it seeks to establish itself as a rising power and as a voice for the global south.
Colombian activists try to shame city government into fixing broken sidewalks — by painting them pink
In Colombia’s capital city Bogotá, pedestrians need to watch out for loose slabs of pavement they can trip over, or wobbly tiles that get their feet wet or splash dirty water on their pants. But some activists have started trying to shame the city into making repairs more quickly by covering the broken spots with pink paint and black Xs.
Flooding from Ukraine’s ‘Hero River’ may be a silver lining of war
In order to prevent Russian troops from advancing toward Kyiv, Ukrainian forces destroyed a dam on the Irpin River early on in the war. The flooding, as it turned out, created new wetland areas. Some conservationists hope to see the wetlands stay. Even residents whose cellars remain flooded are glad the water came and the Russian troops did not.
A coalition of Ukrainians is documenting environmental crimes
The Ukrainian government is doing an unusually thorough job of documenting environmental damages being caused by Russian attacks. Their primary goal, according to the Ministry of the Environment, is to eventually win compensation for these damages.