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Green stimulus can repair global economy and climate, study says Projects will deliver higher returns amid Covid-19 crisis than conventional spending, researchers claim. An analysis of possible COVID-19 economic recovery packages shows the potential for strong alignment between the economy and the environment. The direction of these measures over the next six months will largely…

While COVID-19 is dominating headlines, another kind of emergency is threatening the lives of millions of people around the world—food insecurity. The two are very much intertwined, however. By the end of 2020, authorities estimate that upwards of 265 million people could be on the brink of starvation globally, almost double the current rate of crisis-level food insecurity. Today’s…

Did you know that around 60 per cent of all infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, as are 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases, in other words they come to us via animals? Zoonoses that emerged or re-emerged recently are Ebola, bird flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), the Nipah virus, Rift Valley fever, sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), West Nile…

Pope Francis recalls St. Pope John Paul II’s first Apostolic Visit to the African continent and congratulates young people striving to bring relief to the drought-stricken Sahel region. Pope Francis on Sunday recalled the 40th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul’s first pastoral journey to Africa, during which he raised the alarm regarding the plight of people of the Sahel region who were struck by…

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted major reflection and attention on the global food system. While the science is currently uncertain, the pandemic may have arisen from an animal source in wet markets. Regardless of the source, its impact on people’s food and nutrition security is acute: before the current crisis, an estimated 820 million people were going to bed hungry each night. Now an…

Against the backdrop of a raging and devastating pandemic, the world economy is projected to shrink by 3.2 per cent in 2020. Under the baseline scenario, GDP growth in developed countries will plunge to –5.0 per cent in 2020, while output of developing countries will shrink by 0.7 per cent. The projected cumulative output losses during 2020 and 2021—nearly $8.5 trillion—will wipe out nearly all…