News headlines for “Consumption and Consumerism”
Why lower fertility does not have to mean economic decline
- UN News

Globally, most people say they want two or more children, but many are having only one, or none at all. According to a senior UN economist, fears of a demographic timebomb are unwarranted.
Gaza Crisis Deepens as Aid Restrictions and Ongoing Strikes Strain Humanitarian Operations
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, April 17 (IPS) - Roughly six months after the ceasefire in the Occupied Palestinian Territory went into effect, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains precariously fragile, despite a relative decline in hostilities. The crisis, marked by ongoing Israeli airstrikes and shelling, continued blockades on humanitarian aid, and widespread displacement, has pushed the majority of Palestinians in Gaza to the brink. Amid the vast scale of needs, basic services are increasingly strained, and humanitarian experts warn that the situation could deteriorate further in the coming months unless sustained aid and funding are secured.
Global Shocks Push Geoeconomics to the Center Stage at Foreign Policy Forum
- Inter Press Service

SRINAGAR, India, April 17 (IPS) - As war in the Middle East ripples through global markets, policymakers, economists, and industry leaders gathered in Washington this week to agree that economics is no longer separate from geopolitics. It is now its core instrument.
Africa’s Future Depends on Innovation, Data, and Frontier Technologies
- Inter Press Service

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 17 (IPS) - Across the continent, GDP has risen on the back of more workers, more capital and a commodity super-cycle, rather than through genuine gains in productivity and innovation. Too little labour has moved out of subsistence agriculture into higher-productivity manufacturing and modern services.
Bridging Knowledge Systems: How Pacific Communities Are Reclaiming Climate Solutions Through Nature
- Inter Press Service

NAIDIRI, FIJI, April 17 (IPS) - Climate change is no longer a distant threat. Across the Pacific, it is a daily reality reshaping coastlines, livelihoods, and the delicate balance between people and the environment. But in a region long defined by resilience, solutions are not being invented from scratch. They are being remembered, strengthened, and scaled.
Shockwaves of Middle East war reach Caribbean as food prices soar
- UN News

Six weeks since war erupted in the Middle East, the shockwaves have spread to the Caribbean region, already pushed to the brink, amid fears of a looming El Niño-linked climate disaster.
The Cape Water Performance-Based Bond: A New Alliance for Cape Town’s Water Future
- Inter Press Service

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 16 (IPS) - In 2018, Cape Town came perilously close to becoming the first major city in the world to run out of water. Known as “Day Zero”, it was more than just a crisis, it marked a pivotal moment. It made clear that water insecurity is not a distant threat, but an immediate reality.
Explainer: How the GEF Funds Global Environmental Action
- Inter Press Service

SRINAGAR, India, April 16 (IPS) - The Global Environment Facility, widely known as the GEF, plays a central role in financing environmental protection across the world. It supports developing countries in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, and threats to ecosystems.
Shipping Industry Seeks Certainty as Experts Back Strong Net-Zero Framework
- Inter Press Service

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, April 16 (IPS) - As global shipping braces for another round of high-stakes negotiations, a volatile mix of rising fuel costs, geopolitical tensions and deep political divisions is testing the fragile consensus around a proposed Net-Zero Framework (NZF) aimed at decarbonising one of the world’s most polluting industries.
Care for the Elderly
- Inter Press Service

PORTLAND, USA, April 15 (IPS) - Who should be responsible for providing care and covering expenses for the elderly? Should it be governments, the elderly themselves, their families, a combination of the three, or a new societal arrangement?

