Global Issues News Headlines for “Consumption and Consumerism”

World Urban Forum opens in Baku as housing crisis and climate shocks intensify

2026-05-16T05:00:00-07:00

Soaring housing costs, climate shocks and conflicts are leaving millions without adequate shelter – but what can be done? As the 13th UN World Urban Forum opens on Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan, participants will grapple with solutions to a deepening global housing crisis.

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Building Resilient Food Systems in an Age of Disruption

2026-05-15T05:08:52-07:00

UTTAR PRADESH, India, May 15 (IPS) - The latest shock to global food systems, triggered by conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, has once again exposed a fragile truth: the world’s food systems remain highly vulnerable to external shocks.

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Global energy and trade disruption pushing millions towards poverty

2026-05-15T05:00:00-07:00

Disruptions to global energy supplies and trade corridors are driving up the cost of food, transport and essential goods worldwide, slowing economic growth and increasing pressure on vulnerable households and debt-strapped developing countries.

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Field-Based Research Is a Lifeline for Zimbabwe’s Food Security

2026-05-15T04:30:22-07:00

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, May 15 (IPS) - Agriculture sustains millions of people in Zimbabwe, serving as a vital source of both food and income. But climate-related pressures affecting land, crops, rainfall patterns, and increasing pest outbreaks are threatening smallholder farmers’ harvests, leaving them food insecure.

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The GEF, Leads Global Drive to Tackle Shipping Threat to Oceans

2026-05-14T08:29:15-07:00

MAFIA ISLAND, Tanzania , May 14 (IPS) - Under the warm waters off Tanzania’s Mafia Island, marine scientist Asha Mgeni hovers above a coral reef she has studied for years. Small fish dart through the currents. To most divers, the reef appears pristine. But Mgeni notices something unusual.

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Norway’s Funding Cutoff Is a Wake-Up Call for the Plastics Treaty Negotiations

2026-05-14T06:42:31-07:00

GENEVA, May 14 (IPS) - Norway’s reported decision to review and place on hold aspects of its funding to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) should be understood as more than a budgetary matter. It is a political signal. It is also a warning that the global plastics treaty negotiations may now be approaching the point at which governments must decide whether the present UNEP process can still deliver the treaty they promised, or whether a different pathway is required.

Read the full story, “Norway’s Funding Cutoff Is a Wake-Up Call for the Plastics Treaty Negotiations”, on globalissues.org →

Gaza reconstruction envisages building ‘islands’ out of rubble

2026-05-14T05:00:00-07:00

A feasibility study is underway to examine whether Gaza’s war debris could be recycled to reclaim coastal land and build artificial islands, as part of reconstruction.

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Lawmakers From Three Continents Demand Action, Not Pledges, on Population and Health

2026-05-14T04:59:04-07:00

CAIRO, May 14 (IPS) - The word heard most often at a two-day parliamentary forum in Cairo last week was not “commitment”; it was “follow-up.” And the difference mattered.

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What Hungary’s New Pro-Democracy Government Means For Rule of Law

2026-05-13T08:14:22-07:00

SYDNEY, Australia, May 13 (IPS) - Péter Magyar, leader of the pro-democratic centre-right Tisza Party, which recently swept into power on an unstoppable wave of hope for change, has now been sworn into office as Hungary’s new Prime Minister.

Read the full story, “What Hungary’s New Pro-Democracy Government Means For Rule of Law”, on globalissues.org →

Afghanistan crisis deepens as record returns, drought and aid cuts strain economy

2026-05-13T05:00:00-07:00

Afghanistan’s humanitarian and economic crisis is deepening despite modest economic growth, with nearly three in four people unable to meet basic needs, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said on Wednesday.

Read the full story, “Afghanistan crisis deepens as record returns, drought and aid cuts strain economy”, on globalissues.org →