Where Are All the Women Pastors?

June 20, 2023

The Southern Baptist Convention’s recent rule to prohibit women ministers is part of a long history of gender exclusion in Christian churches.

Men being ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. CC BY-ND 2.0

On June 14, 2023 the Southern Baptist Convention met in New Orleans for its annual conference and voted in favor of the church’s long-standing prohibition of women serving as pastors. The vote ruled overwhelmingly in favor of upholding the rule, a decision that led two congregations with women pastors to be expelled from the denomination: Saddleback Church in Southern California and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

The vote reaffirms the Southern Baptists’ conservative focus and comes at the heels of a 2022 report detailing the church’s attempt to cover up sexual abuse by staff and pastors.

With 47,000 churches and 13.7 million members, the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. However, SBC’s decision to continue its exclusion of women from pastoral roles within the church is not unique within the Christian world. The Roman Catholic Church, along with the Church of Latter Day Saints (commonly called Mormons), and the Orthodox Church, all prohibit women’s ordination.

The question centered at the debate around female ordination is a complicated one. While many women make up a majority of congregants and are often heavily involved in Church life and activities, taking on secondary leadership roles, there remains a stark cut-off in women’s degree of power in these religious spaces, a phenomenon that has been dubbed the “stained-glass ceiling.”

In 2021, Duke University published research examining the reality of these “stained-glass ceilings.” Their findings highlighted a disproportionate lack of female leaders across a survey of Catholic, Evangelical, Black Protestant, Mainline Protestant, and Non-Orthodox Jewish communities. The study found that women lead only 14% of American congregations. The numbers varied across communities, with women leading 30% of white evangelical congregations and 16% of Black Protestant congregations. Contrastingly, within predominantly white Evangelical congregations only 3% were led by women, and only 2% of Roman Catholic Churches had female leadership.

However, even when women are able to serve as church clergy, they lag behind men when it comes to equal pay. Female clergy earn 76 cents to each dollar made by their male counterparts. The Church Law and Tax Compensation Handbook reported that male senior pastors earned a salary that was 40% higher– or $25,000 more– than female senior pastors between 2014 and 2015. While the pay gap appears to be shrinking, it is still present. From 2016 to 2017 men who worked as full-time senior pastors received 27% more earnings and benefits, or approximately $15,000 more, than their female counterparts.

Along with a measurable pay gap, women clergy members also face the same insidious sexism that harasses all women in leadership roles, leaving female clergy in a position of intense scrutiny through which through their authority, intelligence, and ability are routinely questioned and mocked.

Despite being barred from top roles, women play a crucial role in supporting the structures and community of the church. Out of all secondary ministerial staff, 35% of full-time and 46% of part-time staffers were female.

Women have long played a crucial role in religious life, serving as nuns, teachers, religious teachers, and deacons. But the very top positions are still out of reach.

A study found that only four out of nine major U.S. religious organizations that ordain women had a woman in the top leadership role. Those four churches– The American Baptist Churches, The Episcopal Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Methodist Church– each had only one woman in a top position.

In many ways women still serve as the backbone of the church, leading the charge behind community organizing, childcare, and volunteer services. When Pope Francis formally allowed women to serve in lay ministerial roles such as lectors and acolytes, he failed to acknowledge that women have been informally taking on the work and responsibilities of these positions for some time. Instead, he emphasized the difference between these positions and the ordained roles open only to men.

While women are the vital essence powering many churches, when it comes to access to the podium or microphone, they face categorical silencing.

Protest outside Westminster Cathedral. Catholic-womens-ordination.org.uk. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Why does female religious leadership matter?

Female leadership in the church not only allows religious spaces to better serve the specific spiritual needs of their congregation, but the opportunity to see examples of women in positions of power and respect also has a significant impact on young girls.

A 2018 study found that the presence of female congregational leaders can lead to better self esteem in the young girls who grow up in their church, an impact that reverberates into adulthood. Compared to women who had grown up with some female clergy members, women who had never had female congregational leaders were 10% less likely to agree and 30% less likely to strongly agree to having high self esteem.

Additionally, the study found a link between young girls' access to female congregational leaders and their future employment opportunities. Women who grew up with a female role model as their most influential leader were just as likely to be employed full time as men, in contrast to those who did not.

Female leadership in church marks an important benchmark of gender equality that extends beyond religious divisions into social and political life as well. Church leaders oftentimes serve as influential figures in their communities, with the opportunity to serve as a powerful voice in discussions on timely social issues, including abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Elevating women’s pastorship would also elevate women’s roles as community leaders, local activists, and engaged political informers.

Stained glass from from the Basilique de Sacré Couer in Paray-le-Monial. Lawrence OP. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Get Involved

Harnessing the power and advocacy of their women congregants, there are many organizations working tirelessly to advocate for women’s ordination and religious empowerment.

Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) is a grass-roots movement that has been working to increase female leadership opportunities within the Catholic Church since 1975. The activist group advocates for women’s ordination and increased power within the Catholic Church. In 2018, WOC members protested outside the Vatican in order to advocate for women’s right to vote in synods, a body that makes up the advisory board to the Pope. Along with advocacy work, the organization provides a network aimed at building a community of empowerment for young women in the Catholic Church. Working alongside their goals for gender equality, WOC also seeks to dismantle systems of oppression through anti-colonialism and anti-racist work that champions inclusivity.

For over 100 years, the International Association of Women Ministers has been supporting women’s ministry and advocating for women’s ordination, with members across 22 countries. IAWM offers annual assemblies that have been hosted both within the United States and abroad in Canada, England, Cuba, New Zealand, Germany, Scotland, and Hungary, with the mission of cultivating an international forum for female ministers from all backgrounds, countries, and cultures to develop relationships and provide a community of support for women’s professional growth within ministry.

Jessica Blatt graduated from Barnard College with a degree in English. Along with journalism, she is passionate about creative writing and storytelling that inspires readers to engage with the world around them. She hopes to share her love for travel and learning about new cultures through her work.

ART REVIEW: Ai Wei’s New Exhibit Highlights Activism and Mass Production

June 20, 2023

Not one to shy away from political statements, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s recent exhibition questions mass production and highlights human rights tragedies around the world.

Ai sits atop “Still Life,” one of the works presented in Making Sense consisting of 1,600 tools from the late Stone Age. Ai Weiwei Studio. CC BY-NC 2.0

Internationally renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is known for his ability to present political opinions and insights through artwork that relies heavily on everyday objects, and his latest exhibit is no different. Titled “Making Sense,” the exhibit, which has been on display at London’s Design Museum since April 7 and will remain there until July 30, includes a number of Ai’s decommissioned artworks as well as a handful of new pieces. This exhibit marks the first time Ai has offered commentary on the practice of design and what it means for the value society places on objects.

Ai Weiwei pictured talking to reporters outside of his studio soon after his release from detainment in 2011. Getty Images. CC BY-SA 2.0

While Ai is most widely known as an artist, he is also an internationally recognized human rights activist due to the strong political statements he makes both through his art and his speech. He has long been openly critical of the Chinese government’s stance on the democratic process and human rights, which led to a stint under house arrest in 2010. The government claimed that he had built his Shanghai studio illegally and scheduled it to be demolished, although many believed that this was simply an excuse to further crackdown on dissent.

Ai has also regularly conducted investigations into government corruption and scandals which were covered up, resulting in his arrest in April of 2011 due to “economic crimes”. He was detained for a total of 81 days without ever being charged, and upon release, was hailed as the father of modernism in China. His clashes with the Chinese government have meant that freedom of expression and free speech are central themes to a lot of his work, and he often tries to draw parallels between his experiences in China with what he sees happening in the US, Europe, and elsewhere.

Photographs from the “Study of Perspective” collection are displayed above the stone age tools. Ed Reeve. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In “Making Sense,” many of the works are large collections of objects both ordinary and rare, meant to probe his audience’s views on mass production and consumption, from lego bricks to stone-age tools, pottery shards to porcelain cannonballs from the Song dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). True to his activism, there are also a number of works highlighting various human rights and social justice issues, such as the poor response of the Mainland Chinese government after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 and the ongoing refugee crisis in Southern Europe.

Among the decommissioned works in the exhibit is a collection of photographs titled “Study of Perspective,” in which only Ai’s hand is seen emerging from behind the camera, holding up his middle finger before a variety of backgrounds including the Eiffel Tower, Tiananmen Square, and the White House. Shot between 1995 and 2017, these photographs were meant to mimic those taken by tourists in front of these popular landmarks, while simultaneously presenting a sharp statement of opposition to the political institutions they represent.

A sea of donated lego bricks makes up the “Untitled (Lego Incident)” Work in the exhibit. Ed Reeve. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Another work, “Untitled (Lego Incident),” comprises hundreds of Lego pieces donated to Ai after Lego refused to sell him any of their products in 2014. He had been previously been using Lego bricks to create portraits of imprisoned human rights activists to display as part of his “@Large” exhibit displayed in the infamous prison on Alcatraz Island, but Lego blacklisted Ai, announcing that their products are not meant to be used for political messages. His response on social media resulted in these donations, with this exhibition the first time the Legos will be part of a formal production. This field of bricks lies in front of another Lego based artwork in which Ai has reinterpreted the famous Monet painting of water lilies, using over 650,000 individual bricks to create a wall piece which stretches for almost 50 feet (roughly 15.2 meters).

Some of the works are of a much more personal nature, such as “Left Right Studio Material,” a carpet of blue glazed pottery shards leftover from when the Chinese government raided Ai’s studio in 2018 demolishing everything they could find. At the time Ai had been experimenting with the ceramics, trying to create the largest possible sphere that would fire in his kiln without shattering. One such bubble is visible to the right of the shards, a lone survivor of the studio raid. This work is one of a handful that speak to Ai’s fascination and appreciation of artisanal Chinese craftwork, porcelain making being among many that are quickly dying out thanks to automated mass manufacturing processes.

A close-up view of the porcelain teapot shards that comprise “Spouts”. Ian Mansfield. CC BY-SA 2.0

In this vein, the two works “Untitled (Porcelain Balls)” and “Spouts” also pay homage to Chinese porcelain, the former a field of over 200,000 porcelain cannonballs from the Song Dynasty; Ai was shocked by the use of such a delicate material to make ammunition. The latter is a collection of over 250,000 porcelain spouts broken off of teapots that were not perfect enough to be sold. These massive collections have been curated by Ai himself since the 90s and aim to question how we decide what objects are worthy of value: each of the cannonballs or stone age tools could be placed in a museum given their historical significance, but Ai was able to find them for next to nothing in Chinese flea markets.

“Backpack Snake” (left) and “Life Vest Snake” (right) adorn the back wall of the exhibit. Ed Reeve. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Conversely, the two winding snakes on the back wall of the exhibit are dedicated to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 and the refugees who lost their lives making the journey to Europe from Syria. Titled “Backpack Snake” and “Life Vest Snake” respectively, each work uses items the artist found at the site of both crises: children’s backpacks collected from the rubble of the earthquake and life jackets left on shores of Lesbos by Syrian refugees. Ai painted over and repurposed these objects into the two 55 feet (roughly 16.8 meters) long serpents, which, to Ai, symbolize the complexity and unpredictability of crises both natural and man-made.

As of 2021, Ai has been living in Portugal and is still working in his new home in Montemor-o-Novo, a small countryside town near the Southwest Coast. His new work continues to draw inspiration from his Chinese roots as he collaborates with local ceramicists and porcelain makers to produce new art.

Tanaya Vohra

Tanaya is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in Public Health at the University of Chicago. She's lived in Asia, Europe and North America and wants to share her love of travel and exploring new cultures through her writing.

The Peace Walls in Belfast and the Politics of Separation

June 17, 2023

Today, there are efforts to take down the walls that have separated the loyalist and nationalist neighborhoods in Belfast for over fifty years.

Murals along the Falls Road side of Belfast’s Peace Walls. Megan Coughlin. CC BY-ND 2.0

The Walls are not only a reminder of a violent history, but a medium for artistic expression and international solidarity.

The origin of the partition that defines Ireland today can be traced back to the early 1920’s, when a successful Irish rebellion from British rule led the island to be broken up into two countries. The Irish Free State gained independence from the United Kingdom, while Northern Ireland remained part of the British state. Irish Nationalists, who generally support an island-wide Irish republic, are predominantly Catholic, while British Loyalists/Unionists are mostly Protestants.

The 1960s saw the beginning of ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. The Troubles refer to the period of violence, riots, and unconventional warfare between the British state and Loyalists paramilitaries, who believed Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom, and Irish Nationalist paramilitaries, who wanted Northern Ireland to join the rest of the island as a United Ireland.

It was within the context of the Troubles that the first Northern Ireland peace walls were built in 1969, after days of intense rioting in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. Originally constructed as a temporary structure to ensure peace between the two sides, the walls have hardened into semi-permanent lines that continue to divide the cities today.

The signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, marked the end of the Troubles. The agreement set up an autonomous legislature and government that could legally only be governed by a coalition of Unionist and Nationalist political parties. Furthermore, while still recognizing Northern Ireland as a part of the U.K., the agreement also acknowledged the possibility for the area to one day unite with the rest of Ireland should a majority vote to do so.

The Good Friday Agreement was a pivotal marker of peace and cooperation between the two sides. However today, some 25 years after its signing, peace walls continue to divide Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast.

One of the largest of these peace walls runs along the Falls and Shankill Roads in West Belfast and divides two major Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. The wall is interrupted by stretches of metal gates, several of which still maintain a curfew, including the Townsend Street gates which closes every weekday night and throughout the weekend. The enduring curfew speaks to the continued tensions between Belfast’s Catholic and Protestant communities, which have been reinforced by the 2016 Brexit referendum.

But today, the walls are not just borders of separation. They’re also a canvas of artistic expression.

The Shankill and Loyalist side of the divide depicts memorializations of those killed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and tributes to the Ulster Defense Association, a Loyalist paramilitary organization founded in 1971. A portrait of King WIlliam, known as William of Orange, looks out upon the neighborhood where Union Jacks decorate the streets.

In contrast, the Falls Road and Irish nationalist side of the divide touts the orange and green Irish tricolor. Here, murals celebrate national pride with depictions of Gaelic sports and memorializations to national heroes, including a large portrait painted on the side of Sinn Fein Political Party Press Office of Bobby Sands, a popular IRA leader and elected MP who died of hunger strike while imprisoned.

It is also on the Falls side that one can see the famous International Wall, depicting images of global civil rights leaders the likes of which include Fredrick Douglass, Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubaman, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Bob Marley. In this neighborhood, it is common to Palestinian flags hanging in people’s windows, aligning a mission to free Irish land from British rule with that of occupied territory in Palestine. A mural on the International Wall depicts hands clasped between prison bars, one of which is draped in an Irish national flag, the other in a Palestinian flag.

Murals along the peace wall that runs through Shankill and Falls Road. Mike McBride. CC BY-NC 2.0

In 2013, a project called Together: Building a United Community was launched by the Northern Ireland Executive. The project called for the removal of all walls in Northern Ireland by 2023, but progress has been slow and in January of 2023, about 60 walls still remain. In a 2015 survey by Ulster University on public attitudes towards the peace walls, about 35% of respondents wanted the peace walls ‘come down some time in the future’ with 40% of Catholics and 25% of Protestants surveyed sharing this position, while 44% of Protestants and 23% of Catholics ‘would like things left the way they are now’.

While the future of the peace walls remains uncertain, their presence serves as a striking visual reminder of division within a city that is increasingly embracing a global economy and multiculturalism, the very extent of which is exemplified by the international calls for peace and solidarity in the artwork that lines the divided city.

To Get Involved

The Social Change Initiative (SCI) is working to support peacebuilding and dialogue between Nationalists and Unionists. Based in Northern Ireland, SCI partners with local activists and publishes articles and reports that detail the strategies and reflections of those working directly within divided communities. SCI also connects local leaders to a global community of human rights activists through fellowships and mentoring programs, in an effort to create an international network through which individuals can share communication and advocacy tactics as well as strategies for peacebuilding and conflict disruption.

How To Visit

One of the most popular ways for travelers’ to experience and learn about Belfast’s peace walls is through Black Taxi Cab tours.

The tours began in the 1970s and are recognized for their effort to provide a balanced and unbiased history of Belfast. The black taxis were first employed as a kind of bus service in the midst of the Troubles in order to transport working class people from their neighborhoods to the city center. The tours are notably co-run by Catholics and Protestants, allowing visitors to hear perspectives from both communities as they travel across the Falls and Shankill roads.

Rewriting Constitutions: An Un-American Art

May 12, 2023

What the United States can learn from the world’s newest Constitutions.

We the People' by Nari Ward -- Sun Splashed Exhibit at the Barnes Foundation Philadelphia (PA) June 2016, Ron Cogswell, CC BY 2.0.

When the United States Constitution was first written only white landowning men had the right to vote, African Americans were legally considered two-thirds of a person, and there was no guarantee from year to year that the United States would continue to exist. Despite these shortcomings, among many others, the United States Constitution was revolutionary for its time, paving the way and serving as an example for virtually all the world’s early democracies. For this, it is and should be revered, and deserves a place in history books across the globe.

Today, the United States Constitution is over 230 years old and is the oldest functioning national constitution in the world. The document hasn’t remained untouched, with new additions such as a universal right to vote and other significant changes saving the constitution from becoming obsolete over the centuries. In total, the Constitution has been amended 27 times. The most recent change technically came in 1992 with the 27th amendment, which made it more difficult for Senators to change their salary. However, the last major change occurred 21 years before that with the 26th amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18. Back then, Richard Nixon was president, the US was still mired in the Vietnam War, and the internet did not yet exist.

March For Our Lives student protest for gun control, Fibonacci Blue, CC BY 2.0.

While some parts of the Constitution have managed to stay relevant, others have become detached from their original purpose. The second Amendment of the constitution, the right to bear arms as part of a well-regulated militia, was designed at a time when the strongest weapon available was a musket that could fire once every 15 or 20 seconds. Today, US citizens can buy weapons that can fire up to 45 times per minute. A well-regulated militia was allowed in case a need arose to fight back against a potentially tyrannical new government, a fear that, in the nascent weak United States unsure of its future, was justified. With the government and its democratic institutions now being well established, and the US military arsenal harboring thousands of planes, tanks, missiles, and many other deadly weapons, overthrowing the US government is not necessary or realistic.

Protest against a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, Fibonacci Blue, CC BY 2.0.

Beyond this, several critically important human rights are not included in the US Constitution. The United States Constitution is one of 28 in the world that does not guarantee gender equality. Moreover, the constitutions of 142 countries protect the right to universal health care and of 160 countries guarantee the right to education. The United States Constitution does not do either of these things.

The idea of a constitution as a sacred untouchable object is a uniquely American one. Many countries around the world either completely rewrite or heavily edit their constitutions quite frequently. Most nations will create a new constitution if their old one starts to become obsolete. This practice, over the past 3 decades, has led to some of the most liberal constitutions in the world.

Ecuador

Ecuador rewrote its constitution in 2008, its government riding a political wave to create one of the most liberal constitutions in the world. This constitution became the first in the world to recognize that the environment has rights, a landmark moment in the international environmental movement. It also was one of the first constitutions to extend rights to people of any gender identity or sexuality. Beyond these progressive changes, Ecuador established an immigration grace period, allowing anyone to enter the country for 90 days without a Visa. The Comparative Constitution Project, an organization devoted to studying constitutions, says the Ecuadorian constitution guarantees 99 rights to its citizens. The next closest constitution only guarantees 88.

South Africa

The South African Constitution was ratified on December 4, 1996, two years after the end of Apartheid. This constitution is well-known for being the first in the world to ban discrimination based on gender identity. This led to South Africa becoming one of the most progressive nations in protecting the rights of gender minorities. The constitutional law has had tangible results. Most notably in 2019, a transgender woman in a male prison was unable to express her identity, which the courts ruled was unconstitutional. In addition, similar to the Ecuadorian Constitution’s environmental protections, the South African constitution guarantees the right to a healthy environment.

Tunisia

The newest constitution of the Republic of Tunisia was passed in 2014 and is most notable for its advanced environmental laws. Like Ecuador and South Africa, the Tunisian Constitution gives citizens the right to a safe and healthy environment. However, the Tunisian constitution goes further, guaranteeing its citizens the right to participate in environmental protection. Finally, it even promises government support to ecological causes, noting that “the state shall provide the necessary means to eradicate pollution of the environment”.

First Amendment to the US Constitution, elPadawan, CC BY-SA 2.0.

This is not to say the US Constitution should be rewritten. In fact, this article is not recommending a particular course of action. Rather, it is simply posing the idea that the constitutions are not as untouchable as they seem.

Jeremy is a Writing Seminars and International Studies major at Johns Hopkins University. He is an avid writer and the Co-Founder of Writers’ Warehouse, Johns Hopkins’ first creative writing group. He is an advocate for Indigenous rights, and studies how Indigenous philosophies can be used to help prevent climate change. Using his writing, he hopes to bring attention to underrepresented voices in today’s world.

Kazakhstan's Journey From Nuclear Devastation to Disarmament

April 27, 2023

The harrowing story of Soviet nuclear testing in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, and the wrangling with its legacy.

The center of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.Alexander Liskin.CC BY-SA 3.0.

It was the summer of 1953. Valentina Nikonchik was outside playing in Semey, a village in eastern Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union. The ground suddenly trembled, and the air filled with a deafening boom that shook Nikonchik to her core. Little did she know that she had witnessed the first detonation at “the Polygon” of a thermonuclear device, a monstrous weapon of mass destruction that released a force equivalent to 400 kilotons of TNT.

West of Nikonchik’s hometown of Semey lies Semipalatinsk, the testing location where the Soviet Union’s nuclear visions were accomplished. A once-thriving region, now a desolate wasteland, has a dark history. In this Central Asian Soviet Republic, the Soviets conducted nearly 400 nuclear tests, blasting a lethal storm of radioactive isotopes into the environment and soil from 1949 to 1989. Even now, the consequences of these tests are still felt, with environmental damage and public health risks ongoing in the area.

At a conference commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Nevada-Semipalatinsk movement, the first anti-nuclear protest movement in the USSR, statistics showing that between 500,000 and 8 million people were directly impacted by the test site’s operations were presented. The detonations, with their tragic and predictable repercussions, represent one of the twentieth century’s major ethical violations. Altogether, the total force of the nuclear explosions at Semipalatinsk equals more than 2,500 Hiroshima bombs. The long-term health effects for the region were harrowing, including an alarming spike in health issues such as miscarriages, birth deformities, and suicides blamed on “unsanitary conditions” in the area by Soviet military scientists in the following decades. What is so disturbing about these dismissals is that the same medical professionals had been performing creeping radiation tests on the villagers for years.

The testing site, despite being uninhabited, is encircled by villages, and the major hub of Semipalatinsk lies just 160 km away. But the testing was kept secret, known only to top Communist Party officials, while anyone who spoke out against the detonations was immediately silenced. Russian scientists confessed that they failed to follow burial and nuclear material protection protocols, as they thought that no one would be in the area. The newly independent Kazakh government officially acknowledged 1,323,000 people as negatively affected by nuclear testing in 1992. However, just 1,057,000 of them received radiation passports, leaving over a quarter of those affected without the requisite documentation. From 2003 to 2017, a $30.5 million reimbursement was intended to give relief to over 700,000 passport holders. Divided between them, a pittance of only only $40 was allocated to each individual each year.

Map of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Range, Area “N”. Martin Trolle Mikkelsen.CC BY 2.0.

In 1990, a year before independence, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and Kazakh poet Olzhas Suleimenov’s Nevada-Semipalatinsk Movement banded together and pushed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s to issue declaration of a nuclear testing moratorium. Kazakhstan seized the opportunity to declare independence the same year and promptly closed down the infamous Semipalatinsk plant. Then, the nation went further, renouncing its inherited position as the world's fourth-largest nuclear weapons owner, and relinquishing its stockpile.

Despite this, the inhabitants go about their regular lives, seemingly unaware of the danger that surrounds them. They swim and fish in the lakes, graze their herds and pick wild strawberries all while being exposed to the poison lurking in the ground and air. However, the danger does not end there. The area will remain a bleak wasteland for millennia, poisoned with plutonium, strontium, and cesium, unfit for human habitation. Residents continue to graze their animals and collect contaminated scrap metal on the polluted land as the 7,065 square mile region is devoid of barriers, fencing, and warnings reminding people of its radioactive status.

Semey, once a thriving city, has suffered the brunt of the devastation. While acute blasts of radiation produced immediate harm, repeated modest doses of radiation over time can accumulate to cause great damage. The wind on the Kazakh steppe has brought the radioactive fallout to nearby settlements, amplifying the impact. The repercussions of nuclear testing have been passed down to future generations as a result of radiation-induced mutations in the population’s chromosomes. As a result, the region’s life expectancy is seven years lower than the national average due to a rise in the prevalence of cancer, thyroid sickness, and birth abnormalities. Tolkyn Bulegenov, Vice President of Semey Medical University, confirms that “in the zones adjacent to the test site, one can encounter 10 to 15% more malignant thyroid and blood malignancies - hematological blastoma, leukosis, lymphoma, and chronic leukemia - than in other regions of Kazakhstan.”

Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test, the effect of radiation on the fetus. Perrona Patrick André Perron.CC BY 3.0.

The late 1980s saw a glimmer of hope for the people of Kazakhstan. As the world was introduced to Gorbachev’s nuclear testing moratorium, the Nevada-Semey movement was born on Kazakh soil with a mission to shut down the Semipalatinsk polygon. Kazakhstan destroyed its inherited weapons testing infrastructure and disposed of the remaining vulnerable nuclear material with the cooperation of foreign partners, including the United States.

On August 29, 1991, President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the proclamation closing the test site, popularly known as the Polygon, which marked a watershed point in Kazakhstan’s recent history. As part of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, the United States collaborated with Kazakhstan between 1995 and 2001 to seal 13 boreholes and 181 tunnels at the test site. From 2012 to 2019, the National Nuclear Security Agency and the Netherlands led two major radiological security operations in Kazakhstan, securing approximately 13,000 radioactive sources from the National Nuclear Center and the Mangystau Atomic Energy Complex. Kazakhstan confirmed its commitment to a nuclear-free world in 2021, in accordance with the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Kazakhstan’s commitment to disarmament has allowed the nation to serve as an example of a responsible state that has relinquished its nuclear weapons, setting a global precedent for responsible statehood. Kazakhstan has created an environment conducive to the formulation of a multifaceted foreign policy by abandoning its nuclear weapons and closing the world's most extensively used nuclear test site, allowing the country to collaborate with China, Central Asia, Europe, and the United States. While each nuclear-armed state faces unique problems, Kazakhstan’s peaceful approach to disarmament has encouraged many, and its lessons serve as a guide for other countries seeking a similar path.

TO GET INVOLVED:

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is a nonprofit global security organization focused on reducing nuclear and biological threats imperiling humanity. You can learn more about NTI and its records on nuclear disarmament in Kazakhstan here.

Togzhan Kassenova’s Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave up the Bomb explains Kazakhstan’s denuclearization process in detail. Kassenova’s book explains how Kazakhstan’s leadership considered security interests as well as economic, political, and diplomatic priorities when making the decision to give up nuclear weapons. You can learn more about Atomic Steppe on Amazon here.

Hope is a Chinese international student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina studying sociology, statistics, and journalism. She dreams of traveling around the globe as a freelance reporter while touching on a wide range of social issues from education inequality to cultural diversity. Passionate about environmental issues and learning about other cultures, she is eager to explore the globe. In her free time, she enjoys cooking Asian cuisine, reading, and theater.

A Brighter Future Emerges 29 Years After Rwanda's Genocide

April 12, 2023

Rwanda's unwavering determination and spirit shine as a source of optimism for the rest of the world.

Rwanda Genocide Memorial. config manager.CC BY 2.0.

This week marks the 29th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, a 100-day period of violence in 1994 in which more than 800,000 people were killed. The repercussions of this tragedy continue to linger, leaving survivors and their family members with deep emotional traumas. Almost 30 years have passed since the devastating genocide in Rwanda, and the country has made some commendable progress in rebuilding its economy and mending its relationships with other nations, while also acknowledging its past mistakes and the sacrifices made during the massacre. The scars of the past may still be visible, but they no longer define Rwanda. Its developments shed light on the country’s journey toward healing and growth, with infrastructure, technology, and education driving its transformation.

The genesis of the Rwanda Genocide three decades ago can be attributed to years of systemic oppression that eventually culminated in one of the most devastating conflicts in modern history. Surprisingly, the two primary ethnic groups involved in this conflict, the Hutus and Tutsis, shared no religious or linguistic differences at the outset. A deep dive into their origins reveals that the Hutus migrated to the Great Lakes region of Central Africa between 500 and 1000 BC, while the Tutsis arrived four centuries later, migrating from the highlands of Ethiopia. The Hutus primarily worked as land cultivators, while the Tutsis were cattle herders, thus creating an economic divide that eventually led to a hierarchical system. In a strange colonial mythology, Tutsi cattle herders were labeled Hamites — a separate and exceptional group — who hailed from an ancient Christian tribe supposedly linked to people of old Palestine. This system placed the Tutsis, as a minority ethnic group, in a position of disproportionate power over the majority Hutus.

Colonial powers subscribed to this concept of racial hierarchy and origin stories, believing the Tutsi to be natural leaders and granting them preferential treatment. After taking Rwanda as a colonial possession in 1897, the German Empire built a power structure that firmly established a hierarchy that favored the Tutsis. They bestowed upon the Tutsis a superior status, owing to their taller stature and lighter skin, giving them greater influence over the Hutus. However, in the aftermath of Germany’s defeat in World War I, Belgium took over the reins of Rwanda’s governance, and, rather than attempting to bridge the cultural divide, exacerbated it. The Belgian administration continued to uphold the Tutsis’ superior status while disregarding the Hutus, creating a further chasm of inequality that only grew wider with time. The introduction of identification cards during the 1930s that explicitly listed one’s ethnicity, for example, further polarized the population, and the stage was set for the tragic events that culminated in the Rwanda Genocide.

In 1973, Rwanda witnessed an event that would forever alter the course of its history. General Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu tribe member, rose to power and established the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (NRMD) party to secure his authority. Meanwhile, in Uganda, a group of Rwandan exiles in Uganda who had tasted victory in Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army during the Ugandan Civil War formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). This organization was largely dominated by Tutsi figures and posed a challenge to the incumbent regime. The Rwandan Civil War began, which pitted the Hutu-dominated NRMD government against the primarily Tutsi RPF, while social tensions began to simmer. It was midsummer in 1993 when Hutu extremists hatched their plan, creating a platform for propagating their racist ideology and spewing hatred against the Tutsi people. Thus, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) came into being, which soon became a tool to incite violence and hatred against the Tutsi, using propaganda and malicious rhetoric.

Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines broadcasted from this office during the Rwanda Genocide. kigaliwire.CC BY-NC 2.0.

April 6, 1994, was the beginning of a nightmare for Rwanda and Burundi. The presidential plane, which was carrying the heads of state of both countries, was hit by gunfire. The news of their deaths, broadcasted by the radical Hutu RTLM radio station, served as a call to arms, sparking a wave of violence against the Tutsi population. The initial attack was planned by a group of military leaders, politicians, and business owners, who were later joined by an increasing number of supporters. This resulted in a devastating genocide, with Tutsis flocking to ostensibly safe havens like churches and administrative centers only to find them transformed into places of horror. 75% of the Tutsi population was wiped out, including many children who were labeled “little rats” and killed alongside adults. The perpetrators killed people of all ages indiscriminately, committing rape and torture on a regular basis. With nowhere to call home, over 2 million people fled the country, including many Hutu ethnic group members, while a million more were internally displaced, leaving 75,000 children orphaned.

The aftermath was massive destruction, with infrastructure reduced to ruins and hundreds of thousands of citizens dead, dealt a crippling blow to progress and development. Rwanda, however, refused to give in to despair. The RPF won the Civil War and took power after four months of horror, ending the genocide. The nation embarked on a journey of healing and reconciliation by embracing a deliberate strategy of transitional justice and transformative programs, characterized by the visionary “Rwanda Vision 2020” campaign launched in 2000. Rwanda embraced a path of renewal through initiatives such as “I am Rwandan,” which encouraged deep reflection on the nation's painful history, acknowledgment of past atrocities, and promotion of healing and reconciliation among all its people. Another example is “Umuganda,” a day of community service in which people from all walks of life work together to improve their communities. Though challenges remained, these initiatives instilled a renewed sense of vigor and solidarity, bringing new life to the difficult task of rebuilding Rwanda.

The modern capital of Kigali is safe, clean, and orderly. Dylan Walters. CC BY 2.0.

Rwanda also undergoes significant changes in its economy. The government has introduced the “Girinka” program, which provides one cow per poor family to combat poverty, with the first female calf being passed on to another family. Poverty has decreased by 23.8 percent from 2000 to 2010, and Rwanda has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Central Africa, with four years of eight percent GDP growth between 2011 and 2014. These developments are positive indicators for Rwanda’s future.

Despite the indelible mark of shame left by the horrific acts, Rwanda has sought reconciliation by embracing its rich heritage of traditional pre-colonial Rwandese customs and values, while also welcoming contributions from the international community. The genocide has prompted profound reflections on critical issues such as the efficacy of peace operations, the urgency of ending international crimes, and the delicate nature of maintaining civility. These pressing issues necessitate international attention and are still relevant today.

TO GET INVOLVED:

World Help: Over the last decade, World Help has worked to bring healing and restoration to Rwandan communities through initiatives like trauma counseling, children’s homes, child sponsorship, construction projects, clean-water wells, sustainable agriculture, vocational training, and more. To learn more and get involved, click here.

IBUKA: IBUKA is an umbrella organization supporting survivors in Rwanda. Representatives from institutions like IBUKA and the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide are invited to speak at commemorations to provide expert histories and testimonies. To learn more and get involved, click here.

The True Culprits of Poaching

April 4, 2023

The causes and consequences of the illegal wildlife trade.

Elephant Calf - Madikwe, South Africa, Vince O'Sullivan, CC BY-NC 2.0.

In 2019, a man and his four companions entered South Africa’s Kruger National Park, dead set on killing a rhino. They botched the job- the man was trampled by an elephant and killed. His four companions fled the scene. Later, the man’s body was found eaten by lions. For many, this was a story of nature’s revenge on an aggressor. Some even took to social media to celebrate his death, claiming that “It’s a shame all five didn’t die.”

But the digital peanut gallery likely did not know that this man was from South Africa’s Eastern Cape, the country’s poorest region where the average annual income per year is less than $3,700. And, they probably didn’t know that even if he and his companions had successfully killed the rhino, taken its horn, and bolted, they would have remained in poverty, having sold the horn for a tiny fraction of its value on the international market. From there, the horn would go through multiple stages of middlemen to hide its origin and be shipped to a foreign nation, likely Vietnam or China. There, poaching kingpins such as Vietnam’s Nguyen Mau Chien would receive the horn and sell it to consumers for a huge profit.

Unwrapped Rhino Horn, cropped, ukhomeoffice, CC BY 2.0

This story is not unique. The United Nations estimates the poaching market to be worth a minimum of $7 billion per annum. The poaching kingpins who lead these operations are akin to drug lords. With few moral qualms, they are making millions, exploiting those working lower on the food chain and putting the environment in danger, all while taking very few risks themselves.

Over the past few years, dozens of species have gone extinct largely due to poaching, with hundreds more being driven to the brink of extinction. They range from smaller, lesser known species to large, iconic megafauna such as the Western Black Rhinoceros, a subspecies that went extinct in 2011.

The impact of these extinctions goes far beyond the animals themselves. The world exists as a closely connected ecosystem. When one species becomes endangered, it affects every other species in that ecosystem. One clear example of this is the North American Gray Wolf. The wolf’s regional near-extinction caused a surge in the elk population in Yellow Stone, which nearly ate the aspen tree into extinction.

Poaching also is detrimental to countries, like South Africa, that heavily rely on animal-based tourism. When iconic animals become extinct and ecosystems are damaged, ecotourism becomes much less successful. Even worse, poaching is incredibly dangerous to those working in conservation. Each year, across Africa, 600 rangers' lives are lost in the line of duty.

Ranger and rhinos, Kruger National Park, South Africa, anoukpilon, CC BY-SA 2.0.

In addition, poaching poses a huge risk to the world at large. COVID-19, Ebola, and SARs all started in animals. In fact, 60% of all infectious diseases are thought to have begun in non-human animals. Whether through the murder of animals directly or the transfer and consumption of illegal animal products, poaching puts thousands of hands and bodies in contact with wildlife, and therefore at risk.

TO GET INVOLVED

The International Anti-Poaching Federation (IAPF), founded in 2009, aims to hire 2,000 women by 2030 to work in anti-poaching units in their local communities, as part of the all-female Akashinga Project. The IAPF has managed to reduce poaching by over 80% in the 8.5 million acres it manages, making them one of the most successful anti-poaching organizations in the world. If you want to help stop the poaching epidemic, you can donate to the IAPF here.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Fund has been Operating in Kenya since 1977. Over the past 45 years, they have become one of the best Elephant rehabilitation organizations in the world, raising over 300 orphan elephants. Beyond this, the Fund has 23 anti-poaching teams working with the Kenya Wildlife Service, employing both Aerial and Canine Units. If you want to support them, you can donate here.

9 Activist Movements You Might Not Know About

April 4, 2023

From Australia to Bolivia, social movements are paradigms of collective power and triumphs of the human spirit.

Sudanese Protesters Welcome 'Positive Steps' Taken By Ruling Military Council, demonstrators rally near the military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, April 15, 2019. Omer. Public Domain Mark 1.0

It's easy to brush off textbook knowledge as outdated, but academic theories of social movements can provide a powerful lens to understand the changes happening in the world. The 21st-century witnesses social movements erupting all over the world, led by activists fighting to bring about change. Sociologists categorize social movements as a form of collective behavior that emerges during the political, cultural, or economic upheaval. It is precisely this decentralization that gives activists immense power to effect change, leading the masses in protest against the upper crust. With that in mind, below is a list of nine groundbreaking social movements of the 21st century that you might have missed.

1. Equality Australia, Australia

Reason Party (Australia) supporters with placards at Yes Marriage Equality rally Sydney Town Hall 10 Sept 2017.Robert.CC BY-SA 4.0.

Despite progress in other western countries, Australia still faces criticism for a dearth of LGPTQ representation in politics. For example, in 2021, the Australian government under Scott Morrison almost passed a deceptively named religious discrimination bill that in reality had the potential to legalize discrimination based on sex, disability, and age under the disguise of religious freedom. This bill not only undermines the rights of the LGBTQ community but also perpetuates stereotypes and biases. The bill was shelved after religious lobby groups withdrew support and, due to Scott Morrison’s defeat to the Australian Labor Party in 2022, seems unlikely to be reintroduced.

To compensate for the lack of legal protection for the sexual minority population, Equality Australia, an organization dedicated to improving the lives and circumstances of the LGBTQ community in Australia, has launched multiple initiatives. It tackles the pressing issues that gay, trans and queer Australians face, from being able to freely express their identity to receiving adequate healthcare and support.

2. “Great March of Return” Protests, Palestine

Child survivors of Israeli massacres gather on the Gaza beach to finish an incomplete match.Catron.CC BY-NC 2.0.

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian exclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 70% of the population are refugees suffering from the blockade by the Israeli military occupation. Essential needs like electricity, sanitation, and healthcare are a luxury for these refugees, who live constantly under the shadow of military clashes between Hamas and Israel.

The Great March of Return demonstrations (GMR), which began on March 30, 2018, brought a glimmer of hope to the Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. The GMR was a call to end the Israeli blockade and the right of return for Palestinian refugees through non-violent protest at the Gaza border.

But while most refugees marched peacefully, Israeli forces have taken a brutal toll, killing at least 210 Palestinians and injuring over 18,000 since 2018, according to Gaza health officials. The aftermath of these marches has left many with life-long physical and psychological scars from generation to generation. A staggering 80% of all children treated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were injured by gunshot wounds. In contrast to the aggressive response from Israel, the largely nonviolent Great March of Return “restored credence to the concept of peaceful struggle”, according to Palestinian journalist and peace activist Ahmed Abu Artema.

3. EndSARS, Nigeria

Protesters at the endSARS protest in Lagos, Nigeria 92. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Nigeria's history of police brutality and unjust criminal investigations reached a boiling point in 2020 when the world was shocked by a viral video of two men being dragged out of a hotel and shot by members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Despite being established in 1992 to arrest and prosecute those involved in violent crimes, SARS quickly became known for its human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, torture, extortion, and murder.

As the hashtag “EndSARS” quickly spread across social media, fueled by the support of high-profile celebrities like footballer Marcus Rashford and actor John Boyega, the movement transitioned from an online trend to a physical reality. Peaceful protests erupted in cities across Nigeria, from capital Abuja to metropolis Lagos, and in major centers like Ibadan and Osun, as the people took to the streets to demand an end to the police brutality and human rights violations. Though the Nigerian authorities made empty promises to disband SARS, the movement continues to fight for justice and accountability to this day.

4. India's Farmer Protest, India

Protests outside Odisha Bhawan New Delhi. Brick. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

In September 2020, as the pandemic and economic woes plagued the country, the Indian government passed three farm acts that many farmers regard as a breakdown of the existing, stable relationship with agricultural small businessmen.

The farmers were furious and took to the streets, shutting down railways, taking over highways, and protesting en masse in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh to demand change. On Nov 26, 2020, millions struck in Delhi, calling for a change in labor laws, but were met with violence and teargas. The protests coincided with the Covid outbreak, leading some to view the government's social distancing requirement as a conspiracy to shut down its critics.

After ten rounds of talks, the government agreed to grant farmers’ unions a rare concession in January 2021, with the Prime Minister allowing the repeal of the controversial reform due to public pressure. The Indian farmer protest highlighted the deep frustration with the government's handling of the agriculture sector, which 60% of rural households depend on for their livelihoods.

5. Subway Fare Protests, Chile

Students take part in violent Protests in Santiago de Chile. C64-92. CC BY 2.0.

In Chile, a tiny $0.0 was all it took to ignite social upheaval in 2019. What started as a protest over a 30 peso, equivalent to $0.04, exposed the massive wealth inequality in the country, where the per capita income of the bottom quintile is $140 a month.

During the height of the protests, high school students started to overrun the turnstiles, using the hashtag “Mass Evasion” on social media to encourage others to join the cause. The young protesters soon joined in mass demonstrations by many other Chileans who are frustrated with rising living costs, low wages, and an inadequate education system.

The protests and counterforce led to the death of at least 18 civilians, the burndown of 21 metro stations, and the destruction of several trains, buses, and buildings, including 200 supermarkets. Eventually Chile’s militarized national police managed to suppress the October riots, but the protests and their aftermath shed light on the ongoing fight against wealth inequality in Chile.

6. Velvet Revolution, Armenia

Velvet Revolution in Armenia. Armineaghayan.CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Velvet Revolution, otherwise known as the “Reject Serzh” civic initiative, is the archetype of a social movement that succeeded in overthrowing an entire regime without a single bullet fired. In 2018, the protest called for the removal of former President Serzh Sargsyan from his third consecutive term. Sargsyan took office as president in 2008, following a violent suppression of anti-government protests in which at least 10 people were killed. A youth movement was established soon after, contributing to the formation of current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party.

This peaceful protest was politically motivated, with support from human rights advocates, journalists, and information organizations. The demonstration started on March 18, 2018 when Pashinyan began his protest walk in Gyumri. It reached the peak when over 250,000 protesters gathered in Republic Square for the largest demonstration in Armenia's post-Soviet independence period. The movement was able to unite all Armenians regardless of political views and sparked hope for a lasting democratic government.

7. “Slipper uprising”, Belarus

Protests in Minsk, Belarus. Shnipelson. CC0 1.0.

The “Slipper Uprising” broke out in Belarus in 2021, as protesters used the simple yet powerful symbol of a slipper to push for change. The series of protests followed a controversial presidential election that declared Alexander Lukashenko, the incumbent Belarusian President, as the winner.

The call, “stop the cockroach” came from popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky's video, in which an elderly woman compared Lukashenko to the main character of the children’s poem “The Mighty Cockroach.” This nickname, combined with opposition supporters’ demand for Lukashenko's resignation, fueled mass protests in the streets.

Demonstrators showed their defiance against Lukashenko’s rule by waving slippers high in the air. Over 360 people were taken into custody for protesting in just one weekend, but the fire of dissent continued to burn. The “Slipper uprising” proved that even the simplest of symbols can be a catalyst for change.

8. Wildfire protest, Bolivia

March in favor of Evo Morales. Santiago Sito.CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The heat is on in Bolivia as hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to voice their outrage over President Evo Morales’ government's response to the wildfires that ravaged the country’s forests in October 2019.

Many of the protesters were residents of Santa Cruz, Bolivia's largest city and home to vast areas of the biodiverse Chiquitano dry forests. Protesters called for a “punishment vote” against Morales in the upcoming presidential election. The rallies have drawn massive crowds, with an estimated 350,000 people marching through Santa Cruz in late October, according to reporting from Reuters. The growing public anger and frustration highlight the urgent need for action to address environmental justice and protect the country's precious forests.

9. “Million-man March”, Sudan

Demonstrators hold placards against the Khartoum regime, April 28, 2013. Sari Omer. Public Domain Mark 1.0.

Sudan’s "Marches of the Millions" was a massive demonstration held in the capital city of Khartoum on June 30, 2019. The nationwide protests were orchestrated by the Sudanese Professional Association (SPA), an influential activist coalition. The protesters had six demands, including a swift transfer of power to a civilian government and aid to the victims of government-initiated attacks.

The nationwide protest also exposed the danger of police crackdown, as national security agencies used violent tactics, such as teargas, to confront the marching citizens. Despite the violence, the protest movement continued, leading to the agreement between the military and its opposition in August 2019. The agreement marked the first step towards a democratic transition for Sudan.

From trending hashtags and posts that amplify the voice of activism on social media, to throngs of individuals marching in the streets and rallying for a shared goal, social movements embody the spirit of resistance against oppression and tyranny. It is through the eruptive energy of collective action that humans can truly exhibit their strength and determination in the face of injustice.

US Lags Behind Other Nations in Recycling

March 30, 2023

Germany, Austria and South Korea recycle 20% more trash than the US. Can they lead the US to a new era of recycling?

Landfill in Danbury, Connecticut, United Nations Photo, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The United States recycles 32.1% of its trash, meaning the other 67.9% of U.S. waste ends up in landfills, is incinerated, or gets lost somewhere else in the environment. Moreover, only 5 to 6 % of plastic ends up being recycled, while 85% of plastic American plastic goes to the landfills, and another 10% is incinerated. These numbers are especially concerning given that plastic is the one of the most difficult types of waste to biodegrade.

Nationally, there are few to no laws in the U.S. that mandate recycling. There have been efforts to change that. On March 5, 2021, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Alan Lowenthal reintroduced the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, a bill that would ban single use plastic bags and discourage the use of plastic utensils and straws. In addition, it would increase post consumer recycling minimums to 25% by 2025 and 80% by 2040. However, like many similar bills in the United States, it has not been passed.

While the federal government lags behind, certain states have been considerably more active in promoting recycling. Since 2022, New York has passed two important laws; one demanding that the carpet industry becomes more responsible for its waste and the other allowing consumers to fix their own electronics. California has banned certain types of produce bags, and Michigan has committed to overhauling its recycling system, striving for a 45% recycling rate, albeit without a clear deadline as to when this needs to be achieved.

With that said, even with state efforts, the US still remains far behind the world’s leaders in recycling; Germany, Austria, and South Korea. They recycle 56.1%, 53.8%, and 53.7% of their waste, respectively, each of which is over 20% more than the current US figure and around 10% more than Michigan's new recycling goal. This largely is due to enhanced recycling laws, as well as cultures and practices in those countries that incentivize and engage their populations to be environmentally conscious.

Germany

German Recycling Bins, 3268zauber, CC BY-SA 3.0

The first pillar of Germany’s recycling success is its Deposit Refund System (DRS). In Germany, when consumers purchase a bottle that can be recycled, they must pay a deposit between 0.08 and 0.25 euros. Single use plastic bottles and more environmentally harmful products tend to have a higher deposit. Once the items are returned to a retail store, the consumer will be reimbursed for their deposit. This system has proven to be incredibly successful, reaching a 98.4% return rate. In 2024, Germany plans to expand their DRS to include all milk and dairy product containers.

Germany also has a mandatory recycling system. Each household has four different recycling bins: yellow bins for lightweight packaging, green or blue bins for waste and cardboard, black or gray bins for residual and household waste, and brown bins for compostable kitchen and garden waste. If the waste is not sorted correctly, workers at the recycling plant will go through the waste and sort it manually, and the household that failed to sort the waste will be fined.

Austria

Plastic Bags Package, zeevveez, CC BY 2.0.

Three major policies contribute to Austria’s high recycling rate. First, like Germany, Austria has a rigorous recycling sorting system. Second is the country’s blanket landfill ban. This policy instructs that any item with a total organic carbon emission rate of more than 5% is banned from going into landfills, meaning that the most harmful products have to be recycled. Finally, in 2020, Austria prohibited the use of plastic bags, completely removing one of the longest lasting products in landfills, with a decomposition time of 200-500 years.

South Korea

South Korea’s “pay-as-you-throw” recycling system requires consumers to buy specialized food waste bags, costing about 20 cents. The profits from the food waste bags goes straight back into the recycling market, greatly minimizing the cost of recycling to the government. When these bags are full, consumers leave the bag in a special bin. These bags are then picked up and composted, leading South Koreans to recycle almost 100% of their food waste.

In 2022 Keppel, a Singapore-based company, spent about 600 million dollars to buy EMK Co, South Korea’s biggest waste management and recycling company. Keppel expects the value of their investment in EMK to almost double in five years. South Korea has created a system in which private companies are able to make a profit buying and selling waste, greatly increasing the percentage of their waste being recycled.

It's important to recognize that while all these systems are successful in their own countries, the cultural, political, and economic environment in the US is very different from that of Germany, Austria or South Korea. Additionally, the US has a population about four times the size of Germany, the biggest of the three countries, meaning any recycling measures are much more difficult to implement. Yet, with the US lagging so far behind the world leaders in recycling, it would be foolish to not at least consider the solutions that have worked so well for these other countries.

GET INVOLVED

Keep America Beautiful was founded in 1953. Since then, they have created many different recycling programs, including recently a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. Within a ten year period, they earned their communities over a billion dollars in economic value, have planted millions of plants, flowers, and bulbs, cleaned over 500 kilometers of roads, and collected over 750 million pounds of litter. You can donate to Keep America here.

Ample Harvest Inc. was founded in 2009 by Gary Oppenheimer as a way to reduce food waste by having gardeners donate their surplus food. Beyond this, they have created an Emergency Food Assistance Program to help food insecure families. Currently, they are working with over 62 million gardeners, spread over all 50 states, allowing them to generate billions of pounds of food they donate to over 8,000 different charities. This has given 4,200 different communities a sustainable food supply free of charge and, in 2020 alone, saved 1.6 million pounds of produce from being discarded. You can donate money to Ample Harvest Inc. here and give your excess food produce to your local food pantry here.

The Container Recycling Institute functions much like a Think Tank, researching recycling so they can provide recycling options and insights to local communities and governments. With a perfect 100% score for Finance and Accountability on Charity Navigator, The Container Recycling Institute, since its founding in 1991, has grown into an incredibly trustworthy Institution. As a leading recycling resource, they helped expand the Connecticut recycling Bottle Bill, the largest expansion of this kind in 10 years. In California, they helped raise the annual consumer recycling budget to over 100 million dollars. You can donate to The Container Recycling Institute here and become a member here.

Japan’s Population Crisis Hits a Record Low

March 28, 2023

Japanese birth rates are falling exponentially, and it could have major effects on the country’s economy.

Harajuku District in Japan. @paulkrichards. Instagram

Many around the world consider Japan a futuristic country, a view drawn from its creative technology and its unique culture. A popular destination for tourists all around the world, this East Asian country makes up 1.6% of the world’s population with its approximately 125 million residents.

However, this number is set to rapidly decline as Japan teeters on the precipice of a population crisis. Its Prime Minister has issued a dire warning, saying that the country is “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions” due to the falling birth rate. Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, which means that most will grow old and require care from others, but the workforce is shrinking as aren’t enough young people to fill the gaps in Japan’s stagnating economy.

Why is this? To use simple terms, Japanese people are having fewer babies. Women are postponing their marriages and rejecting traditional paths to focus on their professional lives, and the percentage of women who work in Japan is now higher than ever. However, there are also fewer opportunities for young people, especially men, in the country’s economy. Since men are still widely viewed as the breadwinners of the family, a lack of good jobs would also mean the men would avoid having children — and settling down — knowing they can’t afford it. With Japan’s high cost of living, it adds more reason for couples to steer clear of having a family.

The problem has only gotten worse since the Covid pandemic. In 2021, the birth rates in Japan declined to around 805,000 — a figure that was not expected until 2028. With much of the population choosing to focus on their careers instead, this number will only continue to fall.

In the early stages of the pandemic, there were jokes circulating that the lockdowns would cause another baby boom. However, the opposite came true. Japan experienced a reduction in birth rates, as well as other countries such as Taiwan and China — to an estimated 1.07 children per woman.

Japan’s population pyramid in October 2021. Kaj Tallungs. CC BY-SA 4.0

There are more and more elderly people in the country and not enough working-age adults to support them. The economy is at risk. But Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promises to combat the low birth rate.

With Japan “standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society,” Kishida urges the national government to focus on policies regarding children and ramp up child-related programs, saying it “cannot wait and cannot be postponed.” He wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs and in April, he will launch a new Children and Families government agency to help in the endeavor.

This agency will unify policies across multiple government ministries to better deal with issues that concern children, such as declining birth rates, child poverty, and sex crimes. Kishida has plans to double the budget if necessary, without elaborating.

In the mid 1990s, the Japanese government launched a series of programs addressing their country’s low fertility, hoping to provide parenting assistance through increasing provision of childcare services and advocating for a better work-life balance. And in the 2010s, fertility policies were incorporated into Japan’s macroeconomic policy, national land planning, and regional and local planning.

Despite all these efforts, however, Japan’s goal to boost population remains unsuccessful. By forming the new agency, Kishida hopes these problems will be taken more seriously.

One thing remains clear, though — Japan is facing a population crisis. And if birth rates keep falling, the country’s economy will struggle under its effects.

The Forgotten Chinese History of Vladivostok

March 23, 2023

A brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Chinese community in the 1930s had a lasting impact on the Russian Far East.

31st Infantry on a practice march near Vladivostok, Siberia about Dec. 1, 1918. Lane Genealogy. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The coastal city of Vladivostok, in the easternmost reaches of Russia, harbors a secret past with Chinese laborers who helped construct its famous naval base before being discarded. Once brimming with the bustle of Chinese workers, today’s Vladivostok features a mere handful of Chinese-owned establishments despite being fairly close to the Chinese border, in contrast to other Russian cities far to the west, such as Moscow, that have sizable Chinese communities. Across a vast expanse of nearly 250,000 square miles in northern China's Heilongjiang province, this forgotten chapter of history remains shrouded in controversy, while the city’s development and the contribution of Chinese laborers are waiting to be uncovered.

But while Vladivostok’s history may be veiled in mystery, the roots of Chinese presence in the region extend back centuries. The Treaty of Peking, signed in 1860 and one of a series of Russo-Chinese boundary settlements, officially transferred ownership of what is now Vladivostok from China to Russia after the former’s disastrous defeat to England and France in the Second Opium War. The treaty saw Russia gain control over all territory north and east of the Amur River, with the Chinese Qing Dynasty retaining sovereignty over the area to the south and West. Russia had not been involved in the conflict, but acted opportunistically to force the Qing government to hand over 133,000 square miles of territory. However, before the establishment of Vladivostok, the region was sporadically inhabited by Chinese fishermen, hunters, fugitives, and collectors of ginseng and wild sea cucumbers, tube-like animals distantly related to starfish that are far less appetizing than the land variety. The place was known as the “Sea Cucumber Cliffs” in Chinese due to the abundance of the creatures in that region. Under Russian control Vladivostok would get its current name and become a vital naval base, connected to European Russia by the Trans-Siberian Railway and Chinese cities thanks to the Chinese Eastern Railway. The city remains the hub of Primorsky Krai, a region in Russia’s Far East with a complex history shaped by geopolitical machinations

Territories that have become part of Russia under the: Aigun Treaty and the Beijing Treaty of 1860, Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, CIA. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The treaty gave Russia de jure control over Vladivostok, but Chinese migrants continued to move into the region en masse. Chinese laborers continued to move to the area, working on a variety of projects, from building the Trans-Siberian Railway to developing ports in Vladivostok and engaging in agriculture, forestry, and mining in smaller towns and rural areas. By 1910, there were nearly 100,000 Chinese living in the region, while Russian newspapers commented on the prevalence of Chinese merchants selling paper flowers and other inexpensive products at every train station from Vladivostok to St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea.

Morphine use in the Millionka. State Archive of Primorsk Region (Gosudarstvennyi arkhiv Primorskogo kraia) in Vladivostok. Obtained by Austin Jersild.

Things changed after the 1917 Revolution. Throughout the 1920s, the new Soviet authorities in the Vladivostok region implemented increasingly aggressive policies towards ethnic minorities, including Koreans, Germans, Estonians, and Chinese. Driven by xenophobia, these policies were designed to eliminate foreign influence in the region. By 1938, the situation had escalated to the point where the Politburo, the highest governing authority in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, had authorized a massive campaign of terror against various non-Russian nationalities, including Chinese settlers. In total, an estimated 800,000 individuals of all ethnicities were arrested, deported, or executed as part of this brutal ethnic cleansing campaign.

While the exact number of Chinese victims is unknown, the legacy of this brutal purge has had a lasting impact on the Chinese community in Vladivostok and beyond. By 1936, the Soviet Union began deporting Chinese expatriates in groups, causing panic among local Chinese and eventually leading the Chinese Embassy to intervene. However, the purges in the Soviet Union intensified, leading to the mass relocation and deportation of “unreliable elements” from the border areas, including minority ethnic groups living in the Soviet Union. In December 1937, Soviet repression was directed against the Chinese in the Far East, leading to the arrests of Chinese in various parts of the region, including the largest concentration of arrests made in Vladivostok and the surrounding areas. Soviet authorities issued a secret order to arrest all Chinese individuals who committed provocative acts or had terrorist intentions, allegations which were themselves of dubious veracity. The first mass arrest of 853 Chinese individuals, known as the “Chinese Operation”, occurred in Primorsky Oblast on December 29 and 30, 1937. In February 1938, more than 200 Chinese individuals were arrested in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, and Spassk, and they were tortured to make them confess to the crime of espionage.

Chinese in Vladivostok, Collection of the Primorsky Krai Museum, Russia

Still recovering from the Soviet horrors inflicted on their ancestors, many Chinese today hold on to the hope that Vladivostok will one day be returned to China and become Haishenwai once again. Chinese visitors to the city have expressed similar sentiments, with some believing that the land was unjustly taken from China. This view has been amplified by a social media campaign against Russia following a tweet by the Russian embassy in India in 2020, which touted the founding of Vladivostok. Chinese internet users criticized what they saw as Russia's glorification of its unlawful annexation, expressing discomfort and resentment.

Regardless of its tumultuous history of Chinese immigration and labor, Vladivostok’s intricate Chinese legacy remains a poignant reminder of the city’s multicultural past. The arrests and deportations of Chinese and other diaspora nationalities have transformed the city and the region as a whole, leaving scars that have taken decades to heal and for some remain open. However, today there is a growing interest in recovering the multi-ethnic heritage evident in the city’s history even as fears about the geopolitics of Chinese immigration to the Russian Far East continue. As the city moves towards the future, it must grapple with its past and find ways to honor the contributions of Chinese laborers and victims of Soviet repression while addressing the complicated political and social tensions that continue to shape the region.

Bangladesh: Ground Zero for Climate Change

March 16, 2023

Where the worst affected are among the least culpable.

Bangladesh Ground Zero, SuSanA Secretariat, CC BY 2.0

Despite being home to only 4.21% of the world’s population, the United States is responsible for a full 14% of all carbon emissions. Bangladesh, a densely populated country surrounded on three sides by India, has released a mere 0.21% of the world’s carbon emission, despite making up a substantial 2.14% of the Earth’spopulation. This means that on average, a person in the US releases about 33.67 times the carbon emissions of a person in Bangladesh.

Yet, it is Bangladesh that is facing among the most dire consequences of global warming. Often called “Ground Zero” for climate change, Bangladesh was ranked number 7 in the latest Global Climate Risk Index, and has a higher population than every country ranked above it. With nearly 75% of Bangladesh below sea level, the South Asian country will be drastically impacted as sea levels rise. Consequently, by 2050, the World Bank predicts that Bangladesh will have almost 20 million climate refugees.

Cyclone Aila Climate Change, Mayeenul Islam, CC BY-SA 3.0

These aren’t just empty statistics. A historically large flash flood in May 2022 displaced more than 4.3 million Bangladeshis . For context, the entire population of Los Angeles is 3.84 million people. Moreover, climate change does not just cause huge events like these. Every day, about 2,000 people move from the countryside to Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. About 70% of those who move say this is due to either natural disasters or climate change.

For those who move to Dhaka life continues to be difficult. Many migrants end up among the 4 million people already confined to Dhaka’s 5,000 poorest neighborhoods, where they will likely suffer from an extreme water shortage. In 1963, when Dhaka had a population of less than a million, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewage Authority (DWASA) needed to supply only 130 million liters of water a day. Now, with its exploding population of about 23 million, the DWASA must provide 2,590 million liters every day, and dig hundreds of meters deeper to reach groundwater. A similar water shortage is ongoing in Bangladesh’s second biggest city, Chittagong.

Korail, Dhaka / BD, 2014, william veerbeek, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Bangladesh does not have the resources to survive this crisis on its own. The World Bank estimates that Bangladesh needs about $5.7 billion per year to fund climate adaptation programs by 2050. Today, the country is spending about one billion dollars annually, approximately six to seven percent of its GDP, on climate adaptation. Of that money, only 25% is from international development partners. In 2009, at the 15th UN conference of parties, the world’s developed nations committed to spend 100 billion USD per year on climate action in developing countries by 2020. In 2019 however, only $20 billion of global climate finance funds went to climate adaptation.

TO GET INVOLVED

The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is the largest Non-Governmental Organization in the World. They work in 11 countries in the global south to counter climate change, eliminate extreme poverty, and support locally led climate adaptation. According to the Executive Director of the BRAC, the largest Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in the world, it would cost them only $350 to provide safe drinking water to a Bangladeshi household for 20 years, $8,000 dollars to build a climate resilient house, and $126,000 to create a climate adaptation clinic that can support 3,500 farmers. If you would like to support BRAC, you can donate to them here.

The Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) works to balance humans and nature, mitigating the harmful effects of climate change. Recently, they have focused on supporting citizens on the sundarban coast by supporting nature based solutions such as mangrove based livelihoods and integrated farming. You can support BEDS here.

In 1992, Friends of the Earth International founded the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers association (BELA). Beginning as a local young advocacy group, BELA uses the law to protect the environment, and the people that live within it. While there is no way to donate to BELA specifically, you can support Friends of the Earth International as a whole here.

Underground Schools for Women and Girls in Afghanistan

March 14, 2023

The Taliban reconquest of Afghanistan brought an education ban for women and girls, but secret schools have emerged.

A burqa-clad woman in Kabul in September 2021, Milad Hamadi for the Tasnim News Agency. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The life of every Afghan citizen changed on August 15, 2021, when Taliban forces seized the capital city of Kabul and, for the first time in decades, were able to impose the group’s severe intolerance on the whole nation. Those most affected have been young girls and women, who are limited in going about their daily lives and barred from many activities that they previously were able to enjoy freely. As the Taliban continue to ban women from schools and universities, a new generation of young Afghan girls are left wondering what their future will look like. Recently underground school operations have opened up, taking place both virtually and in person, allowing many Afghan girls the ability to continue their education despite the repression, keeping hope alive in a society that faces deep political and societal challenges.

According to the Taliban’s Minister for Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, women are not allowed to go to school because they weren’t following the rules of how “proper ladies” should act in a public setting, including not adhering to the Emirate’s strict dress code. However, this issue transcends the regime’s hijab policy. The Taliban use religion to justify their strict policies, arguing that it goes against Islamic principles to have girls and women go to school, even stating that the sciences as a whole are no place for them. The Taliban is able to impose its own interpretation of Sharia Law, the traditional Islamic legal code, which is known for including strict guidelines for how girls and women should live. Many professional Muslim scholars have rebutted the Taliban, asserting there is no justification for banning women from having an education, including that “gender-based denial of education has no religious justification.”

An Afghan girl in Oruzgan Province, John Scott Rafoss. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite these obstacles, women and young girls across Afghanistan are fighting for their rights not only to obtain a just education, but to be recognized as important parts of society and claim back their dignity and honor. In an effort to help girls achieve their dreams and achieve literacy, underground schools have started taking shape across the nation, even holding virtual classes. In order to keep an entire generation of young girls thriving, parents are finding alternative means, going as far as risking their lives to create a hidden education system that will serve as primary education and even providing university level courses for older students. One of the pioneer women behind this movement, Sodaba Nazhand, told The Associated Press that “when the Taliban wanted to take away the rights of education and the rights of work from women, I wanted to stand against their decision by teaching these girls.”

While girls and women are able to pursue knowledge and obtain skills through these underground schools, there is much fear among family members and the students themselves, who know the consequences of getting caught disobeying the Taliban. Several of these schools are held virtually for safety and easier access, although not everyone has access to electronics or wifi. Taliban rule has led to widespread poverty across Afghanistan, leaving families and individuals unable to support themselves economically, making internet access unattainable for many. Some schools have even begun to be held in person, as houses become secret classrooms. Nafeesa is a young girl that attends an underground school in her small, rural village in the Eastern part of the country. When asked by reporters how she is able to get away with attending a secret school, she said that “Boys have nothing to do in the kitchen, so I keep my books there. If my brother comes to know about this, he will beat me." Despite the fear that she feels in going against rigidly enforced new social norms, Nafeesa and many others continue to defy the status quo to make a better future for themselves, using education as a portal to freedom.

TO GET INVOLVED

Women For Women International - Women For Women has created an Afghanistan program to help women in the nation discover their power and ways they can pursue a brighter future ahead. For more info, click here.

Malala Fund - Malala Yousafzai has created an Afghanistan fund that provides on-the-ground support to help young girls access education. To learn how you can donate, click here.

Having obtained a MA in International Policy, Kimberly seeks to bridge the gap between global development and government legislation. Growing up between the United States and Spain, she believes that travel is the best way to discover yourself and understand the world. Her goal is to promote a deeper awareness of the effects of climate change in society and politics.

Racism in the Fantasy Genre

March 14, 2023

How real stereotypes get pulled into fictional worlds.

Universal Studios - Diagon Alley - Gringotts Money Exchange - Goblin, jared422_80, CC BY 2.0

Gino Boccasile (1901-52) Jewish Bolshevik defending America New York Statue of Liberty, Gino Boccasile, CC BY-SA 4.0

On the left is a goblin from Harry Potter. Like all Harry Potter Goblins, he is known primarily for three things; his big nose, his slightly crummy personality, and his job at Gringotts, the underground bank that controls all of the money in the Wizarding world. On the right is an early 20th century anti-semitic piece of propaganda. Rather than acknowledge the disturbing similarities between their goblins and anti-semitic tropes, the Harry Potter team has decided to double down. On February 10, 2023, the video game Harry Potter Legacy was released, at one point attaining over 1.2 million simultaneous viewers on the Twitch video streaming platform, the most by any single player game ever. The focus of the game is a goblin rebellion taking place in the 1890s.

Orc, Wesnoth community artists of all Wesnoth Portraits, CC BY 3.0

For a genre known for its creativity, fantasy novels and games have a concerning trend of modeling their characters after racial stereotypes. In J.R.R Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings the intrinsically evil race of orcs were formed by the first Dark Lord Morgath. Tolkein described these Orcs as “squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes… degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.” Elves, in comparison, were the first race created by the supreme god, are immune to illness, and, in the right conditions, functionally immortal. Tolkein’s novels and the early 2–’s film trilogy depict the elves as very pale, tall, and skinny, the classic European beauty standard. J.R.R. Tolkein is considered the grandfather of the fantasy genre. Hundreds of later creatives would go on to include his racial concepts in their books and games.

Half-Orc Barbarian, mephiston_l, CC BY-NC 2.0

Worldwide approximately 13.7 million people play Dungeons and Dragons, the world’s most popular role playing fantasy game. In this game racial differences are categorized and used to full effect. Half-Orcs, a clearly nonwhite mix between a human and an Orc, used to have a -2 debuff to intelligence, and currently are still frequently treated with mistrust by fellow players. Tieflings, infernal humanoid beings, canonically live in the very poor parts of human cities, where their backstories often must start.

However, it is not just racial stereotypes that are problematic, it also is the idea of race in fantasy as a whole. In Dungeons and Dragons, who your character is, what they are interested in, and what they are good at is largely dependent on your race. If a player so desires they can break these stereotypes, and, for example, create a half-orc Wizard, a class that relies mainly on intelligence. Although, even in these cases, characters usually fall into the “exception rule,” where they just manage to individually transcend the “flaws” of the rest of their race.

Toronto: book stacks at Toronto Reference Library, The City of Toronto, CC BY 2.0.

One of the best ways for things to change is to introduce new voices. Yet, between 1950 and 2018, 95% of fiction books written in the United States were by white authors. Since 2018 it hasn’t improved much. Recently, the publishing giant Penguin Random House found that 75% of the American authors it publishes are still white. This same racial disparity exists in fantasy role playing games as well.

Eugene Marshall is one of these new voices. In his new Zine, he proposes replacing the mechanic of “race” in Dungeons and Dragons with “Ancestry and culture." Ancestry would determine who your character’s parents are and what physical traits they passed on, such as height and the ability to see in the dark. Culture would determine the society you were raised in, and the traditions that society upheld. While it's not perfect, resources and authors like this provide a concrete step in the right direction.

Reversing Climate Change One Smallholder Farm at a Time

March 14, 2023

If the world's smallholder farms used sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, they could bring us 53% of the way to meeting the United Nations’ net-zero carbon goals.

A hillside slashed and burned, degrading the soil, destroying wildlife habitats and releasing carbon stores into the atmosphere. Adam Cohn CC 1.0

This past February, I worked alongside Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) and their field trainers in Penonome, Panama. SHI is a non-profit organization that opened its doors in 1997 and operates predominantly in Central America, addressing slash-and-burn agriculture, rural poverty, and their connection to climate change.

The Link Between Slash and Burn Agriculture and Rural Poverty

Slash-and-burn agriculture is practiced by 500 million farmers globally. In fact, 20%-30% of deforestation is estimated to be caused by it, directly resulting from a lack of educational opportunities and resources. Similarly, 3.1 billion people worldwide live in poverty, many starving on land ready and available to be farmed. Looking at these issues as one, we’re faced with poverty in rural places and environmental degradation being unavoidably and intrinsically linked.

A smallholder farmer raises fish and livestock or cultivates crops in a limited capacity. In the developing world, a smallholder farm is typically family-owned, and most cultivate less than 5 acres of land. If all 6 million smallholder farmers had the knowledge and training to implement regenerative and sustainable techniques, they wouldn’t have to worry where their next meal was coming from or if their land was healthy enough to be passed from generation to generation. Farmers would no longer have to walk miles to find ground healthy enough to plant for a single season, forced to move further to the following plot the following season. They would have enough food to sustain their families and communities during, for example, a global pandemic—and sell their organic produce at the market for a living wage. Their food would double as medicines, healing bodies from the inside out and healing the soil at once.

What if being able to farm this way simultaneously drew 6 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere into nutrient-rich soil—the equivalent of shutting down every coal mine? Then, imagine it only costs ~$5,000 for a smallholder farmer to experience and create this transformation.

Many farmers are left with some of the most difficult to cultivate land. They take advantage of the mountainous terrain with terracing. Raeann Mason

Even in the dry offseason, a skilled farmer tends to crops growing on a lush, terraced hillside. Raeann Mason.

Sustainable Harvest International

This is where Sustainable Harvest International comes in. It began as Florence Reed’s dream to mobilize her knowledge, and the knowledge of others, to heal our planet and its people and reverse the effects of climate change through agriculture. As of today, more than 3,200 farmers have been through the SHI program, planting over 4M trees, regenerating over 26K acres of previously degraded land, and building more than 2K clean wood-conserving stoves. And they’re only just getting started. SHI is working tirelessly to scale its programming; by 2030, its goals are to

transform 1 million farms
plant 1 billion trees
sequester 18 million tons of CO2
regenerate 8 million acres of land
achieve food security for 5 million people

I learned quickly that SHI isn’t interested in promises of “going net zero” or slowing the rate at which the atmosphere is warming through offsets. Instead, they work directly with smallholder farmers to prevent more destruction and undo the damage already done in their lives, their land, and the planet’s climate; their work goes beyond sustainability— it’s regenerative.

Sustainable Harvest International’s Field Trainers demonstrate how to use the wind to separate rice husks. Raeann Mason.

A farmer explains how his terraces are braced with grass to prevent runoff. Raeann Mason

How It Works

With Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), farmers commit to learning new methods and receive hands-on tactical training and education. Each program phase lasts around one year, taking 4-5 years and ~$5,000 to complete. SHl hires local field trainers with sustainable and regenerative agroforestry training, local history and insight, and agricultural experience.

A farmer shares the pictures she drew of her farm in the present day compared to what she hopes her farm will look like by the end of the program. Image courtesy of Sustainable Harvest International.

The Phases

During phase one, farmers and field trainers dream together, planning and plotting how much of their land they’re willing to commit to learning new techniques, discussing long-term goals and drawing a picture of what they hope their degraded land will look like by the end of the program. I was so moved by the hope these colored-pencil drawings provide, and when the program is over, they stand as a testament to the process—how much work it took and how effective it was.

Phase two is about learning new practices, focusing on health and nutrition for the body and the soil. Many of the people I met were subsistence farmers, which means they were growing food to meet their immediate needs to survive; no working farm=no food. When we talk about making changes in our life for the sake of our planet—riding a bike to work, ditching single-use plastics—most of us aren’t faced with the fear that if it doesn’t work out, our ability to survive, for our families to survive, is at risk. This is why when I say these smallholder farmers are the closest people I’ve met to real-life superheroes, I’m not exaggerating. They’re willing to put it all on the line to make a change, not just for themselves but for you and me. Despite years of slash-and-burn tradition and generations of methods passed down, they’re choosing to take the risk on something unknown. They’re choosing to heal our planet. Witnessing this posture of vulnerability, I was forced to grapple with the level of my own (un)willingness to sacrifice and risk-take for the sake of humanity and our shared planet.

A farmer cuts the stalk of a plantain tree for composting. Raeann Mason

Farmers in Panama learn to make “ensalada de vegetales,” in English, “vegetable salad,” which is nutrient-dense compost. Raeann Mason.

I was also struck by SHI’s commitment to maintaining and supporting farmer autonomy, allowing them to choose the type of crops to grow throughout the program. All the farms I visited had a different layout, each an oasis of its own right, with different visions and hopes to meet the families’ needs. Farmers are trained to understand the adverse effects monocropping has on biodiversity and are eager to grow crops ranging from cacao trees, pigeon pea shrubs, herbs and spices, peppers, cucumbers, rice, coffee, yucca, yams, plantains and so much more. One farm, in particular, was set in the trees, a forest of life-giving foods hidden in plain sight, masked by the assumption that farms don’t look like rainforests.

Chocolate growing, hidden in plain sight. Raeann Mason

Phase three shifts gears from subsistence farming and scales to commercial education and training, which centers on environmental stewardship. Here again, I saw how SHI goes above and beyond the work of typical non-profits. Farmers find themselves with an abundance to sell, and the focus on land restoration and conservation begins to turn the heads of neighboring farmers. The farm starts to take care of itself, money earned allows farmers to thrive, and regenerative practices keep the soil nutrient dense for every growing season. Many farmers will choose a select few crops to grow commercially beyond what they grow for themselves. I saw lots of coffee being produced for this, but instead of a flat field of endless rows of coffee under manufactured shade, the crop was planted alongside plantain trees and corn, scattered about the farms and tucked within treelines; everything felt native.

Phase four is all about business development and micro-finance. The farms I worked on in phase four allowed me to listen and learn in the place of laborious volunteer work. Farmers have been relishing the benefits of adopting regenerative practices during this phase. Their history with the land, the tactical support and guidance of SHI’s field trainers, and the confidence from seeing the literal fruit of their labor meant as a volunteer, there was little I could bring to the table aside from profound respect. There’s an indescribable excitement on farms in this phase, or perhaps it’s being able to sense the weight of living in survival mode lifted.

An SHI stove featured in a farmer’s kitchen set up next to the typical stove, which is the pile of rocks in the lower right corner. Raeann Mason

Demetrio dries coffee beans in the sun. Raeann Mason

In phase five, farmers reach that inevitable state of being a community leader and graduate from the program. Graduation is more of a celebration than a formal affair because by now, the farmers and SHI field trainers are like family—bonding through fear, hope, sweat, body aches and success, freedom and trust hard earned. Some farmers go on to work for SHI as field trainers, and others are hired as consultants within their own communities because their farms can be sustained with much greater ease, while others become the experts in their communities which neighbors look to for advice.

Volunteers take a break from leveling a rice paddy. Kate Herndon.

While most of my time with SHI was spent getting my hands dirty on projects like terracing and planting rice paddies, there was one farm I visited that graduated from the program a decade ago. It was time to size SHI up against the truest test: time. Too often, I see organizations with good intentions come in like a storm, ask people to radically change their methods, and dash once the program is over. But a decade later, Demetrio, the field trainers, and even the founder of SHI, Florence Reed, greeted each other as old friends on a farm resembling a lush oasis or eco-wildlife resort. Demetrio has become so successful with his farm that he’s now hired as a consultant in surrounding communities. He’s a true testament to the effectiveness of the SHI program—friends, community members, and SHI field trainers consider him a bit of a legend because he has been able to grow strawberries on his farm in the mountains of Penonome—something considered impossible for that region. He also attested that during the last government-led health audit, his family walked away with a clean bill of health while neighboring farmers practicing monocropping and slash-and-burn techniques were hit with an onslaught of diagnoses and medications to manage due to a lack of nutrition; an issue SHI trained farmers don’t have to face to the same degree.

Farmers are trained to take advantage of their hilly plots of land by growing tilapia-fertilized and terraced rice paddies. Raeann Mason.

In fact, SHI offers more than tactical agricultural training. Aside from their commitments to climate action and ending and preventing poverty and hunger, SHI is committed to clean water access and sanitation. Many homes utilize unsafe, life-threatening cooking stoves. SHI has worked to increase the life expectancy of women by implementing a safer cooking stove that ultimately requires fewer resources. They also build composting latrines that provide cleaner, eco-friendly, and agriculturally beneficial alternatives to burying human waste. One farm learned to harvest clean, fresh spring water from the mountain top. Another family shared that what they learned about microfinance allowed them to spearhead a community funding program, training other farmers to manage their commercial endeavors and providing grants to help them get started.

An inevitable ripple effect is occurring in Central America, one that you can only understand by listening and learning. It’s always a humbling experience when someone signs up to volunteer, gets their hands dirty, does back-breaking work, and then has the luxury to leave that work behind. But in a more nuanced way, I understand it’s not volunteer work that is planting the seeds of healing, that it’s these smallholder farmers who are genuinely risking it all, making the lifestyle changes and healing the planet by their own hands. So what can we do to support them?

To Get Involved:

There are several ways to support the efforts of SHI. You can start by sharing this article in your network to help spread awareness. Most importantly, there are several ways to donate, including signing up for their Legacy or Sustainer giving programs. You can even see the impact of your donation and travel to a program site in Central America. They offer career opportunities and internships; you could join their mailing list here. Remember, it only costs $1,000 per year, for only 4-5 years, to completely transform a farmer's life and improve the health of our planet.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s recent rule to prohibit women ministers is part of a long history of gender exclusion in Christian churches.

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Not one to shy away from political statements, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei’s recent exhibition questions mass production and highlights human rights tragedies around the world.

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If the world's smallholder farms used sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, they could bring us 53% of the way to meeting the United Nations’ net-zero carbon goals.

The Link Between Slash and Burn Agriculture and Rural Poverty

Sustainable Harvest International