Excluded Headlines: Countries who have contributed the least to climate change suffering the most from it right now
Stay up to date on the global news stories the US- and Eurocentric media overlook, with author and journalist, Tamara Pearson.
In this week’s Global South news:
Devastating floods in Afghanistan - On Friday, the north of the country was hit by flash flooding. With many homes or infrastructure made of clay, mud, and wood, people become trapped, and some people lost their whole families. At least 315 people were killed, and many more lost their homes and their crops or cattle that were their living. The flash flooding followed extreme drought. Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, despite having done almost nothing to cause it. Video, source, source, source.
152 dead in Brazil floods, misinformation campaigns - A further 100 are disappeared, and 615,000 people have been displaced from their homes. While services have now been restored in most of the region, the Porto Alegre airport is still closed. Some 20,000 civil servants have rescued 60,000 people, but a (likely right-wing) disinformation campaign is attempting to obscure these efforts. Source, source.
Heat in Mexico - At least 26 people have died from the latest heat wave in Mexico, with temperatures going above 50°C (122°F) in the centre of the country and some blackouts experienced. Source, source.
Nigeria borrows US$500 million from World Bank for electricity meters - A majority of Nigerians don’t have electricity meters, which means their electricity bill is estimated and they can’t argue with what they are billed. Now the country’s senate has approved a loan to cover the meters, but it means more debt for a country that is already struggling. Source, source.
South Africa passes national health insurance - The South African government has passed a bill that will provide funds for all South Africans to access private health care. However the bill will face legal challenges, and while most of the country depends on the strained public system, its not clear that accessing private care is the answer. Source, source.
Argentine movements denounce illegal raids by government - Activists denounced the police raids as political persecution by the right-wing government and said they were an attempt to crush the opposition to Milei’s anti-people policies. Police raided 27 free soup kitchens and the homes of key activists, at night - which is illegal. Source.
Peru attacks sexual and gender diversity - The Peruvian government passed a decree that transvestites, transgender people, and some other identities have mental health illnesses. Source.
Useful reads:
The Tomato: What it Tells Us About India's Food Price Story 2014-2024
The Sahel seeks sovereignty
Thirsty in paradise: Water crises are a growing problem across the Caribbean islands
As catastrophe unfolds in Sudan, most of the world continues to turn a blind eye
How Israel is carving up and ‘reoccupying’ Gaza
Let refugees lead
Don’t gaslight Africa: We need genuinely clean cooking solutions
Ghana’s forests are being wiped out: what’s behind this and why attempts to stop it aren’t working