Add us as your preferred source on Google to see more of our content in Search.
Add to Preferred SourcesPrivate philanthropy in international development, between praise and criticism, 2021 one of the seven warmest years on record, Top 10 worst climate disasters caused US$170 billion in losses in 2021. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Private philanthropy in international development, between praise and criticism
Philanthropy is defined as selfless acts of kindness that are intended to help others and it plays an important role in global development, according to international organizations. Between 2016 and 2019, the combined efforts of private philanthropy directed towards the development of the 205 foundations analyzed in the latest OECD report amounted to US$42.5 billion. However, despite the majority of people welcoming philanthropy, one in three still believe that rich people – the core of philanthropic donations – are not necessarily good for society. This article defines philanthropy, highlights certain facts and statistics related to it, and reflects on the ‘philanthropic’ paradox.
While philanthropy is supposed to represent selfless acts of kindness that are intended to help others and make the world a better place, when taking into account specific trends relating to the distribution of global wealth, others may have certain different opinions when reflecting on philanthropy. Thus, the ‘philanthropic paradox’ emerges whereby people agree that overall philanthropy is a positive phenomenon and improves society but, at the same time, it should be considered that those who do donate are not necessarily good for society as a whole.
Take for instance the fact that the number of billionaires in 2021 was 2,755, or 660 more than in 2020, while the overall wealth managed by those rose to US$13.1 trillion or US$8 trillion more than a year before. In the United States, for example, the current tax legislation allows individuals and organizations to deduct their charitable contributions from their tax obligations. Nevertheless, it seems that charitable tax deduction is set up in such a way that does not allow lower-income Americans to take advantage of it. Moreover, when digging deeper it becomes clear that philanthropy does not necessarily involve the transfer of capital from the rich to the poor as the largest donations often go towards supporting the elite universities and schools that the rich themselves had previously attended or to support the arts.
2021 one of the seven warmest years on record, WMO consolidated data shows
Although average global temperatures were temporarily cooled by the 2020-2022 La Niña events, 2021 was still one of the seven warmest years on record, according to six leading international datasets consolidated by the World Meteorological Organization. Global warming and other long-term climate change trends are expected to continue as a result of record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The average global temperature in 2021 was about 1.11 (± 0.13) °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels. 2021 is the 7th consecutive year (2015-2021) where the global temperature has been over 1°C above pre-industrial levels, according to all datasets compiled by WMO.
The warmest seven years have all been since 2015, with 2016, 2019, and 2020 constituting the top three. An exceptionally strong El Niño event occurred in 2016, which contributed to record global average warming.
“The year 2021 will be remembered for a record-shattering temperature of nearly 50°C in Canada, comparable to the values reported in the hot Saharan Desert of Algeria, exceptional rainfall, and deadly flooding in Asia and Europe as well as drought in parts of Africa and South America. Climate change impacts and weather-related hazards had life-changing and devastating impacts on communities on every single continent,” Prof. Taalas said.
Top 10 worst climate disasters caused US$170 billion in losses in 2021
Extreme weather events generate increasingly more losses year on year. The top 10 worst climate disasters that occurred in 2021 cost humanity over US$170 billion, a British development aid NGO has discovered although it noted that if every climate-related disaster was taken into consideration, this amount would be much higher.
These events not only caused material damage but also led to deaths, injuries, and displacements. In the US, Hurricane Ida killed 95 people and the floods in Europe caused 240 deaths while the floods in the Chinese province of Henan killed 320 people, and over a million were displaced.
“The costs of climate change have been grave this year, both in terms of eye-watering financial losses but also in the death and displacement of people around the world. Be it storms and floods in some of the world’s richest countries or droughts and heatwaves in some of the poorest, the climate crisis hit hard in 2021. While it was good to see some progress made at the COP26 summit, it is clear that the world is not on track to ensure a safe and prosperous world,” said Dr, Kat Kramer, the report’s author, and Christian Aid’s climate policy lead.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Food insecurity to grow if climate change is not tackled properly
With 45 million people suffering from a shortage of food, climate change promises to push even more people into hunger in the future. Estimates show that, if by 2050 and subsequently by 2080, greenhouse gas emissions remain high and the adaptation stays as it is now, vulnerability to food insecurity will increase enormously in some countries, reaching up to 136% compared to the present level.
7 steps you can take to help mitigate climate crisis
Have you ever thought about what you can do to mitigate the climate crisis? If the answer is yes, here are 7 things you can do to fight climate change.
Encourage people around you to adopt climate-friendly lifestyles and support ecologically sound solutions.
Don’t just stand by, take action by participating in global movements such as ‘Count Us In’ which aims to motivate 1 billion individuals around the world to reduce their carbon pollution and take steps towards targeted and bold changes. The platform also offers tips about how to lobby specific climate-friendly ideas among local political and business representatives. Make your voice count, contact legislators if you disagree with their approach, support climate activists and eco-friendly policies and sign up for debates such as the UN’s #ActNow campaign.
Coronavirus pandemic triggers temporary decline in fertility rate
Although the pandemic temporarily affected the global fertility rate, most countries are now recovering from this decline according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). However, even before the pandemic, countries such as Italy and the USA had been recording a dramatic decline in the number of births per month.
Overall, from 1990 to 2019, the total birth rate dropped from 3.2 to 2.5 live births per woman. In 2020, 50% of the world’s population resided in countries where the lifetime fertility was below 2.1 live births per woman. The highest birth rate in 2021 (births per woman) was recorded in Niger (6.91 births per woman), followed by Angola and Congo with 5.9 and 5.7 births per woman respectively. In 2021, the lowest fertility rate was recorded in Taiwan with 1.07 births per woman, followed by South Korea and Singapore with 1.09 and 1.15 births per woman, respectively.
Here’s what else has happened
AIIB: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has committed USD150 million to invest in the development of data centers that mostly serve emerging Asia through the Keppel Data Centre Fund II (KDCF II), a closed-end private equity vehicle managed by Alpha Investment Partners Limited (Alpha).
UNDP: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the European Union (EU) launched a US $16.9 million livelihoods recovery initiative, to safeguard women’s livelihoods and women-led small businesses. Its objective is to prevent the collapse of the local economy and systems supporting basic human needs in Afghanistan.
World Bank: The World Bank has disbursed an initial US$8 million in emergency financing to support the Kingdom of Tonga’s response and recovery following the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami.
Reports
ILO downgrades labour market recovery forecast for 2022
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has downgraded its forecast for labor market recovery in 2022, projecting a deficit in hours worked globally equivalent to 52 million full-time jobs, relative to the fourth quarter of 2019. The previous full-year estimate in May 2021 projected a deficit of 26 million full-time equivalent jobs.
While this latest projection is an improvement on the situation in 2021, it remains almost two per cent below the number of global hours worked pre-pandemic, according to the ILO World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2022 (WESO Trends).
2021 global air passenger totals show improvement from 2020, but still only half pre-pandemic levels
Global passenger traffic recovered modestly in 2021, with the latest ICAO economic impact analysis of COVID-19 on civil aviation revealing that the number of passengers worldwide was 2.3 billion or 49 percent below pre-pandemic (2019) levels, up from the 60 percent drop seen in 2020. Global seat capacity offered by airlines improved by 20 percent during the same period, exceeding the growth in passenger demand. The overall passenger load factor in 2021 stood at 68 percent, compared to 82 percent in 2019, and airlines worldwide incurred losses of $324 billion following $372 billion in 2020.
UN Human Rights Chief outlines funding needs required to support her “agenda of rights”
UN Human Rights Chief, Michelle Bachelet, has made an appeal to the UN Member States and private donors to support her 2022 “agenda of rights” through the work of her Office’s 1,600 staff at headquarters and 103 field presences, as well as her Office’s global partners.
“Amidst a period of massive global upheaval and crisis, this funding will be critical to protect, promote and uphold human rights in every corner of the world,” Bachelet said while outlining her Office’s financial requirements to the Member States during the launch of the UN Human Rights Annual Appeal.
Events
5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5)
📅 23 – 27 January 2022
Doha, Qatar
The world’s Least Developed Countries are in a race to deliver global development goals by 2030. This new decade needs to usher in a new global partnership to close the divide.
WWT wastewater 2022, conference & exhibition | Virtual
📅 25 January 2022
Virtual
The WWT Wastewater 2022 Conference & Exhibition is the UK’s largest wastewater event with two dedicated streams for Infrastructure & Networks and Treatment. Providing innovative industry case studies and thought-leadership, this online event is designed to tackle all of the current wastewater challenges in one place.
eGFRID – Remittances and investment: how migrants finance sustainable development | Virtual
📅 26 January 2022
Virtual
The next eGFRID webinar, jointly hosted by IFAD and the European Commission (EC), will focus on the topic of “Remittances and investment: How migrants finance sustainable development.”
Healthy Oceans Tech and Finance Forum: Innovative Solutions for Asia and the Pacific | Virtual
📅 26 – 28 January 2022
Virtual
The ADB Healthy Oceans Tech and Finance Forum, to be held on 26-28 January 2022, aims to promote and share innovative technologies, good practices, case studies, and practical solutions to protect and enhance the health and resilience of the ocean ecosystems and coastal communities in the region.
Global Youth Tourism Summit (GYTS)
📅 27 June 2022
Sorrento, Italy
The Global Youth Tourism Summit (GYTS) is a new platform, developed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to enhance youth empowerment and engagement in the tourism sector. It will be a series of international events, workshops, education initiatives, that will give children and youth a unique platform to share and discuss innovative ideas, visions, and their proposals for the future of sustainable tourism within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.