World in Motion

World in Motion Unpacking the forces shaping our world. World in Motion delivers sharp, research-based insights on global trends, power dynamics, and the future of development.

Some landscapes are shaped by patience.In the Yorkshire Dales, dry stone walls stretch across the land, built by hand, s...
03/26/2026

Some landscapes are shaped by patience.

In the Yorkshire Dales, dry stone walls stretch across the land, built by hand, stone by stone, without mortar. Over time, they have come to define the landscape itself.

They mark boundaries, guide movement, and reflect a long history of labor and land use.

The world is always in motion. Sometimes, that motion is built to last.

Some places slow you down without asking.Dugi Otok, off the coast of Croatia, is one of them. Long stretches of coastlin...
03/25/2026

Some places slow you down without asking.

Dugi Otok, off the coast of Croatia, is one of them. Long stretches of coastline, clear water, and quiet settlements create a rhythm shaped by nature and time.

Life here follows a different pace. It draws attention to how environments shape how people live, move, and relate to place.

The world is always in motion. Sometimes, that motion is calm.

Sometimes the most striking landscapes feel almost unreal.Valle della Luna in northern Sardinia is one of those places. ...
03/19/2026

Sometimes the most striking landscapes feel almost unreal.

Valle della Luna in northern Sardinia is one of those places. Shaped by wind and time, its smooth granite rocks and quiet coves create a moon-like landscape, far from everyday life.

It is more than beauty. It shows how powerful natural forces are in shaping the environments we move through and depend on.

The world is always in motion. We just have to pause and notice it.

A Hunger Crisis Hidden in Plain SightGlobal hunger is rising again, even as food production hits record highs.What’s at ...
09/02/2025

A Hunger Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight
Global hunger is rising again, even as food production hits record highs.

What’s at Stake:
• 735 million people faced chronic hunger in 2024.
• Food prices remain high, especially in countries facing conflict, drought, or debt.
• Climate shocks are cutting harvests in the Horn of Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
• Hunger isn’t about scarcity; it’s about access, inequality, and broken food systems.
• You can’t talk about development if people can’t eat.

Key Question:
Why are so many going hungry in a world with so much?

Sources: WFP, FAO, Global Hunger Index

The Air We Breathe Is PoisonedAir pollution kills more people each year than wars or natural disasters, but we barely ta...
07/21/2025

The Air We Breathe Is Poisoned

Air pollution kills more people each year than wars or natural disasters, but we barely talk about it.
• 7 million deaths per year are linked to air pollution, mainly in low- and middle-income countries.
• Major cities like Delhi, Lagos, and Jakarta regularly exceed WHO safety limits.
• Indoor air pollution from cooking kills more children under 5 than malaria.

The tragedy is that:
• Pollution follows poverty. The poorest breathe the dirtiest air, and have the fewest options to escape.
• Clean air is a basic need but for billions, it’s a luxury.
• If we had to see pollution, would we finally act?

Sources: WHO, UNEP, Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health

Climate RefugeesAs the climate shifts, so do people but often in silence.• Over 33 million people were displaced by weat...
07/18/2025

Climate Refugees

As the climate shifts, so do people but often in silence.
• Over 33 million people were displaced by weather disasters in 2023 alone.
• Rising seas threaten entire island nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati.
• Most climate-displaced people move within their own countries with little legal protection or support.

But here’s the bigger issue:
• International refugee law doesn’t recognize climate as a cause for asylum.
• However, the climate crisis is a migration crisis although we just don’t call it that yet.
• Who protects the displaced when borders don’t?

Sources: IOM, UNHCR, IDMC. Picture Credit: Ezra Acayan / Getty Images

Lithium: Latin America’s White Gold RushThe global shift to electric vehicles is fueling a new scramble for lithium.• Ar...
07/16/2025

Lithium: Latin America’s White Gold Rush

The global shift to electric vehicles is fueling a new scramble for lithium.
• Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, commonly referred to as the “Lithium Triangle,” hold nearly 60% of global lithium reserves.
• China, the US, and Europe are all vying for influence in the region.
• National governments are torn between resource sovereignty and foreign investment.

But here’s the bigger issue:
• Mining lithium requires huge amounts of water, threatening fragile ecosystems and Indigenous lands in already arid regions.
• Green energy shouldn’t come at the cost of environmental justice.

The key question:
Can the lithium boom empower Latin America and foster environmental justice, or will it repeat extractive history?

Sources: IEA, UNCTAD, Harvard International Review

Who Owns the City? Foreign Investors and Urban DisplacementReal estate isn’t just about shelter anymore; it’s a global a...
07/14/2025

Who Owns the City? Foreign Investors and Urban Displacement

Real estate isn’t just about shelter anymore; it’s a global asset.
• Foreign investors now own significant parts of urban land in cities like Accra, Nairobi, Manila, and London.
• In many African and Asian capitals, land near transit or water gets bought up by foreign developers, pricing out locals.
• Luxury apartments sit empty while thousands live in overcrowded or informal housing.

Here’s the bigger issue:
• Cities are turning into commodities, not communities.
• When land becomes a profit machine, ordinary residents are pushed out of their own cities.

Key question:
Should foreign capital have more say in cities than the people who live there?

Sources: UN-Habitat, African Cities Research Consortium, Financial Times

The Future Without ElephantsAfrica’s elephants could disappear from the wild within a few decades.• African savanna elep...
07/10/2025

The Future Without Elephants

Africa’s elephants could disappear from the wild within a few decades.
• African savanna elephant populations have dropped by over 60% in 50 years.
• Poaching, land loss, and climate stress are accelerating the decline.
• Elephants are keystone species as they shape entire ecosystems by spreading seeds, clearing paths, and creating water holes.

Here’s the Bigger issue:
• Conservation is underfunded and often disconnected from the communities living with wildlife.
• If elephants go, so do countless other species and entire landscapes.

Key Question:
Can conservation succeed without justice for local people?

Sources: IUCN Red List, African Elephant Status Report, WWF

Melting Glaciers, Rising RisksGlaciers are vanishing and with them, our freshwater lifelines.• Over 1.9 billion people r...
07/09/2025

Melting Glaciers, Rising Risks

Glaciers are vanishing and with them, our freshwater lifelines.
• Over 1.9 billion people rely on glacier-fed rivers for drinking water, farming, and electricity.
• Glaciers in the Himalayas, Andes, and Alps are losing mass at record rates.
• Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), sudden bursts of meltwater, now threaten more than 15 million people.

The Bigger Issue:
• Glaciers are not just symbols of climate change; they’re sources of life, now under threat.
• We’re not just losing ice; we’re losing stability.

Key Question:
How do we protect mountain communities as their water towers disappear?

Sources: National Geographic, IPCC, USDA Climate Hubs, ICIMOD

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