Transitie

Opinion

‘The shift to a post-growth economy is not just a matter of survival, but above all a matter of progress’

15 May 2023 -

As political leaders gather for a conference at the European Parliament on how to move “beyond growth”, a group of academics and civil society organisations see the geopolitical crisis as an opportunity to disengage from the socially and ecologically harmful growth competition.

Interview

Setting sail for climate action - but will it work?

4 May 2023 -

Christiaan De Beukelaer would spend three weeks doing fieldwork aboard an old sailing ship. The COVID-19 crisis broke loose and weeks became months. Christiaan wrote down his personal odyssey in “Trade Winds”. Gie Goris spoke to him about the role and impact of shipping on the climate.

Report

Why a Belgian supermarket chain is planting 12 million trees in Congo

30 March 2023 -

A major supermarket chain that wants to plant 12 million trees in Congo is to be climate-neutral: how does that work? And is Colruyt Group effectively on track to realise those ambitious climate plans by 2030? MO* journalist John Vandaele went on site and saw opportunities, but also challenges.

Report

How a Belgian reforestation promoter in Congo is trusted as a major employer

29 March 2023 -

MO* journalist John Vandaele travelled to Congo to visit NGO Faja Lobi, which was started ten years ago by Jurgen Heytens from Ghent. With many small donations, the organisation planted 3,000 hectares of forest in the savannahs of Kwilu and became the largest employer in the region.

Report

The end of coal is not in sight. Neither is the end of injustice

18 July 2022 -

The devastating impact of the climate crisis is increasingly clear. That is why the world needs to make a fundamental energy transition as soon as possible. But how can that be done in a country that is dependent on coal? Gie Goris travelled to Jharkhand in India for answers to that question.

Opinion

‘Making peace with nature is possible, if we start now’

18 February 2021 -

Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, believes our 'environmental, social and economic challenges are interlinked'. 'This year, we must make peace with nature.'

Analysis

In Kenya garbage is recycled into opportunities for the young

14 October 2020 -

As the Kenyan economy grows, the amount of waste grows along with it. A flood of new disposable materials, from mouth masks to gloves, puts extra pressure on faulty policies. Can a sustainable waste policy offer young people growth opportunities and reduce the waste heap?

Interview

The House is on fire, but we need more than the fire brigade

21 September 2019 -

After a day of global climate action, and just before a crucial Climate Summit at the UN on Monday, MO* sent three pressing questions about the prospects of fast and frundamental transition to a number of global experts. These experts have the ear of top policy makers, so what they say, matters. Even for activists or skeptics who beg to disagree wi ...

Report

Who’s paying the “green” bill for the electric car?

17 July 2018 -

What do a poisoned lake in Mongolia, a deadly lung disease in the Congolese cobalt mines and water conflicts in the Andean countries have in common? They are the heavy price paid for our electric cars, which tun out to be anything but green for people living in places where crucial resources are mined.

Zeronaut

How science proves that nature saves lives

5 December 2017 -

The science is there to prove it. ‘Nature can save more lives, promote more health and deal with more ill health than the public health sector.’ The healthcare debate largely overlooks its number one provider: nature.

Analysis

Peak oil 2.0: demand dries up

16 January 2017 -

With Trump’s inauguration days away, environmentalists are bracing for the worst. After eight years of Obama, with his emphasis on renewable sources, a lot has changed. Despite being surrounded by fossil fuel tycoons and climate change deniers, his successor will have arrived too late to save the oil industry. To understand why, we need look ...

Report

Sustainable cities: utopia or reality

1 June 2015 -

As humans continue to evolve, so too do our cities. Today, with more than 50% of the world’s population living in cities, our success or failure in building sustainable cities will shape the future of the Homo Urbanus. Both developed and developing world cities are still struggling to get urban development right.