Context Newsroom’s Post

The cost of housing has become a key issue in next month’s U.S. election and renters could become a critical voting bloc for the first time in history. Campaigners are hoping that this could lead to real gains. Record rises in house prices and rent have created an “unprecedented affordability crisis” according to a Harvard University report. With renters making up roughly 36% of the country’s households, housing policy could become a decisive issue in this election. ✍️ Carey Biron reports. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eqZw9HyK 

AI systems all function the same way, by identifying patterns. The truth is that machine learning systems struggle with difference ✍️ Gemma Galdon Clavell, PhD, the founder and CEO of Eticas Foundation, writes for Context. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eGxERxdd 

Imagine not having a nationality. Not having anywhere to call home. Not having any proof you exist. That’s the reality for millions of stateless people worldwide. Trapped in a legal limbo, stateless people are often deprived of the basic rights most of us take for granted such as education, healthcare, housing and jobs. Everyday tasks like getting a SIM card, opening a bank account or getting a driving licence are frequently impossible. Many live on the margins of society, at risk of destitution, exploitation and incarceration. As one stateless person put it, it’s like being ‘a bird that can never land’. The crisis has remained largely invisible for decades, but things are beginning to change. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/e9rgrwih ✍️ Emma Batha

🇺🇸 As Hurricane Milton hits the United States, leading climate scientists warn we are close to crossing crucial tipping points ✍️ William J. Ripple, a distinguished professor at College of Forestry at Oregon State University, and Johan Rockström, professor in Earth system science at the University of Potsdam and director of the PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, write for Context. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gM54Fsgb 

The International #DayOfTheGirl shines a light on a generation of girls who have been disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, conflict, poverty and global pushback on hard-won rights and gender equality. Across the world millions of girls are still denied their rights, restricting their choices and limiting their futures. The following collection of stories shines a light on some of these struggles, as well as the incredible women and girls fighting to build a better future ⬇

🍃 The natural environment is crucial to human life on the planet, from protection against diseases to the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. But despite decades of conservation efforts, biodiversity is still in rapid decline.  Populations of vertebrates such as monkeys, fish, birds and giraffes declined 73% on average between 1970 and 2020, a new report from WWF shows. This month, countries will meet in Cali, Colombia, for United Nations COP16 biodiversity talks, aiming to accelerate action to curb nature's destruction. ✍️ andré cabette fábio reports 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eyfEpFnW 

🇧🇩 As Bangladesh faces worsening climate change impacts on a warming planet - from droughts and floods to sea level rise and storms - health professionals and organisations in the country are increasingly concerned about deteriorating mental health. Extreme weather and climate disasters can cause or compound anxiety and depression, for example, according to mental health specialists who say such conditions are poorly understood in Bangladesh and that there are far too few trained psychologists. Nearly a fifth of adults in Bangladesh have mental health issues, found a survey conducted by the government in 2019. ✍️ Md. Tahmid Zami reports #WorldMentalHealthDay 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ewVff4PT 

As more extreme rainfall hits South Asia leading to floods that do not recognise national borders, regional countries must work together more to combat the mutual threat, experts said. ✍️ Md. Tahmid Zami reports 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e8b6U4p4   

🌍 🚫 "Being stateless is like you don't exist. You look like everyone else, but because you have no identification documents you live in the shadows, unable to do basic things like go to school or even get a mobile phone number," Nosizi Dube told Context. The #IBelong campaign's success varies across the world, and while millions remain stateless, the campaign has been a beacon of hope in Kenya, with thousands of stateless people from the Shona, Makonde and Pemba communities gaining recognition. More than 50% of the 20,000 people who registered as stateless in Kenya in 2014 have been granted citizenship, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). ✍️ Nita Bhalla reports 🔗 https://lnkd.in/exHfUykU