Where fashion funds green energy and hairdressers offer counseling

1. United States

UCLA created a disability studies undergraduate degree, underscoring a shift in attitudes around disabilities and increasing interest in the discipline. While the University of Toledo in Ohio claims the first bachelor’s degree program focused on disabilities in the country, UCLA’s program is the first such offering at a public university in California.

California’s universities have long been sites of activism for disability rights. The University of California, Berkeley was one of the first schools in the country to grant disabled students accommodations. Disability studies “is a way of thinking about how we construct identities around health and well-being, functionality and in some degrees, citizenship itself,” said Victoria Marks, chair of the UCLA degree program.

In 2021, about 7% of students in the University of California system received disability accommodations. While advocates say that disabled people still face social pressure to downplay a disability and pass as nondisabled, faculty and students celebrated UCLA’s new major as a step forward.

“We’re judged by our medical histories,” said UCLA junior Vivek Chotai. “[We’re] told that we won’t graduate, that we won’t be healthy, that we are not able to live the lives we want to. Any effort that advances the understanding of our community ... is education that can be used to create change.”
Sources: Los Angeles Times, Daily Bruin

2. Brazil

Municipal nurseries are helping to keep São Paulo’s diverse native tree species alive. Unlike commercial nurseries, which focus on profits, municipal nurseries can cultivate varieties that are critical for the city’s biodiversity but generate little economic value. In the Americas’ largest city, three nurseries produce about 1.5 million seedlings annually.

São Paulo uses the plants for landscaping throughout its squares, streets, and parks, as well as for reforestation initiatives. An urban forest conservation project aims to create up to 11 acres of mini forests near dense traffic: Three areas studied last summer ranged in size from 0.6 acres to 1.1 acres. And last year, the nurseries helped supply a nonprofit with 10,000 seedlings for dense plantings by 4,000 children on urban school grounds. At the indoor-outdoor, 124-acre Harry Blossfeld nursery alone, located in Cemucam Park, workers grow from seed over 200 types of trees, including 22 species at risk of extinction.

Native plants play an instrumental role in maintaining ecosystems. The diverse food types from native trees can attract wildlife that spread seeds elsewhere. Municipal nurseries can also be sites of science and education. Researchers at Harry Blossfeld say they’re working on creating a guide to seeds and seedlings for the public, which will allow people to learn about native species.
Sources: Mongabay, City of São Paulo

3. Togo

Hairdressers are providing counseling for their clients in West Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lack of access to mental health care is a global challenge, and Africa contends with some of the highest suicide rates in the world. In Togo, five psychiatrists serve over 8 million people. But the Heal by Hair three-day program is training hairdressers to spot mental health conditions early and be active listeners.

The initiative has armed about 150 hairdressers with skills such as asking open-ended questions, noticing nonverbal signs of mental distress, and giving appropriate advice. Cameroonian entrepreneur Marie-Alix de Putter came up with the idea after her own hairdresser provided indispensable support when Ms. de Putter’s husband died. Hairdressers say that women share stories about everything from financial strains to struggles with domestic violence.

As well as cost barriers to professional counseling, the lack of acceptance of the need for mental health services can be an obstacle to appropriate care. In 2020, Human Rights Watch documented how the shackling of people with psychosocial disorders took place in 60 countries, due to lack of adequate mental health supports and stigmatization of people with disabilities. Heal by Hair, whose program is based on WHO guidelines for increasing access to care in low- and middle-income countries, hopes to train at least 1,000 hairdressers by 2035.
Sources: The New York Times, Bluemind Foundation

4. Bangladesh

Cash transfers and other preemptive supports are helping people cope with a worsening climate. In Bangladesh, which faces intense yearly flooding, the World Food Program’s “anticipatory action” reaches over 150,000 people with early transfers of food and essentials to reduce losses before an expected flood.

According to the Anticipation Hub, a Red Cross- and Red Crescent-based initiative, at least 35 countries used anticipatory funding in 2022, committing $138 million for at least 3.6 million people. In Bangladesh, 72% of households that received early cash funding said the money helped them prepare. One farmer, who in 2022 sold livestock at a loss after a flood devastated his crops, said he was able to feed his cows and goats with fodder provided by the program after the monsoon this year. Bangladesh has implemented more anticipatory measures than any other country.

While funding for climate aid measures to poorer nations historically falls short of what’s needed, the “loss and damage” fund long demanded by developing nations was launched at this year’s COP28, the United Nations’ annual climate summit. Critics warn that wealthier nations may divert development aid budgets to climate aid instead of making new commitments. But the board for the new fund is wasting no time and will meet by Jan. 31, 2024.
Sources: Context, United Nations, Anticipation Hub

World

Twelve fashion companies agreed to finance renewable energy infrastructure before it’s built. To speed its transition away from fossil fuels, the group created a new long-term power purchasing agreement (PPA) with a developer, enabling new solar projects to move forward without the typical government subsidies.

Seeking price stability after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strained fuel supplies that were already stretched thin by pandemic disruptions, the firms combined their purchasing power for expected cost savings. The agreement with developer Lightsource bp will increase the supply of renewable energy that companies need to meet their own energy targets. PPAs and similar market-driven procurement policies are expected to make up 22% of Europe’s increased renewables capacity next year.

Though PPAs could help close funding gaps in developing renewable energy projects, they tend to suit larger companies that can commit significant funding and have strong credit profiles. Governments still have a role; Taiwan announced credit guarantees for green PPAs in August, potentially widening the pool of companies able to participate.
Sources: Financial Times, Reuters, International Energy Agency