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The Critical Raw Materials Act proposed by the European Commission provides – in addition to recycling – for the reactivation and expansion of mining in Europe. What does this mean for resource-rich European countries? How do their civil societies feel about the run on raw materials on their doorstep? Three views from Serbia, Sweden and Ukraine.

The most common factors that increase inequality, violence and lack of opportunity for trans people in the region include barriers to accessing the health system and a lack of laws that recognise their identity in official documents, as well as police and military violence and an increase in hate speech and misinformation.

In parallel to the newly-issued guidelines for Germany’s feminist foreign policy, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has also launched a new strategy on feminist development policy. Here’s a look back at key moments in international development institutions’ back-and-forth on gender policy.  

Remy Zahiga, a young Congolese climate and social justice activist, explores the history of the uranium used for the production of nuclear weapons that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War. He also analyses the ramifications for people living nearby Shinkolobwe mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Benetick Kabua Maddison explains the history of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. Connecting it with the colonial legacy, climate change and the Marshallese pathway of seeking compensation from the US Government.

Nuclear weapons have catastrophic long-term impacts on human life and our environment. Therefore, we have to listen to those most affected by the production, testing, and use of nuclear weapons.

An examination of Ecuador's groundbreaking constitution, which centers nature, and the reasons it has the potential to inspire the world.

The mobility transition offers the opportunity for a new regenerative economic model that does not repeat the mistakes of fossil fuel era. To rely solely on electric cars now would be heading in the wrong direction. A central component of a just mobility transition would be to end dependence on private cars, expand public transportation and promote healthy and active mobility options such as cycling and walking in cities as well.

Even if all raw materials could be recycled, this alone would not be enough to meet the rapidly growing demand. It is crucial that all options for waste prevention and reuse be exhausted and products and infrastructure used for as long as possible. In addition, these must be designed to be durable and easy to repair.

The circular economy is an approach for a sustainable economy and a good way of life, as well as an actionable response to the triple planetary crisis – global warming, loss of biodiversity and pollution – and not least a solution to an increasingly uncertain supply of raw materials. How could it be implemented on a global scale?