If you’re involved in trade unions, you’re likely hearing a new buzzword right now: “Just Transition”. My guess is that if you’re like me, the frequent repetition of this neologism doesn’t help clarify anything whatsoever, but it’s worth sticking with, as it’s an interesting concept, and one where unions may really be able to make a contribution. (more…)
The guy in the photo is called Ze Preto (or rather that’s his nickname, it means Joe Black, which is something along the lines of Joe Blogs), and he lives on a subsistence farmstead a very bumpy half hour drive outside the inland market town of Ouricuri in Pernambuco, in North East Brazil.
I met Ze and his family in 2000, whilst I was working for the development charity Oxfam. They were one of the success stories of a project I was visiting, which was helping landless farmers to live a more secure life in the inhospitable climate of the Sertão – the semi-arid region, where long annual droughts can kill off most crops. The project, called Caatinga after the hardy scrub plants of the region, was helping people to implement sustainable technologies like huge underground water butts, which filled in the rainy season and stored vital irrigation and drinking water the rest of the year. (more…)
