Mondialisering

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.

Interview

‘The super-rich choose their own place in the world — and pay for it’

6 January 2023 -

Who among us can truly become a global citizen? Journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, herself the holder of three nationalities from three different continents, takes a unique look at what citizenship means in the 21st century.

Report

How Congo seeks prosperity that leaves its precious rainforest intact

6 December 2022 -

Congo wants to show itself as a country coming up with solutions to climate change. If it wants to succeed in that mission, the country will have to listen to the grievances of its ailing population. Useful first steps are taken, but the road is still long. “It takes time to change human habits.”

Analysis

Can we mine our way out of the climate crisis?

13 September 2022 -

The EU is heavily dependent on imports of fossil fuels. The European Commission wants to get rid of these, but does not want to depend on other countries or continents for new raw materials. The solution is to mine as many raw materials as possible ourselves.

Column

Colonization was the epitome of arrogance

15 March 2022 -

There is still a need for an honest history of colonization. This is illustrated by a playful action in London by a man who claimed to have “discovered” the River Thames, writes MO*columnist Chika Unigwe. ‘To discover something that already exists and stick another name on it is pure arrogance.’

Opinion

Open up the borders (for journalism)!

17 March 2020 -

‘While the world is forcing us to cooperate internationally and begging for global remedies for everything from the coronavirus to the climate crisis, there is still far too little attention to global journalism’. Gie Goris and Jago Kosolosky, current and future editor-in-chief of MO* respectively, regret that.

Extra

Shipbreaking, A Glossary

18 March 2019 -

Every industry has its own jargon, and reading stories about shipbreaking without a good glossary can be challenging. Here are the most relevant terms to follow our reporting:

Analysis

Switzerland by the sea

5 March 2019 -

According to the UN Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Switzerland ranks 20th in the world in terms of the number of ships owned, but 15th in terms of the number of ships scrapped on beaches. “The percentage of Swiss ships that ended up on the beach is almost 100%. That puts Switzerland in the top 10 of global dumpers,” said ...

Interview

Baskut Tuncak: “As long as the world allows shipping companies to choose the rules they want to abide by, regulation is all but impossible”

5 March 2019 -

Baskut Tuncak is, UN Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes: “In shipbreaking yards, workers often are exposed to toxic chemicals including asbestos, dusts and fibres, highly toxic industrial chemicals which have been banned for decades but are still present in ships, as well as lead, mercury, arsenic or cadmium in paints, coat ...

Report

Why beaching is so hard for companies to resist

5 March 2019 -

The road to Alang is lined with shops and warehouses selling items that once used to sail across the world’s oceans. Oak desks, faux crystal chandeliers, life vests and boats, ropes, electric cables and switches, leather chairs, paintings and reproductions, giant generators and motors – you name it. It is ship recycling in its most lite ...