The Human Consciousness Now...Our World in the Midst of Becoming...to What? Observe, contemplate Now.
LILONGWE, Aug 12 2026 (IPS) - For years, Malawi’s electricity supply has been at the mercy of droughts, floods and cyclones that have repeatedly exposed the vulnerability of a power system heavily dependent on hydropower.
Cyclones Anna and Freddy damaged energy infrastructure, triggering prolonged blackouts that disrupted businesses, hospitals, schools and households while forcing the country to rely on expensive diesel generators to keep essential services running.
Now Malawi is betting on battery storage technology to make its electricity network more resilient to climate shocks while accelerating its transition to renewable energy.
The country has commissioned its first standalone utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), a 20-megawatt, 40-megawatt-hour facility in Kanengo, Lilongwe, developed by the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP).
Backed by a USD 20 million catalytic grant from GEAPP, the project is expected to stabilise the national grid, unlock approximately 100 megawatts of renewable electricity that has previously been curtailed, reduce dependence on diesel generators and avoid more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
For Carol Koech, vice president for Africa at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, the project represents more than another piece of energy infrastructure.
“This project was envisioned after Cyclones Anna and Freddy exposed the fragility of Malawi’s hydropower-dependent grid,” Koech told IPS in an interview.
“The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) strengthens grid resilience by storing electricity and dispatching it instantly during peak demand or climate-related disruptions. It also reduces reliance on costly diesel backup generation while unlocking about 100 megawatts of renewable energy capacity that is currently being curtailed.”
Unlike conventional power plants, battery storage does not generate electricity. Instead, it stores excess energy when demand is low and releases it when demand rises or generation falls, helping stabilise voltage and frequency across the electricity network.
Energy experts say such systems are becoming increasingly important as African countries expand renewable energy generation while confronting increasingly severe climate impacts.
For Malawi, where hydropower accounts for most electricity generation, prolonged droughts reduce river flows while floods and cyclones damage transmission infrastructure, making battery storage a critical adaptation tool.
Powering Economic Growth
Reliable electricity remains one of the biggest barriers to Malawi’s economic growth.
Frequent blackouts force manufacturers to halt production, increase operating costs through diesel generation and discourage private investment.
Agriculture, which employs the majority of Malawians, also depends increasingly on electricity for irrigation, agro-processing and cold storage.
Koech says reliable electricity could transform these productive sectors.
“Energy plays a significant role in enabling resilient agricultural systems,” she said.
“Irrigation, agro-processing and cold storage all depend on reliable electricity. Having a stable grid means these activities can continue with minimal interruptions.”
She added that manufacturers and small businesses also stand to benefit from fewer power outages.
“A reliable electricity supply means manufacturers do not have to worry about production losses or the high costs associated with alternative power sources. Small businesses equally benefit because they can operate consistently without disruptions.”
The project is expected to improve electricity reliability for households, industries and critical public services while supporting Malawi’s ambition of expanding electricity access to 70 percent by 2030.
Strengthening Regional Energy Trade
Beyond national benefits, the battery storage project could strengthen Malawi’s role within the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), the regional electricity market linking several countries across southern Africa.
Malawi already has an electricity interconnector with Mozambique, while additional connections to Zambia and Tanzania are planned or under development.
According to Koech, battery storage provides the stable national grid needed for countries to participate effectively in regional electricity trading.
“Malawi is strategically positioned within the Southern African Power Pool,” she said.
“Battery storage strengthens grid stability, making it essential for cross-border electricity trade and regional energy security. As regional electricity markets continue evolving, resilient national grids will become increasingly important.”
Improved regional integration could enable countries to share electricity during shortages, improve renewable energy utilization and reduce the costs of maintaining reserve generation capacity.
Building African expertise
The Malawi project also aims to strengthen Africa’s technical capacity in battery storage technology.
Koech said the initiative forms part of GEAPP’s wider effort to deploy 90 gigawatts of battery storage globally while building local expertise to support future projects.
A Southern Africa BESS Centre of Excellence anchored at Mzuzu University will train engineers and power sector specialists in battery operations, grid modelling and system integration.
“We are building a local ecosystem for battery storage in Africa,” Koech explained.
“The Centre of Excellence will equip the next generation of African energy professionals with the technical skills needed to design, operate and manage these systems while allowing countries to learn from each other and reduce project delivery costs.”
She said knowledge generated through Malawi’s experience would support similar projects across the continent, including utility-scale battery developments already emerging elsewhere in southern Africa.
Attracting Future Investment
For GEAPP, Malawi’s project also serves as proof that utility-scale battery storage is commercially viable in Africa.
Instead of relying on diesel generators to stabilise electricity networks, utilities can increasingly use batteries to provide frequency regulation, voltage support and other ancillary grid services.
“This project demonstrates that Africa is ready for utility-scale battery storage,” Koech said.
“It shows utilities can replace expensive diesel with battery systems that charge during periods of low demand and discharge during peak demand while providing critical grid services.”
She believes the demonstration effect could encourage greater public and private investment in modern electricity infrastructure across the continent.
As African countries pursue ambitious renewable energy targets while confronting worsening climate extremes, battery storage is increasingly being viewed not simply as an energy technology but as climate resilience infrastructure.
For Malawi, where climate change continues to threaten electricity generation and economic development, the Kanengo battery project could become an important model for how clean energy investments strengthen resilience, expand energy access and stimulate sustainable growth.
IPS UN Bureau Report
Inter Press Service (IPS),
SYDNEY, Aug 12 2026 (IPS) - Should anyone be surprised that Israel has rebuffed Donald Trump? The unconditional support of the US and its Western allies for Israel has emboldened the rogue state. Thus, Israel continues its genocide against the Palestinians in defiance of international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention, and despite the so-called ceasefire agreement under the Trump plan. This is the pay-back for protecting Netanyahu from his arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Anis Chowdhury
The creation of Israel in the Palestinian land was a western project. The West ignored the fate of the Palestinians and granted impunity to Israel in the guise of Israel’s right to exist. The genocidal intent of the Zionists founders of Israel was well-known. It became an open fact in 1948 when 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced and dispossessed to pave the way for the creation of the State of Israel. The Palestinians refer to this as “Nakba”, meaning catastrophe in Arabic.
Between 1947 and 1949 Zionist forces captured more than 78% of historic Palestine even though the State of Israel was supposed to get around 56% of the land under the United Nation’s plan. The Zionist forces ethnically cleansed and destroyed about 530 villages and cities, and killed about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, and more than 70 massacres. In less than six months, from December 1947 to mid-May 1948, Zionist armed groups expelled about 440,000 Palestinians from 220 villages.
Since the establishment of Israel, the state has extended its systematic ethnic cleansing while the West looked the other way. Even though the Zionist project fulfilled its dream of creating “a Jewish homeland” in Palestine in 1948, the process of ethnic cleansing and displacement of Palestinians never stopped.
The West’s Frankenstein now dreams of a greater Israel from “the River to the Sea”. The Zionist Israel always finds excuses to scuttle any peace plan or ceasefire agreement. This time, Netanyahu rejected Trump’s so-called peace plan demanding that Hamas be “genuinely” disarmed first.
Trump says “the relationship is very good,” even as Netanyahu rejects Gaza peace plan. No surprise; Netanyahu’s predecessor, Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel was reported to have said to his Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, “Don’t worry about American pressure; we control America”.
However, to be fair, Israeli sources denied that Sharon made any such comment. Nonetheless, Israel’s control over the US and its Western allies is visible to the naked eye.
The West has no clothes
The Western allies of the rogue State Israel give a lip service to the fate of the Palestinian in the guise of a so-called “Two-State solution” while takes no real actions against Israel’s continued expansion of settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in defiance of the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
On 19 July, 2024, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza – illegal under international law. The court demanded that the occupation must end as rapidly as possible.
Meanwhile rising settler violence, aided by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) against the Palestinians continues unabated.
In arrogant defiance Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) voted 68 to 9 on July 18, 2024 to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Yet, there is no protest from the US and its Western allies. Even the Western countries that symbolically recognised the State of Palestine remain silent as the Frankenstein tightened its grip on its creators.
They are loud in demanding Palestinian disarmament as condition for so-called peace while the rogue State of Israel defiantly reject the Palestinian’s right to have their own sovereign state and basic human rights.
If the Palestinians are asked to disarm then the rogue state must also be asked to rescind its bill rejecting the creation of an independent Palestine. It must also dismantle its illegal settlements in the Occupied Territory– including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza as demanded by the ICJ.
Anis Chowdhury, Emeritus Professor, Western Sydney University (Australia). He held senior UN positions in Bangkok and New York and served as Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor for Finance (with the status and rank of State Minister) in the Professor Yunus-led Interim Government. E-mail: anis.z.chowdhury@gmail.com; a.chowdhury@westernsydney.edu.au
IPS UN Bureau
ALEPPO, Syria, Aug 11 2026 (IPS) - The abuse 30-year-old Nour Al-Badawi experienced in an Aleppo public hospital while giving birth resulted in her having two major follow-up operations and left her with depression and anxiety.
She is one Syrian woman who spoke out to IPS about “obstetric violence” – a term that refers to physical, verbal, or psychological abuse by healthcare providers; medical interventions performed without the pregnant woman’s informed consent; and violations of her dignity and privacy within healthcare facilities.
The experience of these women extends far beyond medical challenges and harsh humanitarian conditions.
Obstetric violence encompasses all forms of abuse, neglect, violations of dignity and privacy, or the performance of medical interventions without informed consent.
Al-Badawi describes her most recent childbirth experience as one of the harshest chapters of her life.
“Poverty forces us to give birth in public hospitals and endure the mistreatment that takes place there. Because of the violence and abuse I experienced during childbirth, I no longer consider becoming pregnant again.”
Nour explains that her suffering was not limited to verbal insults and violations of her dignity but extended to violent practices during the delivery process, including forceful pressure on her abdomen, as well as an improperly performed procedure to widen the birth canal. This resulted in serious uterine complications that required two surgical operations to treat an obstetric urinary fistula.
The experience completely transformed Nour’s life. She developed severe depression and a constant desire for isolation. Her family also faced significant financial burdens to cover the costs of her treatment, forcing her to sell some of her belongings and resort to borrowing money.
Despite what happened to Nour, her husband chose not to make any comment and said he would not file a complaint or take legal action against the healthcare centre where the delivery took place, fearing further disputes and additional difficulties. Instead, he assumed responsibility for caring for his wife and covering her treatment expenses.
Farida Al-Hassoun (26), from Hama, also remembers the day she gave birth to her first child at a public hospital as one of the most difficult days of her life — not only because of the pain of labour, but also because of the way she was treated by nurses and midwives inside the hospital.
“I was screaming from the pain, but a nurse told me to be quiet and said I was exaggerating. No one explained what they were going to do. I was shocked when they stitched the wound resulting from childbirth without anaesthesia. At that moment, I felt indescribable pain,” Al-Hassoun said.
She points out that her fear increased as her questions were ignored and she received no psychological support during childbirth. After leaving the hospital, she was unable to forget the experience and continued to suffer from anxiety for months whenever she remembered the delivery room.
Al-Hassoun asks: “Can a Syrian woman give birth with dignity, or will violence inside delivery rooms remain a silent experience that no one steps forward to stop?”
Dr Ola Al-Omar (36), an obstetrician and gynaecologist, discusses the risks of obstetric violence, saying:
“In Syria, years of war and economic collapse have placed increasing pressure on the healthcare system, which has affected the quality of maternal care services. Shortages of medical staff, overcrowded hospitals, and declining resources have all contributed to creating an environment in which women are exposed to mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth.”
She said that obstetric violence took many forms, including performing medical interventions without explaining them to the patient or obtaining her informed consent; using humiliating expressions; blaming women for crying out during labour; failing to respect privacy inside delivery rooms; depriving women of sufficient information about their health condition; ignoring their pain; or delaying the provision of necessary care.
She emphasises that every woman has the right to receive respectful maternity care, including the preservation of her dignity and privacy, obtaining informed consent before any medical intervention, receiving the necessary information to make decisions regarding her health, and being protected from humiliation, discrimination, or neglect.
Social and Psychological Counsellor Sereen Al-Sheikh (33), from the city of Idlib in northern Syria, speaks about the suffering of pregnant women, saying: “I have met many women who were subjected to artificial induction of labour to accelerate the delivery process, even though the mother’s cervix was already dilated, as well as repeated vaginal examinations that caused severe distress and trauma. In addition, patients are not allowed to have companions present during childbirth, and their movement is sometimes restricted.”
Al-Sheikh explains that these practices leave long-term psychological effects, including fear of becoming pregnant again, postpartum psychological disorders, and a loss of trust in healthcare institutions.
“Most women choose silence out of fear of social stigma, as well as because it is difficult to prove that violations or abuses have occurred. These incidents often take place without evidence or witnesses and, therefore, pass without accountability,” she says.
A childbirth experience may end with the arrival of a newborn into the world, but for some Syrian women, what follows is a long journey of fear and trauma.
At a moment that is supposed to be among the safest and most reassuring experiences in a woman’s life, some Syrian women find themselves facing an entirely different reality: cries that no one listens to, medical procedures carried out without explanation or consent, and harsh words that remain engraved in their memories for years after childbirth.
IPS UN Bureau Report
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 11 2026 (IPS) - “Mainly, people tell me they’re exhausted. They’re exhausted from being poor, from being hungry, from repeated climate shocks, mounting debt, and the daily struggle to provide for their families,” Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan, told UN reporters on August 4.
Traveling across Afghanistan, from Bamyan and Herat, Paktia, Khost, and most recently Nuristan after the devastating flash floods, Ms. Cherevko describes a country hit by multiple overlapping crises. These crises have created a humanitarian crisis in which food insecurity, disasters, displacement, and dwindling aid have converged.
Last week, Nuristan was hit by devastating flash floods where families lost loved ones, livelihoods, everything they owned, along with homes and infrastructure. Humanitarians moved quickly to deliver food, water, shelter, healthcare, protection, and psychosocial support; however, “when these floods hit, many people were already struggling to get by,” Ms. Cherevko said. Afghanistan is extremely vulnerable to climate shocks. “Communities barely have time to recover from one disaster when another one strikes…each shock pushes already vulnerable families deeper into poverty.
To help combat the compounding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the 2026 humanitarian needs and response plan requested USD 1.71 billion to provide assistance to 17.5 million people in districts and communities facing the most acute and life-threatening conditions. However, the appeal has received only 26 percent of the required funding, creating a “very alarming” situation, “given the fact that we are seeing a lot of these indicators worsening, particularly malnutrition,” Ms. Cherevko warned. Afghanistan is encountering alarming rates of malnutrition, with OCHA’s nutrition partners noting that childhood wasting has worsened this year across three-quarters of the country.
These figures echo an alert from the World Food Programme (WFP) released last Tuesday. Nearly 14 million Afghans are facing acute hunger. However, funding cuts have resulted in only one in nine receiving WFP food assistance. Furthermore, 3.7 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to be malnourished this year. In order to address the acute food needs across Afghanistan, WFP requires USD 900 million for emergency food assistance and nutrition programmes in 2026.
“We have not met needs in the first six months because we didn’t have money,” said John Aylieff, WFP Country Director for Afghanistan. “WFP still needs $500 million to address the acute food needs in the country.”
On top of the hunger crisis, restrictions on girls and women have compounded the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. These restrictions shape “almost every aspect of daily life” and “with every new restriction, women are pushed even further out of public life…when people become invisible, they risk becoming dispensable,” said Ms. Cherevko. When humanitarian workers cannot reach girls and women and when women cannot work, or girls cannot go to school, “the consequences extend far beyond individuals,” Cherevko added, and that these consequences ultimately affect “the country’s ability to recover.”
The restrictions placed on women and girls also add a layer of complications for humanitarian workers to even reach those in need. Credit: UNHCR/Oxygen Empire Media
Violence and displacement further add to the crises. Since 2023, approximately 6 million Afghans have been forcibly expelled from neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran. The returnees have increased the strain on Afghanistan’s fragile economy, and for the returnees, there are “simply not enough jobs to sustain them”, Mr. Aylieff said.
Ms. Cherevko emphasized how many of the returnees are “coming into a country that is completely new for them”, where there are also limited prospects for work. UNHCR estimates that almost 3.1 million Afghan refugees require international protection across the sub-region. For 2026, UNHCR has requested just over USD 450 million for its Afghanistan situation funding; however, similar to OCHA’s and the WFP’s appeals, funding is far from being met.
Despite the emphasis on the need for continued and increased funding, Ms. Cherevko stressed that “humanitarian assistance alone cannot resolve these challenges”. She called for investment in medium- and long-term solutions centering on jobs, education and poverty reduction, in addition to emergency humanitarian assistance. Having worked in Afghanistan for years, Ms. Cherevko has seen the Afghan people show “extraordinary resilience through endless hardship”. Yet, she noted that“resilience should never become a substitute for opportunity or an excuse for the world just to watch and expect people to endure indefinitely without the support they need”.
IPS UN Bureau Report
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 11 2026 (IPS) - In Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic Türkiye, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan agreed to the framework for a joint defence agreement where an attack on any of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.
The agreement, signed on August 7, comes as Saudi Arabia is regularly attacked by Iranian strikes or proxies. Under the agreement, such attacks could fall within the pact’s collective defence provisions.
The Saudi Press Agency says “The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defense cooperation among the three states.”
Strategically, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan form a triangle axis around Iran, with Türkiye and Pakistan both sharing land borders with Iran. This geographic positioning means any regional conflict involving Iran could potentially involve pressure from multiple directions, increasing the agreement’s deterrent value.
Iran, however, has played down concerns over the agreement. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Tehran sees no reason to be concerned, describing the pact as part of a broader shift toward greater regional self-reliance in security matters.
In the Strait of Hormuz, a framework is reportedly in its final stages to be signed as Iranian and Omani delegations finalize a proposed “temporary” commercial shipping agreement, aiming to allow traffic to resume flowing through the Strait.
“This understanding does not signify a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; rather, it represents a new model—distinct from the practice of the past sixty years—under which a significant portion of the shipping route will pass through Iran’s territorial waters,” said Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran.
The geographic location of the proposed shipping route has been agreed upon, meaning a significant portion of commercial shipping would pass through Iranian territorial waters under the new framework.
Gharibabadi also mentioned that whether Iran would collect transit fees from vessels passing through the Strait would depend on decisions by the country’s highest authorities and on the United States’ conduct.
Baghaei has said the talks with Oman are focused on establishing a route for safe passage of shipping, but stressed that such an agreement would be a necessary, rather than sufficient, condition for reopening the Strait. The talks between Iran and Oman have been ongoing for two months, while Pakistan and Qatar are continuing efforts to reduce tensions, according to Iranian state media.
As long as the U.S. naval blockade of Iran remains in place, and what Tehran describes as U.S. military aggression continues, Baghaei said, there would be no significant change in the status of the Strait.
If implemented, the agreement could represent one of the most significant changes to commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in decades, shifting portions of international shipping into Iranian shipping lanes/territorial waters, potentially giving Tehran greater influence over one of the world’s busiest energy chokepoints.
These two developments together illustrate the competing dynamics unfolding in the Gulf. While Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan are strengthening collective military deterrence, Iran is simultaneously attempting to reshape how global shipping and navigation occurs through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors.
IPS UN Bureau Report
VICTORIA, Seychelles, Aug 10 2026 (IPS) - I have spent my life on an island. From the granite hills of Mahé, one can watch the sun rise over an ocean that has fed, protected and defined the Seychellois people for centuries.
James Alix Michel
The horizon no longer glows only with the soft light of dawn. Across Canada, Europe and the Americas, it has glimmered this year with the harsh, reddish hue of wildfire smoke. “The Earth is burning” is no longer a slogan. It is a description of an ordinary Tuesday in Ontario, or a July afternoon in Barcelona.
Consider what has actually happened these past months. Canada has watched more than three million hectares of forest burn this year — an area roughly the size of Belgium — prompting the government to declare its highest level of national fire preparedness and to deploy its armed forces alongside thousands of firefighters. In northwestern Ontario, a single blaze, the Thunder Bay 36 fire, has become the largest ever recorded in that province’s history. Researchers who studied the season found that nearly all of that destruction, some 94 percent of it, occurred in just five weeks, as heat and drought converged.
Across the Atlantic, the story repeats with a different accent. This past June was the hottest ever recorded in western Europe, and the world’s oceans registered their warmest June surface temperatures on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Spain’s Fabra Observatory in Barcelona logged 40.5°C on 8 July, its hottest reading in more than a century of measurements. Germany saw 252 weather stations break all-time records. France recorded its hottest day ever, with a national average temperature of 30°C, and declared a red heat alert across 58 of its departments — nearly the entire country.
I did not grow up believing a nation the size of France could be placed, almost in its entirety, under a single heat emergency. This year, it happened.
In the Middle East the temperature this year has exceeded 52 degrees.
None of this is accidental, and none of it is isolated. It is one planet, one atmosphere, one ocean, responding as any system does when energy keeps being added to it.
I am not a scientist. But I have spent decades in rooms with scientists, diplomats, fishermen and island elders, and I have learned to translate what they know into language anyone can use. Burning oil, coal and gas fills our atmosphere with gases that trap heat close to the Earth, much as a blanket traps warmth against the body. The thicker that blanket becomes, the more aggressively a hotter atmosphere pulls moisture from soil and vegetation — what scientists call rising vapor pressure deficit, and what the rest of us might simply call atmospheric thirst. A thirsty atmosphere turns living forests into dry tinder faster than rainfall can replace what has been lost. At the same time, this extra heat is disturbing the great rivers of wind that once reliably carried cooling weather across a region and moved on. Increasingly, they stall, and heat domes settle over a country for weeks rather than days. When millions of hectares then burn, they release carbon stored for decades, adding still more heat-trapping gas to the air. Fire feeds warming, and warming feeds fire.
It is a loop that does not correct itself. We must correct it.
Small island states are not spectators to this crisis; we are its early warning system. Seychelles does not burn as Ontario or Andalusia does, but our coral reefs bleach and die in ocean heat that barely registers as news elsewhere, and our fishing communities feel shifts in current and temperature years before those shifts appear in a headline.
This is why, a decade ago, my government joined nearly two hundred nations in Paris in agreeing to hold the rise in global temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue every effort to limit it to 1.5°C. That agreement entered into force in November 2016. It remains, imperfect as it is, the clearest promise the nations of the world have ever made to one another about the only atmosphere we share.
We are not keeping that promise quickly enough. Scientific trackers that once projected we would not cross 1.5°C of warming until the middle of this century now estimate, per Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, that we could cross that threshold as early as 2029.
That is not a distant date. Children born this year will not yet be teenagers when it arrives.
I refuse fatalism, because fatalism has never protected a single reef, forest or coastline. What the science asks of us is not mysterious: cut greenhouse gas emissions sharply and immediately, retire dependence on coal, oil and gas far faster than current pledges allow, and invest seriously in the resilience of communities already living through fire seasons, heatwaves and rising seas.
It also asks something specific of leadership. Every government that signed the Paris Agreement carries a responsibility to honor it not as rhetoric for a summit stage, but as a commitment kept in national budgets, energy policy and disaster preparedness. And it asks something of every citizen: to demand of our leaders the urgency the data requires, not merely the urgency that is politically convenient.
The forests burning in Canada, the heat scorching Spain and France, and the reefs bleaching in the Indian Ocean are not separate stories. They are chapters of the same story, and we are the ones still writing its ending.
The Earth is burning. Whether it keeps burning, or whether we finally act as one species sharing one planet, remains, for now, our choice to make.
The author served as President of the Republic of Seychelles from 2004 to 2016 and is a longtime advocate for ocean conservation and the blue economy.
IPS UN Bureau
PORTLAND, USA, Aug 10 2026 (IPS) - Upon reaching the age of 80, men and women are living longer than ever before.
These gains in longevity among octogenarians represent a remarkable demographic achievement. The additional years of life provide new opportunities for older adults and their families while also presenting important social, economic, and healthcare challenges for societies.
In 1950, the global life expectancy at age 80 was 4.8 additional years for men and 5.3 additional years for women. Over the following decades, these figures increased steadily, reaching an estimated 7.7 years for men and 9.1 years for women in 2026. This upward trend is expected to continue, with life expectancy at age 80 projected to increase to 8.8 additional years for men and 10.1 additional years for women by 2050 (Figure 1).
Source: United Nations.
Behind these global averages, however, lies considerable variation among countries. More developed countries, such as Japan and France, have relatively high life expectancy at age 80, with men expected to live an additional 10 years and women approximately 12 years. In contrast, less developed countries, including Nigeria, Niger, and Mali, are at the lower end of the distribution, where both men and women who reach age 80 can expect to live about 5 additional years (Figure 2).
Source: United Nations.
The proportion of the world’s population surviving to age 80 and older has increased steadily over recent decades. In 1950, approximately 0.6% of the global population was 80 years or older. By 2026, that proportion had doubled to 1.2% and is projected to increase further to 2.1% by 2050 (Table 1).
Source: United Nations.
Although octogenarians continue to represent a relatively small share of the world’s population, their numbers and proportions are increasing rapidly, reflecting continued improvements in survival and the ongoing ageing of populations worldwide.
The proportion of octogenarians in a population varies widely across countries. The highest percentages are found in more developed countries, while the lowest are seen in less developed countries. In 2026, for example, 11% of Japan’s population and 8.1% of Italy’s population are aged 80 years and older. In contrast, the corresponding proportions are 1.1% in India and 0.3% in Nigeria.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), although genetics influence certain aspects of health among people aged 80 years and older, most differences in health outcomes are shaped by physical and social environments, as well as personal characteristics such as sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Reaching advanced age in good health depends to a great extent on maintaining healthy habits throughout life. These include eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco and drug use, limiting alcohol consumption, and maintaining strong social connections.
The growing prevalence of chronic diseases and the increasing demand for long-term care have important implications for governments, healthcare systems, and families. Meeting the needs of a rapidly expanding population of octogenarians will require increased investments in healthcare, long-term care services, and age-friendly communities
Together, these health-promoting behaviors help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, preserve physical and cognitive functioning, and delay the need for long-term care, thereby improving both longevity and quality of life in old age.
However, many people in their 80s face significant challenges, including managing chronic health conditions, accessing long-term care, maintaining financial security, and coping with social isolation.
The proportion of adults aged 80 years or older living alone varies considerably across countries, reflecting differences in cultural norms, family structures, income levels, and public support systems. In many developing countries, fewer than 10% of octogenarians live alone, whereas in high-income countries the corresponding proportion typically ranges from 30% to 50%.
Older adults also frequently experience ageism, with stereotypes portraying them as frail, dependent, or a burden to society. Such attitudes can lead to discrimination and may influence public policies in ways that limit opportunities for healthy and active ageing.
Although some octogenarians remain physically and mentally capable well into their 80s, functioning at levels comparable to people decades younger, most experience some decline in physical and cognitive abilities and live with at least one chronic health condition.
The growing prevalence of chronic diseases and the increasing demand for long-term care have important implications for governments, healthcare systems, and families. Meeting the needs of a rapidly expanding population of octogenarians will require increased investments in healthcare, long-term care services, and age-friendly communities.
At the same time, caring for older adults raises important questions about the appropriate balance of responsibility between governments and families. As populations continue to age, determining how these responsibilities should be shared will become an increasingly important policy challenge.
While governments often expect families to provide the primary care for their ageing relatives, families believe that governments should provide the financial resources, services, and the support needed to meet those care needs. This continuing debate underscores the importance of developing sustainable policies that strike an appropriate balance between public responsibility with family caregiving.
A comprehensive public health response must address the diverse experiences and needs of people aged 80 years and older. Supportive physical and social environments enable octogenarians to continue engaging in activities that are meaningful to them despite age-related declines in physical and cognitive functioning. Such environments include safe and accessible public buildings, age-friendly transportation systems, affordable housing, and community-based health and social care services.
When adults aged 80 years and older are able to spend their later years in good health and within supportive environments, they can maintain independence, participate actively in family and community life, and enjoy a quality of life comparable to that of younger adults. In contrast, when these additional years are marked by physical frailty, cognitive impairment, and mental health challenges, the consequences extend beyond the individual to affect families, healthcare systems, and society as a whole.
Many octogenarians face complex health and lifestyle challenges arising from multiple chronic conditions, functional decline, and age-related impairments.
Globally, many adults aged 80 years and older live with a combination of chronic physical illnesses, cognitive impairment, geriatric syndromes, and psychological changes. These often overlapping and interrelated challenges require coordinated, person-centered health and social care that emphasizes disease prevention, continuity of care, multidisciplinary collaboration, and sustained support for both older adults and their caregivers.
At age 80, the major global health challenges for both men and women include heart disease (such as heart attacks and heart failure), dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), and geriatric syndromes. These syndromes encompass a range of age-related conditions, including frailty, osteoporosis, hearing and vision impairment, urinary incontinence, and an increased risk of falls.
Falls are among the leading causes of injury, disability, hospitalization, loss of independence, and injury-related death among older adults. Age-related loss of muscle strength and balance, vision impairment, medication side effects, cognitive decline, and neurological disorders all contribute to an elevated risk of falling.
Although many medical conditions affect both sexes, biological differences, lifestyle factors, and women’s longer life expectancy contribute to distinct health profiles for men and women at age 80.
For women, the principal challenges at age 80 often involve maintaining mobility, preventing fractures resulting from osteoporosis and bone fragility, and coping with social isolation. Because women generally outlive men, they are more likely to be widowed, live alone, and experience loneliness, financial insecurity, and the need for long-term support.
In addition, women account for a larger share of dementia cases, including Alzheimer’s disease, owing in part to their greater longevity, making cognitive decline an especially important health concern in advanced age.
Despite these serious challenges, many older adults maintain a positive outlook and a sense of humor. One observation, often attributed to various older speakers, captures that spirit: “People tell you that you’ll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don’t tell you is that you won’t miss it very much.”
For male octogenarians, the leading health risks often include fatal acute cardiovascular events, metabolic diseases, and serious psychological crises. In many populations, men in this age group also experience higher rates of certain cancers and type 2 diabetes than women of the same age. Among the cancers most commonly diagnosed in older men are prostate and bladder cancer.
Although depression is diagnosed more frequently in women, men aged 80 years and older have substantially higher suicide rates. These deaths often occur in the context of bereavement following the loss of a spouse, declining physical health, social isolation, chronic pain, or a diminished sense of identity and purpose associated with major life transitions.
Another important issue facing many people aged 80 years and older is their ability to continue driving. Most countries do not impose a mandatory upper age limit for driving. Instead, they require periodic medical evaluations, vision testing, and more frequent driver’s license renewals to determine whether older adults remain fit to drive safely. These measures seek to balance the independence and mobility that driving provides with the need to protect public safety.
A notable exception to this global practice is Peru, where individuals aged 80 years and older are no longer permitted to renew a driver’s license. The policy was introduced as part of the government’s efforts to reduce traffic accidents, reflecting concerns about age-related declines in vision, hearing, reaction time, cognitive function, and physical mobility.
Reaching the age of 80 and living longer than previous generations is a remarkable demographic achievement. It reflects substantial advances in medicine, public health, nutrition, education, and living standards.
At the same time, increased longevity presents both new opportunities and significant challenges for individuals, families, healthcare systems, and societies.
Meeting those challenges will require policies and programs that promote healthy ageing, support independence, expand access to high-quality health and long-term care, and enhance the quality of life for the growing population of octogenarians.
Many octogenarians worry about losing their independence, developing a chronic illness, becoming a burden to their families, or dying alone. Concerns about the dying process can often be eased when individuals receive compassionate care, remain as comfortable as possible, and have their preferences for medical treatment and end-of-life care respected.
For many octogenarians, however, death gradually becomes less frightening as it draws nearer. Having experienced the loss of spouses, relatives, friends, and contemporaries, many come to view death not as an unfathomable mystery but as a natural and inevitable part of life.
This perspective often fosters a deeper acceptance of mortality. Rather than dwelling on fear, many choose to focus on the present, cherish meaningful relationships, and appreciate the time that remains. For some, this acceptance brings a greater sense of gratitude, purpose and peace as they approach life’s natural conclusion.
Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division, and author of many publications on population issues.