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Goats and Soda

Goats and Soda

STORIES OF LIFE IN A CHANGING WORLD

Environment

Wednesday

How Rwanda Tidied Up Its Streets (And The Rest Of The Country, Too)

The people of Rwanda are required to take part in the national cleanup day, Umuganda, on the last Saturday of every month. (Above) Getting grass under control in Kigali, the capital city. Forster/ullstein bild via Getty Images hide caption

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Forster/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Environment

How Rwanda Tidied Up Its Streets (And The Rest Of The Country, Too)

On the last Saturday of the month, citizens must spend three hours beautifying the nation. Some people question the authoritarian approach. But the results are impressive.

Wednesday

Is What's Good For The Lemurs Also Good For The Locals?

Tens of thousands of people live in villages on the edge of the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor rainforest in Madagascar. A government policy now bans cutting down trees to get more land for farming. Mahesh Poudyal hide caption

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Mahesh Poudyal

Environment

Is What's Good For The Lemurs Also Good For The Locals?

To protect the ecosystem and its critters, Madagascar made it illegal to cut down rainforest land for agriculture — and promised to give farmers a new way to earn a living. How did that work out?

Thursday

Monday

Thursday

The U.N. Goal That Doesn't Get A Lot Of Respect

A Somali fisherman carries a fish to the market near the port in Mogadishu. One of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals calls for the world to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development." Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images

Environment

The U.N. Goal That Doesn't Get A Lot Of Respect

Leaders in developing countries were asked to rank the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One particular goal was typically at the bottom of their priority list.

Wednesday

Saturday

Wednesday

Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic?

The Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility, dug in the mid-1960s, allows scientists a three-dimensional look at frozen ground. Kate Ramsayer/NASA hide caption

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Kate Ramsayer/NASA

History

Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic?

Just what exactly is permafrost? And what is happening now that it's warming up? To find out, we enter the Arctic Circle's secret world of ice and frozen history.

Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic?

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Saturday

Thursday

Thursday

Why Some Muslims In Pakistan Won't Be Able To Buy A Goat This Year

Ghulam Siddique, a goat herder from Pakistan's Sindh province, has been forced to increase the price of his goats to offset the rising cost of the animals' feed. Amar Guriro for NPR hide caption

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Amar Guriro for NPR

Environment

Why Some Muslims In Pakistan Won't Be Able To Buy A Goat This Year

Buying a sacrificial goat for the Muslim holiday of Eid l-Adha is the sign of a strong household. But harsh droughts in the Karachi area are making it hard for families to afford one.

Saturday

Sunday

Thursday

Friday

A Little-Known Climate Fund Is Suddenly In The Spotlight

Wind turbines provide energy in Egypt's Sinai Desert. Helping developing countries harness energy from the wind is one of the Green Climate Fund's goals. Anton Petrus/Getty Images hide caption

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Anton Petrus/Getty Images

Aid

A Little-Known Climate Fund Is Suddenly In The Spotlight

It's the Green Climate Fund. It was called out last week by President Trump, who said he would cut off U.S. "billions." What does it do, exactly, and what will be the impact of the cutback?