Majority of Americans are less concerned about climate change than they were three years ago; Youth unemployment in China hits record rate
Today’s global news summary brings news from the US, China, and Afghanistan and discusses issues as diverse as climate change, unemployment rates, and poverty.
- US: Majority of Americans are not as concerned about climate change as they used to be
- China: Youth unemployment in China hits record rate
- Afghanistan: Poverty under Taliban rule is frightful
Majority of Americans are less concerned about climate change than they were three years ago
Migration and ethnicity| Environment
According to a new poll, Americans are less concerned about how climate change might affect them, or how their choices affect the climate, than they were three years ago. The Independent reports that this is despite the fact that a wide majority believe that climate change is occurring. The statistics show that 35% of US adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of climate change on them, down from 44% in August 2019. “Black and Hispanic Americans, women and Democrats are especially likely to be strongly concerned about the impact of climate change on them personally and about how their personal choices affect the climate,” the publication reports.
IZA World of Labor contributor Linguère Mously Mbaye has looked into the relationship between climate change and migration. In her article, she writes that: “better world governance is needed to reduce the human impact on climate change.”
Related content
IZA World of Labor articles
Climate change, natural disasters, and migration
Climate change and the allocation of time
Does hot weather affect human fertility?
Key topics
Environmental regulation and the labor market
Opinions
How will climate change affect what we do?
IZA Discussion Papers
Reciprocal Climate Negotiators
Why Do Relatively Few Economists Work on Climate Change? A Survey
Youth unemployment in China hits record rate
Migration and ethnicity | Labor markets and institutions | Country labor markets
Bloomberg reports that “China’s youth unemployment rate hit a record in July as Covid uncertainties continued to linger and as a record number of graduates stiffened the competition.” Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that the jobless rate for those aged 16–24 has risen to 19.9%, up from 19.3% in June. The rise in unemployment “also represents a growing concern for policy makers, given that job figures are gaining increasing attention as top leaders downplay the country’s gross domestic product growth target.”
Junsen Zhang and Jia Wu, IZA World of Labor contributors, have reported on the Chinese labor market. In their article, they note that “the youth labor force is abundant in rural areas” and they list a number of ways in which future decreases in youth labor force can be prevented.
Related content
IZA World of Labor articles
The Chinese labor market, 2000–2016
Key topics
Youth unemployment
Covid-19—Pandemics and the labor market
National responses to Covid-19
Poverty under Taliban rule in Afghanistan is frightful
Labor markets and institutions | Demography, family, and gender | Data and methods
Leading charities have warned that in the year since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has faced “near universal poverty.” The Telegraph reports that what was one of the world’s poorest nations has slipped into economic crisis. “The suspension of foreign aid to the government and the paralysis of the banking sector by sanctions have contributed to a humanitarian crisis where 95 per cent of Afghans do not have enough to eat,” the publication reports.
Martin Biewen has looked into the topic of poverty persistence and poverty dynamics. In most countries, only a portion of people who are currently poor are persistently poor. In his article, he writes that: “Understanding the characteristics of the persistently poor, and the circumstances and mechanisms associated with entry into and exit from poverty, can help to inform governments about options to reduce persistent poverty.”
Related content
IZA World of Labor articles
Poverty persistence and poverty dynamics
Key topics
What can policymakers do to reduce poverty?
IZA Discussion Papers
Combat, Casualties, and Compensation: Evidence from Iraq and Afghanistan