Regional Progress vs Pipeline Protests: Hunger Falls, Oil Pipelines Stall

South America has made significant strides in reducing hunger, outperforming other regions worldwide. According to new figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the share of South Americans facing food insecurity has dropped by roughly one-third since 2020.

Brazil has been a key driver of progress, joining Chile and Guyana as countries where chronic hunger has fallen below the threshold used to track nations on the UN's world hunger map. The Economist reported in July that Brazil's success has contributed significantly to South America's overall improvement.

However, not all news is positive. In East Africa, a controversial 900-mile oil pipeline, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), is nearing completion despite years of opposition from environmental and human-rights groups. The pipeline will carry oil from Uganda's Lake Albert to an Indian Ocean export terminal in Tanzania.

Back in North America, a proposed expansion to the Bridger oil pipeline has hit a regulatory roadblock. Montana officials withdrew a key waiver granted to the developer, putting construction on hold. The project would carry high-sulfur Canadian tar-sands oil from Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma.