The landlocked and mountainous Laos aims to become the "Battery of Southeast Asia" to boost its economy and escape its prolonged poverty by exporting hydropower electricity harnessed through its dams on the Mekong River system to its richer neighbours. The development plan was financed through loan grants from China and currently has 16 hydropower stations, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, as downstream (Lower Mekong) countries, are protesting against dams built in China and Laos (Upper Mekong) for contributing to the prolonged drought conditions in the entire Indochina region.
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, only behind the oil industry. Thrifting means to go shopping at a thrift store, garage sale, or flea market where gently used items are sold at discounted prices. Thrifted items have been used by a previous owner, but are usually in good shape with enough life left to be useful to a new owner. There is a rising trend of gentrification of thrifting store in which middle-to-upper class of society started to buy clothes in thrifting store, which previously only been done massively by lower-to-middle class. The gentrification of thrifting store also results into the prominence of luxurious thrift carnival e.g., ThriftCon, GiveAway and many celebrities take part as the model and ambassador of such thrift stores.
Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to impoverished borrowers who typically lack collateral, steady employment, and verifiable credit history. These banks can implement high or low-interest rates without the intervention of the government.
Globally, agriculture produces enough food calories to meet the energy needs of all people alive today. However, the UN estimates that 815 million people, over 10% of the world's population, are suffering from chronic undernourishment - although technological advances have increase production, food shortages remain an issue.
