What if your home was flooded, your fields destroyed, your children hungry, and your government knows exactly what’s needed to rebuild. But instead of helping its people, it must send billions in debt repayments to the world’s richest banks and governments.
This is the everyday reality for countries in the Global South. Drowning in debt, they are blocked from investing in services like health and education and from protecting their people against climate disasters, hunger, and disease.
The international financial system is rigged in favor of wealthy countries, placing deeply unjust debt agreements on low-income nations. These countries are already suffering the worst impacts of climate change — disasters they did almost nothing to cause — yet they are forced to cut vital services just to keep up with impossible repayments.
At the same time, many of these countries struggle with corruption, tax evasion, and smuggling, preventing them from raising essential revenue. A handful of wealthy elites often control vast portions of their economies, while ordinary people bear the burden of debt and austerity.
Governments may rely on fossil fuel extraction because it generates quick revenue through royalties, while renewable energy offers fewer short-term financial returns. Meanwhile, valuable natural resources like forests and minerals are not valued properly or used as leverage to reduce debt, keeping countries trapped in economic crises.
This isn’t just economics; it’s injustice. While banks and former colonial powers profit, millions are left without healthcare, education, or protection from climate catastrophe. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Take the quiz to learn more — and join the fight for justice.