These activities, frequently carried out without protective measures, have been linked to cancers, liver and kidney diseases, respiratory problems, and even birth defects.

In Spain, the Educational Association Reciclanet in Bilbao, a pioneering approach to electronic waste management, is transforming discarded technology into valuable resources, while curbing environmental harm and supporting the circular economy .

Reciclanet specialises in collecting obsolete IT equipment from companies and educational institutions, reconditioning viable devices, and responsibly recycling those beyond repair.

“We let only those that will be able to be reused pass,” explained Andrea Valiente, a representative of the centre. “If it does not have the minimum characteristics that people are willing to accept, it goes directly to what we call CHAE, electronic junk.”

The process involves meticulous sorting —green-coded items for reuse, yellow for repair, and red for waste— which ensures that hazardous components like lead, mercury, and cadmium are handled by licensed waste managers.

These discarded devices are dismantled to extract critical materials such as copper, lithium, tungsten, and even gold . As Valiente noted, “Europe needs [these] to boost the circular economy.”

The centre’s work also responds to concerns over the unethical export of unusable electronics to Africa under the guise of donations. Investigations have shown that much of the shipped material is scrap, leaving local communities to manage hazardous waste.

“The material that is sent is not of practical use… for me, I think [they] throw it away directly,” Valiente said, referencing a European Union probe that found countries like England and Poland breaking export laws.

Globally, e-waste generation is growing at an alarming rate, estimated between 60,000 and 71,000 tonnes annually, with a 17% year-on-year increase, according to the World Health Organisation.

The documentary linked to Reciclanet’s work was filmed at electronic waste sites in Ghana and Cameroon, with interviews in Spain. It was produced by Asociación Sociocultural Afrika Miniaturan in partnership with Asociación Cultural Ghana Union, with funding from the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

In general, the recommended daily intake can range from 2,100 to 4,800 calories for adult men and from 1,750 to 3,400 calories for women. In food terms, that ranges from the equivalent of 35 McDonald's chicken nuggets per day at the low end to 96 at the top end. 

In 2022, the average American consumed the calorie equivalent of 10.6 McNuggets a day. In contrast, the average person in Burundi, Somalia, Lesotho, and Yemen consumed only around five nuggets' worth of calories each day. 

Over time, the amount of food available to most people, and therefore the amount they eat, has been rising. This is a result of poverty reduction as well as improvements in the way we produce and transport food. In most cases, this is a benefit, although in some wealthy countries, a surplus of food has led to serious health problems.

The inequality across the globe is not a recent trend, but a long-term challenge. According to the FAO's 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition report , over 3.1 billion people, which is nearly 40% of the global population, cannot afford a healthy diet. Even more concerning is that this number has risen by 134 million since 2019, driven by overlapping crises: COVID-19 pandemic fallout, climate-induced harvest failures, inflation, and economic slowdowns.

These figures expose a multi-layered nutritional inequality, where calories are not just unequally distributed, but also increasingly inaccessible for the low-income group. A 2023 World Bank analysis revealed that in some low-income countries, households allocate up to 60% of their income to food.  

However, progress in some parts of the world has been rapid. The chart comparing calorie intake in 1980 vs. 2022 shows Vietnam and Ghana making significant gains, with Ghana's per-person calorie consumption more than doubling. This success is rooted in long-term agricultural investment, better food distribution, and poverty reduction strategies. Ghana, for example, has expanded public agricultural extension services and promoted farmer cooperatives.

Kenya saw a 10.2% decrease in average calorie intake, despite GDP growth and urbanisation. This reflects deeper structural problems, including rising food import dependency, regional inequality, and stagnant rural incomes. According to the report , rural communities have seen stagnation in dietary diversity and food availability.

Meanwhile, another graph shows China's dramatic rise in calorie intake over the past four decades, which closely aligns with its GDP growth. In the 1980s, China implemented market-oriented agricultural reforms, lifting millions out of hunger. Today, China also strategically uses international trade agreements and grain reserves to stabilise food prices. Other countries, including Mali, which has suffered from widespread violent conflict, and Indonesia, have seen less dramatic progress. Today, Indonesia is rolling out the world’s most ambitious free meals programme to close its nutritional gap. More than 80 million people are expected to benefit by 2029.

While undernutrition remains a critical issue in parts of the Global South, a different concern arises in high-income countries: overnutrition and obesity. The WHO warns that the worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1990 and 2022. In the UK, for example, over one-third of adults are obese, driven in part by ultra-processed diets.

However, despite the concerns of unhealthy overeating, the biggest problem currently facing the world remains undernourishment. The success stories of the past thirty years demonstrate that it is a problem that can be conquered, but the failures indicate that its demise is far from guaranteed.

*Obviously consuming all your calories in the form of chicken nuggets does not represent a healthy diet. McDonald’s nuggets are used only as an example, other brands have similar nutritional profiles.