Latest Stories from Jessica
Could flooding the Sahara be a feasible solution to climate change?
It may sound far-fetched, but creating a sea in place of the Sahara Desert has been a topic of discussion for centuries. Inspired by a massive flood that created the Mediterranean Sea as we know it, could we see a Sahara Sea project come to life in the future? In recent weeks, the idea of flooding the Sahara desert to combat climate change has resurfaced in the scientific community. Yes,...
Exclusive – Genesis Butler on animal agriculture and the climate crisis
We spoke with sixteen-year-old activist Genesis Butler about the inextricable link between animal rights and the climate crisis. At the age of six, Genesis Butler decided to become vegan. It was a move unexpected by her parents, who were raising her in a home that combines Black, Mexican, and Indigenous heritage and in which meat-based meals have been woven into the culture for millennia. But to Genesis, who spent her free...
This company gives new life to old tyres fished from the ocean
Off the coast of Florida, there sits a graveyard of discarded tyres at the bottom of the ocean. Though a collective effort to remove them has been underway for a decade, one organisation finally has a plan to turn them into something new. In the 1970s, the American company Broward Artificial Reef Inc. believed dropping 2 million tyres on the ocean floor was a good idea. They told the public...
Ocean pollution is boosting Sargassum seaweed in the Atlantic
Regions in the Caribbean have seen tons of orange-brown algae called Sargassum washing up on coastlines over spring and summer, in an ‘invasion’ that is getting more severe each year. Is that a bad thing? At face value, the great span of Atlantic Ocean between Florida and West Africa looks as if it would be completely empty. Perhaps it would be, if not for the presence of a specific type of...
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey launches new app ‘Bluesky’
Who doesn’t love a little healthy competition? Jack Dorsey, who is partly responsible for Twitter’s rise to success, has now launched a new platform called Bluesky. It’s aimed at competing with Twitter, under Elon Musk. Twitter has been nothing short of a mess since Elon Musk took over as CEO in October of last year. From the iconic bluebird symbol being switched to the Dogecoin Shiba Inu for a week,...
Dutch government to pay livestock farmers to shut down their businesses
In attempts to drastically cut national emissions by 2030, the Dutch government has approved a €1.5 billion scheme to buy out local livestock farmers. The aim is to reduce two greenhouse gases – nitrous oxide and methane – from contributing to global heating. By now, it is common knowledge that livestock farming accounts for a huge portion of global greenhouse emissions annually. But information related to the relationship between animal farming...
Three ways bioplastics are being turned into everyday objects
Once we find the right formulas, the use of eco-friendly bioplastics can be applied to create virtually any object. From its uses in the fashion industry to valuable pieces of art and even furniture-making, let’s take a look at some of the latest designs using bioplastic. I probably don’t have to tell you that finding an eco-friendly alternative to plastic is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our...
A shellfish-inspired solution could reduce textile dye pollution
Researchers at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi have developed a new nanomaterial that can effectively clean up dyes and pollutants from wastewater. The mechanism was inspired by the systems of various shellfish, in particular, mussels. The textile industry uses 1.3 trillion gallons of water to dye garments annually. That’s enough water to fill two million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Yes, you read that right – two million. Without ignoring that this is...
Paper pins to replace traditional Remembrance Day poppies
Looking to reduce the waste produced by a commemorative day celebrated across the UK, the Royal British Legion embarked upon a three-year journey to replace the traditionally plastic poppies with upcycled paper pins. Every year in November, 45 million poppy pins are sold in Britain as the nation prepares to celebrate Remembrance Day. The design we see pinned to the lapels of businessmen, TV presenters, and football pundits annually has remained...
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now its own ecosystem
The gigantic floating mass of ocean plastic debris has now become home to hundreds of plant and animal species. While an interesting phenomenon, it's not exactly something to celebrate. Humans have influenced the natural world for as long as we’ve existed, but only a handful of man-made inventions have impacted the planet as much as plastic. A major phenomenon created by our plastic obsession is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)....
