Electric motorcycles gain traction in Benin
In Benin’s capital city, Cotonou, motorcycle taxi drivers are switching to electric vehicles to reduce air pollution and promote sustainable green urban transport. In Africa, motorcycles are largely the vehicle of choice as they’re quick, convenient, and cheap. More than 250,000 motorcycle taxi drivers reside in Benin’s capital city of Cotonou...
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Understanding India’s Maoist insurgency
The Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s and is one of India’s biggest internal security issues. These rebels fight against the neglect of tribal people and the rural poor, aiming to eventually establish communist rule using force. Over the last couple of years, they have seized control over certain...
Cities are becoming too hot for trees
According to a new study, climate change is threatening the health and survival of trees grown in urban areas to keep them cool, with more than half of the species already feeling the heat. If you spent your summer in a city, likelihood is you were forced to endure...
Everything you need to know about International Youth Day
Established in 1999, International Youth Day occurs every year on August 12. Here’s everything you need to know, including this year’s theme and the rundown on which online webinars to look out for. Friday August 12 is International Youth Day, an annual event designated by the United Nations to bring...
High fashion brands remix their logos for sustainable collections
As consumers demand increased transparency from the fashion industry, high fashion brands are reimagining their iconic logos for sustainable collections. But are these logos simply pretty tokens designed to mask shady practices? Logomania isn’t dead, despite what fashion editorials and blogs want you to think. With the emergence of every...
London Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for UK government to freeze rent
As housing prices soar and moving becomes near impossible due to increased competition, the mayor of London is asking the government to freeze rent – potentially saving city-dwellers £3,000 over the next two years. Finding a home in London right now is nothing short of crisis-inducing. Locating a flat that doesn’t...
US Senate passes the nation’s first ever climate legislation
Getting the Inflation Reduction Act passed is one of Joe Biden’s most impactful moves as President yet. It will seek to avert global climate catastrophe by drastically reducing US greenhouse emissions, but also lower prescription drug costs for citizens, and increase taxes paid by large corporations. Environmentalists, climate activists, and social justice warriors rejoice, because this week is starting out with some fantastic news. In a historic move, the US Senate...
Earth nearing multiple ‘irreversible’ climate tipping points
A major scientific reassessment has uncovered that five critical planetary systems are at risk of breaking beyond repair – even if nations restrain warming to 1.5°C, the lower threshold stipulated by the Paris Agreement. This time last year, a devastating report from the IPCC warned us that the world was well and truly running out of time to act against climate change. Signed off by 234 scientists from more than 60...
Pope Francis apologises for Indigenous residential school system
This week, Pope Francis wore a traditional Indigenous headdress presented to him by Canadian residential school survivors. The statement marked an official apology by the Catholic Church for its involvement in the widespread abuse of Indigenous children. When Chief Wilton Littlechild handed Pope Francis a traditional Indigenous headdress on Monday, years of suffering and institutional neglect were finally addressed. Photographs of the Pope in Native garb have made the rounds on...
Haarlem has banned meat adverts from public spaces
In an effort to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, Haarlem in the Netherlands has made the bold decision to outlaw ads for intensively farmed meat on buses, shelters, and screens. Acknowledging the link between animal exploitation and the worsening climate crisis, a Dutch city will become the first in the world to outlaw meat adverts from public spaces. The drastic measure – following reports from the...
