Part 1: Cities in the US are taking big oil to court
Coal, oil, and gas are responsible for 86% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions in the past 10 years. Will these companies be held accountable? The city of Baltimore recently won a landmark case against some of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies, attempting to hold them accountable for...
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Polish volunteers risk their lives to rescue animals from Ukraine
Various grassroots organisations have been sending their staff on potentially life-threatening trips across the border to save the pets of those forced to abandon them when fleeing the war zone. Months into Russia’s slow-moving buildup along the Ukrainian border, Putin announced that he was launching a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. This...
ClientEarth goes after Shell executives directly with lawsuit
It’s been less than a year since gas giant Shell lost a landmark climate case in the Netherlands, and it’s once again facing serious legal action. This time, however, its company executives are being directly confronted, not the conglomerate. A change of tact is clearly required to get fossil fuel...
Protests erupt in Brazil over Bolsonaro’s anti-environment bills
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in the country’s capital to oppose what activists call a ‘death combo’ of five ecocidal proposals being considered by congress. With Brazil the world’s biodiversity champion, you’d assume its leaders would be at the forefront of climate action. Yet President Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing...
Somalia military court sentences four children to death
Six teenage boys have been sentenced by a military court over involvement with armed groups. Four of them were sentenced to death while two who are aged 16 have been sentenced to 30 and 20 years imprisonment. In October 2020, six teenage boys were arrested by Somali authorities in...
UK launches Homes for Ukraine refugee initiative
More than 130,000 Brits have registered interest in opening their homes to families fleeing the war zone. While the move has been welcomed by many, some are concerned about whether those arriving will get the support they need. Amid intense scrutiny towards the delay in governmental strategies to address the...
The town welcoming and resettling climate refugees in Bangladesh
Globally, millions are displaced every year by worsening floods, wildfires, heatwaves, and droughts as a result of climate change. In a region where weather is particularly volatile, the Bangladeshi town of Mongla is welcoming refugees. A river town by the name of Mongla, Bangladesh, is not only welcoming climate refugees with open arms, but is looking to reintegrate them into society – not as second-class citizens. According to the Intergovernmental Panel...
Russia’s invasion could hinder a global lithium drive
Prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine had been drawing attention from the likes of China and Australia for its vast untapped lithium reserves. Potentially crucial to achieving our clean energy transitions, this sustainable battery drive could begin to peter out. Eastern Europe was tipped to lead the global lithium drive, but it appears foreign nations will have to source their clean energy transitions elsewhere. Ukraine, under President Volodymyr Zelensky, had been positioning...
There is no real snow at this year’s Winter Olympics
As climate change causes shorter winters and warmer summers, what will happen to the world’s biggest snow sports competition? This year’s Winter Olympics may look no different to any other from the outside - but this is the first time in history where close to 100 percent of the snow on the mountains is artificial. On the man-made slopes of Beijing’s Yanqing district, snow guns have already used over 200 million...
Guatemala passes ‘nefarious’ anti-human-rights laws
Campaigners are calling the country’s decision to triple jail sentences for abortions and issue an explicit ban on same-sex marriage ‘hate-fuelled policies’ that foment discrimination. Guatemalan lawmakers have passed a ‘nefarious’ new bill that punishes abortion with up to 25 years in prison, legalises homophobia, and explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage. It will additionally outlaw the teaching of both sexual diversity and gender ideology in schools, stipulating that no orientations other than...
