The global financial deadlock at COP29 must be confronted
As the world teeters on the brink of a climate catastrophe, the stakes at COP29 have never been higher and leaders must reckon with the urgency of implementing tangible action. For decades, international climate conferences have been long on rhetoric and short on meaningful action. The current negotiations in Baku...
Current in Change
Lesego Chombo becomes Gen Z minister in Botswana
The newly sworn-in Botswana President Duma Boko has appointed 26-year-old Lesego Chombo as the Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs. The former pageant becomes one of the youngest cabinet members in Botswana’s history and Africa. The 26-year-old Lesego Chombo's cabinet appointment has signaled a fresh wave of leadership under Boko’s...
University tuition rise is alienating UK youth
Keir Starmer's government increases university tuition fees for the first time in almost a decade, from £9,250 to around £9,500. Young people across the nation are frustrated over the new rise in university tuition fees, from £9,250 to £9,535. This is the first-time tuition fees have risen since being frozen under...
More than one in three tree species at risk of extinction
An alarming new assessment has revealed that the number of threatened trees now outweighs all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together. According to the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, a third of the world’s trees are now at risk of extinction. This number is more than double that...
How realistic is Keir Starmer’s COP29 pledge?
The Prime Minister’s goals may be loud, but is anyone listening? Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s commitment for the UK to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035 at the COP29 climate summit has been hailed by some as a brave push for climate leadership. The pledge is marginally more ambitious...
World’s largest coral discovered thriving in the Solomon Islands
A newly discovered, 300-year-old coral located in the Pacific Ocean offers a window into our planet's history and a warning for the future. Convinced that we know all there is to learn about the natural world? Think again. Researchers from a recent Pristine Seas expedition have uncovered a natural marvel...
Himalayan glacial lakes are expanding at an alarming rate
Driven by climate change and as a result of rising temperatures, this is rapidly heightening the risk of floods that have the potential to devastate communities across the region. Over the past 13 years, the overall area of Himalayan glacial lakes has increased by more than 10 per cent, from 533,401 hectares in 2011 to 591,108 hectares in 2024. This rapid expansion is primarily being driven by the...
Why the world hasn’t fully adopted digital voting
Despite technological advancements, many countries remain hesitant to fully embrace digital voting systems with concerns such as security, accessibility, and trust playing a part. Many tables this year would have seen the topic of elections during dinner. Many elections occur worldwide, and the results determine the fate of nations and regions. The most significant ones occurred in top global economies ranging from the European Union to the United States of America....
Nigeria drops treason charges against minors
In a move that brought relief across Nigeria and the world, the courts recently dropped treason charges against dozens of protesters, including thirty children between the ages of 14 and 17 arrested in August’s protests. Nigeria’s recent detention of minors on treason charges for participating in protests has ignited a fierce national debate about democratic freedoms and the treatment of young activists. After public uproar, the courts dropped the charges...
Darjeeling zoo’s trailblazing efforts to save the endangered red panda
Not only has it successfully rewilded nine in the past two years – with plans to release a tenth soon – but has established India’s first genetic biobank facility to preserve the DNA of vulnerable Himalayan species. At the heart of Darjeeling Zoo’s success is its Topkeydara Conservation Centre, where orphaned or rescued red pandas are carefully rehabilitated and made ready for life back in the wild. Caretaker Sudhan Chhetri...
