Is free public transport a fundamental right?
In 2020, Luxembourg became the first country to scrap public transport fees. Its residents now believe that free public transport is a fundamental right. Could the scheme work in other countries? Free public transport is a rarity around the world. So rather than pay a daily fee to get from point...
Current in Change
How will climate change affect Earth’s tectonic plates?
Climate change has damaged our planet in many aspects. However, many overlook its effect on the Earth’s lithosphere which could potentially put many lives in danger. Climate change is steadily causing a rise in sea levels and extreme weather events. This shift is affecting our planet’s crust, which is...
Ugandan parliament to criminalise LGBTQ identification
Uganda has been known for its conservative views on LGBTQ rights, with the country's government and society being largely intolerant of homosexuality. With the new anti-homosexuality bill passed this week, parliament has imposed the death penalty for some offences. In a shocking move, Uganda has passed a bill criminalising homosexuality...
Unpacking the ongoing protests in France
After two months of peaceful demonstrations sparked by a proposed pension reform in France, the message is clear: President Macron remains unmoved by his citizens’ clear opposition to the policy. As frustration increases without any sign of a U-turn, the national mood has started to turn sour. Protests. They’re the...
This tree offers an eco-friendly alternative to palm oil and soy
Farmers in Hawaii are cultivating the pongamia, a tree that could prevent further clearing of natural rainforests for palm oil and soy plantations. Its resilient nature could offer a huge economic boost to farmers losing out due to land degradation. Palm oil is known as one of the most environmentally...
‘Liquid tree’ installation absorbs CO2 emissions in Belgrade
Serbia is among the nations with the very worst air quality on the planet. A novel solution to sequestering GHGs in Belgrade’s most concentrated urban area, is the ‘Liquid 3’. If humanity has any chance of remaining under a 1.5C temperature rise, atmospheric greenhouse gases must decline by 43% before...
This volcanic microbe could be the next frontier in carbon capture tech
Scientists have recently discovered an organism in hot springs that eats CO2 ‘astonishingly quickly.’ They hope to utilise it as an efficient means of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. When it comes to the most efficient ecosystems for carbon capture, mangroves, the Amazon rainforest, and peat swamps are what tends to spring to mind. Scientists, however, have recently discovered a volcanic microbe that could...
Headteacher’s suicide sparks debate about Ofsted inspections
Ruth Perry took her own life after a report downgraded her school from ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Inadequate’. Teachers and policy-makers are urging for a national boycott of Ofsted. Education unions have called for a boycott of Ofsted, and urged teachers to refuse inspectors access to their schools, after 53-year-old headteacher Ruth Perry took her own life. Perry was considered an educator ‘in her prime’, who worked at Caversham Primary School in Reading....
Florida lawmakers look to ban ‘period talk’ in local schools
Mere months before discussions about sexual orientation become prohibited in state-wide Florida schools, Republicans are now looking to do the same for lessons and discussions about menstruation. Republicans in Florida have been on a mad one for quite some time. Last year, they passed the Don’t Say Gay bill, which will ban school staff and pupils from leading or discussing any conversations about sexual orientation before they enter grade four. Considering an...
New York Times contributors protest biased trans coverage
In the last eight months, it's estimated that The New York Times has published over 13,945 words of front-page coverage debating medical care for trans children.
Big media loves a moral panic, but it’s a little embarrassing to see it from the Times, as was echoed by an open letter from over 1,200 contributors to the paper last month - among them Cynthia Nixon, Chelsea Manning and Roxanne Gay.
