Brazil’s Amazon Fund has been revived thanks to new governance
After a decade of success, Brazil’s internationally-funded rainforest protection program was frozen in 2019 by President Jair Bolsonaro. Now, the nation’s Supreme Court has announced the Amazon Fund will continue operations by 2023. Fridays are for good news, and luckily, there have been some great developments happening in regard to...
Current in Change
Exclusive – COP27’s Biodiversity Day with Kasha Slavner
We spoke with award-winning filmmaker and activist Kasha Slavner about what it means to respect and protect our planet on COP’s Biodiversity Day. Yesterday’s theme at COP27 was Biodiversity Day. Leaders gathered to discuss nature and ecosystem-based solutions to climate mitigation and adaptation. They also built strategies to mobilise global...
How e-waste is a hidden cause of climate change
As world leaders met to discuss the issue of unmanaged waste at COP27, Nokia phones wanted to shed light on the problem of e-waste and how to tackle it. As a group of landscapers were preparing a park in West London for a community space, they stumbled across an old...
Delegates at COP15 reach ‘historic’ deal to halt biodiversity loss
Nations have committed to protecting a third of the planet for nature by 2030 in a ground-breaking agreement aimed at reversing decades of environmental destruction. After four years of negotiations, repeated delays due to the pandemic, and a plenary that began on Sunday evening and lasted for more than seven...
A lack of due diligence is spoiling tree planting offsets
Despite growing controversy, the easiest way for a giant conglomerate to continue creating dangerous emissions is through offset programs. In reality, when it comes to tree planting, some such projects are doing far more harm than good. Uncovering instances of greenwashing these days can be achieved with a simple Google...
Exclusive – COP27’s Water Day with Bodhi Patil & Nyombi Morris
Yesterday was Water Day at COP27. World leaders set out to discuss sustainable water resource management, as well as water scarcity, drought, cross-boundary cooperation, and improving water systems. Currently, 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water for at least one month per year. By 2050, water scarcity is expected to...
HSBC will no longer fund new oil and gas fields
After facing criticism over its climate change policies from shareholders and environmental activists, the bank has announced it will cut direct financing to fossil fuel projects it isn’t already involved with. Part of its policy to support a net-zero transition, HSBC has announced it will stop funding new oil and gas field developments. The move, which environmental activists say sends a ‘strong signal’ to fossil fuel giants and governments that investment...
Why social media might do more harm than good for refugees
Social media has been a powerful tool in shedding light on what's happening to the people of Ukraine, Afghanistan, and even Palestine. But is it the best way to help the ever-growing refugee crisis? Seven years ago, the photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi found on the shores of Bodrum, Turkey, sent shockwaves through social media. #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (translated: humanity washed ashore) began trending on Twitter, with surges of...
Exclusive – COP 27’s Decarbonisation Day with Michael Backlund
We spoke to Climate Science president and climate and peace activist Michael Backlund about COP27, decarbonisation, and how young people can get involved in fighting against the climate emergency. Friday of COP27’s first week was officially ‘Decarbonisation Day’, where leaders and attendees will discuss various technologies and campaigns to lower the carbon levels in our atmosphere, as well as examine our transition into a low carbon economy. To get a...
UN will use satellites to track down methane gas leaks
At last year’s COP summit, methane was labelled the ‘lowest hanging fruit’ in the race to slow global heating. Now, the UN has announced it will use satellites to locate where methane leaks are and will be publishing the data on a public database. Those clued up on the human-driven process of planetary heating will know that carbon dioxide emissions are only one piece of the puzzle. Despite CO2 being worthy...
