Coral reef projects receive a major boost in funding
The forests of the ocean are suffering. Warming waters are causing ocean acidification and coral bleaching. Meanwhile, overfishing practices are causing the subsequent collapse of entire ecosystems. Bolstered funding from COP27 is aiming to slow – and hopefully reverse – the process. When we think about nature's ecosystems, coral reefs...
Current in Change
Exclusive – Meet Ishaan Shah, the Gen Z activist fighting modern slavery
We spoke with the 19-year-old UN Youth Representative and co-founder of Stolen Dreams – a youth-led collective driving action around ending modern slavery – about how he is guaranteeing that every human being has access to basic human rights. Ishaan Shah was just thirteen when he learned that slavery is...
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...
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 search… and a generous helping of common sense. Take, for instance, French oil giant TotalEnergies – which proudly declared last...
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 affect more than 5 billion people. The climate crisis has disrupted natural water systems, in fact, UN Water says that...
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...
