India begins enforcing federal ban on single-use plastic
As part of a federal crackdown on single-use plastic, India has outlawed the production and distribution of 19 wasteful items including plastic cups, straws, and cigarette carton film. Staunch on enforcing these rules, New Delhi will shortly be announcing further measures. In our global bid to get a stranglehold on...
Current in Change
Is Africa’s LGBTQ+ community truly safe in 2022?
Let’s face it, the African continent is still not a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community. In almost every African country, homosexuality is considered a taboo. Africa identifies itself with traditional customs and beliefs that date centuries back. According to the Human Rights Watch, most African nations are still traditionalist...
Will ‘forever chemicals’ hinder human reproductive ability?
Samples taken from 100 men in Denmark reveal the presence of a ‘cocktail’ of toxic chemicals, causing scientists to question how these chemicals are affecting our ability to reproduce. While a large portion of Gen-Z isn’t exactly rushing to populate the Earth (duh, it’s burning!), there’s been concern in...
What safe water at Gaza City’s beach means for Palestinians
Decades of tension has affected water quality at Gaza Beach, forcing locals to choose between protecting their physical wellbeing or enjoying life’s simple pleasures. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, home to 2.3 million Palestinians who have been confined to 362...
Research says being lonely shrinks brains and increases dementia risk
We might be out of lockdown, but social isolation hasn’t ended for everyone. Loneliness prevails across all generations – and science says it’s not so great for our brains. At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt lonely. Whether you moved to a new place, ended a close and valued...
What is the 30×30 conservation initiative?
The 30x30 initiative aims to designate at least 30% of all land and oceans as ‘protected areas’ by 2030. The target was first created in 2019, with over seventy nations agreeing to participate. As you’re no doubt aware, our oceans are under serious threat as climate change becomes more severe. There...
Momentum building ahead of 2022 UN Ocean Conference
The President of the UN General Assembly has urged attendees to ‘arrive with demonstrable evidence of progress’ in providing solutions to the current ocean crisis. Documentaries such as ‘Seaspiracy’ and ‘A Plastic Ocean’ raised public alarm on the vitality of Earth’s oceans for humanity’s survival – a fact that marine biologists have known for years. Though the general public is only now waking up to the atrocities taking place out at...
Amsterdam airport becomes first to cap flight total for the climate
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is the third-largest in Europe, and yet it will become the world’s first to cap the number of flights permitted every year. Touted as a response to the climate crisis, will this prompt wider industry change? Still preoccupied with the whole EPA debacle? Here’s a tidbit of positive news for you. While the aviation industry currently makes up 2.1% of all human-induced carbon emissions, a recent milestone...
Rethinking international trade routes vital to saving marine life
With demand for global freight on the rise, maritime trade is set to triple its capacity by 2050. What could this mean for the ocean’s largest animals? What a time to be alive, eh? Our blueberries are from Morocco, our prawns from Vietnam, and even our avocados travel across the gigantic Atlantic from Mexico before landing in our shopping basket. That’s right, we live in the era of globalisation, where a...
Supreme Court limits the E.P.A’s power to control pollution
After stripping away constitutional protections for abortion and expanding gun rights, justices have issued yet another momentous ruling – one that jeopardises the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions. On Thursday, the US Supreme Court sharply limited the E.P.A’s ability to regulate carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants, making it much harder for President Biden to achieve his goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. The 6-3...
