Opinion – Why I have deeply mixed feelings on the Queen’s death
On the one hand, Queen Elizabeth II was a constant presence in my life, a figurehead with which my understanding of British identity and history was shaped. On the other, her monarchy represents a colonial era of exploitation and human atrocity that shouldn’t be ignored. Queen Elizabeth II died...
Current in People
What jellyfish can tell us about the health of the ocean
Swarms of jellyfish are becoming increasingly common sightings for beachgoers. Their abundance reveals valuable and slightly worrying information about the health of our oceans. You don’t have to live near the coast to know that life in the ocean has become tumultuous. Endless plastic pollution, overfishing, warming waters, and continued loss...
Exclusive – How Gen Z for Change is eliminating barriers to action
We spoke with ‘Gen Z for Change’ founder Aidan Kohn-Murphy about the ways in which his youth-led, non-profit organisation is leveraging social media to create exponential impact driven by digital natives. For many, the term ‘digital natives’ is synonymous with Gen Z. Referring to the cohort’s innate understanding of technology and...
Slow government action sparks cost of living protests globally
The cost of living is now higher than it’s been in four decades. Citizen protests are erupting around the world, despite being granted government subsidies and promises of capped energy prices. What will happen when winter arrives? We’re all feeling the cost of living crunch. From North, Central and South America,...
Is America ready for green sector growth?
California is in a bit of a pickle. A week after it announced it will ban the sale of petrol-reliant vehicles by 2035, the state has asked its citizens to stop charging their electric cars on account of the grid reaching near-capacity. With the Pacific Ocean to its left and...
Understanding the gold mining problem in Eastern DRC
In Eastern DRC, thousands of children and families have been displaced by the resurgence of M23 rebels. Community clashes over gold has left some dead and hundreds of children currently work at gold mines. Since the beginning of this year, violence has steadily escalated in the east of the...
UN member states fail to pass Ocean Treaty on fifth attempt
The high seas are arguably the last lawless place left on the planet. A UN member state meeting in New York hoped to finally create a policy that prevents the overfishing and mistreatment of our oceans – but it has failed. Coastal waters (and all life within them) may belong to the closest nearby nation, but the remaining two-thirds of the world’s oceans are treated as international waters, otherwise...
Four accomplishments in gender equality in the 21st century
Only one hundred years ago, women finally received the right to vote in the United States. On National Women’s Equality day, we’re taking a look at how various sectors have become more gender inclusive and where they have room to improve. Achieving true gender equality is an ongoing fight that has lasted throughout generations. Since the turn of the 21st century, women have begun to take up space in places they...
Opinion – What I learned from the world’s most militarised zone
Recently, I visited Kashmir, a disputed territory sandwiched between South Asia, India, and Pakistan. From a heavy presence of the Indian armed forces to a city-wide shutdown, here’s what I saw whilst spending a week in one of the most militarised zones in the world. ‘So, michya ye pasand means “I like this” in Kashmiri, right?’ I asked my mother as our flight descended upon Srinagar’s Sheikh Ul Alam...
A teenager is using fish waste to clean heavy metal pollution
17-year-old Jacqueline Prawira is one of 100 student winners from Schmidt Futures’ young change maker awards. Using natural components derived from fish scales, she developed a bio-solution capable of ridding waterways of heavy metal contamination. All of a sudden, I’m feeling pretty self-conscious about my teenage years. 17-year-old student Jacqueline Prawira is about to become a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and already she is beginning to pave...
