Transforming cities into sponges could save us from floods
Urban planning and landscape architect Professor Kongjian Yu has put forward an innovative and eco-friendly option for flood mitigation. It involves transforming our cities into ‘sponges’ to absorb overflowing waterways and prevent threats presented by extreme flooding. Are you ready kids? I can’t hear you… nah I’m just joking. It’s...
Current in Planet
Is hemp the answer to combatting climate change?
Research suggests that the fast-growing plant is twice as effective as trees at sequestering carbon, offering a promising solution to mitigating the environmental crisis’ impacts. When mulling over how we’ll ever solve the ongoing environmental crisis, it’s likely your mind will jump to options such as renewable energy, sustainable...
COP27 will give children and youth a platform for the first time
At this year’s COP event in Egypt, young people will finally be given their own platform. The Children and Youth Pavilion will allow young activists to voice their climate concerns and hopefully impact negotiations for the very first time. It’s no secret that some of the most passionate climate activists...
Researchers say global oceans need legal protective rights
Following a recent campaign to give rivers, lakes, and forests legal rights, experts now say global oceans must also be afforded legally enforced protection. They argue this is the only way to positively transform our relationship with oceans and prevent total ecosystem collapse. In a new article published in PLOS...
Everything you need to know post-COP27
The 27th annual UN Climate Summit concluded on Friday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Here’s a roundup of what was achieved, what missed the mark, and the most important points made by the 13 Gen Z activists we held thematic conversations with during the last fortnight. Though COP27 was meant...
Exclusive – Why Thijs Biersteker is taking his work to COP15
The ecological artist has created a robotic plant that grows based on biodiversity data from the Natural History Museum. It demonstrates how the choices we make now will affect the state of nature over the next thirty years. We spoke with him about his mission to turn facts into...
Scientists have discovered a new ecosystem in the Indian Ocean
Named ‘The Trapping Zone,’ the newly discovered ecosystem is teeming with activity. It appears to be an oasis for supporting life, located 500m below the surface of the Indian Ocean. It’s not every day that we hear news of an entirely new ecosystem being discovered, but it looks like scientists and ocean lovers have just gotten lucky. While recently exploring the depths of the Indian Ocean, marine biologists aboard the Nekton...
Wild salmon are dying in massive numbers due to drought
Thousands of salmon have been discovered dead in Canada after the stream they rely on to spawn dried up due to prolonged drought. Biologists worry these events will occur more frequently as the climate crisis worsens. Last week, at least 65,000 salmon were found dead on a creek bed in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The nearby community of Bella Bella say they are preparing for more devastating natural events...
Legal rights must be afforded to the natural world says experts
Leading environmentalists say better protections must be placed on the natural environment in order to prevent the continuation of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. Ongoing advancements in biotechnology only stand to bolster their argument. It’s about high time we stopped thinking of the human race as a dominating force over the natural world, and instead embrace the fact that we are completely one with it. For too long, the former ideology...
Face masks and plastic gloves are being used to reinforce concrete
In our efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the globe reportedly gets through 129bn face masks per month. Australian researchers now propose diverting our PPE waste away from landfill and mixing it into concrete. Protecting communities and healthcare workers from COVID-19, whilst trying to claw our way out of a self-inflicted plastic waste crisis has been a nigh-on impossible balance to strike. The world has reportedly gotten through a staggering...
