What does a summer of heatwaves say about our climate?
From India to Europe and more, climate change is driving increasingly intense and damaging heatwaves as humans struggle to adapt. The world has been feeling the heat in 2022. India and Pakistan experienced their hottest March on record this year, exposing many to power and water shortages. Europe, meanwhile, is only...
Current in Planet
The mission to improve sustainability and ethics in the gold industry
Banks store it, people wear it, and in times of trouble, the world’s wealthiest hoard it. But what are the social and environmental costs of gold? In light of global inflation, investors are flocking to gold as a ‘safe-haven asset’ to protect their wealth. Because unlike money, gold’s value is...
Opinion – Why we need to redefine our understanding of ‘the wild’
Why is it important to talk about the differences in opinion on wildlife conservation and preserving the inherent character of natural lands in a world that is under siege by the global capitalist machine? For most readers, particularly for those living in developed or Global North countries, the fear...
Fossil fuel companies sue governments over climate action
In response to attempts to limit further extraction, foreign oil and gas companies continue to file lawsuits against governments. According to a report by the UK-based social justice organisation Global Justice Now, five major fossil fuel companies, including Rockhopper, TC Energy and Uniper, have filed lawsuits worth over 15...
What the emerging woolly mammoth tusk says about our planet
The internet is going crazy over a mammoth tusk found poking out of an Alaskan riverbank, but is its emergence a warning sign for humanity? Pessimism isn’t my forte, but when age old specimens previously hidden inside frost and within rocks suddenly become visible to the naked eye – the...
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...
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 are a ton of problems we face in the next few decades, including ocean acidification, mounting plastic pollution, degrading coral...
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...
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...
