Where is the UK’s waste really going?
According to Greenpeace, more than half of the country’s discarded plastic is being dumped and burned abroad. Campaigners are calling for the government to take control of the problem. Though the UK government claims to be a world leader in tackling plastic pollution, Greenpeace has just released a new...
Current in Planet
London’s ‘Disneyland’ scrapped over environmental concerns
Ongoing plans to create a £2.5 billion theme park in north Kent have been officially withdrawn. Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Orlando – what do they all have that London doesn’t? If you guessed Disney theme parks, you’d be correct. For those feeling left out or limited by the...
How to get involved in Earth Day 2022: ‘Invest in Our Planet’
Earth Day 2022 is almost upon us, and as we near vital climate target deadlines this year’s theme: ‘Invest in Our Planet’ is pressing for increased spending on solutions. Here’s how you can get involved on the day.
A year on from the previous Earth Day, which arrived amid
The Great Barrier Reef experiences sixth mass bleaching event
Last year, scientists said that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef couldn’t survive another bleaching event. According to experts in the field, it’s happening right now. After the mass coral bleaching event of 2020, marine biologists said that another coral bleaching event could cause irreversible, long-term damage to the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists...
Climate change is threatening larger bees and global pollination
New research suggests that as our planet warms, larger bees such as the bumblebee will become less prominent. Scientists now warn of potential ‘cascading’ effects on plant pollination and entire ecosystems. Climate change is ruining summers in more ways than one, according to new research. A cohort of US scientists, who...
Australia facing some of the most devastating floods in its history
Over the past weeks, freak rain storms have brought devastating floods to Australia. Spreading from Queensland to NSW, and now Sydney, residents have been urged to flee their homes as a civilian death count rises. A record-breaking ‘rain bomb’ has destroyed entire communities across Australia’s Eastern coast. Torrential rainfall...
The dark side of lithium and our supposed electric future
Lithium offers the most promising avenue out of our current reliance on fossil fuels. But are we underestimating the level of ecological damage inflicted by mining it on a mass scale? Widely used in our electric devices, from mobile phones and laptops, to cars and aircraft, demand for lithium is at its peak right now and will continue skyrocket in the coming years. Global policy insists that the energy sector should...
Why we should talk more about Europe’s rapidly growing forests
With laser-like focus on deforestation in the Amazon, we’ve forgotten to celebrate the growth of forests around us and the job they’re doing to sustain our natural world. The Amazon rainforest tends to make headlines whenever wildfires begin, as entire ecosystems and species are irreversibly destroyed. But more frequently, it’s human-led deforestation that captures the attention of international news. As many will already know, 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has...
Final IPCC report warns ‘now or never’ to prevent climate disaster
Climate scientists have provided something of a final warning in the latest IPCC report. Efforts to make emissions peak by 2025 must materialise ‘now or never’ to avoid devastating climate impacts. Good afternoon… humanity is running out of time. The third and final section of the IPCC’s comprehensive review of climate science is here, complete with stark warnings that nihilism will soon have devastating impacts. As you’ll already know from the previous...
Edible food packaging is the future of snack time
Using seaweed and algae, several food manufacturers are starting to cut back on single-use plastic waste by making their wrappers fully edible. Ever finish your snack and wish you had a little something more to munch on? What if we told you that soon, you’ll be able to eat the wrapper that snack came in? Sounds a bit weird, right? Well, we’re not far off from that becoming a reality, as...
