Barbados cuts ties with its colonial past to become a republic
After an effort lasting two decades, Barbados has removed the British monarch as its head of state. It is a symbolic moment which will leave colonial ruling behind for good. Yesterday evening, Barbados replaced the Queen as its head of state and became a republic, cutting its last remaining colonial...
Current in Planet
Scorpions hospitalise over 500 people during major storm in Egypt
Humans aren’t alone in trying to escape extreme weather caused by climate change – even the world’s most dangerous animals must look for refuge. We all know by now that climate change is causing strange and powerful weather events around the globe. Humanity must come up with novel ways to...
Why India will struggle to break up with coal
In the final negotiations of the COP26 deal, India actively opposed the ideal of phasing out coal before the mid-century. Here’s why. In the closing stages of Glasgow’s climate negotiations, and with a promising deal in sight, India insisted that promises to ‘phase out’ coal be tempered in the final...
Who really got a seat and a voice at COP26?
Last week, we peeled back the curtain on the emotional climate at COP26 by exploring the fear-fuelled question - is this our last chance? This week, we will be taking a deep dive into the theme of powerlessness and its accompanying question - where is my seat at the...
Going Green Media aim to help you take control of eco-anxiety
Reports estimate that 75% of young people are worried about the future of our planet, meaning eco-anxiety is at an all-time high. Educating ourselves, rather than ignoring the problem, might be the best way to settle our worries. ‘Some may say ignorance is bliss, and the more you know, the...
Fear, powerlessness, and hope at COP26 – is this the last chance?
At COP26, Force of Nature went to every corner - the Blue Zone, the Green Zone, the New York Times Climate Hub, the UK Youth Climate Cafe, the trailblazing campaigners in the streets, and everywhere in between - to gauge the emotional climate. We have had the ingenuity, technology and...
New York’s multi-billion plan to thwart climate change impacts
Architecture is now beginning to consider the ecological ramifications of new builds, but resiliency projects will be needed to protect cities from the more immediate impacts of climate change. On that front, plans for New York City are already well underway. Constantly the backdrop for fictional menaces and mass destruction, whether that be at the hands of a giant marshmallow man, a rampaging gorilla, the Cloverfield monster, a tornado of...
Opinion – COP26 did not focus on the genuine concerns of Gen Z
The subversive rhetoric of climate activists was present at COP, but subversive decisions were not taken. Why has COP chosen the path of tokenisation of youth activists instead of listening to them? Historically, COP has been largely white, male, severely lacking in perspectives from the Global South and, crucially, young voices. This has resulted in years of discussions that exclude the perspectives of those who face the most risk from...
Understanding the impact of transport emissions after COP26
As COP26 comes to a close, delegates try to find common ground on one of the trickiest subjects: transportation. Today, the transportation sector accounts for about 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions. You may think that these 8 billion metric tonnes of CO₂ are primarily from aviation, but, in fact, in 2018, road transport accounted for 74.5% of transport emissions. Aviation followed with 11.6%. Road transport, specifically, makes up 10% of global...
World still heading for 2.4C warming despite COP26
Though some progress has been made at COP26, no country is currently doing enough to lower global heating below 2C by the end of this century - according to the latest analysis. New research suggests that we’re still heading toward 2.4C of global warming by 2100 even with current COP26 negotiations, according to Climate Action Tracker (CAT). This finding puts a dent in the optimism built up over the last few...
