In 2015, 196 parties agreed to adopt a collective goal to ensure climate change was limited. At COP21 in Paris, countries around the world came together to enter into a legally binding treaty on climate change which hoped to keep global warming below 2°C (preferably 1.5°C) above pre-industrial levels, and ultimately reach a carbon neutral…
Comment
Extinction Rebellion must soften their tactics to combat the climate crisis
The historical shift from environmentalists ridiculed as ‘hippies’ to being stamped as ‘ecomaniacs’ and ‘dangerous’ by media tabloids indicates movements like Extinction Rebellion are anything but a dying fire. Despite being three years young, the organisation has gained universal stead as the intergenerational symbol for environmental activism, galvanising membership across 70 countries and dominating the…
Arts
What can Ancient rainforest rock art tell us about climate change?
Archaeologists have discovered tens of thousands of paintings of animals and humans in the Amazonian rainforest. The discovery was made by a British-Colombian team, funded by the European Research Council and led by Francisco Javier Aceituno of the Universidad de Antioquia, Gaspar Morcote-Rios of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and José Iriarte, professor of archaeology…
Science
Plastic times call for drastic measures
Plastics have taken the world by storm ever since their invention in 1869. They have made material wealth more easily accessible, provided practical solutions to shortages in natural resources through wars, and, astonishingly, were even hailed as being an environmentally friendly resource (as they could easily imitate things like ivory, horns and tortoiseshell). Nowadays, the…
Science
What Science is there to look forward to in 2021?
COVID has not only dominated our lives for the best part of a year now, but has also dominated the news, and scientific developments which would normally be on the forefront of the news have been out-shadowed by grim talk of vaccines, death tolls and new strains. Although we may not have got rid of…
Science
The environment: what’s going up and what’s going down?
It’s looking up for green urban spaces, as Barcelona’s Mayor, Ada Colau, plans to transform the Catalonian city through a series of “superblocks” over the next decade. These blocks are intended to transform the city centre and Eixample district into a greener, pedestrian friendly, nearly car-free area. A 2020 report from the Barcelona Institute for…
Science
A snapshot of you
My current project is on ocean deoxygenation, a rarely discussed issue but one with potential to drastically impact the Earth’s future. The oceans are losing their oxygen, and the creatures living in them are running out of breath. The amount of low oxygen waters has quadrupled since 1960, and is set to continue increasing. Why…
US Election: Comment
The Next US President Will Determine the Future of the Climate
In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s difficult to imagine how we could face any greater challenge than this. The truth is COVID-19 is just the start of a decade which will be defined by a complete shift in society as we know it. This will either mean a green transition to a sustainable…
Features
My tumultuous relationship with XR
You never know how people will react when you say “Extinction Rebellion.” The group has aimed to lead the human species away from walking into an early grave with the “divide and conquer” tactic; Divide the masses away from the 1% and conquer the system into forming a more environmentally friendly planet. I worry after…
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