The ongoing pandemic has undeniably brought a sharp rise in global plastic pollution. Since the start of the health crisis, an estimated 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves have been used every month – all at peril of landing on our ocean shores. Our recent COVID-19 induced global hiatus has rendered society increasingly aware of […]
The month of September in New York is usually filled with diplomats from all over the world, gathered for the United Nations General Assembly and its numerous fringe events. Instead, this year’s UNGA will be held virtually, focusing on the global response to COVID-19 and the subsequent economic recovery. The year 2020 was meant to […]
Since the middle of the last century, generations have taken it for granted that their children would exceed their own successes. Providing opportunities is one of our duties to those who inherit our society and education lies at the heart of that. We want our young people to be better educated, more skilled and go […]
In 2010, environment ministers from 196 nations gathered in Nagoya, a city in the Japanese prefecture of Aichi. Their aim was clear and unambiguous: to stem the worst loss of biodiversity on Earth since the demise of the dinosaurs. The resulting international agreement was hailed as an environmental triumph. It established a framework for international […]
In the 1980s, the ivory trade was booming. Sellers, hunters and brokers made huge sums of money from what was a lucrative industry. Wealthy people across the globe had a taste for gleaming white jewellery, seemingly little concerned about the importance of the beautiful animals butchered to make it. Tragically, it took the halving of […]
Last week, the government of New Zealand took a big step forward in the protection of endangered elephants by banning the sale of elephant ivory, the country’s Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced. The ban would come by amending the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989, which will also “improve the regulatory system at the border”, […]
The Prime Minister described it as a “mutant algorithm”. Social commentators were naturally outraged as it disproportionately upgraded the results of children from private schools, while downgrading those from state schools, especially in the poorest areas. Few people actually understood how it worked, as the technical report from the UK Office for Qualifications (Ofqual) purporting […]
Amid the Pandemic, the larger crisis of young people’s mental health remains firmly entrenched. The collective trauma of the coronavirus pandemic is one we are all well attuned to. The disruption to our lives, the common risk of infection and concern for our loved ones has been an experience we have all endured. It is […]
The release of GCSE and A-level results this past fortnight has confirmed that the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children has widened for the third year running, in no small part due to the adverse effects of the lockdown. All children have had their educational development stultified by the lockdown. However, the evidence is […]