56 h. ago Tackling climate crisis will increase economic growth, OECD research finds

Third of global GDP could be lost this century if climate crisis runs unchecked, says reportTaking strong action to tackle the climate crisis will increase countries’ economic growth, rather than damage their finances as critics of net zero policies have claimed, research from the world’s economic watchdog has found.Setting ambitious targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and setting out the policies to achieve them, would result in a net gain to global GDP by the end of the next decade, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in a joint report with the UN Development Programme. Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago Plastic pollution crisis being tackled by unique scheme in one part of UK

Plans in England to introduce a deposit return scheme have been pushed back to 2027 but one part of the country is leading the way with a pioneering scheme to tackle plastic waste

Events

9 d. ago South of Scotland business creates device that can help tackle energy crisis

The test sensor from Radisoft is currently being tested at the Crichton in Dumfries.

Events

1 week ago Prison crisis measures triggered as jails full just six months after thousands of offenders released early

The measure comes despite thousands of offenders being released early in September, under a scheme which was designed to tackle the overcrowding crisis until 2026

Events

1 week ago The Guardian view on microplastics: harmful pollution must be curbed | Editorial

New evidence of particles damaging crops strengthens the case for an international plastics treatyNew and concerning findings from environmental scientists about the impact of microplastics on crops and marine algae add to a growing body of evidence about the disruption caused to living systems by plastic pollution. The results, from a team led by Prof Huan Zhong at Nanjing University, China, are not definitive and require corroboration. But analysis showing that plastics could limit photosynthesis (the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy) must be taken seriously. If the researchers are correct, and staple crops are being reduced by about 12%, there are huge implications for global agriculture and food supplies. This could inject new urgency into efforts to tackle plastic pollution.There is no single route by which microplastic particles inhibit plants from growing. The overall effect is attributed to a combination of blocked sunlight and nutrients, and damage to soil and ce...

Politics

2 w. ago Plastic pollution leaves seabirds with brain damage similar to Alzheimer’s, study shows

Blood tests on migratory chicks fed plastics by their parents show neurodegeneration, as well as cell rupture and stomach lining decayIngesting plastic is leaving seabird chicks with brain damage “akin to Alzheimer’s disease”, according to a new study – adding to growing evidence of the devastating impact of plastic pollution on marine wildlife.Analysis of young sable shearwaters, a migratory bird that travels between Australia’s Lord Howe Island and Japan, has found that plastic waste is causing damage to seabird chicks not apparent to the naked eye, including decay of the stomach lining, cell rupture and neurodegeneration. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Hardest Geezer suggests daily 5km runs to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis

The ultramarathon runner is set to run a 3,000km mountainous trail which spans the length of New Zealand

Events

2 w. ago Ed Miliband on net zero in the age of Trump – Politics Weekly Westminster

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey are joined by Ed Miliband, the energy security and net zero secretary, to discuss Labour’s plans to tackle the climate crisis, the third runway at Heathrow and how secure the path to a greener future looks in the age of Trump. Plus, are cuts to welfare and foreign aid the best way to balance the budget? Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Labour faces growing pressure to tackle small boats crisis as more than 1,100 migrants reach Britain in just four days

Latest Home Office figures showed there were 326 arrivals on Tuesday, bringing the number since Saturday to 1,168.

Events

3 w. ago Justice chiefs accused by MPs of failing to act quickly to tackle spiralling courts crisis

The Crown Court backlog has spiralled to more than 73,000 cases with the system mired in chronic delays and some trials being listed as far away as 2028

Events

3 w. ago Ministry of Justice accused by MPs of failing to act quickly to tackle courts crisis

MPs say the Ministry of Justice needs to act faster to tackle the courts crisis

Events

3 w. ago Keir Starmer defends his plan to tackle the Channel migrant crisis despite small boat crossings being up 20 per cent on last year

Latest figures, published by the Home Office, showed 592 migrants arrived in the UK yesterday after crossing the Channel in 11 small boats.

Events

3 w. ago Keir Starmer says he won't tell people to cut down on kebabs to tackle climate crisis

Keir Starmer said he won't tell people how to live following a report from climate advisers suggesting people eat less meat and reduce reliance on fossil fuels to hit net zero

Events

last month ‘Human activity on a massive scale’: a photo exhibition tackles the climate crisis

Photographs from across the globe capture the impact of people on the climate – and of the climate on peopleThe word anthropocene has been proposed to denote an ongoing epoch in which human activity is a primary driving force of geological change. Although the word has caught on like wildfire in a colloquial sense, it was ultimately rejected as a descriptive scientific term, not so much because it was inaccurate but because of disagreements over when exactly it would have started – 1945, marking the unlocking of nuclear power; 1610, which may be the first time human activity affected the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; 1964, when the so-called Great Acceleration may have begun – or some other date altogether?These questions point to deeper challenges in understanding just what the Anthropocene is: do we think of it in terms of nuclear fallout, the composition of the atmosphere, the size of the human population, or so many other worthy metrics? Hoping to help us better un...

Events