Stolen Childhoods – youth activism in the climate crisis 

By Abigail Hedges

From Fridays for Future school strikes to her now infamous speech in the UN, you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who hasn’t heard of Greta Thunberg as the face of youth climate action. But Greta is not alone. Her outraged cries of “how dare you!” in the UN echo the shouts of children across the globe whose childhoods are being decimated by the devasting effects of climate change and whose futures on this planet look uncertain at best.

Whilst youth activists call louder than ever for our world leaders to take more radical climate action, the question arises – will they listen?

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New life for old goods – the eu’s battle with our IRREPARABLE electronics

By George Bandy 

How long should we expect our electronics to last? And what can we do when they break? These are not only questions for ensuring happy customers but are also an essential part of tackling overconsumption and excessive waste. Unfortunately, two things with which Europe is very familiar.

Continue reading “The Right to Repair” →

extinguishing the flares of death: how the escazú agreement may enhance rights protection and access to justice

By Dorothy Puga

Interview conducted and written by Keila McFarland Dias

Business and Human Rights lawyer Camila Manfredini de Abreu represented the victims of the Fundão Disaster in a case against BHP, the Anglo-Australian mining company that operates in Brazil by the contractor Samarco. On 5 November 2015, the Fundão tailings dam collapsed in Minas Gerais, Brazil, unleashing approximately 60 million cubic metres of toxic waste, which became the nation’s most devastating environmental disaster.

Continue reading “Environmental Destruction, Business and Human Rights” →

CLIMATE CHANGE, INTERSECTIONAL JUSTICE AND PEOPLE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

By Celina Pinagé  (English and Portuguese versions)

In recent years, the narrative revolving around climate change has been amplified to encompass dialogues concerning groups and communities that are disproportionately burdened by the environmental crisis. However, there is virtually no consideration when it comes to how people on the autism spectrum are affected by environmental hazards caused by global warming.

Continue reading “Climate change and people on the spectrum” →

A green future for cryptocurrency? 

By George Bandy 

Whether it’s been the uncertainty surrounding traditional stock investments, challenges faced by national authorities in the wake of the pandemic, public endorsement by celebrities and financial institutions, or the more primal lure of making a small fortune overnight, interest in cryptocurrency has skyrocketed since the beginning of the year and sees its adoption inch further into the mainstream.

Continue reading “Environmental impact of cryptocurrencies” →

World Consumer Rights Day: bringing people together in the fight against plastic

By  Thaís Mota

Created to highlight the power and rights of consumers for a safe, equal and sustainable market for all, World Consumer Rights Day, celebrated today (15/03), has the theme of Tackling Plastic Pollution and unites people in a global consumer movement. The campaign’s intention is to support consumers in mobilising companies, governments and society to make combatting plastic toxic waste and adhering to sustainable consumption an easy (and accessible) choice for all members of society, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. 

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a MAN-MADE PROBLEM WITH A FEMINIST SOLUTION: THE CASE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GENDER JUSTICE

By Hadasa McFarland Dias

When it comes to the dialogue surrounding climate change, the focus tends to lie on how the environment is put in jeopardy and how the future generations will suffer from the burden of this crisis. However, the neglect toward the ‘less evident’ threats posed by climate change is long-standing:  have we stopped to contemplate how climate change greatly and directly affects the lives of women, aggravating gender inequality through heat waves, rising sea levels, extreme storms, and other climate-related disasters? The UN has reported that out of 100 people suffering from climate change, 80 of them are women, in light of this, the following question becomes imperative to analyse: why does climate change disproportionately burden women?

Continue reading “Climate Change and Gender Justice” →

By Malaka El-Gammal

Four years following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, a Brexit trade deal was finalised on 24 December 2020, coming into force on 1 January 2021.  While the mainstream debate has primarily revolved around issues of immigration, trade, and even on “fish”, something that has been arguably under-reported – to the dismay of activists and campaigners– is the potential impact that Brexit will have on the climate, and specifically on UK environment policy.

Continue reading “Brexit, climate change and environmental justice” →

Interview carried out and written by  Keila McFarland Dias

Paulo Ricardo is a leading Brazilian activist who holds as his mission to make environmental justice a reality in all societal, governmental and institutional spheres. Paulo is the Climate Group coordinator at Engajamundo, an NGO created by young people who believe in their responsibility as a key part of the solution when it comes to tackling the greatest social and environmental crises our world is faced with.

Continue reading “Racial justice and the environmental movement” →