Category Archives: World

08Oct/24

Can Kemi Badenoch claim to have ‘become working class’ while working in McDonald’s – and why would she want to?

Michael Rees, Nottingham Trent University

Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch recently caused controversy by claiming that while she was born to a middle-class family, she “became working class” when working in McDonald’s to earn money while she was in college. In fairness to Badenoch, having a diversity of experience is an admirable attribute for an MP – something you wouldn’t associate with someone like recently deposed Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg for example.

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27Sep/24

Nature’s 43rd Season Showcases the Resilience of Wildlife at Home and Abroad, Wednesdays at 8/7c Beginning October 23 on PBS

Explore the survival strategies of animals all around the globe, from the most remote and harsh parts of the planet to our own backyards, in the new season of the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning series Nature. New episodes premiere Wednesdays at 8/7c beginning October 23 on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS app. Select episodes will also be available to stream on the Nature YouTube channel. Continue reading

25Sep/24

AI supercharges data center energy use – straining the grid and slowing sustainability efforts

Ayse Coskun, Boston University

The artificial intelligence boom has had such a profound effect on big tech companies that their energy consumption, and with it their carbon emissions, have surged.

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25Sep/24

Net Zero Targets Crush EU and UK Economies – Draghi Report Gets a Scathing Review via CLINTEL

On Sept. 24, 2024, Mark Carney, UN Climate Czar, was celebrating the partnership of the CDP and Net-Zero Data Public Utility (NZDPU) on X, as a means to further the Net Zero Transition, an unlikely goal, says Friends of Science, which would result in an impoverished and miserable future. Continue reading

18Sep/24

SOLVING THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS WITHIN REACH BUT A LACK OF FORTITUDE THREATENS TO STALL PROGRESS

Generation Investment Management, the sustainable investment manager, today published its eighth Sustainability Trends Report, which annually seeks to answer the question of where the world stands in the transition to a low-emissions economy. This year’s assessment analyses how climate promises are starting to resemble New Year’s resolutions: easy to make, hard to keep. It also covers the shifts needed across the global economy – spanning the power sector; transportation; buildings; industry; people, land & food; and climate finance. Continue reading

16Jul/24

How being shot might affect Donald Trump’s mental health – and that of millions of others

Simon McCarthy-Jones, Trinity College Dublin

After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania campaign rally, there is much speculation about how this will affect the 2024 US election. However, no one is yet asking how these events may affect Trump himself.

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08Jul/24

Will Joe Biden step down? An expert Q&A

Dafydd Townley, University of Portsmouth

Joe Biden’s extremely weak performance at the CNN TV debate last week, has prompted senior figures in the Democrat party to question whether he is fit enough to stand for the upcoming presidential election. Former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said it was reasonable to ask: “Is this an episode or is this a condition?”

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05Jul/24

UK election: Tory downfall is democracy rectifying its mistakes

Stephen Barber, University of East London

Democracies are no better than other forms of government at avoiding catastrophic mistakes. But they are much more effective at rectifying them. While the 2024 British general election might have seemed a long time coming, as the country meandered from one failure to the next, the utter scale of defeat for the Conservatives is testament to the ability of a democratic system to reject, reverse and renew.

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29Jun/24

Election 2024: these are the races to watch

Oliver Heath, Royal Holloway University of London and Humphrey Southall, University of Portsmouth

As the country gears up for the election, all eyes are on the bellwether constituencies that historically reflect the broader national mood.

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