Author page: Josie Lumley

All new buildings in the UK to have electric car chargers from 2022

Electric car being charged

What’s Going On Here? The UK is about to be electrified! In between high praises of Peppa Pig and some on-point car impressions, Boris Johnson announced in a speech on Monday that all new buildings across the UK will be required to have electric car charging points from 2022. The announcement was made at this year’s Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference…

Nearly 20% of tropical forests threatened by overlapping extractive industries

What’s Going On Here? A new study from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and WWF has revealed that around 20% of intact tropical forests overlap with extractive industries, mining, oil and gas projects. This overlapping area amounts to 975,000 km2, almost equivalent to the size of Egypt! What Does This Mean? Tropical Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) are defined as continuous patches of forest…

Fast fashion’s failure to stay on trend: half of all pieces found to contain plastic

What’s going on here? Clothing made by UK’s largest online fashion brands contain staggering amounts of virgin plastics despite their marketing campaigns flaunting environmentally-friendly clothing, according to new analysis. On average, 49% of the items listed on these popular websites were found to contain materials made from synthetic fibres. What does this mean? This research, carried out by The Royal Society for…

G7 aka the Greedy7: how the world’s wealthiest countries are driving tropical forest destruction

What’s Going On Here? Consumer choices in the wealthiest countries have been revealed to be largely responsible for tropical forest deforestation. The groundbreaking study, published on Monday, is the first to map and quantify   the “deforestation footprint” of individual countries on an international scale.  What Does This Mean? The global demand for tropical forest-related commodities is continuing to rise, including coffee,…

New data reveals unsavoury supermarket practices

What’s Going On Here? Over 280,000 tons of food is reported to be wasted by the UK’s ten largest supermarkets every year. This amounts to the equivalent of a whopping 190 million meals. What’s Does This Mean? Data for 2019-20 revealed that a substantial amount of edible food produced by Britain’s supermarket giants is either used for anaerobic digestion or to feed…

Will pigs fly in Brexit Britain?

What’s Going On Here? Gene-editing in livestock and crops is to be reconsidered in England as the UK government launches a consultation on its deregulation. There are strong restrictions on gene-editing in the European Union, and Boris Johnson has wasted no time in pursuing this move following the nation’s departure from the union just two weeks ago. What Does This Mean? Gene-editing…

Fourteen key coastal countries pledge to sustainably manage 100% of their oceans

What’s Going On Here? In a world first, an ocean initiative has been formed by 14 governments who are leading the way to sustain healthier, more prosperous oceans. The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy is the biggest collaboration on oceans to date. What Does This Mean? Like-minded world leaders with sustainable ocean management at heart have recently released their…