Aspects of the ecological thinking and action of Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople* For the past forty years or so, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has been undertaking important initiatives aimed at raising awareness on environmental protection issues. This is due, to a large extent, to Patriarch Bartholomew, who, immediately after his election to the…
Situated in Central Africa, Lake Chad was once a flourishing freshwater reservoir that sustained the lives of more than 30 million people across Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. However, the lake has drastically shrunk by around 90% since 1963. This diminishing body of water crucial for irrigation, fishing and drinking is now at the heart…
State of play The monumental task of the clean energy transition has touched every corner of the globe, and soon may go even deeper than ever before: the bottom of the ocean. In the race to secure critical minerals needed for a variety of technologies, notably electric vehicle (EV) batteries, some companies have launched exploration…
Lithium is flowing from the Global South to the Global North, powering a massive electrification effort in high-income countries, particularly due to its criticality in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. However, this silvery metal is not a silver bullet. Lithium mining comes with high environmental and social costs to the land and local population, disproportionately harms…
Climate change is a threat to global peace, security, and prosperity. It poses a threat to human and natural systems due to their vulnerability and exposure. Vulnerability, in this context, is the propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected. People who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalized are especially vulnerable and pose…
The Olympics, the world’s most celebrated international sporting tournament, needs no introduction. Inspired by the Ancient Olympic Games, held in Olympia, Greece more than two thousand years ago, the Modern Olympics began in Athens during the late 1800s and have successfully continued ever since, uniting over 200 countries and territories when it was held in…
In a matter of days, an earthquake and a tropical storm (Grace) hit one of the poorest Caribbean islands, leading to at least 2,400 deaths and over 13.000 serious injuries. It is estimated that more than 130,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and 600.000 Haitians were impacted. However, these last natural disasters are just part…
Earlier this year, scientists at the Netherlands-based Wageningen University conducted research that had many buzzing with excitement. After only several hours of meticulous training, a sample of honeybees had learned how to detect Covid-19 infections, within a matter of seconds, due to their keen sense of smell. While this method of detecting Covid-19 will certainly…
Yesterday, as we celebrated Earth Day, forty world leaders gathered for President Biden’s “Leaders Summit on Climate”. The event, held virtually in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions over two days, is a precursor to the UNFCCC COP26 taking place in Glasgow later this year. For such a large event to be organised and held within the…
When Ursula von der Leyen ascended to the Presidency of the European Commission in December 2019, one policy dominated above all others, the European Green Deal. This ambitious plan aims to bring the EU to net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the bloc’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, whilst also generating a sustainable economic growth model where ‘no…
