By William Loughlin – ‘Renewable technologies are considered clean sources of energy, optimal use of these resources minimise environmental impacts’ [1]. With increasing threats of climate change is renewable energy (RE) really up to the task of filling our insatiable thirst for energy? Furthermore, the current global energy demand being fulfilled ‘14%’ [2] by renewable energy (RE) …
By Charlie Willis – Food security and human health are under threat from microplastics in our oceans. But to what extent? The journal article; ‘Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health’ by Gabriel et al. (2018) addresses the scale of the microplastic impact regarding marine-life and subsequently its…
By Guy Boonyarakyotin – Dreams of sustainable development are often accompanied by images of skyscraper greenhouses or groundbreaking technologies of renewables and electric vehicles. Our growing populations and demand for resources are also becoming a testament to our need for better ways to use our dwindling resources. This, however, makes it easy to forget our…
By Rose Huish-Neave – With more deaths than any human war, the meat industry kills 200 million animals per day and 18,000 humans per year [1]. More antibiotics are used on livestock than on our sick populations and are the primary cause of deforestation worldwide [2]. Humans could solve world hunger if crops grown for…
By Chloe Wornell – Electronics play a huge role in all aspects of daily life, from entertainment purposes to food preparation. However, the production of these devices can lead to severe health issues for people who rely on the land around these sites due to the contamination of the soil from heavy metals that are…
By Luke Stevenson – A global shift towards sustainable activities has contributed to more people owning electric cars. A single lithium car battery for electric cars use 14kg of cobalt, and since the price of lithium batteries has dropped by 97% since 1991, the demand for cobalt has risen exponentially, with many believing electric cars…
by William Preston – Climate change is a reality, and global food production systems could be at a great risk [1]. Agricultural land all over the world is likely to experience major changes in temperature and water availability [2,3,4]. What is more worrying is that mass produced crops such as maize and wheat have a…
by George Walton – In this post, we’re going to explore one of the most destructive and large-scale global environmental issues – palm oil. The removal of native trees makes way for oil palm plantations – in return, having a devastating effect on the local biodiversity. We will take a look at one of the…
by Kathryn Vest – To what extent do the food choices you make impact your health and the environment? Agriculture and food production across the world account for 25% of all greenhouse gases1. The huge amounts of greenhouse gases released in agriculture and other areas of human society have caused temperatures to soar to unprecedented…
by Lukas Szpojnarowicz – Our oceans face many growing threats, particularly caused by the presence of plastic debris and polluting microplastics. A journal article written by Vegter et al. (2014) addresses the environmental challenge of mitigating pollution, by compiling the global research efforts of 27 marine scientists, and 196 initial research questions (rqs) – which were…