From Pollution to Solution: A global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution

This assessment describes the far-reaching impacts of plastics in our oceans and across the planet. Plastics are a marker of the current geological era, the Anthropocene (Zalasiewicz et al. 2016). They have given their name to a new microbial habitat known as the plastisphere (Amaral-Zettler et al. 2020; see Glossary). Increased awareness of the negative impacts of microplastics on marine ecosystems and human health has led them to be referred to as a type of "Ocean PM2.5" akin to air pollution (i.e. particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres [?m] in diameter) (Shu 2018). With cumulative global production of primary plastic between 1950 and 2017 estimated at 9,200 million metric tons and forecast to reach 34 billion metric tons by 2050 (Geyer 2020) (Figure i), the most urgent issues now to be addressed are how to reduce the volume of uncontrolled or mismanaged waste streams going into the oceans (Andrades et al. 2018) and how to increase the level of recycling. Of the 7 billion tons of plastic waste generated globally so far, less than 10 per cent has been recycled (Geyer 2020)

The Boys Town Hall of History: A Case Study in Public History and Exhibition Methods

Present-day historians are extremely fortunate. Increased public interest in history has afforded historians the opportunity to expand their professional influence and convey their scholarship through new forms of communication. In order to satisfy a public hunger for history, historians must learn to use information methods rooted in popular appeal and leisure-time activities. Among the current options, the display of linear history and material culture through exhibitions is one of the most overlooked and understudied areas in public history

Measuring Water Use in a Green Economy

The principle of decoupling provides an alternative to the type economic growth that is coupled with unsustainable depletion of natural resources. But finding solutions that will be effective at achieving economic growth without environmental degradation requires good data; thus, it is necessary to develop frameworks for quantifying water use and assessing the distributional needs of societies. This report brings that challenge to the forefront, critically examining many of the methodologies available for quantifying water use and environmental impact. It concludes that is in fact possible, given existing tools and methods, to include water in all major economic and social considerations. These assessments will rely on open data, transparency, and equitable dialog among stakeholders

Kenyan General Elections 2022: A game of pledges, promises and service to self-interest

The relatively new democratic system in Kenya is complex and often negotiable, further complicated by the shifting landscape and impact of social media. This working paper explores the history of democracy in Kenya and presents the instrumentalisation of ethnic identities by key political figures using Social Cleavage Theory. A web-based analysis of social and news media, and qualitative data collected from focus group discussions with key community leaders are presented to interrogate the drivers of the 2022 election outcome. From the findings we offer recommendations on how the electoral system in Kenya can be further safeguarded to ensure that democracy in Kenya works for the prosperity of the citizens, not just of the politicians

Location location location: A carbon footprint calculator for transparent travel to COP27

Addressing the large carbon footprint of conferences such as the UN Climate Change Convention Conference of the Parties (COP) will be important for maintaining public confidence in climate policy. Transparency is also a vital aspect of creating equitable outcomes in climate policies, as often those most likely to be affected or who are able to create change on the ground are often unable to attend in person because of the high financial costs as well as having a large carbon footprint. The selection of host locations for the regular meetings of the UN Climate Change Convention is based on a rotation in amongst the five UN regions, which for 2022 is Africa. Here, we present UCL’s own carbon footprint calculator and use it to weigh the benefits of certain modes of transport to the 2021 COP 26 in Glasgow, UK and the 2022 COP 27 to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The calculator demonstrates the well-known carbon-efficiency of coach and rail over flights, but shows that these benefits are only partly mitigated in the case of COP 27 due to insufficient transport links from Europe to the conference location. However, we also highlight some of the benefits of hosting a COP in the global South, particularly in the context of climate justice. Incorporating these principles into the calculator, we invite visitors to COP this year to carefully consider their options for carbon offsetting and how the tenets of climate justice could be integrated into the carbon accounting framework

Africa and climate justice at COP27 and beyond: impacts and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens

Climate justice is not just a financial transaction to protect the environment. It needs to be seen as the protection of the most vulnerable in society after centuries of resource exploitation. African countries disproportionately face impacts of climate change on their environments, their economies, their resources and their infrastructure. This leads to greater vulnerability and increased exposure to the negative effects of a changing climate. In this article, we highlight the importance of climate justice and its role within the United Nations negotiations, and ultimately in concrete action. We discuss current climate impacts across key sectors in the African region, with a focus on health, infrastructure, food and water scarcity, energy and finance. All sectors are affected by climate change. They are interconnected and under threat. This triggers a ripple effect, where threats in one sector have a knock-on effect on other sectors. We find that the current set of intergovernmental institutions have failed to adequately address climate justice. We also contend that a siloed approach to climate action has proven to be ineffective. As we head towards the next set of negotiations (COP27), this paper argues that the economic and social conditions in Africa can be addressed through financial and collaborative support for adaptation and localised solutions, but that this will only be achieved if climate justice is prioritised by the decision makers. This needs to include a global-scale transition in how climate finance is assessed and accessed. Climate justice underpins real, effective and sustainable solutions for climate action in Africa

Africa and Climate Justice at COP27 and beyond: impacts and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens

Climate justice needs to be at the heart of the COP27 negotiations in Sharm El Sheikh. Climate justice is not just a financial transaction to protect the environment. It needs to be seen as the protection of the most vulnerable in society after centuries of resource exploitation. African countries disproportionately face impacts of climate change on their environments, their economies, their resources, and their infrastructure. This leads to greater vulnerability and increased exposure to the negative effects of a changing climate. In this article, we highlight the importance of climate justice and its role within the UN negotiations, and ultimately in concrete action. We discuss current climate impacts across key sectors in the African region, with a focus on health, infrastructure, food and water scarcity, energy, and finance. All sectors are affected by climate change. They are interconnected and under threat. This triggers a ripple effect, where threats in one sector have a knock-on effect on other sectors. We find that the current set of intergovernmental institutions have failed to adequately address climate justice. We also contend that a siloed approach to climate action has proven to be ineffective. As we head towards the next set of negotiations (COP27), this paper argues that the economic and social conditions in Africa can be addressed through financial and collaborative support for adaptation and localised solutions, but that this will only be achieved if climate justice is prioritised by the decision makers. This needs to include a global-scale transition in how climate finance is assessed and accessed. Climate justice underpins real effective and sustainable solutions for climate action in Africa

Ensuring societal considerations are met when translating science into policy for sustainable food system transformation

Background: A food system transformation is needed to address food and nutrition security, minimise impacts on planetary health, reduce climate change emissions, and contribute to equity, diversity, and the Sustainable Development Goals

From Pollution To Solution: a global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution

Outcome from working on the United Nations Environment Programme Advisory Group with the aim to address the UN Environment Assembly’s adopted resolution (UN/EA.4/RES.6) on Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics by recommending indicators to harmonise monitoring and assessment and informing on policies and action environmentally sound technology innovations