Vaping has exploded in popularity with young people. But the case against e-cigarettes for both smokers and non-smokers is mounting. A man sits on steps while vaping. Credit: Yehor from Getty Images Editor’s note: On 8 May 2024, scientists from the Royal College...
Determined not to disturb wildlife, researchers in Uganda are using a technology that dates back to 1906. A man sets up a camera trap in Uganda. (Credit: Volcanoes Safaris) In 2023, a study made headlines of how wild animals fear human voices more than the roar of...
AI is already transforming our lives. Should we depend on it or fear it? A missile defense system. (Credit: guruXOOXGetty Images) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global news service. It is through articles like this that News Decoder strives...
What’s a more powerful conservation incentive — a government jail or the wrath of a nature spirit? A shady path in a sacred forest in Myanmar. (Credit: Paul Spencer Sochaczewski) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global news service. It is...
What’s a more powerful conservation incentive — a government jail or the wrath of a nature spirit? There are many ways to preserve wildlife. Correspondent Paul Spencer Sochaczewski ventures into Myanmar’s sacred forests to unearth the secret of conservation.
Exercise: Start a discussion on ways governments and communities can protect local flora, fauna and areas of natural interest. Read the article and discuss the suggested questions. Students should then undertake research to identify other examples of local folklore and community spiritual and religious beliefs affecting environmental conservation positively. Hint: Look to countries with a strong history of folklore and explore stories with links to the natural environment.
Ailments affect all kinds of people. But images doctors see in their textbooks and research journals don’t often reflect that. AI just makes it worse. Two medical illustrations by artist Ni-ka Ford. On the left is a depiction of botox injections. On the right is...
Are wealthy countries responsible for mitigating the effects of climate change in developing countries? Students take up the debate — and find common ground. (Credit: Badmanproduction/Getty Images) “Developed countries should make a sincere effort to mitigate the...
Meeting a growing energy demand can go hand-in-hand with the green transition. This is what India could show the world. Workers carry a solar panel for installation at the under-construction Adani Green Energy Limited’s Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat, India,...
India’s position as a growing global economic leader, a leading producer of renewable energy and as a large consumer of energy puts it at the center of the debate on climate-friendly energy transition. Preety Sharma looks at how if India successfully manages the move towards greener energies, it will serve as a model for low and middle-income countries as they develop economically while striving to meet climate goals.
Exercise: Individually, or in groups, students put their research skills to the test. Use the following questions as a guide to finding out more about this topic.
What is energy transition? How does it relate to the UN SDGs? What energies should we transition to and what are the issues surrounding using each of these? What would a ‘model for low and middle-income countries’ look like?
Find examples of countries that have grown and managed energy transition well.
Threats to nature persist despite global efforts to save our planet. But do we have an inalienable right to a habitable planet? People demonstrate outside the European Court of Human Rights, 9 April 2024 in Strasbourg, France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)...
Little grew in the Sahel region of North Africa, until the World Food Program helped people revive a traditional farming practice and resuscitate the land. Resilience land rehabilitation site in Niger during the rainy season. Photo courtesy of the World Food...
Taking down massive dams is one thing. Now can we restore the land to what it was a century ago? The Copco 1 Dam reservoir in Hornbook, California 17 September 2023, before the dam was breached in January 2024 and the water drained. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) This article...
Well, I’ll be dammed! Correspondent Liam Gwynn dives into rivers, dams and the devastating environmental impacts of dams on river ecology.
Exercise: In groups, choose one of these five nature restoration projects. Read the summary of the project, follow the link to further reading and watch the accompanying video. Take notes, discuss and think about the environmental and social issues surrounding these projects. Who is involved in the rewilding projects? Who will benefit from them? What will nature restoration achieve? Next, imagine you are running the project and need funding. Present your project to the class in the form of a 3-minute project proposal pitch. Once every project has been presented, the class votes on which project they would fund.