Today’s livestock industry is resource-intensive and detrimental to the environment; it causes considerable damage to ecosystems, biodiversity and ecological resilience [1,2]. In 1990, global meat production amounted to 229 million tonnes. This number is expected to rise to 465 million tonnes by 2050 [3]. In developed countries, animal products are...
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a popular children’s book written by Eric Carle. The book depicts a caterpillar who eats more and more each day until on the last day it turns into a butterfly. The human species consumes more and more resources each year, causing more and more damage...
Despite special offers at your local supermarket chain, eating well is still a luxury for an increasing number of households in the United Kingdom. Trussell Trust, one of the biggest food banks in the U.K. provided more than 1.3 million of three-day emergency food supplies to people in hunger during...
In 2017, we lost one football pitch of forest every second [1]. From the dawn of the industrial revolution up until now, the global forest cover has decreased from 5.9 billion hectares to nearly 4 billion hectares [2]. During this same period, the global economy has grown excessively. These are...
Look around. From your chair, to your pen, to that fancy walking jacket you like to wear – plastics are everywhere. But with many of these products being single-use, so too is plastic waste. It is found in the air we breathe (1), buried under the land we live on...
As Philip Hammond rolled out this year’s budget, it comes with further deliverance of injustice. With eight years of public spending cuts, 85% of the burden of austerity has fallen upon women in the UK [1]. So how come women bear the brunt of these measures? The answer is, inequality...
Home to over 10 million people, Jakarta is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. The 13 rivers that flow through Jakarta mean that the land is generally swampy [1] and together with Jakarta’s low-lying nature, (average elevation of 8m above sea level) flooding is...
Vehicle emissions are certainly in the forefront of the UK public’s mind, no better demonstrated by Volkswagen dieselgate. The Hoaxwagen [1] scandal consisted of manipulating technology so that vehicle emissions were remarkably low during laboratory tests. Fast forward to the cars actually being used on roads, and emissions catapulted to...
Māori are expected to live shorter lives than non-Māori New Zealanders. For women, this difference is five years, but for men the average difference is seven years [1]. The average quality of health of Māori is also less than that of non-Māori, with far higher incidence of obesity, diabetes and...
While the World looks away, Yemen stands on the brink of a famine that the UN have warned may be the worst in 100 years [1]. Now in its 3rd year of a civil war, multiple groups vie for control of its territories. Primarily, Houthi rebels are embroiled in a...
Introduction – why system dynamics System dynamics modelling has grown alongside the development of modern computing, starting with Forrester’s World Dynamics (1971). The purpose of system dynamics modelling is to form an explicit picture of a system that allows a researcher to understand relationships between the elements in that system,...
Overfishing is one of the greatest threats our oceans face. By catching more than the seas can sustain, humanity trespasses the limits of the environment and compromises the well-being of future generations. According to FAO, overexploitation of fish stocks has reached levels of 31% supported by unprecedented increases in production...
If trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the World’s oceans than fish [1]. This is an especially shocking prediction seeing as though only 30 years ago, thanks to the publication of the Brundtland report, we set sustainable development as a goal of mankind [2]. The United...
“The explanation for hunger is more complex than “too many people” combined with “low farm productivity”” (Peoples and Bailey [1]) Food insecurity is defined as being a situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development [2]. Historically...
I’ll never forget my snorkelling trip to idyllic Indonesia. Imagine white sandy beaches and a stunning maze of vibrant coral. Now litter the sand with chocolate wrappers and replace the sea bed with a colourful picture of carpeted plastic. This is the reality – our oceans are a giant dustbin....
Tropical forests cover just 7% of total land but within them contain 50% of all plant, insect and animal species, making them one of the richest ecosystems on Earth [1]. But they are disappearing fast. Storing roughly 25% of terrestrial carbon, tropical forests contribute significantly to climate change mitigation [2],...
A modern cure to the epidemic of unemployment The financial crisis of 2008 has had devastating impacts on the world’s economies[1]. While economic recovery has lately been witnessed in several countries, the young generation still bears the consequences of the economic recession[2]. Several European countries have been hit hardest with...
Surveys taken in the US show that from 1958 to 2014 trust in government fell from 73% to 24%. From 1972 to 2014 trust in each other fell from 46% to 31%. These statistics are indicative of a wider international problem. Since the 1980’s we have seen the liberation of...
Recently, New Delhi became the latest city to be placed in the global media spotlight for its air quality issues. With concentrations of the most harmful ‘PM2.5’ particles at over 15 times the safe level, the Indian capital became the temporary face of a problem affecting 98% of cities in...
Air pollution is often seen as a product of modern living, of industrialisation and urbanisation and is essentially taken for granted. A primary source of urban air pollution in the 21st Century is the transport sector. It’s apparent now more than ever that there are too many cars on the...