Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
By now, anyone on social media has most likely seen a slurry of posts denouncing ‘fast fashion’ for its detrimental effects on the environment. ‘Fast fashion’ is cheap, mass-produced clothing that typically imitates the high-fashion trends of the season. Online stores like ASOS and SHEIN, as well as physical stores such as Primark, Zara, and […]
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Image description: plastic waste floating in the ocean by a small fish The earliest investigations of microplastics focused on microbeads found in personal-care products and pellets of virgin plastic that can escape before they are moulded into objects, as well as on fragments that slowly erode from discarded bottles and other large debris. These are […]
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Image description: An offshore wind farm The announcement of the government’s uncharacteristic success in raising £10 billion to fund green projects in the UK in the form of “green gilts” is one that is welcomed. Many schemes that benefit the environment on both a small and large scale simply require the necessary funding: a gap […]
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Image description: a sign at a climate change protest On 2nd August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a landmark report on the planet’s current environmental state, and as ever, it was not good news. In the first report of its kind since 1990, 234 scientists collaborated to reach the same damning […]
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Image description: A pond in a moor Peatlands are remarkably valuable ecosystems when treated well and extremely damaging when not. Young activists and local communities, including in Oxford, are fighting to restore and protect what has been perilously overlooked, while the government slowly catches up. Peatlands are a type of wetland ecosystem found all over […]
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Image Description: A plant growing out of coins in a glass pot. Increasing pressure is dictating that individuals, businesses and companies all must take accountability for their contribution to environmental damage, especially when in the public light. Most recently, it is investors who have been thrust into the spotlight and have responded with a number of […]
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Image Description: A black and white picture of the roof of the Radcliffe Camera. Student campaigners including the Oxford SU, Oxford Climate Society, Oxford Climate Justice Campaign and Oxford Nature Conservation Society have joined forces to welcome the University of Oxford’s new ambitious Environmental Sustainability Strategy. The strategy became University policy after being approved in […]
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Walking, without a doubt, has become my salvation. I’ll admit, I’ve always been a particular fan. I’m one of those freaks who not only willingly chose to do Gold DofE (a British award scheme that culminates in an excruciating, often very wet, 4-day hike up and down the best ‘wild country’ the UK has to […]
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Image Description: A picture of the Park Building at Somerville College Somerville College has committed to fully divest their endowment fund from fossil fuels by July 2021. Their endowment is worth just under £100 million and will be re-invested in new green projects. On their website, Somerville College stated: “We aim to fully divest from […]
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Tree Protection campaigners have faced forceful evictions from Euston Square Gardens camp and extensive underground tunnels – but remain steadfast. It has been a tumultuous and challenging past few weeks for campaigners, self-titled ‘Tree Protectors’, who are camped at Euston Square Gardens to protest against the construction of the HS2 rail network. The rapidly-evolving situation […]
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When measuring the success of national economies, the metrics used to do so take into account a wide range of factors: physical and human capital, economic growth, overseas investment, just to name a few. However, up until recently, the role of nature has been underplayed and barely gets a mention in basic economic theory. A […]
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Image Description: a misty Port Meadow, with a silhouette of a man in the foreground. Oxford City Council has outlined how it aims to achieve its goal of becoming a zero carbon council by 2030. Although it is only responsible for 1% of Oxford’s carbon emissions, in April 2019 the City Council set out a […]
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I’m a city girl through and through. I was born and raised in Greater London and spent most of my free time hanging out with friends in my local town; going to the cinema and stuffing our faces at Pizza Hut were the usual weekend activities. Rarely did I venture out into the countryside, namely […]
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Image Description: A close-up photo of the branch of a tree. Two Tiny Forests will be planted at Meadow Lane Nature Reserve and Foxwell Drive in the last week of January to help preserve and promote biodiversity in the heart of the city. Oxford City Council has worked with Earthwatch Europe, an Oxford-based environment charity […]
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From mythology to modern scientific expeditions, the ocean has always been a source of both mystery and knowledge. Research has begun looking to the ocean more often to answer our toughest questions, from utilizing marine animals in medicinal breakthroughs to the newest point of focus: floating cities. Otherwise known as ‘Seasteading’, the concept of sustainable […]
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On 3rd May, we will head to the polls to vote in local elections across the country. This is the first England-wide test of electoral opinion since last year’s General Election. Over 150 different local councils have seats up for grabs in a mixture of metropolitan, unitary and district councils. Local elections provide a chance […]
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Over the vacation, I took advantage of my free evenings and BBC license to catch up on David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II. Stories of the sea’s rich wildlife were intertwined with stark ecological warnings, and one night, as I watched a baby puffling’s parents clack beaks and kiss, I felt a sudden well of rage […]
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Oxford City Council’s latest threats to fine rough sleepers in the city centre have been sharply criticised by the city’s Green councillors. Community Protection Notices were served last Wednesday to people in the city centre with “no fixed abode” requiring the removal of “obstruction on any pavement […] that may constitute a hazard”. The notices […]
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Sitting in the busy Oxford Union bar on a Wednesday night, the most successful female presidential candidate in U.S. history looks ever so slightly out of place. It’s not like the Union is any stranger to the great and the good of history; the numerous framed photos on the walls confirm that. Yet as we […]
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