Jessica McLean, Macquarie University Digital technologies are often put forward as a solution to environmental dilemmas. The spread of the internet came with claims of a huge reduction in printing, and by replacing paper with bytes, we thought we’d reduce our negative environmental impact But this early promise of solving environmental problems may not be
Nitya Rao, University of East Anglia People who directly depend on the natural world for their livelihoods, like farmers and fishers, will be among the greatest victims of the climate crisis. In vulnerable hotspots, such as the arid lands of Kenya and Ethiopia, farming communities are already struggling with droughts and water scarcity that kill
Research shows the environment usually comes off second best when companies are forced to compromise between sustainability and profit. Mohammad Rhaman/Flickr Christopher Wright, University of Sydney and Daniel Nyberg, University of Newcastle A commitment to sustainability has become a typical component of any modern-day corporation’s public face. Visit the homepages of major organisations in any
Millions of youth have participated in climate strikes, negotiations, press conferences and events, demanding urgent climate action this year. (Shutterstock) Joe Curnow, University of Manitoba and Anjali Helferty, University of Toronto Greta Thunberg made history again this month when she was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. The 16-year-old has become the face of
Lentil As Anything, a social enterprise in Melbourne. Shutterstock Erin I. Castellas, Swinburne University of Technology and Jo Barraket, Swinburne University of Technology Social enterprises employ twice the rates of Australians with disability and female managers as mainstream small businesses. Our study of Victorian social enterprises also found 12% of jobs are held by previously
shutterstock. Maria Berghs, De Montfort University and Simon Dyson, De Montfort University In the United Kingdom, over 11 million people are living with a life-limiting condition, impairment or chronic illness. All of them are more likely than others to live in poverty, and face difficulties accessing education, employment and services. In particular, disabled people
Maria Tanyag, Australian National University and Jacqui True, Monash University The COP25 climate meeting in Madrid concluded over the weekend. As in past meetings, the talks failed to make much progress on international climate action. And again, the views and needs of women were largely ignored. Among the aims of the COP, or conference of
A key reason for deciding to retire has to do with getting tired at and through work, how that tiredness affects partners and families. www.shutterstock.com Andreas Cebulla, University of Adelaide In the past decade a 30-year trend to earlier retirement has been reversed. In OECD countries the average age at which people retire has risen
Too many informal carers have to choose between giving their older mum or dad the care they need and dropping out of the workforce. Shutterstock Melanie Zeppel, Macquarie University; Lukas Hofstätter, Macquarie University; Petra Graham, Macquarie University, and Sze Ming Loh, University of Sydney Carers’ advocates are urging a rethink of the way we support
