300 kilometre-plus west-east pipeline is crucial for Abu Dhabi as it aims to minimise security threats to emirate’s oil infrastructure. A leading international contracting giant has emerged as the potential front runner for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (Adnoc’s) much-delayed $3 billion project involving the strategic west-east oil pipeline from the Jabel Dhanna port in...
From his office perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Steven Paton looks over the entrance to the Panama Canal; the high rises of the country’s capital resting upon the horizon behind him, and an increasingly long queue of tankers lining up in the bay. For 33 years his job with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute monitoring the...
Those living in Gaza are experiencing acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, lice and scabies. 15 years ago, a 23-day war in Gaza left 17% of farmland “ruined with little to no feasibility of rejuvenation,” according to a UNDP fact-finding report. Now, 70 days into the current war, experts warn that irreversible damage is being done to...
Small choices can make a big impact this holiday season, starting with your Christmas tree! As Douglas firs and white pines appeared in lots around Salt Lake City, Natalie Vickers, a junior pre-occupational therapy major and video intern at the School of Biological Sciences, got curious—how does the tree-trimming tradition fit into a changing climate?...
A bizarre new type of rock containing plastic has been found across the globe, formed mainly from plastic we have created and discarded. This deposit is a combination of rock and plastic polymers from human waste that have been compressed together. Plastic rocks have been found both on the coast and inland in 11 countries...
The World Trade Organisation launched its Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action during the COP28 conference. International economic law expert Olabisi D. Akinkugbe discusses whether the new Trade Policy Tools benefit Africa. What are the WTO’s new Trade Policy Tools? The new tools offer opportunities for countries to mitigate the climate change effect of their trade practices....
A recent opinion poll rocked the world of the Big Oil lobbyists in their proverbial thousand-dollar suits and alligator shoes. The Pew Research Center found that 37% of Americans now feel that fighting the climate crisis should be the number one priority of President Joe Biden and Congress, and another 34% put it among their highest priorities,...
The desert dust of Dubai is slowly settling as we reflect on the outcomes of COP28 in the United Arab Emirates. What does the “Dubai Consensus” actually mean for Pacific Small Island Developing States and the communities that they represent? The fact that the so-called consensus was gavelled before AOSIS, the Alliance of Small Island...
COP28 was a success—but only if we’re grading on a very lenient curve. The United Nations’ climate summit known as COP28 concluded last Wednesday in Dubai, and the results represented a landmark—only observers can’t seem to decide if it was good or bad. President of COP28, Emirati official, and UAE state oil concern chief Sultan Al-Jaber was...
‘Climate anxiety’ has gained increasing traction in the media, but the relationship between climate change and mental health is a relatively new study, especially in higher education. According to a new report from Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, the impact of the climate crisis on students’ mental health and wellbeing is significant. The...