How to help UK households manage rising energy bills – and decarbonise at the same time: UK households's rising energy costs. Ink Drop/Shutterstock The cost of electricity rose sixfold between January 2021 and November 2022 as the impact of the COVID pandemic combined with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to push up wholesale energy prices. Without …
Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes are rising, putting thousands at risk – we now know why: A May 2022 drone image of the submerged main entrance to Lake Nakuru National Park. Photo by James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The East African Rift Valley sits between the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia and Mozambique. Within it lie …
The ‘kraken’ COVID variant XBB.1.5 is rising quickly in the US – here’s what it could mean for the UK: CI Photos/Shutterstock The heavily mutated omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was first detected in late 2021. Due to the many mutations in the spike protein (a protein on the surface of …
Drug deaths are rising and overdose prevention centres save lives, so why is the UK unwilling to introduce them?: In late 2020, a converted van appeared in central Glasgow. Inside were clean needles, sterilising equipment, mirrors, “sharps bins” for the disposal of syringes, and supplies of the overdose reversal drug naloxone. There were also boxes …
Why maternal deaths in the UK are rising: In high-income countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands, pregnancy is comparatively safe. But maternal deaths still happen and in places like the UK are increasing. Understanding why is important, not only for the family a woman leaves behind but for the services who provided her care …
Africa’s largest democracy goes to the polls amid rising insecurity: A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Nigeria. Photo by Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images Africa’s biggest election will be held in February 2023 in Nigeria. It’s the seventh successive general election in the country’s 23 years of unbroken democratic government. …
Rising unemployment: economists sometimes say it’s good for the economy, but are they right?: 'What'll I tell my wife and kids?' guitarfoto Signs of a global economic downturn are growing by the day. Inflation is still going up, debt is up and interest rates are up, which means that projections for growth are down. Put …
Rising interest rates: why the Bank of England has increased rates again and what to expect next: The Bank of England has increased UK interest rates by 0.75%, the biggest increase in 30 years. A year ago the interest rate was 0.1%, today it is 3%. While the speed of the increase is certainly surprising …
COVID cases are rising in England – here’s how things might play out as we move towards winter: COVID infections in England had been falling since July. But the proportion of people testing positive started to rise again in the first few days of September. At its July peak the Office for National Statistics (ONS) …
Cancer in the under 50s is rising, globally – why?: We know what we need to do to reduce our risk of getting cancer, right? Wear SPF, stop smoking, avoid processed foods, keep fit, lose weight and get enough sleep. But what if much of what causes cancer has already happened in our early years, …
Plagues of wasps? A scientist explains why you shouldn’t panic about rumours of rising populations: Thomas Hochreutener/Shutterstock Late summer is all about BBQs, ice creams and parents counting down the days until schools open. Then along comes a wasp. There’s some screaming and flapping (mostly by the parents). Usually, no one gets stung and the …
China: how does the UK’s power to push back against the rising superpower really compare to that of the EU?: Vladm/Shutterstock The EU has been at the forefront of political efforts to work with and check the threats represented by China to the west since 1975. In 2019, the EU labelled China “a systemic rival” …
Inflation is rising in Kenya: here’s why, and how to fix it: Productivity is key in reducing inflation — it rides on innovation and efficiency, which should be encouraged. Photo by TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images Inflation has hit many countries recently, from the United States to Sri Lanka. In Kenya, too, the rising prices …
The public cost of private schools: rising fees and luxury facilities raise questions about charitable status: Eton College, founded in 1440, is the largest boarding school in England. Shutterstock Some UK private schools appear to be taking advantage of their charitable status and the lax legal definition of “public benefit” by charging fees that are …
Rising prices: why the global drive to keep food cheap is unsustainable: Shutterstock/marilyn barbone As prices rise, everywhere, for pretty much everything, the prospect of the human suffering this will cause is deeply worrying. There are predictions that the number of people in the world experiencing acute hunger – currently 276 million – could soon …
Rising food prices hit poor people the hardest: a close look at inflation in South Africa: Food prices in South Africa are rising. Photo by Chen Cheng/Xinhua via Getty Images Concerns about rising food prices are making the headlines across the world as pressures mount in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war …
Ukraine war: rising food prices are not the only global economic fallout: As the war in Ukraine heads into its fourth month, its economic consequences are becoming more apparent and begin to move up on the global political agendas. And in the same way in which Russia’s aggression has had political ramifications far beyond Ukraine, …
Rising sea levels are driving faster erosion along Senegal’s coast: Destroyed buildings along an eroded coastline in Bargny, Senegal. Photo by John Wessels / AFP via Getty Images Coastal retreat in West Africa is a pressing problem. The contact between land and sea on coasts produces intense erosion and sedimentation processes. When erosion is more …