Climate | Westminster World

Dec132022 by Jinisha Bhanushali and Karen FarhatNo Comments

‘Warm banks’ helping people survive this Winter

Breaking News, Charity, Christmas, Climate, Explainers, Explainers, Harrow, London, News, Rising cost of living disrupts students’ academic life

Charities, councils and community groups across the UK are opening warm banks helping people who can’t afford turning on their heating. The temperatures in London are falling but the energy costs are rising for households. The UK raised its energy price cap by 80% on October 1st which means the average UK energy bill will be reaching 3,549 pounds a year. Reports suggest that some people may resist using their heating despite the severe weather expected in coming days. These warm banks aim to offer a safe, warm and friendly space during these tough times. People can come along, eat, drink and spend a good time. https://youtu.be/m7BXIf55B68 People visiting warm banks in Harrow Rachel Wright, Trustee at Harrow Giving, explains how they became involved in setting up warm banks in

Dec122022 by Nneoma Ekwegh No Comments

Cold snap causes disruption across the UK

Climate, Environment, Explainers, London, Transport

A drop in the temperature on Sunday night has brought a Monday morning of fog, ice and snow which has caused major travel disruptions for commuters. Sunday 11th December, Photo Credit: Nneoma Ekwegh The Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert has said on the official Met Office website that cold weather conditions will remain during this week. He said: “In many places daytime temperatures will struggle to get above freezing, while overnight temperatures have the potential to drop below -10 C in rural parts of Scotland.” “While the freezing conditions remain drivers especially are reminded that freezing fog, snow and other wintry hazards will continue to create difficult conditions in places this week.” Transport for London informed commuters on their website that t

Dec122022 by Elfredah Kevin-AlerechiNo Comments

‘It became super heavy and now, this is insane’–Seeing snow for the first time

Climate, Explainers, Worldnews

We woke up to see our balcony covered in ice and our streets covered in ice, and the only way is to drop my kids' scooter because walk to school. Adi Misra/ Photo Credit: Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi The United Kingdom is currently experiencing heavy snow with the England temperature of -1 degree Celsius. In typical winters, snow is rarely observed in England; but, this winter, the Met certifies that this night was the coldest of the year. While some UK residents don't find snow weird, others who have never experienced snow told Westminsterworld that the snow is ridiculous and has made the already chilly weather even colder. Adi Misra, who had never experienced snow, told WestminsterWorld that the nighttime fog and snow made his room much chilly and made it difficult to ...

Dec122022 by Editor2No Comments

London car owners brace for harsh winters

Climate, London

Westminster World looks at how Londoners are dealing with keeping their cars warm and running this winter Image Credits: Titus D'souza The city of London and its neighbouring areas experienced the first fall of snow on the 11th of December 2022. The snowfall, an indication of what could potentially be a harsh winter, seemed to have caught many Londoners unaware. Car owners in the city seemed to have been affected by the spell of snow. Many woke up to find their vehicles covered in snow, with owners spending extra time getting their cars warm and ready for their commute. With many more spells of snowfall predicted in the coming weeks, Westminster World met with car owners in London to learn what they were doing to prepare themselves and their vehicles for the rough condit...

Dec122022 by Evgeniia KuprinaNo Comments

‘Ice, ice, baby’: Low temperatures in London exacerbate cost-of-living crisis

Breaking News, Climate, Explainers, News

The cost-of-living crisis has affected the majority of British people, meaning they were forced to adjust and reduce their basic needs, such as heating. And the recent low temperatures have only made matters worse. Image credit: Will Kennard (unsplash) Massive cold weather stroke hit London on Sunday night, covering a whole city with a layer of snow, reaching temperature below zero degrees celcius. The forecast shows that the next week is predicted to be even colder, being zero during the day and minus three at night. That is the first time in two years London has seen snow. It caused disruptions within train services, as well as severe traffic on roads. What does this freezing wave mean for Londoners and what are opinions of one particular vulnerable group: student...

Dec52022 by Delia RowlandNo Comments

Earthshot winner: How Notpla is saving the planet one takeaway box at a time

Climate, Explainers, Royal Family

Image source: Wikipedia The London-based-start-up that uses seaweed as an alternative to plastic was one of the recipients of Prince William’s Earthshot award and £1 million. Founded in 2019 by Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier, Notpla is an innovative solution to help tackle the climate crisis through seaweed-based biodegradable packaging alternatives. The two co-founders, who began working together during a master’s program at Imperial College, were one of five winners of the Earthshot award in the category of Build a Waste-free World. The goal of the Earthshot award, which was established in 2021 by Prince William, is "to find and grow the solutions that will repair our planet this decade.” Working in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Foundation

Nov72022 by Karen FarhatNo Comments

COP27: “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator”

Breaking News, Climate, Explainers

Are world leaders ready to take action at COP27? Image Credit: Marcus Spiske for unsplashed World leaders plan to take action against climate change as they gather in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for COP27. So far only 25 out of 200 countries invited to attend the summit have submitted their plans to address climate change. Antonio Guterres, United Nations chief, has urged the attendees to cooperate with global efforts saying: “It is either a climate solidarity pact or a collective suicide pact.” After a major u-turn Rishi Sunak is in attendance of the 27th annual climate summit, and is expected urge world leaders to move “further and faster” in the battle against climate change. COP27 outlines three main areas of focus for this year's conference: reducing emissions, helping c

Nov72022 by Nicholas DunningNo Comments

Just Stop Oil protesters block M25, one wails: “I don’t have a future”

Breaking News, Climate, Explainers, Politics, Transport

Congestion chaos as activists scale motorway gantries Image credit: Surrey Police Significant sections of the M25 were closed Monday morning after Just Stop Oil protesters climbed gantries along England’s busiest motorway. Just two days after a High Court Order was issued to prevent protests on the M25, activists took to the artery, leaving motorists at a standstill on stretches across London, Surrey and Kent. https://youtu.be/nxlx4aYJgqs Video Credit: Nicholas Dunning Louise, 24, a tearful protester, cried: “I’m here because I don’t have a future.” Cognisant of the divisiveness of the protests, she reasoned: “You’re entitled to hate me but I wish you would direct all that anger and hatred at our government.” Just Stop Oil demanded that the government not issue any new

Sunak ponders COP27, Londoners insist: ‘Climate change is the most important thing’

Breaking News, Climate

Mixed reactions have continued to trail Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he hasn’t confirmed his attendance to this year's world climate change conference in Egypt, COP27. Source: Wikipedia Sunak had earlier expressed doubts about attending this year's COP27. He attributed his possible absence 'to other pressing domestic commitments'. While some Londoners believe that Sunak should be at the conference, others feel it should not be the priority, rather the action taken by the government. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhYeRslFt8 Maria, 23, told Westminster World that Sunak has a lot of work to do but the companies should also take action. She said: "All these summits and conferences are important as long as there is an action taken from them”. John, an author who lives i

Feb142022 by Sarlota, subedited by SakshiNo Comments

How is clothes waste changing Chile’s desert into a fast fashion graveyard

Breaking News, Climate, clothes, economy, Environment, Explainers, Explainers

Fast fashion, producing more products at a lower price, has grown up a lot lately. It is generally known that it's a problem for our planet, however, why exactly? This explainer reveals the life cycle of fast fashion clothes and focuses on why Chile’s nature has to “pay” for its waste. Picture by: Pixabay Life cycle of fast fashion clothes Created by: Sarlota Touzimska Why Chile? Chile has for long been a centre for wasted clothes manufactured mostly in China. It is the biggest second-hand clothes importer in South America. “Unfortunately, we have transformed our city into the world’s garbage dump”, stated Mayor of Alto Hospico, Patricio Ferreira.The original idea was to help the economy , but things went wrong. As only a small part of the clothes is sold, the rest travels