Science

Feb102022 by Ollie Cox, Hamish Hallett (sub-editor)No Comments

How will the government level up life expectancy?

Breaking News, Data Journalism, Explainer, Explainers, Health, Obesity, Science

We have now received the highly anticipated Levelling Up white paper, which will set out how the government will level up those parts of the country left behind. What does this mean, and how will it tackle the issue of geographic differences in life expectancy across the UK? The phrase used by politicians to refer to the process of fixing this issue is ‘levelling up.’ Behind the rhetoric are very real issues severely impacting people’s lives. Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, visits Grimsby. Credit: Simon Dawson (CC) What does levelling up mean? The House of Commons Library defines a left-behind area as somewhere with "low pay and employment" that leads to "low standards of living." As a result of these factors, the health of a region may also be impac

Dec132021 by Bronwen Latham, Lucy Tudor, Ting Lei, Joanne Clark and Zuri SotoNo Comments

Air pollution hitting deprived and POC communities hardest

Climate, Environment, Extinction Rebellion, extinction rebellion, Health, London, London Mayor, Politics, protest, Science, Transport, UK news, urban

Air pollution burdens low income and communities of colour resulting in major health risks. Source: Unsplash The British Heart Foundation found that 15 million Brits are exposed to toxic air. The majority of which are people of colour and those within deprived communities; a report conducted by Natural England in 2019 revealed Britons who are POC were exposed to particulate matter pollution rates at 19-29% higher than White Britons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2OIcQ-7y8 Environmental racism is a form of systematic racism where communities of colour are disproportionately burdened with health hazards through policies and practices that force them to reside near or around polluted areas. Environmental Justice is not simply highlighting the discrepancies b...

Dec132021 by Ollie Cox, Demi Tsatsaronis, Axelle Rescourio, Ekjot OberoiNo Comments

‘Trickling away to nothingness is not inspiring for me’: Should the UK legalise assisted dying?

Adults, Breaking News, Explainers, Health, News, NHS, Opinion, Politics, Science, UK news, Worldnews

Assisted dying is currently illegal in the UK. It is being debated in Parliament and about to the enter the committee stage. The right to end your own life has always caused controversy, and this bill could see the UK follow other countries by legalising euthanasia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFOBkAlpAYo Credit: Politics.co.uk, Youtube The bill would enable terminally ill adults to end their own life with those providing assistance avoiding prosecution. This legislation could be seen as a solution to the issues surrounding palliative care, something that many feel is lacking. However, when people are in so much pain, should they have autonomy over their own lives and when to die? Polls taken on the issue of assisted dying consistently demonstrate that the majority of the pu...

Dec122019 by Juliane SonntagNo Comments

Heaviest storm in Icelandic history

Breaking News, Climate, Environment, Natural Disaster, News, Science, Travel, Worldnews

A bombogenisis (fast evolving) cyclone hit Iceland last night, causing damage throughout the country and cutting off the island. Up to 118 mph was the predicted wind speed by forecasts along with heavy snowfall. The air pressure dropped from 1005 hPa to 980 in only 19 hours before the storm hit the country. The weather alert was set to yellow, orange and even red. It was the first time in Icelandic history that a weather warning of the highest level was released since the new weather alert system had been introduced several years ago. The red alert affected the region of the Westfjords, a very exposed area in the northwest of Iceland, where the storm was suspected to be the worst. People in the whole country were advised to stay home. Forecasters especially recommended to avoi...

Apr172019 by Editor2No Comments

Panic attack: a practical guide for getting through and understand it

Experience, Explainers, Health, Medical, NHS, Science

A recent psychiatric investigation made by Giovanni Mansueto and Fiammetta Consci revealed interesting information about panic disorder. But what is it? Is the same as a panic attack? Carol, 25 from London, told Westminster World about her experiences, but she preferred to not show her face. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfV5FZ0HmIE&t=2s

Dec102018 by Alicia Phanwar, Fareeda Abdulghani, Luke Hannaford, Sarah Dixon, Surbhi LalNo Comments

Climate Change: Are the UK’s youth ready?

Breaking News, Climate, Environment, London, protest, ReportingWeek2, Science

‘We are the last generation that can stop climate change’ - UN Summit, 2018 According to Kristalina Georgieva, the CEO of the World Bank, the younger generation must step up and combat climate change. While world leaders meet at the UN summit in Poland, young activists in the UK are working hard and taking significant steps in dealing with the issue. What is the problem? The UN Summit on climate change began Monday, December 3 and will continue until December 14 in Katowice, Poland. The summit, made up of 200 nations, seeks to find viable solutions for cutting emissions and combating climate change. In the UK, the Committee of Climate Change published its 2017 assessment report, stating the gravity of the situation. The report said: “Climate change is not only a challenge o

Dec102018 by Barkha GoenkaNo Comments

Ice Watch London: Confronting climate change with melting icebergs

Art, Climate, Culture, Environment, London, News, ReportingWeek1, ReportingWeek2, Science, Travel, trends

London to get colder as huge blocks of glacial ice arrives along the bank side as a part of an art installation to display the effects of climate change. Olafur Eliasson confronts Londoner's with the reality of climate change > https://t.co/o6Uh1uTjDz pic.twitter.com/VdYsGNK2Ui — It's Nice That (@itsnicethat) 9 December 2018 Olafur Eliasson, Icelandic-Danish artist known for his sculptures and large-scale art installations along with leading geologist Minik Rosing, is bringing 24 giant blocks of ice as a part of an ice-watch installation at Tate Modern, London. The installation, which follows its iterations in Copenhagen and Paris, will serve as a primary reminder of the impact of climate change on the world at large. Glacial ice astray - why are these blocks of ice appeari

Dec32018 by Matilde AlmeidaNo Comments

David Attenbourough believes that we are facing a “man-made disaster” of global scale

Breaking News, Climate, Explainers, International, News, Politics, ReportingWeek1, Science, Social media

The naturalist, Sir David Attenbourough, is the latest celebrity to call for immediate action on climate change. Sir David Attenborough | by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Attenborough spoke at the opening ceremony of United Nations-sponsored climate talks opened in the Polish city of Katowice on December 3, and claims that climate change is humanity's greatest threat in thousands of years. He is acting as a link between the public and policy-makers at the meeting. Sir David believes that we are facing a “man-made disaster” of global scale. He said: “Leaders of the world, you must lead. The continuation of civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend is in your hands.” "If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural wo

Dec32018 by Barkha GoenkaNo Comments

UN Climate Change Conference: What do young Londoners think about it?

Climate, Environment, International, London, News, Poland, Politics, ReportingWeek1, Science

In Poland’s coal capital, Katowice, experts, environmentalists, scientists, politicians, journalists and leaders from all around the world converge together for the biggest climate change event of the year - COP 24 Katowice, United Nations Climate Change Conference, Poland 2018. Climate change is inevitable and we can see it happening around us. The world is getting hotter, glaciers are melting and a recent study, as mentioned in the BBC report, suggests that CO2 emissions are on the rise owing to economic growth. Representatives from around 200 countries have gathered for this two-week conference to discuss the rules and finalize guidelines that will help countries implement the Paris Agreement. The Paris climate agreement, which was adopted at the Conference of Parties (COP) in