By Tapio Kanninen and Georgios Kostakos* After the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022, the world was horrified at the prospect of a new major war in Europe. Condemnation for the invasion rightly goes to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. An overblown Western reaction, though, may have dangerous consequences for the…
Climate change is a threat to global peace, security, and prosperity. It poses a threat to human and natural systems due to their vulnerability and exposure. Vulnerability, in this context, is the propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected. People who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalized are especially vulnerable and pose…
The Olympics, the world’s most celebrated international sporting tournament, needs no introduction. Inspired by the Ancient Olympic Games, held in Olympia, Greece more than two thousand years ago, the Modern Olympics began in Athens during the late 1800s and have successfully continued ever since, uniting over 200 countries and territories when it was held in…
In a matter of days, an earthquake and a tropical storm (Grace) hit one of the poorest Caribbean islands, leading to at least 2,400 deaths and over 13.000 serious injuries. It is estimated that more than 130,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and 600.000 Haitians were impacted. However, these last natural disasters are just part…
This month, millions of people around the world will be observing Pride month, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and the progress that has been made towards equality and equal rights in recent years. However, as more people start to observe this celebration and more companies rush to put a rainbow into their logos, it’s important to…
The US National Security Agency (NSA) used a partnership with Denmark’s foreign intelligence unit to spy on citizens of the European Union, Danish state broadcaster DR said. According to the investigation, which covered the period from 2012 to 2014, the NSA used Danish information cables to spy on citizens of Sweden, Norway, France and Germany….
‘Conversion therapy’, as defined by the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, refers to ‘any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aim to change a person’s sexual orientation or to ‘suppress a person’s gender identity’. Despite the practice being described by a recent Independent Expert Report to the UN as inflicting ‘severe pain and suffering, resulting in long-lasting…
Earlier this year, scientists at the Netherlands-based Wageningen University conducted research that had many buzzing with excitement. After only several hours of meticulous training, a sample of honeybees had learned how to detect Covid-19 infections, within a matter of seconds, due to their keen sense of smell. While this method of detecting Covid-19 will certainly…
Yesterday, as we celebrated Earth Day, forty world leaders gathered for President Biden’s “Leaders Summit on Climate”. The event, held virtually in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions over two days, is a precursor to the UNFCCC COP26 taking place in Glasgow later this year. For such a large event to be organised and held within the…
When Ursula von der Leyen ascended to the Presidency of the European Commission in December 2019, one policy dominated above all others, the European Green Deal. This ambitious plan aims to bring the EU to net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the bloc’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, whilst also generating a sustainable economic growth model where ‘no…
