The Inefficacy of Bans on Single-Use Plastics

Many cities countries all around the world now have bans on single-use plastics: disposable plastics that are only used once before they are thrown away or recycled. They include items like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soft drink and water bottles, and most food packaging. Single-use plastics have been creating an environmental disaster in terms…

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Tackling Fake News With Media Literacy: A Lesson From Ukraine

In an effort to challenge fake news, propaganda, disinformation, and hate speech in the media, schools in Ukraine have been teaching students media literacy skills. This programme was initiated following the war in eastern Ukraine, which saw government forces in conflict with Russian-backed separatists. The war led to a rise in propaganda and disinformation in…

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Fad Diets and Capitalism: The Dark Underbelly of the Weight Loss Industry

While you might imagine the weight loss industry is a force for good in society, helping millions to shed excess weight and achieve better health, there is also a dark side to this industry. The global weight loss and weight management industry was valued at $192.2bn and is projected to be worth $295.3bn by 2027.…

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Asteroid Mining and Capitalism in Space

Asteroid mining is the exploitation of raw materials from asteroids and bringing these resources back to Earth. With an exponentially rising global population, precious resources are quickly becoming depleted. Luckily, asteroids contain many materials that we need and so mining them could set us on the path to a sustainable future. There are, however, some…

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How Neoliberalism Has Shaped the Pursuit of Knowledge

In his highly influential book Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009), the late Mark Fisher expounded the concept of ‘capitalist realism’, which refers to “the widespread sense that not only is capitalism the only viable political and economic system, but also that it is now impossible even to imagine a coherent alternative to it.”…

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