climate | Harbingers' Magazine

April 25, 2024

Bugs for dinner? Why eating insects is good for you…

Insects are one of the most sustainable food sources we have. Across the world, eating insects remains an important tradition. But not in the West – instead, there are fierce stigmas that surround entomophagy

17 year-old Anna Louise Lovat explains entomophagy and why it could be the next big thing

April 05, 2024

Hundreds of Sri Lankan elephant deaths are caused by human activity

Urbanisation and habitat loss has created a ‘frontline’ of worsening conflict between humans and elephants with deadly consequences for both

14 year-old Hesandi Ravisinghe on rising threats against the elephant population

March 22, 2024

Why are we resistant to traditional offices, and how can we repurpose vacant spaces?

I think my generation is so accustomed to online schooling that we can’t imagine ourselves working from an office. With both a climate and global housing crisis, we could repurpose these spaces to provide a much needed solution

18 year-old Nadia Diakowska on a work-from-home culture and reusing empty offices

March 08, 2024

How many water bottles is too many? The state of overconsumption in America

Stanley Cups recently saw an astronomical increase in sales coupled with a social media craze. Companies continue to capitalize on the fear of missing out and influencer-led marketing campaigns

17 year-old Christian Yeung speaks with economy expert Brianne Foley

March 01, 2024

10 things you should know about Nepal

From festivals and culture to world heritage sites and areas of natural beauty, teenage journalists in Kathmandu each share one fact about their home country Nepal

Teenagers aged 11-18 from the Mountain Children Home share the beauty of Nepal

February 09, 2024

‘Save the bees!’ Of course, but which bees?

The trending surge to protect bees has seen more global attention directed towards the preservation on honey bees - with little funding being awarded to the vast majority of wild bees existing outside the public eye

17 year-old Anna Lovat on the endangered world of 20,000 species

February 02, 2024

‘The south is being left behind’. UNCTAD summit raises concerns over the current international order

With the largest grouping of the global south, the G77 January summit aimed to address the growing gap leaving developing countries behind amidst climate, humanitarian and economic concerns

17 year-old Sofiya Suleimenova reports on the ‘cascading crisis’ in the global South

January 26, 2024

The rise of careless consumerism among young people

Rapid consumerism fueled by short trend cycles are promoting an unsustainable mindset among the young that clothes are temporary and easily replaceable, ignoring the environmental crisis

17 year-old Shriya Kalluri explores the link between social media and fast-fashion

January 19, 2024

The world’s biggest iceberg is almost gone

A British polar research ship has begun exploring A23a - an iceberg that recently started moving after decades of stabilisation

17 year-old Sofia Radysh on the last few predicted months of A23a’s existence

December 22, 2023

COP28: Youth demands to be heard on climate justice on global stage

With the largest youth generation in history, young people have taken to the global stage to highlight their concerns and participate in climate change policy-making

17 year-old Sofiya Suleimenova reports on the COP28

December 01, 2023

‘Panda diplomacy’: How furry mammals are used in China’s foreign relations

Recognised across the world for being cute and cuddly, pandas are lesser known for their involvement in global diplomacy

17 year-old Sofia Radysh on the shift in Beijing’s panda policy

November 10, 2023

Learning from Indigenous communities can drive sustainability amid the climate crisis

Indigenous communities make up only 6% of the global population but they conserve 80% of biodiversity. Sustainable practices and respect for the environment are built into their social doctrine which has been passed on for generations

Sanaa Pasha interviews climate activist Yusuf Baluch and Growing up Green founder Amy Campbell

November 10, 2023

Police arrested 26 climate protestors for ‘serious disruption’ –- Thunberg among those charged

Among protestors stood 20 year-old Greta Thunberg who highlighted before her arrest that they “have no choice but to disrupt” because “our world is being swept away by greenwashing and lies”

17 year-old Sofiya Suleimenova reports on the Swedish activist’s legal trouble

November 03, 2023

"We can drive systemic change" - Filmmaker urges youth to take action in climate crisis

A feature documentary in production, ‘1.5 Degrees of Peace’, aims to start conversations in the fields of climate justice, peace and disarmament through the power of storytelling

17 year-old Sofiya Suleimenova interviews Kasha Slavner

October 27, 2023

2023 set another record in temperatures. How will the climate crisis impact the economy?

Climate change does not only affect the economy when disasters occur – it impacts the economic wellbeing of people around the world through hard-to-perceive destruction of infrastructure, disruption of global supply chains, and the effect on agriculture

17 year-old Nadia Diakowska on the cost of the warmest September on record

October 27, 2023

Ukrainian zoos are battling to care for animals amidst the ongoing war

Since September 2022, the Russian military has caused power outages all around the country by purposefully targeting the energy infrastructure of the country which have led to many animals dying in conservation

17 year-old Sofia Radysh reports on the plight of the animals in Ukrainian zoos

October 20, 2023

Visiting Himalayan vineyards. ‘In a century, Bhutan may be the only winemaking country in the world’

Bhutan may change all we know about wine. Planted in 2022 in Southern Bhutan, Mike’s Gelephu vineyard is an experiment in ‘reverse cycle harvest’. It is an example of how sustainability can become the driving force for innovation and economic growth

18 year-old Diar Boranbayev interviews Bhutan’s first-ever winemaker

October 06, 2023

Disappearing in the Pacific. Their islands are sinking, yet we can barely hear calls for help

In the heart of the Pacific Islands, a chorus of student voices resonates together to paint a vivid picture of hopes, concerns, and aspirations despite the nuanced, complex threat that they face

18 year-old Chenxi Zhang wins the Harbinger Prize in Reporting

September 29, 2023

My 50th birthday: A world without food

A future where real food doesn’t exist anymore may sound like quite a bleak and dystopian future. But this is far closer than we think with the 26-year timer we find ourselves on

17 year-old Christian Yeung wins the Harbinger prize in Humanities

September 24, 2023

Bugs are friends, not foes. Historical neglect of US government to human-insect symbiosis

It is no exaggeration to say “insects make the world go round”. From pollination to nutrient recycling, to biological pest management, and even genetic research — without them, our ecosystem would not function. Insects provide the United States with over $57 billion yearly of ecological service, in terms of dung burial, pest prevention, and pollination.

17 year-old Anna Lovat won The Harbinger Prize 2023

September 22, 2023

Mass destruction of Ukrainian nature will have a huge impact on the future

The consequences of war have not only ruined lives and negatively impacted the mental health of Ukrainian civilians, but it will also result in long-term ecosphere damage

17 year-old Sofia Radysh interviews UAnimals on the environmental crisis

September 15, 2023

Long-term recovery underway in the Mediterranean following widespread fires

With the elements of strong wind, high temperatures and trees, a rampage of wildfires formed in the Mediterranean in July. Italy, North Africa and Greece are now recovering from this disastrous fire

16 year-old Jefferson He speaks with affected locals

August 12, 2023

Greece on ‘high alert’ as country deals with aftermath of widespread wildfires

Wildfires in Rhodes led to a state of emergency on the island after relentless blazes in Greece started on July 17 and remained out of control for seven days, triggering large-scale evacuations

16 year-old Anastasiia Tkachuk covers the climate crisis in Greece

August 08, 2023

"Proportionate response to disastrous decision" - Greenpeace defends controversial protest

Activists from the campaign group climbed Rishi Sunak’s £2 million grade-II listed manor home in North Yorkshire on Thursday, August 3 and draped it with black cloth in protest of the PM’s plans to grant new licences for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea

16 year-old Justin Sau reports on the mixed response of climate action

June 30, 2023

“The numbers affected is catastrophic” - Impact of war on domestic animals in Ukraine

Around 300 hundred dogs died over the course of the month when they were left alone and the town was occupied by Russian military forces. Anastasiia shared with Harbingers the first-hand experiences of volunteering to help the animals still alive

17 year-old Sofia Radysh speaks with animal experts on the frontline

June 30, 2023

What would happen if Russia tried to sabotage the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant?

The plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has been under Russian control since last year. According to Zelenskiy, Russian sabotage would result in a massive leakage of radioactive material that could reach neighbouring European countries

16 year-old Sofiya Tkachenko on the probability of nuclear disaster

June 23, 2023

Animal testing made its way onto the big screen. It may be a sign of change

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is more than a great movie - it also offers insight into cruelty disguised as animal testing

17 year-old Sofia Radysh on animal testing

June 16, 2023

COP28: Controversies surrounding the first ever global environmental stocktake

Months before the COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, the United Nations climate summit’s president is facing severe backlash over his background in the fossil fuel industry

17 year-old Anatolii Mishustin reviews expert concerns

June 16, 2023

Eco-crisis unleashed. Consequences of Kakhovka Dam destruction trigger international investigation

On June 6, 2023, the Kakhovka Dam, a largest object of this type in Ukraine, was blown up. The explosion caused a massive catastrophe for the region's residents and the environment, prompting an investigation from the International Criminal Court (ICC)

14 year-old Sofia Vorobei reports on the consequences of the disaster in Ukraine

June 16, 2023

How Russians are ‘liberating’ animals in Ukraine? Now they stole a tiger cub from a zoo in Mariupol

The Mariupol City Council reported that the cub had been living at the zoo. After his mother refused to feed him, he was looked after by a local shepherd dog. Occupants have now decided to relocate the cub to Moscow and train it for circus performances

17 year-old Sofia Radysh on animal welfare under attack

April 28, 2023

Turkey - Syria earthquakes: How to help those in need

On Monday, February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake started in southern and central Turkey with the epicentre in Gaziantep and western Syria. The earthquake, which was followed by several deadly aftershocks, resulted in a death toll of more than 50,000 and injured “thousands more”

Mariia Piltiai on the relief organisations to support

April 28, 2023

When the atmosphere fails. Is our civilisation at risk of being destroyed by an asteroid?

Humanity has many issues to worry about - climate change, nuclear escalation, scarce resources, and overpopulation, to list just a few. An asteroid attack is another worry, arguably the most abrupt and outside our control

16 year-old Riana Banga on planetary defence

March 10, 2023

UN reached an agreement to protect 30 percent of high seas. Talks took almost 20 years

The new treaty includes territory protective measures on marine reserves and environmental impact assessments concerning human activity on the high seas, which the UN immediately described as ‘historic’. The new convention, however, has yet to be formally adopted and ratified by at least sixty states in order to come into force.

17 year-old Flora Lodd reports on breaking climate news

March 03, 2023

The sixth mass extinction. These five species were recently declared extinct

Currently 28% of all assessed species on earth – more than 42,100 out of 150,388 – are endangered, according to the Red List of Threatened Species, edited by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

17 year-old Flora Lodd on the rapid decline in biodiversity

January 19, 2023

The secret price of the war in Ukraine

As a Ukrainian and representative of the young generation, I am worried about the price my country pays for the current war not only in the matter of sacred lives but also nature. Ecology might seem insignificant in comparison to the scale of human tragedies that are happening right now, but isn’t ecology also a matter of saving lives?

Maria Rybak speaks to experts on the ecological situation in Ukraine during war

October 15, 2022

Zambia’s efforts to prevent famine and poverty with organic farming

Those at the Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre (KATC) recognised the long list of problems arising from chemical farming, so the organisation changed to organic farming in the mid-1980s to promote a healthier, more sustainable way of living. The main focus of KATC’s work is to train farmers and government agents in the basics of organic farming.

17 year-old Maksymilian Sinczak on the efforts to promote sustainable agriculture in Zambia

August 11, 2022

Oxford suffers from extreme heatwave

“It’s not fake. The pond just evaporated. It’s a scene of devastation. The water levels in reservoirs are decreasing, but this [pond] people can actually see”

16 year-old Sofia Radysh inquires into Oxonian drought amid the amber heatwave warning

June 22, 2022

A thought-provoking experience. For better or worse. How to Blow Up a Pipeline review

In his 2020 book a leading Swedish climate activist since the 1990s condemns the nonviolent methods mobilised in the climate movement by claiming they only promote passivity—instead, offering us a historical argument, Malm persuasively argues for a more aggressive and confrontational approach.

Sophie Elliott reviews Andreas Malm’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline

February 09, 2022

Spot-on image of how Gen Z tends to cope by taking everything as a joke. Don’t look up review

The planet-killing comet is quite obviously today’s global warming climate crisis. The scientific reasoning is there, the facts are there, the evidence is there - and yet, many still refuse to believe in this pressing issue.

Sofiya Suleimenova reviews Adam McKay’s political satire

November 01, 2021

The scared sitters, a new formation in the environmental struggle

A fiery-haired girl with porcelain skin sits in the middle of a busy street, looking at something beyond the border of the picture.

Mary Stabinska studies the politics and ethics of desperation.

October 28, 2021

Caroline Hickman: Anxiety and anger are psychologically healthy responses to climate crisis

The UK-based philosopher, psychotherapist and researcher has made it her mission to help people cope with denial, depression, anger and powerlessness which so many face because of the climate crisis.

She sat with Eva Smolokovskaya to explain what she has learned over the last two decades.