Millie Gould It seems the Labour government’s commitments to climate action are up in the air after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced her support for Heathrow Airport’s long-debated third runway expansion. This endorsement came amidst her speech at a Siemens Healthineers facility in Oxford, where Reeves highlighted her support for ‘growth at all costs’. In 2023, Reeves pledged to be Britain’s first green Chancellor. However, January’s announcement, along with recent remarks

Udaya Pal The fall of the brutal Assad regime on the 8th of December was rightly celebrated across the world, just as the horrors of the regime became painfully clear. However, as the dust settles, serious concerns are emerging amongst observers who fear that Syria could follow Libya’s post-revolution trajectory into collapse. Further doubts about the future of Syria’s leadership have been cast by those who highlight the former al-Qaeda connections of the leaders of the rebel

Aryanee Nair Fast fashion and fast food. The alliterative pair serves as a sonic anchor, suggesting urgency and immediacy which are central to both industries. The fluidity and catchiness emphasises the nature of modern consumer behaviour, where speed takes precedence over deliberation and ethics. Both of which are emblematic of a capitalist system that prioritises consumerism over moral considerations. The fast-food industry is not just a business but a microcosm of the larg

Abhay Venkitaraman Over the past decade, Canadian governments on both sides of the aisle have implemented reforms to the country’s child benefit regime. These efforts have significantly increased the generosity of welfare provision for households with children. What impact did these policies have – and with child poverty rates on the up in the aftermath of the pandemic, what more needs to be done? Across advanced economies, child poverty rates in the OECD generally exceed tho

Jakub Fegyveres Carbon markets are, currently, a highly topical issue in contemporary environmental policy. Included as one of the three mechanisms for cross-border "voluntary cooperation" within the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement, they are currently one of the main drivers of emissions reduction, as well as providing a source of climate financing. Currently, there are 33 non-voluntary carbon markets in operation around the world, though this number looks set to gro

India Gordon The UK is at a pivotal moment in its history with the proposed Terminally Ill Adults (Assisted Dying) Bill having passed its second reading in the last month. If approved, the Bill could transform end-of-life care in the UK, marking a significant step forward in patient autonomy. However, to truly ensure the safety and dignity of patients, adequate safeguards are needed to address the procedure’s intrinsic practical and ethical challenges. need to be robustly def

Aditi Someshwar The European Union is one of the most powerful and significant geographic blocs in history. The Union extends decision-making dominance across countries both within Europe and beyond, positioning itself as an overarching ideological faction with implicit power at the global stage. However, is being a member of the Union worth the price one pays in accession? This remains a question that begs an answer. Who may enter the Union? Being within the geographic co

Jakub Fegyveres What is the most important area of environmental policy? In my opinion, especially in this context, the relative importance of a given policy should be synonymous with, and measured by, its impact. It may be intuitive to turn to the most well-known policies; the ban on electric vehicles, or the 1.5-degree Celsius target agreed in Paris at COP21. These policies, and many others like them, were formed by educated policymakers, operating on the basis of a politic