Steve Martin

Neoliberalism: the idea that swallowed the world

The word has become a rhetorical weapon and an ideological political meme, but it properly names the reigning ideology of our era – one that venerates the logic of the market and strips away the things that make us human. And its most recent admirer Liz Truss our much-reviled former PM became a celebrated maleficent proponentContinue reading “Neoliberalism: the idea that swallowed the world“

NEW REPORT LAUNCHED TODAY UK’s PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE GLOBAL GOALS

Launched today, the Global Compact’s Measuring Up 2.0 report reveals how the UK is performing on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their 169 Targets, the wider policy context, and the historical trends that affect us achieving the Goals. The report highlights that the UK is only performing well on 17% of the TargetsContinue reading “NEW REPORT LAUNCHED TODAY UK’s PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE GLOBAL GOALS“

FESTIVAL OF THRIFT

The Festival of Thrift has been going for 10 years and, with little sign of the cost of living crisis easing, this year it seems more relevant than ever especially since convenience is the scourge of sustainability! Recycled paper to be used for business cards and leaflets.Photograph: Mark Pinder/The Guardian It is the UK’s only nationalContinue reading “FESTIVAL OF THRIFT”

Do Universities Teach Critical Thinking?

This recent report from the OECD makes some important points especially on learning outcomes. Timely given the headlines in this week’s THES. A few paragraphs from the OECD report -Do Universities Teach Critical Thinking?: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/cc9fa6aa-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/cc9fa6aa-en “Higher education contributes immensely to economic growth, social progress, and overall quality of life through the skills students and graduates acquire.Continue reading “Do Universities Teach Critical Thinking?”

What is ‘transparent solar energy’?

Transparent solar is a cutting-edge technology that gathers and uses light energy through windows or any glass surface, regardless of the angle. It has the potential to be a game-changer in terms of broadening the scope of solar. In terms of engineering, researchers have created several means of transparent solar technology. Most generally though, most of them function more asContinue reading “What is ‘transparent solar energy’?“

HOW TO SOLVE COMPLEX PROBLEMS

Positive Deviance Analysis When solving complex problems, it sometimes pays to start with what is working rather than figure out what is not…By Tom Connor Find the “Bright Spot” that has already solved the problem When solving problems there are four frames from which you can approach the solution. Systems centric, problem centric, solutions centric and solverContinue reading “HOW TO SOLVE COMPLEX PROBLEMS“

Should We Abandon the Concept of Climate Refugee?

Climate change is expected to force millions of people to relocate this century, as rising seas inundate small islands and intolerable heat makes life impossible in tropical regions. But is the world really facing a mounting climate refugee crisis? It is entirely reasonable to assume that as climate change intensifies, it will result in moreContinue reading “Should We Abandon the Concept of Climate Refugee?“

OUR economy is killing us.

Even before the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, rates of healthy life expectancy were falling in Scotland. People living in the poorest areas in the UK were dying younger because of deliberate cuts to social security and public services. Now, each week sees a new headline about the rising tide of destitution. At the same time,Continue reading “OUR economy is killing us.“

MYTHS AND CLIMATE DENIAL from MPs in NZSC?

Is this why this and recent governments have failed to address the empirical evidence of global warming? The constituency of South Thanet according to recent data, had just 4mm of rain in July – making it one of the driest in the UK. It is also the constituency of Craig Mackinlay, MP, a former UkipperContinue reading “MYTHS AND CLIMATE DENIAL from MPs in NZSC?“

HALFWAY TO 2030: HOW is the UK PERFORMING on IMPLEMENTING THE GLOBAL GOALS?

Early findings from the UN Global Compact Network UK’s Measuring Up 2.0 report suggest that the UK is only performing well on 21% of the Targets that are relevant to the domestic delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK. In the past four years there has been no change in the performance againstContinue reading “HALFWAY TO 2030: HOW is the UK PERFORMING on IMPLEMENTING THE GLOBAL GOALS?”