Editor's note

Around a year ago, I decided to stop flying in my personal life. I also heavily limit my meat and, increasingly, my dairy intake. It feels good to be doing something individually to mitigate the climate crisis – an issue I care deeply about. But at times it also feels immensely frustrating because what impact can these personal actions realistically have?

It seems, though, that I’ve been looking at this the wrong way. According to Tom Oliver, our default way of viewing the world – as individuals – is both causing the crisis and frustrating efforts to combat it. He suggests that a change of mindset is needed, and that along with cutting down on flying and eating meat, activities such as community gardening and meditation will also help bring about the necessary change.

Meanwhile, organised crime in the UK is incredibly successful, so new ways of combating it are needed. Enforcement agencies around the world could learn a lot from the way Italy tackles the mafia.

Into your future gazing and sci-fi? Well as a whole, we aren’t as interested in the future as we used to be. Andre Spicer explores why the 22nd century isn’t getting much airtime.

Josephine Lethbridge

Interdisciplinary Editor

Top stories

Rupert Britton/Unsplash

Climate crisis: we are not individuals fighting a faceless system – we are the system that needs to change

Tom Oliver, University of Reading

We need to tackle individualism to tackle climate change.

A drugs raid in London. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images

Fighting organised crime: lessons to learn from how Italy tackles the mafia

Felia Allum, University of Bath

Police should take a wider view to join the dots that link the networks behind slavery and drugs.

Shutterstock/HQuality

Sci-fi author William Gibson: how ‘future fatigue’ is putting people off the 22nd century

Andre Spicer, City, University of London

Some people are growing weary with romantic and dystopian visions of the future. Instead, our focus is on now.

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