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By now, most climate academics agree that net zero targets are sometimes used as a form of “greenwashing”. Companies and governments might pledge to plant more trees, for instance, rather than cutting their emissions directly.
But should we dispense with the entire concept of “net zero”? That’s the argument made by three academics in a recent longread for The Conversation (now available as a podcast), in which they said net zero was a dangerous trap. But researchers at Imperial and Oxford universities think otherwise. Greenwashing is still a problem, say Richard Black, Steve Smith and Thomas Hale, but there’s evidence that net zero
targets are making countries take more action. We shouldn’t scrap net zero, they say – we should fix it.
Meanwhile, China has launched a digital currency and a finance professor says other countries must follow or be left behind. And infectious disease researcher Nathalie MacDermott went from TV commentator on COVID to herself suffering from long COVID. Read her story here.
With the launch of new digital currencies we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that keeping The Conversation running requires currency of the old-fashioned kind. If you value what we do, please consider supporting us with a donation. Any amount, whether as a monthly donation or a single gift, is hugely appreciated. And if that’s not possible, you can help by sharing our newsletters to spread our brand of public interest journalism more widely.
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Will de Freitas
Environment + Energy Editor
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Jochen Tack / Alamy
Richard Black, Imperial College London; Steve Smith, University of Oxford; Thomas Hale, University of Oxford
We shouldn't allow disingenuous uses of net zero to discredit the concept as a whole.
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The Ys and wherefores.
AnaKins27
Daniel Broby, University of Strathclyde
The digital yuan could make transactions faster, cheaper and more transparent, but there are dangers for the global economy.
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Nathalie MacDermott
Nathalie MacDermott, King's College London
Nathalie MacDermott was a regular on BBC News, Sky New and ITV. Then COVID broke out at her hospital.
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Science + Technology
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Stephanie Rossit, University of East Anglia
We studied people's brains while they held tools correctly and incorrectly.
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Greig Paul, University of Strathclyde
Dutch mobile operator KPN was warned in 2010 that Huawei could snoop on millions of its customers' calls.
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Gareth Dorrian, University of Birmingham; Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University
Three private companies have recently been commissioned to develop nuclear fission thermal rockets for use in orbit around the Moon.
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Politics + Society
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Katie Kuschminder, United Nations University
UN and NGO reports of 'pushbacks' at borders suggest 2,000 deaths linked to actions supported by EU border agency Frontex, yet EU plans to greatly expand its powers.
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Jaskiran Kaur Chohan, University of Bristol
Protesters are defying orders to disband and are helping distribute food to hospitals and other people in need.
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Rob Johns, University of Essex
Read the constituency results to understand where the independence debate heads next.
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Education
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Victoria Goodyear, University of Birmingham; Kathleen Armour, University of Birmingham; Miranda Pallan, University of Birmingham
Phones have the potential to help children learn, but UK teachers need evidence-based guidance on phone use in schools
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Helen Lewis, Swansea University
From rabbits to maggots, school pets are common but we need to think of them as partners, not resources
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Environment + Energy
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James Dyke, University of Exeter; Robert Watson, University of East Anglia; Wolfgang Knorr, Lund University
The audio version of an in-depth article rounding on governments worldwide for using the concept of net zero emissions to "greenwash" their lack of commitment to solving global warming.
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Darshil U. Shah, University of Cambridge
Bamboo bats could make cricket more accessible, more sustainable – and more exciting.
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Health + Medicine
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Jennifer Juno, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; Adam Wheatley, The University of Melbourne
Vaccination is likely to substantially reduce virus transmission by reducing the pool of people who become infected, and reducing virus levels in people who do get infected.
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Business + Economy
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Alfredo De Massis, Lancaster University
The British royal family has got more in common with the average family business than you might first imagine.
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Online - Academia Europaea Cardiff Knowledge Hub, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Cardiff [Caerdydd GB-CRD], CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Cardiff University
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