As climate inaction from political leaders around the world persists, the onus has fallen upon climate-conscious members of the general public to shed light on the reality of the environmental crisis and to campaign for urgent change. Yet, rather than taking heed of their warnings, and using their positions to implement more robust and ambitious policies, political figures are stopping at nothing in their attempts to silence the activists.

It is no secret that the fast fashion industry is rooted in the exploitation of the Global South, in order to satisfy the material greed of the Global North. With employees forced to work inhumane hours, in dangerous conditions, for an unlivable wage, the human cost for those in the nations creating the clothes is abundantly clear. Yet the horrific ramifications of fast fashion are not limited to the humanitarian cost. The nations producing the garments also bear the brunt of the industry’s environmental destruction, despite it being fuelled by the mass materialistic consumption of the Global North.

Widely lauded as the most significant opportunity for global collaboration to tackle the climate crisis, the is an annual series of meetings that reviews progress towards the overarching goal of limiting the impacts of climate change. Yet, despite 27 COP summits having now been held, the wealthiest nations continue to emit unsustainable levels of fossil fuels and far exceed their . This begs the question: what is COP really achieving?

Liz Truss took just 45 days to prove that a leader without long-term answers is a leader unfit for office. Whilst her disastrous mini-budget is widely recognised as the catalyst for her demise, Truss’ history of failing to acknowledge future realities should have sounded alarm bells that her appointment to office was destined to fail from the start. In no area is Truss’ fantasy-land of no consequences clearer than her stance on environmental policy - both prior to, and during her premiership.

International Women’s Day aside, this week has been one where the experiences of women have been more openly discussed than they have been for a long while. It is only right that we all continue to celebrate women and their contributions to society. In this light, The Boar Features asked some of its writers to tell us a bit more about some of the women that they most admire. Evie Taylor: AOC. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has brought compassion to American politics. In a deeply divided nation, she shows up, stands up and speaks up against social injustice. She has consistently been focussed on fighting for justice and hope for every American, refusing to be intimidated by a political landscape which remains dominated by white, rich men.

Despite being one of the most pressing issues of our generation, the majority of the UK population still receive little to no education on the climate crisis. To find out more, The Boar Climate spoke to AimHi, an organisation committed to educating young people on climate change. AimHi is determined to empower people of all ages, but particularly the younger generation, with access to reliable nature-based teaching. In less than a year, founders Matthew Shribman and Henry Waite have built an online platform that reaches tens of thousands of people across the globe. We spoke to the Head of Impact Outreach at AimHi, Sophie Thomsett, to find out more about the organisation and how it can be of value to Warwick students.

One of many concerning side effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is the reported rise in cases of female genital mutilation (FGM), particularly in Kenya, but also across East and West Africa. These conclusions were documented in a report from the Orchid Project, a UK-based charity which is working to bring an end to this barbaric procedure. FGM is likely to have lifelong physical, phycological and economic effects for girls and women. Girls can die from various complications, including haemorrhage, contracting HIV, tetanus or septicaemia. This is often the result of using unsterilised tools during the procedure. Those who survive face a high prospect of emotional trauma, as well as a range of physical issues.

A recent survey conducted by Quizlet found that more than 85% of university students felt they should receive either a full or a partial refund for tuition fees this academic year. The digital learning platform polled more than 1,000 students, the majority of whom labelled blended learning “ineffective” or very “ineffective”. Additionally, over 90% reported facing difficulties making friends on their course this year. In an interview with The Independent, university students said they felt that online learning was not the same as face-to-face teaching, while campus facilities and resources were more difficult to access.

The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our generation. But how much do Warwick students care about climate change? Who do they think is most responsible for tackling the issue? How well is the university responding to the climate emergency? The Boar launched an investigation to find out more. A survey conducted by The Boar found that 94%* of Warwick students viewed climate change as either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important, with 77% of all respondents deeming it ‘very important’. However, 66% of those surveyed and said that they were not a member of any climate societies at Warwick, and 79% said that they were not a member of any external environmental organisations.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has criticised leaders and celebrities for using her image for their own self-gain. “People just want to stand next to me and other climate activists”, says Thunberg, “they can post it on social media, and it makes them look good, it makes them seem like they care.” With over 10 million Instagram followers and 4 million Twitter followers, Thunberg has become a symbol of the younger generation’s climate consciousness. However, she is unfortunately not only being seen as an inspirational enactor of change – she is also being viewed by politicians and influencers as a means through which to elevate their own status.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme was used more than 10.5 million times in its first week. The scheme – intended to boost Britain’s struggling hospitality sector -means the government pays for half of each meal eaten at a cafe, restaurant or pub on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday this month. The discount is capped at £10. Mr Sunak described the take-up as ‘amazing’ with Treasury figures showing 10,540,394 diners took advantage of his scheme in the first week. We spoke to restaurants, bars and pubs across south west London to sample reactions to the policy which will cost the UK taxpayer £500 million.

Living on campus is not only the most convenient thing to do in your first year when it comes to getting around and finding your way – it’s the best way to make friends and settle into life at university. There are currently 13 undergraduate halls on campus, each with different options and facilities to cater to different needs. Whether you are a first-year with little knowledge of the benefits and pitfalls of each accommodation or a final year coming back from a year abroad, the best way to choose your home for the next year is to learn about it from personal experiences. Students share their experiences and knowledge of the accommodation that they lived in during their first years.

A 20th century modernist writer and an instrumental member of the Bloomsbury group, Virginia Woolf’s legacy has been defined by defying convention. She is largely remembered for her fierce denunciation of misogyny, but this was just one of the many societal problems she openly criticised: Orlando challenged homophobia and transphobia, Mrs Dalloway condemned the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly for men, and A Room of One’s Own criticised a perpetual cycle of financial inequality dictated by gender, limiting female independence. Woolf never shied away from challenging topics. Writing at a time in which women were fighting for a political voice, she refused to conform to patriarchal separate spheres which dictated that women should only be concerned with domestic matters.

More than 100,000 rape kits are currently sitting, untested, in police storage in the United States. Rape kits are boxes containing vital forensic evidence, including semen, skin cells and clothing. If the DNA on any item is found to match that of a suspect, it can lead to an arrest and a possible conviction. Simply put, when kits go untested, rapists go free. In a case in Detroit, Eric Eugene Wilkes, a known criminal was reported to police for the rape of a woman waiting for a bus. Four months later, more DNA evidence was supplied by another survivor. Three days after that, evidence from a third. Over the course of 11 years, 11 women came forward with DNA evidence of their rape by Wilkes. Each time, the evidence from their terrifying ordeals was sealed, shelved and ignored.

Following weeks of mounting calls for support from arts venues, the UK government has finally unveiled a £1.57 billion support package for cultural, arts, and heritage institutions. Whilst pubs, cinemas and restaurants have all been allowed to reopen as lockdown measures ease, the majority of cultural and arts venues remain closed. The threat that the creative industries simply will not recover from the virus resulted in increasing pressure on the government to take action. More than 175,000 people signed a parliament petition demanding more support for the arts amidst Covid-19, whilst many within the industry shared their concerns on social media.

Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild provides a feeling of escapism, as the adventurer documents his travels to some of the most remote locations in the world. Fogle explores the possibility of living off the grid permanently, staying with those who have abandoned their conventional lifestyles to move to the wild. The 12th series sees Fogle revisiting hosts, to see how they continue to live in such challengingly isolated locations. In returning to the same places, he documents their long-term commitment to the abandonment of convention, in favour of independence and self-sufficiency. The juxtaposition of clips from Fogle’s first visit with his return makes the progression of the hosts’ livelihoods particularly impressive.

Abuse in Team GB gymnastics has become “completely normalised” say world championship medallists, Ellie and Becky Downie. The sisters, who are viewed as Team GB’s strongest contenders for medals at the Tokyo Olympics, have joined a growing number of British gymnasts speaking out against maltreatment in the sport. The Downie sisters described constant pressure regarding their weight and dedication, calling Team GB training “an environment of fear and mental abuse”. Both highlighted that the young age at which they were subjected to both physical and mental abuse ensured that they “certainly didn’t realise how wrong it was at the time.”

As someone who works in a shop, one of the biggest challenges I have faced throughout the pandemic is ensuring that customers who don’t care about Covid-19 do not make other customers or staff members feel unsafe. Therefore, I think that making face coverings mandatory gives staff members far greater authority to ensure that customers are protecting themselves and each other. However, I am very concerned about the further environmental damage that will inevitably be caused by increased numbers of people buying single-use masks. Therefore I think that the government should strongly encourage people to purchase reusable ones, and leave disposable PPE for those who really need it, like doctors and other healthcare workers.

A survey conducted by YouthSight for the Higher Education Policy Institute has concluded that the number of students satisfied with the quality of online learning has decreased since lockdown began. Just 42% of the 1,000 undergraduates surveyed reported being either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘quite satisfied’ with their online learning. This is a decrease from a 49% satisfaction rate in March this year. The proportion of students that felt their institution had delivered ‘very clear’ communication about the impact of coronavirus for the current academic year has also dropped – from 31% in March to just 19% in June.

The coronavirus pandemic is furthering the vulnerability of migrants worldwide. Undocumented migrants and refugees are particularly at risk, primarily due to the fear of being deported if they report symptoms and seek medical aid. As the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains: “Migrants and people on the move face the same health threats from COVID-19 as host populations but may face particular vulnerabilities due to the circumstances of their journey and the poor living and working conditions in which they can find themselves.” The pandemic has revealed the xenophobia that still operates in today’s society, furthering the obstacles that migrants face with regard to social cohesion.