September 2019 – Bridge Agents

Not Convinced on the Need for Urgent Climate Action? Here’s What Happens to Our Planet Between 1.5°C and 2°C of Global Warming

September 27, 2019 Bridge Agents

World Wide (Conversation) – Many numbers are bandied around in climate emergency discussions. Of them, 1.5°C is perhaps the most important. At the Paris Agreement in 2015, governments agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C and to aim for 1.5°C. By 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the UN body tasked with relaying the science of climate breakdown to the world – had made worryingly clear in a special report how much graver the consequences of the higher number would be. Together with the University of…

When Does The Line Get Crossed?

September 20, 2019 Bridge Agents

“Come writers and criticsWho prophesize with your penAnd keep your eyes wideThe chance won’t come againAnd don’t speak too soonFor the wheel’s still in spinAnd there’s no tellin’ whoThat it’s namin’For the loser nowWill be later to winFor the times they are a-changin’”- Bob DylanOn Our Cultural Zeitgeist, Civil Disobedience, and How to be anEffective Dissident “It is to Madame Justice that I dedicate this concerto, in honor ofthe holiday that she seems to have taken from these parts, and inrecognition of the impostor that stands in her stead.”- V…

New Report Details 10 ‘Critical Transitions’ to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Feed the World

September 18, 2019 Bridge Agents

World Wide (CD) – The ways humanity produces and consumes food cause up to 30 percent of planet-warming emissions, generate widespread malnutrition, and perpetuate poverty and inequality—but a new report released Monday claims that 10 global transformations over the next decade could help the international community tackle the climate crisis and feed over nine billion people. The report, Growing Better: 10 Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use (pdf), comes from the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), which launched in 2017 to bring together organizations representing key actors—from business and civil…

How Useful is the “Unemployment Rate”? Five Humans Who Don’t “Count”

September 17, 2019 Bridge Agents

United States (FEE) – The official “unemployment rate” in the US is nearing historic lows, according to a recent announcement. For young readers, especially, this may come as a surprise. You may see your friends and family struggling to find enough well-paying work to make ends meet, and you may have personally experienced the frustration of wanting a job but not finding one. Your experience may not be as out of the ordinary as the official numbers indicate. The “unemployment rate” is the result of assumptions and calculations by the…

Australian Women May Find It Tougher to Get an Abortion Soon

September 17, 2019 Bridge Agents

Australia (Conversation) – If the Religious Discrimination Bill passes into law, women may find it harder to get an abortion. That’s because health practitioners with an objection to performing the procedure on religious grounds may have stronger legal protection and may not be compelled to refer women to an alternative provider. This may lead women to consult multiple services, if available, before finding a doctor willing to perform the procedure. Who does the bill cover and where? In the new bill, the term “health practitioner” has a broad meaning. It…

Why ‘Macho Culture’ Is Not to Blame for Violence Against Women in Mexico

September 16, 2019 Bridge Agents

Mexico (Conversation) – In recent weeks, hundreds of women have taken to the streets of Mexico City protesting against murder, rape and other violence against women in Mexico. Many commentators blame “macho culture” for the violence they are so furious about. In the first half of 2019 alone, 1,835 women were murdered in Mexico, according to Mexican geophysicist María Salguero, who is mapping the violence. In these accounts, macho culture seems to refer to a social climate which facilitates or rewards macho attitudes and behaviours. Following the stereotype, in a…

ICE Fails to Properly Redact Document Proposing ‘Hyper-Realistic’ Urban Warfare Training Facility

September 12, 2019 Bridge Agents

United States (CD) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency which carries out the bulk of President Donald Trump’s war on immigrants, is building a “hyper-realistic” urban training ground in Fort Benning, Georgia. The information was revealed in a poorly redacted acquisition form document posted online that was copy and pasted by Newsweek, revealing the camp’s location and details. “They really are the moron fascists,” tweeted podcast host Michael Brooks. The proposal calls for the construction of realisitic “residential houses, apartments, hotels, government facilities and commercial buildings.” “ICE is specifically interested…

Anxiety and Depression: Why Doctors Are Prescribing Gardening Rather Than Drugs

September 3, 2019 Bridge Agents

United Kingdom (Conversation) – Spending time in outdoors, taking time out of the everyday to surround yourself with greenery and living things can be one of life’s great joys – and recent research also suggest it’s good for your body and your brain. Scientists have found that spending two hours a week in nature is linked to better health and well-being. It’s maybe not entirely surprising then that some patients are increasingly being prescribed time in nature and community gardening projects as part of “green prescriptions” by the NHS. In…