Church of England issues anti-plastic tips for Lent
The Church of England is urging Christians to give up single-use plastics during Lent, in a bid to cut the environmental damage it can cause.
United Kingdom
Queen of England bans plastic bottles and straws at royal estates
Some people think the Queen has taken an interest in the plastic problem after working on a conservation documentary with broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, who recently discussed the particular dilemma of ocean plastic in Blue Planet II.
Banking giant Lloyd’s of London to divest from coal over climate change
Lloyd’s of London, the world’s oldest insurance market, has become the latest financial firm to announce that it plans to stop investing in coal companies.
Britain now generates twice as much electricity from wind as coal
Just six years ago, more than 40% of Britain’s electricity was generated by burning coal. Today, that figure is just 7%.
U.K. bans plastic microbeads in effort to protect marine life
Manufacturing ban means the tiny beads which harm marine life can no longer be used in cosmetics and personal care products
U.K. scientists claim they found a drug that significantly reverses memory loss
A team at Lancaster University in the U.K. has discovered that a drug designed to treat type 2 diabetes may hold the key to fighting the memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease.
Britain has doubled its minimum wage since 2000 with no observable effect on unemployment
The data suggest that the traditional economic idea that rising wage prices reduce the number of available low-paid jobs might not be true.
Cambridge University to accept transgender students at women-only college
Applicants for Murray Edwards College will simply have to identify as a woman at the time they submit their application.
Brenda Hale sworn in as first female president of U.K.’s supreme court
The first woman appointed to be a law lord, in 2004, Hale had to wait until this week for a second woman to join her on the U.K.’s highest court.