by Anne MacLennan An impressive group of scientists, academics and policy makers recently published an alarming article to raise awareness of the rising risk of acute food shocks in the UK. A food shock is when food is suddenly unavailable and/or prices rocket, with...
by Anne MacLennan Our Food System is in crisis. Food poverty is increasing, diet-related diseases are pushing the NHS to its limits, the environment is suffering, and there is little preparation for sudden ‘Food Shocks’. Industrialised agriculture has provided high...
By Anne MacLennan 2024 was the hottest year on record globally and this summer was the UK's hottest. About 1,500 deaths in just 12 cities during the European heatwave in June-July were attributed to climate change; 171 of those in London. Temperatures and deaths are...
by Anne MacLennan The Lancet medical journal has recently published a series of strongly-worded articles about ultraprocessed foods (UPF). The authors write from a substantial evidence base, clearly deeply concerned about health and equity issues, and the lack of...
By Anne MacLennan I’ve heard it said that the proposed new Tesco supermarket in Portree will make us more food secure, but it may not be that straightforward. A food secure community has physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets...
The next climate summit COP30 takes place from 10-21 November in Belém, Brazil. Given the lack of progress by countries in submitting their national climate plans, the cuts in climate finance by rich countries and the rejection of carbon-cutting measures by the USA...
In 2020, amidst the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate activist and Transition Network cofounder Rob Hopkins responded the way a lot of people did: by starting a podcast. But it wasn’t any ordinary podcast. In each episode, Hopkins and his guests would “time...
Petition by The Wildlife Trusts to MInister Emma Hardy, DEFRA. This applies to 41seabed Marine Protected Areas designated offshore in England, but it is still worth sending your comments. https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/171084/action/2 Closes on 29th...
Barley was the most cultivated cereal through the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Around 8,000 years ago a single gene mutation in a barley plant in northern Iran enabled it to freely shed its husks when harvested and threshed, so the grain could be eaten without...