Environment & climate change

Should we learn more about coping with extreme weather?

22nd - 29th November 2024

As Storm Bert made headlines across the UK in November, young people considered how confident they felt about how to keep safe during extreme weather conditions. They discussed whether education into the potential dangers and how to avoid them should be included in the curriculum to prevent tragedies and raise awareness. College and 16+ voters explored the benefits and/or consequences of making this learning compulsory.

Could pre-loved clothes become more popular than buying new?

20th - 27th September 2024

Following a focus on pre-loved pieces at 2024's London Fashion Week, we wanted to hear young people's thoughts on purchasing clothing second-hand. They explored circular fashion and considered how buying habits might shift in the future. Are young people happy to label themselves as slow fashion fans, or will the fascination with fast fashion always take first place? We always strive to make young people’s voices heard and this time, we shared their results with the organisers of Second Hand September themselves, Oxfam.

Would you like to see more wildlife brought into your built-up area?

12th - 19th April 2024

For Earth Day, we teamed up with Eco-Schools to give young people a platform to discuss the environment and more specifically, wildlife. The environment is an ever-pressing issue for our voters, and one that they are keen to have their voices heard on.

Should the UK open new oil fields?

06th - 13th October 2023

With conservations about net zero heating up, voters considered the Government's responses to opening a new oil field at Rosebank, off the Shetland Islands.

Do we need to change our attitudes towards recycling e-waste?

In celebration of Zero Waste Week (4th-8th September), voters explored the mounting problem of e-waste and considered different ways of tackling the problem. This VoteTopic marked the beginning of the 2023/24 school year!

Do you care about our waterways and seas being clean?

Following World Oceans Day and recent debate around the amount of sewage being pumped into our waters, voters explored our waterways and seas, and the dirty secrets that lie beneath.

Should more be done to protect our oceans?

To mark Earth Day, our voters took a closer look at some environmental actions being taken and considered whether enough is being done to protect our oceans. The recently signed High Seas Treaty has made headlines globally, and the decisions to protect areas of the high seas have been over a decade in the making.

Are UK supermarkets doing enough to tackle food waste?

24th February - 03rd March 2023

Ahead of Food Waste Action Week (6th-12th March), voters considered the action being taken by UK supermarkets to tackle this ever-growing problem. In the lessons, they explored what is being done and how – if at all – this might be improved.

Are fashion brands choosing trends over the environment?

23rd - 30th September 2022

As fashion brands are faced with mounting pressure from consumers and activists to improve the sustainability of their products, our students explored the environmental impact of fast fashion and the effectiveness of different sustainability ventures within the industry. With this information, our students considered whether fashion brands are wholly committed and doing enough to improve the sustainability of their clothing.