Here’s a roundup of some of the stories that have captured Life & Soul Magazine’s attention this week:

1. UK’s carbon footprint down as pandemic prompts move to eco-friendly lifestyles, study shows – The UK’s overall carbon footprint has fallen by 17%, a major study has found. Researchers at environmental organisation WWF and the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York say the impact of COVID-19 has undoubtedly played a large part in footprint reductions, About Manchester reports.

2. Nestlé unveils two new lower-carbon coffee bean varieties – Nestlé has developed two lower-carbon types of coffee bean, as part of its aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The new robusta varieties were created “through classical non-GMO breeding and by harnessing the plant’s natural biodiversity”, The Grocer writes.

3. Amazon and Nestle join public-private plan to save world’s forests -The United States, Norway and Britain joined forces with companies including Amazon and Nestle on Earth Day to launch a project aimed at protecting the world’s tropical forests. Announcing the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition at the U.S.-convened Leaders Summit on climate, the public-private project aims to raise at least $1 billion in initial financing, it said.

4. Japan to tackle red tape to boost renewable energy – Japan plans to cut approval times for wind projects, open up abandoned farmland, boost grid capacity and other measures to slash red tape that has for decades impeded efforts to bring more renewable energy into the power mix, according to Japan Today.

5. Nigerian teen climate activists create fashion from waste to fight pollution – Plastic waste is ubiquitous in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos where dropping litter is commonplace. To reinforce their message about the extent of the waste in Lagos while raising awareness of the problems caused by single-use plastic.=, 15-year-old climate activist Esohe Ozigbo and her fellow activists attach plastic to fabric to create garments they wear in their annual “Trashion Show”, Reuters reports. 

6. Hollywood has its most diverse year, says report – 2020 was a strange year for Hollywood film releases but it was also, “the industry’s most successful year on the diversity front”, the BBC writes. That’s according to a report by UCLA which also found movie watchers in the US are becoming more diverse and prefer content with greater diversity.

7. Climate crisis: ‘Humans are intruders’ and the natural world is better off without them, says Sir David Attenborough – Sir David Attenborough has said that human beings have a duty to remember that they are “intruders” and “latecomers” to the planet when considering our environmental impact and that “the natural world, by-and-large, would do much better if [humans] weren’t there at all”, according to Yahoo!.

Image Source: REUTERS/Angela Ukomadu

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.