How The Pomodoro Technique Can Help You
In a recent article, I touched on the Pomodoro technique as a means of being productive when it comes to revision over the Easter break. But, such a fleeting mention doesn’t do justice to just how useful it can be.
The What
The Pomodoro Technique is a strategy aimed at helping people who struggle to focus for long periods and have a short attention span. If you get easily distracted, the Pomodoro is definitely for you. Developed in the 1980s by a University student who struggled to focus on his studies and assignments, the Pomodoro Technique is a strategy for doing work in short stretches. Twenty-five minutes of focus broken up by five-minute breaks, with a longer break of 15-30 minutes after every fourth stretch. It’s a technique that’s applicable beyond revision and can be applied to how you work, manage tasks, and helps you completely remove procrastination as a problem—which is an issue many of us deal with, especially when it comes to those things we just don’t want to do. By breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks to deal with systematically, that mountain in front of you is reduced to a series of steps. It makes you more efficient, mitigates distraction and ultimately makes you much more accountable to yourself.
The How
The Pomodoro Technique is designed to get work done while preventing the chance of overwhelm or the temptation of distraction. It works best with a bit of preparation and with a timer beside you (that timer should not be your phone, we’re here to remove distractions not add them). To prepare, make a list of the tasks or a single large task broken down into smaller ones. Assemble everything you need and remove anything you don’t. What you’re going to do is flip your perspective from sitting down for the long haul and instead stack a series of small wins through short bursts of focused work with breaks in between.
Once you’re ready, the process is fairly straightforward:
STEP ONE: Choose the task.
STEP TWO: Set your timer and work ONLY on that singular task.
STEP THREE: Once the timer goes off take a five-minute break. Stretch your legs, grab a drink, or check your phone.
STEP FOUR: Repeat steps one to three FOUR times.
STEP FIVE: Take a longer break of between fifteen and thirty minutes. Have some lunch, walk the dog or meditate.
Keep working through the steps like a cycle as you progress through your to-do list, and you’ll soon find yourself racing through it. It may seem deceptively simple, but that’s why it works. The idea behind this method is that the timer instills a sense of urgency. Instead of sitting back with the whole day ahead of you, finding ways to put off the work, time is turned against you. The breaks are there to help you catch your breath and not burn out.
If a task overruns, simply pick it up on the next interval, while if you have tasks that you know won’t take long at all, group them. If you have a sudden revelation of something that needs doing, simply make a note and add it to the list to do later, don’t ruin your momentum by diving into that task immediately. And of course, there are always moments of unavoidable interruption. Whether it’s a knock at the door or being informed of an important phone call, it’s not the end of the world. Simply take that break there, and then start fresh with a new interval from there.
What if you finish that task before the timer is up? Don’t call it early, use your remaining time to brush up further on whatever that task is. Research it more or go over what you’ve done; you’re focused on that particular topic at that moment so it’s important to keep that focus.
Things To Note
This technique isn’t going to change your life and solve all your problems, but it can be a huge help if used properly. With that in mind, it’s important to note that it doesn’t apply to everything and has its limitations. Long-form writing isn’t always the best for this. To really get into the flow of a piece, you do need longer to get the thoughts out of your head, so save the Pomodoro technique for research, editing and planning. Timing-wise, while the windows are relatively short, as you adjust to the technique it’s important to consider lengthening the windows of focused work. As your attention span and working mind adjust to it, you’ll likely find that the short windows begin to hinder more than help and longer stints will be more beneficial. Indeed, with that in mind, you might just come to a point where one day, you may not need it.
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How Did The Death Zone Get Its Name?
As the Everest climbing season gains momentum, you may hear the term “Death Zone” mentioned in articles and news reports about extreme high-altitude mountaineering.
At 29,029 feet, Mount Everest stands as the world’s highest mountain, with its final 4029 feet referred to as the Death Zone. The reason for this designation is that above 25,000 feet, our bodies struggle to adjust to the altitude, and the lungs fail to process sufficient oxygen, which in turn causes cells to begin to die.
Hypoxia
The effects of extreme high altitude on the lungs can be devastating: issues arise with hypoxia (oxygen deficiency), causing soaring pulse rates, blood clots (due to blood thickening), and increased stroke risk. In severe cases, this situation can progress to High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), believed to occur when blood vessels constrict, raising pressure in the lungs. This results in fluid leaking from blood vessels into lung tissue and, in extreme cases, air sacs. This life-threatening condition, colloquially termed “fluid on the lung,” restricts respiratory function and can lead to drowning in one’s own fluid.
High-altitude hypoxia can elevate the resting heart rate to 140 beats per minute, a condition known as tachycardia, which may precipitate sudden cardiac arrest. The eye is also vulnerable and can suffer from high altitude retinal hemorrhages.(HARH) which looks like red splotches in the eye. It doesn’t look great but isn’t life threatening. According to experts, however, it can affect vision.
And More…
The digestive system slows is suppressed at high altitude and blood is diverted away and used to increase the bodies cardiopulmonary reserves. This can lead to nausea and vomiting. The brain is also affected at High Altitude by a condition known as high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). This is where hypoxia causes the brain to swell and this can lead to ataxia, fatigue and a decreasing level of consciousness.
Records Of The Death Zone
Experts suggest that climbers do not spend more than 20 hours in the Death Zone, with 48 hours being the absolute maximum for most people, even with supplementary Oxygen. Babu Chiri Sherpa holds the record for the time spent in the death zone without supplementary Oxygen and this is 21 hours. Pemba Gyalje is the record holder for being in the death zone with Oxygen and this is 90 hours.
Considering the risks and perils of entering the Death Zone, one may wonder why climbers undertake such challenges. The famous answer to this question, of course, is “Because it’s there!”
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Exam Questions On The Horizon
It might only be March, and May may seem so far away, but two things are worth mentioning: it’s never too early to be exam-ready, and time moves faster than you think it does.
So while you’re stepping up your revision, one of the best and most effective approaches is getting stuck into past exam papers. You’ll have a lot of the fundamentals of whichever subject you’re tackling in your memory already, but these questions will test how you apply what you know. It’s not just about information retention, but how you can use it alongside your problem-solving skills to reach an answer. Don’t think of them as tests but as puzzles.
The Anatomy Of An Exam Question
First of all, let’s pull apart these questions, and typically how they’re put together and the big clues they contain that will tell you what kind of response examiners are looking for (unfortunately, it won’t outright tell you the answer, just how to structure it).
The Prompt: This is the stem, the important part of the question amongst all the jargon and other information you’re given. It’s here that you’ll find the core information and the context for the question. It’s also where the imperative verbs will be that will tell you how to answer it.
Imperative Verbs: pay attention to these, because they are the indicator of just how to go about it. ‘Describe’, ‘compare’, ‘evaluate’ and ‘justify’ will all demand different answers. ‘Describe’ simply wants you to explain, while ‘compare’ will want you to look at the differences between two sets of data/sources. ‘Evaluate’ is likely going to want to you point out the flaws and the strengths of a source and decide on its reliability, and ‘justify’ will be wanting you to back up your answer using evidence from the text. These are just a few examples, so be sure to make a note of all the different ones you run into when looking at past papers, you may just notice a trend.
Supplementary Materials: these will be your data sets/graphs/images/sources depending on the exam you’re taking. It’s important to take the time to give them a good read-through. Your impulse will be to do so quickly and the temptation will be there to skim. Don’t. You’ll run the risk of misreading the information and that can derail your entire answer.
Mark Allocation: Have a glance at the marks available for the question. While not applicable to all exams (those that require longer-form responses) these can be a good indicator of just how much time and effort is required. If there are only a couple of marks at stake and you’re scratching your head at the way to answer it, chances are you’re overthinking it.
Planning Makes Perfect
Be sure to spend a few minutes before writing your answer to plan out what you’re going to say. Jot down some key arguments and examples, and highlight anything you think could be relevant. Prioritise the points you think best fit the answer, and then write. Taking the time here will help focus your writing and stop you from meandering from your point. Plus, should you run out of time, that plan will point out where your answer is going. It may not have much of a bearing on your marks, but you can’t rule out the marker not taking it into account.
Timing
Spending too much time on one question has the consequence of leaving you considerably less time for any subsequent ones. If you’re struggling with a question, the next one you may find much easier—how you’ll kick yourself if you waste time on a lost cause when you could maximise your marks elsewhere on the paper! Two partially answered questions will net you more marks than one good one and one terrible one, bear that in mind.
Using your time wisely is very important, and while it’s understandable that exam situations can cause a bit of stress, and once you get momentum in a question you can lose track of that clock; discipline with your timing is one of the most valuable assets to have in an exam.
Cross Your ‘T’s, Dot Your ‘I’s
Keep in mind to leave yourself five minutes at the end to give your answers one last read-through to catch any errant spellings and missing punctuation. The amount of marks dropped for not adhering to the fundamentals of writing keeps teachers up at night, and you wouldn’t want to lose out on a grade because you misplaced too many commas.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Do Any Of These
Panic! Of course, that’s easier said than done, but keeping your cool will help you save precious time. You can help mitigate your angst by practicing exam papers under timed conditions. It won’t solve everything, but at least it will give you one less thing to be worried about.
Waffle! Keep in mind the points above, and don’t jump straight in to writing your answer, and you’ll do well to avoid this. Long answers that dance around the point don’t score as well as concise ones that are half the length.
Dwell on it. Coming out of the exam wondering what could have been and talking to your friends comparing answers is a great way to bring your mood down. Once time is up, there is nothing else you can do. Take a break, do something to take your mind off it—then on to the next one!
There’s plenty of time between now and the exam, so use it wisely. Just remember, whatever may come results day, if you can get to the end of May and tell yourself that you tried your very best, what else could you do? Nobody can ask more of you than that.
You’ve got this, good luck.
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Your reading list probably asks you for newest editions of novels and textbooks. If you own some older editions of these texts already, you might think; ‘why do I need to rebuy something I already own?’ It can be an annoying question, particularly for your parent or legal guardian. After all, it’s their money! Due to cost-of-living pressures, many parents are now spending less on books for their kids. If you have an older sibling, it’s even possible your parents were planning on passing their books down to you. Unfortunately, it’s a plan that’s unlikely to succeed. So, why do you need to purchase the newest editions of books that you may already own? Well, we’ve tried to provide a few different answers to that question for you below.
Presentation for Curriculum Requirements
Over the years, the curriculums have changed. Studying is a lot more learner-friendly than it used to be. Let’s use English literature as an example. Textbooks for the subject would often present quite rigorous, factual questions, very much looking for answers that were distinctly ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. However, things began to change in the mid-1990s.
Some of the textbooks for English literature test pupils quite differently today. Now, schoolkids and home learners alike are tested on more interpretative questions, ones where your reading of the text is more important. You’re allowed to argue your points, and so long as they’re well-structured, well-written, and well-reasoned points, they’re generally marked favourably. It might seem tempting to get an older textbook for a more affordable price, but you’ll also be subjecting yourself to a different mode of learning when it comes to English literature. One that’s incompatible with modern curriculums! That difference likely extends to several other subjects as well.
The Condition of the Book
You might agree that, generally, many people don’t treat their books very well. Instead of arranging them neatly on a shelf at home, some of these books might live in bags or under furniture for months at a time, folded and creased. Others might doodle in their books, spill drinks on the pages, or even playfully use them as weapons against friends. They can also be rudely vandalised for a laugh. So, publishers quite understandably think that passing these texts down and around isn’t always a good idea. Older editions are bound to carry a few ‘battle scars’.
So, if your reading lists ask you for a new edition of a text, it possibly means the person curating it may be trying to evade some of these common issues. It’s not a guarantee – new editions of a text are typically released every 3-4 years with most publishers. Still, the newest edition of a text is harder to buy or borrow second-hand. It all means your learning is less likely to be interrupted, and you can enjoy the reading precisely as intended.
Author Changes
Many authors publish their books and insist the first copy is the final copy. They can get quite touchy about it, believing their integrity and reputation as a writer is on the line.
Others take a more relaxed approach when it comes to making changes. It’s still quite rare they do so, but it does happen! For example, Stephen King rewrote the ending of his 1978 novel, ‘The Stand’, revising the ending once in 1990, and then again for the 2020 TV miniseries adaptation. You’re unlikely to read a Stephen King text for study before university, but the larger point here is that even high-calibre authors do make changes, sometimes. The changes aren’t typically small, either. They can be so large that they fundamentally alter the message and mood of a text. So, in buying the newest edition, you can be sure that you’re grappling with the most relevant copy of a fiction.
Textbooks Can be Wrong
It’s easy to think of study as memorising bulletproof facts. Empirical information is presented to you with great authority, and your learning is rightly taken quite seriously. However, it’s not just authors that might like to change things around. It’s also true that so-called ‘factual’ textbooks can be wrong. After all, even long held scientific understandings about the age of the universe can later be questioned or even outright disproved. The knowledge of the human race is pretty ‘far off’ sometimes, and that’s okay.
This doesn’t mean everything you’re reading is redundant. However, it does mean that buying the latest edition of a text means that you’re more likely to engage with information that is accurate, up-to-date, and has been revised and amended as many times as possible. It also teaches you a valuable a lesson, too; that the learning journey never ends. Professional scientists and scholars are always experimenting and updating their knowledge, presenting incorrect answers to eventually find the correct ones. Equipped with that understanding, you may approach your own learning more comfortably and confidently. It’s okay to be wrong sometimes!
Bonus Material
Newest editions of a text often come with bonus material to make a purchase more enticing for consumers. Some of these add-ons can benefit you during your home learning. You’ll likely know what an appendix is. It’s a section of nonessential writing at the end of an academic text. It’s bonus material, featuring anything from quick notes to scanned letters and maps. Sometimes these are updated for newer editions of books and provide unique insights into the text you’re reading. However, appendices in older editions are not always reprinted for newest editions. It may vary on a text-by-text basis!
Newer editions of a text may also feature better quality, brand-new, and more frequent illustrations, graphs, and other visual spectacles too. It may seem like a small thing, but these additions can break up an overwhelming wall of text and make it more engaging to engage with as a result.
So, there you have it. In reading the points above, we hope you’ve come to understand that newest editions of books bring you, as the reader, ‘closer’ to the text. You can more easily understand and relate to what’s written and the people who wrote it, which should benefit you greatly on your learning journey!
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We know now that a journey to the centre of the earth would be nowhere near as fantastic as Jules Verne’s depiction, with dinosaurs, secret civilisations and sunken cities. Rather, it would be more like a hi-tech, brute force drilling exercise through gigatonnes of rock, much like what was seen in the 2003 science-fiction disaster movie, The Core. The film depicted a group of scientists who constructed a super drill to take them to the centre of the earth to restart the its core with a nuclear bomb. Well, if a bunch of pioneering scientists really took that journey, this is what they would find…
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth: Mariana To Mantle
Just like in the movie the scientists would probably start the journey at the bottom of the the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which at 11km in depth, would cut out a lot of unnecessary drilling. Initially, they would encounter the Earth’s crust. This is the outermost layer of the Earth, ranging from about 20 to 80 kilometres in thickness beneath the continents and about 8 kilometres beneath the ocean floor. This explains why it would make sense to enter the earth through the thinner oceanic crust.
Beneath the crust lies the mantle, a layer of mostly solid rock made of iron, magnesium, and silicon that extends to a depth of approximately 2,900 kilometres. The mantle is dense, hot and semi-solid. and for any pioneering geonauts, they would be drilling through a caramel candy like substance. In the cooler first 200 kilometres of the mantle, they could encounter diamonds in crystalline form.
Outer And Inner Core
The next part of this geological journey to the centre of the earth would be the outer core, which is made of iron and nickel and is in pure liquid form, sitting around 5000 to 3000 kilometres below the surface. It’s heated by the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, and the liquid churns in a huge turbulent current, which would make for a bumpy ride for any geonaut traversing it. These currents create electrical current and generate the earth’s magnetic field.
Having navigated the radioactive swamp of the outer core our geonauts would now arrive at the Earth’s core proper, the subject of the far-fetched disaster movie I referenced earlier. This is a sold metal sphere made from nickel and iron. With a radius of about 1,200 kilometres it has a temperature of 5,400 degrees Celsius which is almost as hot as the surface of the sun. Pressures here are thought to be 3,000,000 million times greater than on the surface of the earth. It’s mind-blowing! Scientists believe there may be an inner, inner core built of iron and the temperatures and pressures here would be unimaginable!
Such a journey might be purely hypothetical, but it is nonetheless an interesting one to make.
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A Geographical Journey Across Britain’s Blossoming Landscape
The astronomical onset of spring in the UK is marked by the vernal equinox on the 20th of March 2024. However, it may surprise you that there are two additional definitions for the season, stemming from meteorology and phenology (def. The study of cyclical, seasonal phenomena).
When Does Spring Really Begin?
In the Northern Hemisphere, meteorologists typically categorise seasons into three-month intervals determined by average monthly temperatures, with summer being the warmest and winter the coolest. According to this system, spring encompasses the months of March, April, and May, making the 1st of March the meteorological first day of spring.
In practice, establishing precise criteria for the beginning of each season is challenging. For instance, the arrival of spring might be marked by a phonological event like the date of the first daffodil flowers blossoming or the commencement of birds building their nests. However, the specific dates of these phonological events exhibit considerable variation across Britain.
High, Low, Countryside And City
The geographical journey of spring is linked to temperature gradients across Britain. Southern regions experience milder winters, leading to an earlier onset. The gradual increase in temperature triggers key biological processes, such as bud break and flowering, in plant species, marking the first signs of the season. According to studies, spring progresses across the UK at a speed of about 2 mph! So, if you were to walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, you could likely follow the season—the longest Spring walk ever.
If we are being meticulous, it seems that Spring progresses from southwest to northeast in line with rising temperatures, fuelled no doubt by the warmer southwesterly winds dominating at this time of year.
Altitudinal differences also contribute to the staggered emergence of spring across Britain. The timing of flowering also depends on elevation. Lowland areas generally experience an earlier spring due to milder temperatures. In contrast, higher elevations, such as the Scottish Highlands, maintain winter conditions for a more extended period.
Urban areas introduce microclimates that further affect the timing of spring. Heat-retaining materials, such as concrete and asphalt, create localised warming, leading to an earlier beginning in major cities, compared to surrounding rural landscapes. This urban heat island effect accelerates the blooming of plants and trees in metropolitan areas.
To sum it all up, the geographical journey of spring in Britain is a staggered but overwhelmingly consistent progression from southwest to northeast.
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Understanding the science behind snowfall is deceptively simple: moist air rises, cools, and condenses into ice crystals around particles, forming snowflakes. This process demands freezing temperatures, ample moisture, condensation nuclei, and upward air motion, all abundant during winter. However, predicting snowfall proves to be more elusive.
Why Snowfall In The UK Is So Unpredictable
In many countries, scientists can with some reliability predict when it is going to snow. But, in certain geographies, and we can use the UK as an example, predicting snowfall is not easy. In December 2023, the UK media buzzed with reports of imminent snow in the South of England, yet scientists couldn’t pinpoint when or how much would fall. The reason for this lack of predictability of snowfall in the UK is down to two things, according to Rob Thompson, a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Meteorology at the University of Reading: “Its location and the fact that small differences in temperature can cause dramatic changes to the forecast.”
Situated at the convergence point of diverse global weather patterns, the UK experiences freezing northern or easterly winds, which occasionally collide with moist air from the west to produce snow. The UK’s awkward predicament stems from the sporadic interaction of northerly/easterly winds with southern warm moist air—a rarity in winter. This tenuous relationship between weather systems makes snowfall hard to anticipate. Moreover, in regions where winter temperatures hover around 0 degrees Celsius, (such as the UK), minor temperature fluctuations wield substantial influence. A two-degree rise transforms falling snow into rain, while a two-degree drop ensures a snowy spectacle.
Even with precise precipitation predictions, the UK’s atmospheric idiosyncrasies make it challenging to forecast the form — rain, sleet, or snow — that precipitation will take. Being a snow weather forecaster in meteorologically awkward regions like the UK is therefore an extremely challenging occupation. Conversely, in regions with consistently colder temperatures, like those at -10 degrees Celsius, snowfall can be predicted with more certainty.
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Preserving Cultural Heritage
The world is home to a tapestry of languages, each representing a unique window into the culture, history, and identity of the people who speak them. Among the most diverse and culturally significant languages are those spoken by indigenous communities. These languages are not only tools of communication but also repositories of traditional knowledge, storytelling, and cultural heritage.
Indigenous languages are an integral part of the cultural identity of the communities that speak them. They provide a means to express a people’s world view, values, and history. These languages often include nuanced vocabularies for the environment, traditional practices, and spiritual beliefs, which are not easily translatable into dominant languages.
Despite their cultural significance, many indigenous languages are endangered. The pressures of globalisation, urbanisation, and the dominance of major world languages have led to their decline. In some cases, this has resulted in languages becoming moribund, with few fluent speakers remaining. The loss of an indigenous language is not merely a linguistic event but a cultural tragedy. With each language that fades away, a unique way of viewing the world is lost. The stories, myths, and wisdom encoded in them may vanish forever.
Efforts to preserve and revitalise indigenous languages are crucial for safeguarding cultural diversity and ensuring that future generations can access their cultural heritage. Organisations and initiatives around the world are working to document and revitalise these languages. This includes recording elders speaking the languages, creating language teaching materials, and integrating indigenous languages into educational curricula.
In some cases, revitalisation efforts have been successful in reversing language decline. These efforts are not only linguistic but also community-driven, as language revival becomes a central element of cultural identity and pride.
Indigenous Languages Are Not Just A Part Of The Past But Also A Bridge To The Future
They hold the potential to connect and introduce future generations to their cultural heritage, promote intergenerational knowledge transfer, and contribute to the diversity of the global linguistic landscape. Their preservation is a shared responsibility of society. It calls for collaboration between indigenous communities, linguists, governments, and organisations committed to the cause. By recognising the value of indigenous languages, we can ensure that these unique forms of human expression continue to enrich the world’s cultural heritage.
What is COP?
In 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was founded as an international treaty to address the issue of climate change. The Conference of the Parties, or COP, is the decision-making body of the UNFCCC and brings together representatives from its member countries to discuss and set out actions to tackle climate change. This year, from November the 30th to the 12th of December, will see the latest meeting, COP28, held in the United Arab Emirates.
The main focus of the treaty is to “stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system”, thereby helping to achieve its goal of limiting long term temperature rises to 1.5C. It aims to achieve this through the promotion of sustainability, equity and justice.
What Has COP Achieved?
Since it’s inception, COP meetings have helped achieve several important milestones. The most significant actions have included the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol at COP3, a legally binding emissions reduction target for developed countries, and perhaps the more widely known Paris Agreement at COP21, which established a global framework for countries to set their own nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to mitigate gas emissions and enhance resilience to climate impacts.
The meetings have so far promoted international cooperation and diplomacy to help foster a sense of shared responsibility, set the stage for global action through global climate goals, provided aid to developing countries’ strategies through financial support and technology transfer, conducted research and innovation and helped raise public awareness. For example, between 2020 and 2025, richer nations have pledged to finance developing countries with $100 billion a year.
Will The UNFCCC Achieve Its Goals?
There is some debate among the public that, ironically, the holding of COP meetings is contributing more to the greenhouse than they are taking away. However, this does assume a negative view the impact of the meetings. In the case of COP28, if its proposals are delivered upon, the emissions savings would prevent 72,200 times more CO2 emissions in 2030 than those associated with the summit itself.
It is true to say, though, that beyond this debate over the summit’s own emissions, there is much more substantial concern surrounding proposal delivery. Many experts agree that despite the efforts being undertaken, especially by major emitters such as the United States and the European Union, the window to achieve the 1.5C target is still narrowing rapidly. Currently it is predicted that global temperatures will reach 2.5C in the near future despite the current pledges to tackle emissions. It is therefore clear that actions being taken need to be increased and at a faster rate.
How COP28 Can Improve Efforts
COP28 aims to address these concerns by fast-tracking the transition to clean energy sources by 2030 and increasing further the financial support for developing countries, to help with their climate action activities. In a world first, the conference aims to push for a phase out of the global use of ‘unabated’ coal, oil and gas. It will also take a first Global Stocktake (GST) of the progress made since the adoption of the Paris Agreement to help decide what measures will be needed to bridge the gap between current progress and climate action targets. This event will, in essence, set the precedent as to whether the UNFCCC can achieve its future targets.
It is clear that COP events have encouraged united collaboration and inspired action on a global scale, placing pressure on businesses and governments to put processes in place to tackle these issues. However, due to the complex nature of the climate actions required and the rate at which climate change is occurring, many challenges still remain.
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A Journey Through the World’s Diverse Deserts
When we think of deserts, the image of endless sand dunes often comes to mind. However, deserts are far more diverse than this stereotypical portrayal. From the Sahara, the largest hot desert in the world, to the Atacama in Chile, the driest, and even to those that can transition from arid wastelands to fertile oases in the course of a year, the world’s deserts are rich with unique traits and hidden wonders waiting to be explored.
There’s Not Just Sand In The Sahara
The Sahara Desert, stretching across North Africa, covers an area almost as large as the United States. This is the one which many first associate with a desert, with its iconic dunes, some of which can reach heights comparable to skyscrapers. However, the Sahara is not just an expanse of sand. It boasts a variety of landscapes, from rock plateaus and mountains to ancient oases where life has thrived for centuries. These oases are not just picturesque; they serve as vital sources of water and vegetation for the people and animals that call the desert home.
The Arid Atacama
In stark contrast to the Sahara, the Atacama Desert in Chile stands as the driest desert on Earth. Its arid landscape has been compared to that of Mars, and in some areas, rainfall has never been recorded. The Atacama is also a testament to the adaptability of life though, as unique microorganisms have been discovered in its salt flats, demonstrating that even the harshest conditions can support it.
Part-Time Deserts
One of the most intriguing phenomena in the world of deserts is the transition from barren land to a temporary oasis. A remarkable example of this is Oman’s Salalah “Jungle of Arabia”. Each year, for a number of months, the desert there transforms into a lush jungle, supporting a wide variety of wildlife and plant species. This transition showcases the dynamic nature of deserts, where life, just as it does in the Atacama, can thrive in the most unexpected places and under extreme conditions.
Respect The Desert, Respect The World
Deserts, then, are not just desolate landscapes but dynamic ecosystems. They are home to unique flora and fauna, many of which have evolved to withstand harsh conditions. From the Sonora Desert in North America, with its iconic saguaro cacti and desert-adapted animals, to the Namib Desert in Africa, where the ancient Welwitschia plant can live for over a thousand years, deserts are an illustration of the resilience and adaptability of life on Earth. Exploring them can uncover hidden treasures and unique environmental characteristics, and when we do so, it reminds us that they are not just monotonous wastelands. Indeed, this kind of reminder should inspire a deeper respect for the intricate balance of all ecosystems.
