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October 22, 2025

A new online game helps imagine life on Earth in 2100

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lynda Dunlop, Senior Lecturer in Science Education, University of York

What will the world look like in 2100? This question is central to a new free online game called FutureGuessr. Launched in June 2025, this new form of climate communication combines gameplay with visual climate imagery and encourages players to explore future scenarios.

Players are shown an image from the future and asked to guess the location. Information is revealed about how close they are, what the climate change consequences would be, what will happen if no action is taken and how things could be different.

Available to play in English and French, the game takes inspiration from GeoGuessr, the online geography game that has enabled millions of people to travel virtually from their phone and guess where they are. FutureGuessr uses pictures to give users a visual representation of how familiar landscapes will look in 2100 as a result of climate change.

FutureGuessr is part of a broader trend in the use of games in climate communication. Creative board games and video games can reach diverse audiences and communicate climate change in serious, playful, thought-provoking and surprising ways.

Games played for pleasure, like Game Changers (an online story-based game produced by Megaverse) can generate conversations on climate actions by creating an innovative visual game world and integrating climate change into the plot. Collective decision making in the game allows players to learn and discuss climate change with others.

Our research suggests that this helps players critique corporate power, learn about greenwashing and enjoy an aesthetic experience. In the world of board games, Daybreak challenges players to cooperate and stop climate change by trying out different technical, social and economic projects.

Play with purpose

Serious games go beyond entertainment to connect with real-world problems. The most successful ones are fun while engaging with social, environmental and economic issues that players really care about.

Games can support players in thinking about becoming disaster ready and building disaster resilience. A game called The Flood Recovery Game is being used by researchers to identify disaster recovery gaps. It can also help policymakers create more comprehensive strategies to address flooding.

In terms of climate education, interactive in-person game-based workshops like the Climate Fresk already connects millions of people with science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body that assesses the science on climate change. These three-hour workshops also enable people to consider how they might act to create positive climate solutions.

FutureGuessr is a game for pleasure with a serious purpose: to make climate change data visible. Produced in partnership with Résau Action Climat, a network of non-governmental organisations, it shows the negative effects of climate change in familiar locations such as Antarctica and Easter Island.

Research on visual climate communication found that images showing climate impacts such as extreme weather and floods moved people, especially when it featured localised impacts. There is a balance to be struck between highlighting local relevance and linking to the bigger picture. Showing the future of recognisable places we care about might be powerful in building support for climate action.

But photographs from the future don’t exist. FutureGuessr uses images generated from a bespoke AI model which combines maps with photographs of locations and data from IPCC reports.

This has a cost. The climate cost of the AI revolution is increasingly measured and documented, and image generation is one of the most energy intensive tasks you can do with AI. Experts in computing have called for “frugal AI”: to treat AI as finite, only to be used when necessary, and even then, as effectively as possible.

It is important to consider not just the message, but the medium, and the environmental effects of game production. The Playing for the Planet Alliance has produced a carbon calculator for the industry and offers awards and game jams to support the video game industry to take climate action.

Now that the images have been created, an effective use of FutureGuessr might be to generate conversations about the effects of climate change, and about how research, game design and communication can be carried out in the most environmentally sensitive way.

People won’t act just based on facts alone. The development of creative ways to communicate the climate emergency that connect people with why this matters is essential for people and communities. Already, some games are making an increasingly visible contribution to the conversation but we need greater transparency in the environmental impacts of game production, and consideration of how to minimise these impacts through visible commitments to sustainability as modelled by Daybreak.
FutureGuessr demonstrates value of bringing games and visual climate communication together to raise awareness of how climate change affects landscapes everywhere on the planet. We all need to play for the planet. Our research shows that whether played for purpose or pleasure, games can create space for serious conversations about how to tackle climate change.

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Lynda Dunlop has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Education Endowment Foundation, British Educational Research Association, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Wellcome and UK Research and Innovation.

Steven Forrest works for the University of Hull. He has received funding from the Aviva Foundation and Ferens Education Trust to carry out serious gaming projects.

– ref. A new online game helps imagine life on Earth in 2100 – https://theconversation.com/a-new-online-game-helps-imagine-life-on-earth-in-2100-267353

October 22, 2025

South Africans feel mixture of hope and despair as apartheid becomes a distant memory

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin Plaut, Senior Research Fellow, Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London

According to data released by global market research firm Ipsos in September, 80% of South Africans say their country is on the wrong track. It is not hard to see why.

Even if they are not among the white Afrikaners who have sought refugee status in the US, courtesy of President Donald Trump’s controversial policy to protect them from the discrimination he alleges they are facing, there is a great deal for ordinary men and women in South Africa to complain about.

And with nearly 60% of the population born after apartheid ended in 1994, the government’s attempts to frame the hardships faced by its people as the result of past repression have decreasing relevance.

The most obvious problem is perhaps the failure for standards of living to improve. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has overseen flatlining or declining GDP per capita for more than 15 years, according to a two-year study published in 2023 by Harvard University.

A graph showing living standards in South Africa falling or flatlining in recent years. — Living standards in South Africa have fallen or flatlined in recent years.
Growth Through Inclusion in South Africa / The Growth Lab at Harvard University

Worse still, the study showed that unemployment has risen by 0.5% on average every year since the ANC came to power in 1994. This has left the majority of young men and women in South Africa without any prospect of earning a living. As the South African Department of Statistics reported in May 2025:

“Among the 4.8 million unemployed youth in the first quarter of 2025, 58.7% reported having no previous work experience. That means nearly six in ten unemployed young people are still waiting for their first opportunity to enter the job market.”

It continued: “Without experience, youth struggle to get hired – yet without being hired, they cannot gain experience. This cycle of exclusion continues to fuel long-term unemployment and stalls skills development at a critical stage of life.”

These are just two areas of decline. Johannesburg, the country’s commercial capital, has endured repeated electricity and water failures, while its streets have been so poorly maintained that some are close to being dysfunctional.

The military, once respected – and even feared – across the continent, is in shambles. According to DefenceWeb, an African defence and security news publication, only 15% to 20% of the South African National Defence Force’s aircraft are serviceable. It has one seaworthy frigate and just several inshore patrol vessels to guard nearly 3,000km of coastline.

South Africa’s police force is also severely infiltrated by criminal syndicates – so much so that Firoz Cachalia, the minister of police, has warned that the country is in danger of becoming “the next Colombia or Ecuador”. Both of these countries are plagued by criminal syndicates, with Ecuadorian crime groups particularly notorious for their links with the police.

This is all taking place against a backdrop of rampant corruption, which was exposed by the South African government’s own commission of inquiry in 2022. Hundreds of ANC politicians and officials were named or linked to corrupt activities after evidence was unearthed by the Zondo commission during its nearly four years of hearings.

Few of the accused are behind bars. And the author of the report, former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, has expressed his disappointment at the slow progress.

Reasons for optimism

An air of gloom has settled over South Africa. Yet there is evidence that allows for a more optimistic analysis. First, the country remains genuinely democratic, holding elections that are regarded as free and fair nationally and internationally.

This remains true, even though the ANC lost its absolute majority in the 2024 election and has had to join forces with opposition parties to govern. This was very different from the response of many parties across Africa in recent years, which have rigged votes or refused to recognise elections they have lost.

More than 27 million citizens registered to vote for the 2024 election, and the results reflected a multiparty system with genuine voter choice. At the same time, over 11 million South Africans did not cast a ballot, even though they were registered voters. This indicates a feeling of apathy towards politics.

Second, the official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has provided proof that there are alternatives to ANC governance that can work. Helen Zille was elected as mayor of Cape Town in 2006 and the party has held it ever since.

Her party has administered South Africa’s Western Cape region since 2009. And their administrations have generally been effective and free from corruption, giving citizens an idea of what an alternative future might hold. She has now decided to stand for mayor of Johannesburg in 2026, a major challenge to the ANC.

The leader of the Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille. — Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille has announced that she will be standing for mayor of Johannesburg in 2026.
Kim Ludbrook / EPA

Third, most of the media and book publishing industries in South Africa are not controlled by the government. South Africa guarantees freedom of the press, and its media landscape is among the freest in Africa. It is ranked 27th globally on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index – the highest in Africa.

Fourth, the judiciary is independent and has a record of holding criminals to account. This includes some, such as former police commissioner Jackie Selebi, who were well connected. However, it is capable of being disrupted by powerful figures who find loopholes to delay justice. South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma, is a case in point.

He has faced 16 charges of corruption related to a 30 billion rand (roughly £1.3 billion) deal to modernise the country’s defence in the late 1990s. Zuma denies the charges and none have been heard in court. As his late lead counsel, Kemp J. Kemp, put it in 2007, he defended Zuma against corruption charges “like Stalingrad … burning house to burning house”.

Fifth, South Africa’s agricultural sector is first rate, exporting across the world, while tourism remains a major attraction and a foreign exchange earner. Mining is also still important, even though it is a declining industry.

And sixth, several of its universities are among the best in Africa and produce skilled men and women who can serve their communities. The universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Witwatersrand rank first, second and third on the continent respectively. These factors together could provide a basis for reform and renewal.

Martin Plaut is affiliated with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London

– ref. South Africans feel mixture of hope and despair as apartheid becomes a distant memory – https://theconversation.com/south-africans-feel-mixture-of-hope-and-despair-as-apartheid-becomes-a-distant-memory-267160

October 22, 2025

A home insulation fiasco has left tens of thousands in cold and leaky homes over winter

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ewan Archer-Brown, DPhil Candidate in Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford

Britain’s flagship home insulation programme has received a damning verdict from the National Audit Office. Under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, tens of thousands of households have been left with faulty or even dangerous installations. It’s a result, the auditors say, of weak oversight, poor skills and confused accountability.

This report is troubling not only because of the human cost but because it exposes a deeper failure of governance in how the UK tries to decarbonise home heating. It’s a complex task that demands long-term stewardship, but is instead being left to the market.

The ECO was designed to make energy suppliers help households cut emissions and bills. Suppliers are the companies that buy electricity or gas from generators and sell it to you – the company named on your bills is your supplier. In theory, the ECO means these suppliers meet government-set carbon or energy saving targets by funding insulation and heating upgrades for households, with regulators checking that installations qualify.

The ECO was preceded by two other schemes that operated on the same principle. For years, they worked reasonably well for simple and low cost measures like loft or cavity wall insulation. But in 2013, the ECO was launched and expanded to cover more complex and expensive retrofits like solid wall insulation – an unprecedented shift.

So what went wrong?

The National Audit Office’s latest findings confirm fears that this was an approach set up to fail. Many installations require major remediation, some pose immediate health risks. The problems are familiar: an under-skilled workforce, uncertified installers, weak regulation and oversight.

Individually, these problems could be fixed. The government could improve installer training, tighten audits and crack down on fraud. But together, they reveal a deeper problem: a misplaced belief that market-based tools can deliver foundational change.

Energy efficiency obligations such as ECO work well for standardised, low-risk actions, like swapping bulbs or improving boilers. But, as we warned back in 2012, they are less suited to complex, capital-intensive retrofits of millions of households that require lots of coordination and long-term financing.

The UK’s energy efficiency governance still sits at arm’s length from the realities in people’s homes. Responsibilities are split confusingly between suppliers, Whitehall departments, auditors and local authorities, and it can often seem like no one is really in charge.

That’s why the failings highlighted in the National Audit Office report are not just implementation glitches or down to some “bad apple” installers. They’re failings of a governance model designed for incremental change, not the transformation required for net zero.

German lessons

If the UK really wants to retrofit millions of homes, it should look to what’s worked in other countries. Germany’s long-running KfW loan programme is one example. For more than three decades it has supported high-performance refurbishments through low-interest loans and grants. Successive German governments have recognised that the returns – in jobs, tax revenues, economic stimulus – have consistently outweighed the upfront cost.

By contrast, ECO has been repeatedly restructured, with shifting targets and funding levels that make it hard to plan ahead. Treating home retrofit as a short-term obligation rather than a long-term national project has left the UK far behind its peers.

Retrofitting homes is inherently local (you can’t pick up your house and move it to a different area). Local authorities should therefore play a much stronger role in coordinating delivery, enforcing quality, and linking retrofit to other social goals such as tackling fuel poverty.

Getting councils involved would align retrofit with local priorities rather than distant central government targets. It could also rebuild trust among people who may understandably be wary of such schemes.

The UK’s forthcoming warm homes plan is a chance to reset. The government should take a hard look at the tools at our disposal and think about what is needed to foster the creative and courageous policy needed to decarbonise our homes.

Jan Rosenow regularly advises organisations such as governments and government agencies, organisations including the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Energy Agency. He also advises private sector clients from time to time as a consultant. In the past, Jan Rosenow has been funded through the UK Energy Research Council and the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand to work on UK energy efficiency policy. There are no commercial interests to disclose.

Brenda Boardman and Ewan Archer-Brown do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. A home insulation fiasco has left tens of thousands in cold and leaky homes over winter – https://theconversation.com/a-home-insulation-fiasco-has-left-tens-of-thousands-in-cold-and-leaky-homes-over-winter-268002

October 22, 2025

What people at a Venice conference believe is the biggest climate change challenge in their home countries

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachael Jolley, Environment Editor, The Conversation

A view from the island of San Servolo across to Venice. Rachael Jolley, CC BY

Over the weekend I was at an environment conference on the tiny island of San Servolo, just off the coast of Venice. You are surrounded by water on all sides, stretching for miles.

Given this visual reminder of how low-lying Venice is it’s hard not to think about the increasing threat of flooding and the long-term implications of climate change for this historic city and the surrounding region of wetlands as well as towns and villages along the coast.

Venice is, after all, famous for its aqua alta, (high waters) and floods. It sits on the Mediterranean’s biggest lagoon which has an average depth of less than one metre. With increasing numbers of extreme storms, it’s clear that rising waters here are likely to cause greater and greater damage to people’s homes and livelihoods.

So in many ways the view was an ideal geographical prompt for the fourth Dolomite Conference on Global Governance of Climate Change and Sustainability, organised by the Vision thinktank. The conference brought together speakers from around the world to discuss climatic challenges and ideas for what could mitigate those changes. Debates ranged widely. From the way flooding and wild fires may make it difficult, or even impossible, for people to access insurance for their homes to how the health of soil is not being valued and its ability to grow crops is steadily declining.

A panel talking about the challenges of insuring communities facing extreme weather and its consequences. — Discussions at the conference ranged from floods to insurance challenges and soil erosion.
Laura Hood, CC BY

I spoke to some delegates to see what they thought was the biggest challenge that their home faced from climate change.

Los Angeles

Paulina Velasco is the deputy chief of staff for district six in Los Angeles. She sees the biggest challenge ahead as “making sure that we have all the people in the room who know what’s going on”.

“Not just the academics talking about the statistics, but also people in the community, the people who have asthma because the air quality is so bad and they live next to a freeway, ensuring that it’s not just one way [of] looking at things from a high level, but making sure that everyone has an understanding and we can act as a community.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming LA Olympics 2028, Velasco felt there was an opportunity to change behaviour that could help the city tackle climate change threats.

“The question is not just what’s going to happen in the Olympics or what’s going to happen in the world cup, but how are we going to recycle all the plastic or make sure we drive less.”

It was about what was going to happen so that people act differently, taking more public transport, for instance, in ways that can be sustained after the Olympics, she said.

Brazil

Julia Paletta, a PhD researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said the issue that concerned her most about Brazil was emissions coming from land use change. Brazil is an agricultural country and the pressing issue was extending agriculture into new areas, such as the Amazon, causing deforestation. By some estimates the Amazon rainforest could become a dry grassland if deforestation continues at pace.

“With Brazil hosting Cop30 [the UN climate conference] this year I think the big discussion is going to be around the Amazon,” she added. She felt it was going to be “a very important moment for the global community being there and seeing the Amazon”. Not only because this was a pristine area, but also a very important place to be preserved. “It’s very important not only to Brazil, but overall to the world.”

A white building with palm trees, the San Servolo conference centre. — The front of the San Servolo centre where the conference was held.
Rachael Jolley, CC BY

Belgium

Taube Van Melkebeke is head of policy at the Green European Foundation, a foundation aligned to the European Green party arranges debates and training around green issues.

She said: “The biggest hurdle for Belgium is a lack of systemic planning that really takes into account different dimensions, both the short and the long term, such as social and economic aspects, and energy security.”

“I think there is a lack of political long term-ism, which is, of course, partially embedded in our political systems. But I also do think that there is a lack of political will and political insights to really connect the dots.”

I often find that conferences can be gloomy places where people come together to discuss problems and can easily disappear into a rabbit-hole of depression, rather than proposing solutions. This conference’s organisers decided to do something different, by asking postgraduate students to put forward discussion points with suggestions of what could change, not just what was wrong.

There was an excellent session on soil erosion, which covered everything from the weight of tractors and farm vehicles, to how societies have focused on machinery and forgotten the importance of keeping the soil healthy. Students from Bocconi University came up with proposals and then experts from farming, policy and government were asked to respond.

It is this kind of approach that could make a long-term difference. Putting people from different walks of life into the same room, and asking them all what happens next and what could work has got to be a fruitful way of creating change, and that feels positive.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

– ref. What people at a Venice conference believe is the biggest climate change challenge in their home countries – https://theconversation.com/what-people-at-a-venice-conference-believe-is-the-biggest-climate-change-challenge-in-their-home-countries-267563

October 22, 2025

How a new online game helps imagine life on Earth in 2100

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lynda Dunlop, Senior Lecturer in Science Education, University of York

Play with purpose

But photographs from the future don’t exist. FutureGuessr uses images generated from a bespoke AI model which combines maps with photographs of locations and data from IPCC reports.

Steven Forrest works for the University of Hull. He has received funding from the Aviva Foundation and Ferens Education Trust to carry out serious gaming projects.

– ref. How a new online game helps imagine life on Earth in 2100 – https://theconversation.com/how-a-new-online-game-helps-imagine-life-on-earth-in-2100-267353

October 22, 2025

Banning Prince Andrew, paring down royal causes – what a modern monarchy might look like under William

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Francesca Jackson, PhD candidate, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University

In a recent interview with actor Eugene Levy, Prince William stated that “change is on [the] agenda” when he becomes king. His pivotal role in the decision to remove Prince Andrew’s titles has given a glimpse into what these changes might be.

Announcing that Andrew would no longer use his official titles, Buckingham Palace stated that the Prince of Wales had been “consulted” on the decision. But news reports suggest that it may have been William, rather than Andrew or the king, who was the real driving force behind the decision.

William has already made it clear he takes a dim view of his uncle, for example by banning him from walking in the Order of the Garter procession. It has been reported that as king, William will ban Andrew from public and private royal events, including his coronation.

The 19th-century commentator Walter Bagehot, whose 1867 work The English Constitution provides the classic account of constitutional monarchy in the UK, described the monarchy as the “dignified” part of the constitution, whose opulence and grandeur inspired “awe”, “reverence” and “deference” from its people. He suggested that the monarchy needed to maintain “mystery and theatre” in order to project this image of dignity.

Bagehot warned against the monarchy playing an “efficient” role in the constitution – seeking to solve problems that the country might be facing. But, as a poll from 2024 found, people now want the royal family to talk more about the “social issues and challenges facing the country”, rather than simply looking regal on a throne.

Whereas Andrew arguably embodied Bagehot’s outdated, entitled view of monarchy, William represents a more efficient one. He wants to be out in society, playing a hands-on role to help inspire policy shifts on key issues.

It is clear that William wants to change how the monarchy lives and works day-to-day. But how much change can one man – even a king – make?

Constitutional obligations

As head of state, there are certain constitutional functions and duties which, as king, William must perform. For example, he will have to deliver the king’s speech each year during the extravagant state opening of parliament. This grand display of pomp and ceremony seems at odds with any pared-down vision for monarchy.

But William’s future role also gives him the chance to inspire the sorts of changes he wants to see. The monarch enjoys the right to be consulted by, and the rights to encourage and warn, the government of the day. These rights are known as the tripartite convention. William has previously stated that he wants to “engage governments” on issues he cares about, and this constitutional convention gives him the vehicle to do so.

This is something we are already seeing William’s father, King Charles, do, using his influence to encourage the government to take action on issues important to him. He encouraged the government to launch the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime. And Keir Starmer explicitly stated that the king’s vision for sustainable, eco-friendly homes had “inspired” government policy on housing.

William has chosen to focus much of his work as Prince of Wales on issues with a social purpose, such as climate change, homelessness and mental health. This is work which he wants to continue as king, stating that what excites him most about his future role is to create “a world … that actually does impact people’s lives for the better”.

He has already tried to use his influence to encourage government support for these issues. In 2023, he spent weeks courting support from ministers for his anti-homelessness initiative, Homewards.

But in the weekly audiences with the prime minister that he will have as king, he will be able to have direct conversations at the highest level of government.

Of course, he will need to remain politically neutral, another inescapable constitutional obligation. Bagehot warned that “constitutional royalty under an active king is one of the worst of governments” and described a political king as a “meddling fool”.

But Charles is already treading the political boundary as king – and so far seems to be avoiding criticism. This is likely because there is largely support in society to see progress on issues like reducing knife crime. To balance his desire to initiate change with his constitutional obligations, William will have to stick to relatively uncontroversial issues on which there is broad shared consensus, like the need to end homelessness.

William can also modernise the monarchy when it comes to cost. Rather than, in his own words, having hundreds of patronages and “loads of causes that you sort of turn up and keep an eye on”, he wants the monarchy to focus on a handful of core projects. This would entail a smaller number of working royals doing fewer engagements, which should mean fewer staff and reduced costs for the taxpayer.

Bagehot suggested that the royal family should “dazzle” people with displays of its “showy wealth”. But William’s recent decision to move his family into Forest Lodge – a relatively modest-sized residence by royal standards – suggests his vision for monarchy is more aligned with that of the European “bicycling monarchies”. This informal style of monarchy with fewer working members is popular in countries where people – including the royals themselves – often bicycle. And they are just as, if not more popular, than the UK’s monarchy.

This, along with William’s approach to his uncle, suggests that he is acutely aware of the royal family’s outward appearance. He is understood to be concerned at the message that Andrew’s continued presence at family events sends to victims of sexual abuse.

William knows that the monarchy has to solve problems, rather than create them, in order to survive. In this vision for monarchy, there is no place for a liability like Andrew.

Francesca Jackson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Banning Prince Andrew, paring down royal causes – what a modern monarchy might look like under William – https://theconversation.com/banning-prince-andrew-paring-down-royal-causes-what-a-modern-monarchy-might-look-like-under-william-268021

October 22, 2025

Donald Trump’s deal to end the war in Gaza ignores two fundamental requirements for a lasting peace

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ambra Suriano, Marie Curie post-doctoral fellow, Lancaster University

Until both sides can rid themselves of mutual emnity and deal on equal terms, a lasting peace looks like a pipe dream. OMG_Studio/Shutterstock

Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal to bring peace in Gaza covers some essential points for reaching a long-awaited ceasefire. But the release of Israeli hostages and the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza are only the first steps. Some vital factors that will be needed if Israelis and Palestinians are to build a lasting peace are still missing.

The US president’s plan calls for a “dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence”. But there are significant stumbling blocks to this.

First is the hatred and lack of trust on both sides. The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity signed by world leaders on October 13 noted their “determination to dismantle extremism and radicalisation in all its forms”. It went on to say that: “No society can flourish when violence and racism are normalised, or when radical ideologies threaten the fabric of civil life.”

There can be no denying that extremism and racism have profoundly affected both Palestinian and Israeli societies, and are deeply ingrained in the education system on both sides. Palestinians criticise the Israeli school curriculum for failing to acknowledge the Nakba, the disastrous consequences of the mass displacement of Palestinian people during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the lasting trauma it caused. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities point out that Palestinian textbooks often omit any reference to the Holocaust and to Israel as a legitimate state.

This lack of acknowledgement of each other’s suffering has become deeply entrenched over time, leading to mutual dehumanisation which has created the atmosphere in which violence can flourish. There is plenty of evidence that Palestinian antisemitism has become what Itamar Marcus, the director of Palestinian Media Watch, told the US Congress in June 2023: “A systematically disseminated ideology that is by now deeply ingrained in the Palestinian national and political identity.”

In Israel, the growing rhetoric of dehumanisation towards Palestinians has taken shape through violence and a troubling fusion of religion and politics. A recent United Nations report, which concluded that Israeli troops were committing genocide in Gaza, highlighted the former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, referring to Palestinians as “human animals”.

The same report quoted the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, using a biblical story to justify the killing of Palestinians. In a letter to Israeli troops on the eve of the assault on Gaza, he wrote: “Remember what Amalek did to you.” This is a reference to the story from the book of Samuel in which God tells the Israelites to destroy their mortal enemies, the Amelekites: “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

This sort of rhetoric is all the more concerning given that it comes from official voices of a recognised state based, at least formally, on democratic principles.

Unequal partners

Another massive stumbling block that Trump’s plan fails to acknowledge is the lack of equivalence between the two peoples. The plan insists that “lasting peace will be one in which both Palestinians and Israelis can prosper with their fundamental human rights protected, their security guaranteed, and their dignity upheld”.

But Israel exists as a sovereign state, with all that entails. It has a powerful military. It is deeply embedded in global financial and diplomatic systems. In contrast, despite their statehood being recognised by 157 out of 193 UN members, Palestinians enjoy little of the rights that statehood should confer.

For a start, much of Palestine’s territory remains under Israeli occupation. Neither the Trump’s declaration nor the 20-point ceasefire plan include any practical action to dismantle Israeli military occupation in the West Bank. Nor do they attempt to formulate any realistic programme for Palestinian self-determination.

As it stands, the US president’s plan envisions a fragmented, non-independent Palestine to be administered under the supervision of an external “Board of Peace”, with himself as the chair and former UK prime minister Tony Blair in some sort of executive role.

‘Othering’ the enemy

Netanyahu has said he will resist any moves towards a two-state solution. In September, he told the UN general assembly: “Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7th is like giving Al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11th.”

This “othering” of Palestinians is a thread through Israeli politics which makes mutual empathy impossible. Under these conditions, the well-intentioned international goals of fostering interfaith dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, full recognition of human rights and security for both sides remains a pipe dream which one side strenuously opposes.

A lasting peace should first lead both peoples to recognise each others’ basic human rights. Only then can traumas be healed, ideologies deradicalised and bridges built. Until then, all the declarations and peace plans of a well-meaning world will come to nothing.

Ambra Suriano receives funding from the European Union, through the Horizon program.

– ref. Donald Trump’s deal to end the war in Gaza ignores two fundamental requirements for a lasting peace – https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-deal-to-end-the-war-in-gaza-ignores-two-fundamental-requirements-for-a-lasting-peace-267564

October 22, 2025

Antidepressants: physical side-effects vary depending on the drug type – new research

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Toby Pillinger, Doctor and Clinical Researcher, King’s College London

Not all antidepressants are the same when it comes to their physical side-effects. Kmpzzz/ Shutterstock

Millions of people worldwide take antidepressants. While these drugs can be very effective in treating mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, they can also cause a range of physical side-effects – including weight gain, heart rate changes and altered blood pressure.

But not all antidepressants are equal when it comes to the physical effects they can have on the body, a new analysis published by myself and my colleagues has revealed. We found clear and meaningful differences between the drugs, with some causing greater effects on weight, heart rate, cholesterol levels and blood pressure. For the millions of people who take these prescription drugs, these differences matter.

Our study brought together 151 randomised trials which contained data on 58,534 people and looked at 30 different antidepressants. Each study had recorded routine physical measures you’d see in a clinic such as blood pressure, body weight and heart rate. Most of the studies lasted about eight weeks.

We then used a method called network meta-analysis that lets you compare multiple treatments against each other simultaneously. This approach gives a sort of “league table” of treatments, ranking them from best to worst for each physical health outcome.

We found that even after only eight weeks of treatments, the physical effects of the various different antidepressants were not subtle.

Weight effects varied markedly between drugs. For example, people taking the antidepressant agomelatine lost around 2.5kg on average, whereas those on maprotiline gained nearly 2kg.

Heart rate effects also varied widely. The antidepressant fluvoxamine actually lowered heart rate by about eight beats per minute, while nortriptyline raised it by around 14 – a difference of more than 20 beats per minute between drugs.

Systolic blood pressure saw a more than 11mmHg spread between the antidepressant doxepin and nortriptyline.

And for cholesterol and blood sugar levels, several antidepressants – including paroxetine, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine and duloxetine – were associated with higher total cholesterol. Duloxetine was also associated with higher blood sugar levels.

It’s important to note that the analysis only focused on antidepressant treatment that lasted for around eight weeks. Since many people take antidepressants for a longer period than this, real-world, long-term physical effects could be greater. This is one reason why routinely monitoring patients taking antidepressants is essential.

We also only included objective outcomes that are consistently collected in trials. Some important physical problems, such as sexual side-effects, are not routinely measured in research so were not included in the analysis due to a lack of data – not a lack of importance. It will be important for future studies to investigate such outcomes.

A young woman has her blood pressure checked by a female doctor. — Blood pressure readings were one of the physical side-effects that differed between antidepressant types.
antoniodiaz/ Shutterstock

The results also should not be read as a list of “good” and “bad” antidepressants. Rather, they illustrate how different drugs can have different physical effects. The aim with our research is to show why it’s important to tailor prescribing to each patient.

Peronalised prescribing

For years, debates about antidepressants have been framed as “do they work?” or “are side-effects real?” Our findings suggest a more useful question: which drug suits which person, given their physical health and priorities?

The data shows that antidepressants are not interchangeable. For someone with obesity, diabetes or hypertension, choosing an antidepressant that has a more neutral effect on weight, blood sugar and blood pressure is sensible. But for an underweight person with low blood pressure, the trade-off may be different. The right answer will depend on the patient.

In light of our recent findings, it’s more important than ever that doctors work closely with patients to understand their priorities and match them with the correct antidepressant.

Of course, this is a challenge in and of itself for doctors, who would need to consider two dozen different antidepressants and their many potential side-effects. So alongside the analysis we performed, we also previously developed a freely-available tool that doctors and patients can use together to decide on the right antidepressant.

The tool allows doctors and patients to select the side-effects the patient most wants to avoid and set how important each one is. The tool then integrates those preferences with side-effect databases, then produces a personalised table of options which ranks antidepressants based on which best fits the patient’s preferences.

Antidepressants are effective for many people. Our study does not change that. But what it does show is that not all antidepressants are the same. We now have high-quality evidence that their effects on weight, blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar differ in clinically meaningful ways.

Rather than argue for or against antidepressants as a group, we should focus on matching the medicine to the person, with shared decisions being made between doctor and patient.

Tools such as the one we’ve built make this possible, so that patients can be prescribed antidepressants that are safer for them and better-tolerated.

Toby Pillinger has received speaker or consultancy fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Recordati, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Janssen, CNX Therapeutics, Sunovion, ROVI Biotech, Schwabe Pharma, and Lecturing Minds Stockholm AB; he receives book royalties from Wiley Blackwell; and he co-directs a company that designs digital resources to support treatment of mental illness.

– ref. Antidepressants: physical side-effects vary depending on the drug type – new research – https://theconversation.com/antidepressants-physical-side-effects-vary-depending-on-the-drug-type-new-research-268010

October 22, 2025

The Celebrity Traitors: how star status changes the game

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

The Traitors and a resplendent, though funereal, Claudia Winkleman are back on screens in the UK – and you could cut the tension with a poison-laced dagger.

This time, both intermingled faithful and traitors are not civilians – they’re celebrities. The cast is diverse, featuring actors, comedians, singers, athletes and presenters. Each has their own particular expertise, motives, character and fan club.

They all play for a share of the jackpot for their nominated charity. But how could this new celebrity dynamic affect the state of play? Can neuroscience and psychology foretell what sorts of mind games, alliances, betrayals and downright cunning could go down in the name of completely unmissable entertainment?

It’s going to be another addictive game of smoke and mirrors. No spoilers, I promise!

The prominent status of our celebs means viewers have preconceived ideas about them. But what matters more within the castle walls are the everyday impressions, even before they’re divided into tribes – most as faithfuls whose job it is to catch a few hidden traitors.

The skillsets

Each cast member is a celebrity for a reason, and a professional in their own field. Actors like Celia Imrie and Mark Bonnar may be skilled in reading emotions in others, and have distinct advantages in performance.

The ability to be able to feign upset or distress, plead innocence, or indeed lie convincingly, could prove a distinct asset. Especially since research has suggested that how you act or present yourself is a stronger predictor of being judged credible than the actual truth of your statement.

But acting prowess could be spotted as cover, and prove a disadvantage if cross-examined. Equally, misjudged overreactions or poor acting may also quickly raise suspicion and doubt.

Athletes such as Tom Daley and Joe Marler possess strength and agility, allowing them to excel in physical challenges. This training could facilitate trust, or signal a dominance which might highlight them as leaders.

Athletes have also honed abilities to focus the mind in the face of competition. They know how to repress and conceal signs of anxiety or adrenaline – sweating, shaking, flushing, and the like – that could otherwise manifest as telltale symbols of lying.

Meanwhile, comedians like Joe Wilkinson and Lucy Beaumont are both charming and disarming. We know deception and humour are interrelated social phenomena. Humour can be used for deception but it can also lighten the atmosphere and defuse tense situations. But ill-timed comedy could likewise inflame it, or be seen as attempts at deflection.

All these traits may help paint someone as trustworthy, or equally Machiavellian. Machiavellianism, which involves acting unscrupulously to gain power, is one of the traits encompassing what psychologists refer to as “the Dark Triad”. This could position them as either untouchable, or potential targets – ripe to be murdered or banished.

Pre-existing relationships

Many of the celebs have entered the game already knowing each other. Paloma Faith and Alan Carr are real-life friends. This dimension is not necessarily limited to the celebrity version. In previous series, some relationships were established before entering the castle – mother and son, siblings, and even contestants dating.

With our stars, these prior relationships are already out in the open for all to see. As broadcasters, Clare Balding and Kate Garraway share common ground, as do writers like Stephen Fry and David Olusoga, and singers Charlotte Church and Cat Burns. Such relationships will be taken into account by those playing the game.

As psychology also tells us, birds of a feather flock together – a concept known as homophily. This might lead to the formation of natural alliances and strong pacts. But it may equally lead to stronger feelings of betrayal, if or when they become ruptured.

What of the relative unknowns – Niko Omilana and Ruth Codd – who arrived knowing nobody? Research shows us that our brains rapidly make judgements, within milliseconds, about unfamiliar faces. Whether they can be considered trustworthy or not appears to depend upon independent variables, including facial dimensions, age, sex and personality. Notably female gender and positive social interactions tend to lead to more favourable judgments.

Fame may also be a problem when it comes to tactics. A contestant from the last civilian series with an English accent decided to adopt a Welsh burr instead. It was because they judged a Welsh accent more trustworthy.

Star status makes tactics like these impossible. And with details of their working or private lives potentially under the spotlight, celebrities may find themselves more vulnerable in this game.

Playing for charity

What’s more, playing for oneself versus playing for charity creates another really interesting dynamic. You could argue that ultimately nobody will lose in this game since the jackpot is undoubtedly heading toward a good cause. But it also boils down to a variation in altruism between individuals.

This variation is evident in the brain itself. Research from neuroscience shows distinct cerebral activity patterns are responsible for driving behaviour associated with winning and losing money in a given task. This research also uncovered stronger reactions when winning for oneself versus for charity, but this could vary between individuals.

We’ve also got to look at the desire to win for glory, which is perhaps more evident in athletes and those in business. Public image matters. And it raises the question – how much are these celebrities happy to risk theirs?

It’s remarkable how the concept of The Traitors can give us a glimpse into the psyche, illuminating sides of people we’ve not seen before. Whatever the outcome, this is going to prove another fascinating psychological experiment. Hope you’ve got your popcorn and (non-poisoned) chalice at the ready.

Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The Celebrity Traitors: how star status changes the game – https://theconversation.com/the-celebrity-traitors-how-star-status-changes-the-game-267648

October 22, 2025

Ireland’s presidential election race now down to two women

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gail McElroy, Professor in Political Science, Trinity College Dublin

Voters across the Republic of Ireland will head to the polls on October 24 to elect a new head of state to replace Michael D. Higgins. His replacement will be Ireland’s tenth president since the role of president was established in the 1937 constitution.

Once considered largely ceremonial and “above politics,” the presidency has evolved significantly in recent years. Since Mary Robinson’s landmark election in 1990, campaigns have become increasingly political, combative and unpredictable. This year is no exception. Jim Gavin, one of the three candidates, has already withdrawn from the race – although his name will still be listed on the ballot.

Even before nominations closed, the electorate was entertained for months by speculation about who might or might not run. Names frequently mentioned included celebrities such as mixed martial artist Conor McGregor and dancer Michael Flatley, alongside various politicians such as former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

However, securing a place on the presidential ballot is not easy. Candidates must have the backing of at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (currently there are 174 members of the Dáil and 60 members of the Seanad) or the support of four of the 31 city or county councils. In the end, only three candidates managed to secure nominations, the lowest number in a contested election since 1990.

Friday’s contest is now effectively a showdown between the leftwing independent candidate Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys. Interestingly, Fine Gael, a centre-right party that has been in power since 2011, has never held the presidency. Gavin was nominated by the party of the current prime minister, Fianna Fáil. A former Air Corps officer and highly successful manager of the Dublin senior Gaelic football team, Gavin ended his campaign on October 5 after it emerged that he has owed €3,300 (£2,873) to a former tenant since 2009. The tenant was, coincidentally, the deputy editor of a leading tabloid newspaper, The Sunday World.

Polls indicate an almost unassailable lead for Connolly, who has received endorsements from all the major left-leaning parties, including Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Greens and the Social Democrats. However, Irish presidential elections are renowned for their unpredictability. In 2011, the frontrunner, Séan Gallagher, saw his double-digit poll lead evaporate in the campaign’s final days, following a challenging TV debate watched by over a quarter of the electorate.

The role of the president

Ireland is a parliamentary republic, so the presidential role is largely ceremonial, even if the constitution grants the president certain formal powers. Direct election of the president does, however, give the role soft influence and a measure of moral authority. Higgins has been more politically outspoken than any of his predecessors, occasionally criticising government policy and, in doing so, reshaping perceptions of the office. Nonetheless, the president does not play any role in government formation or initiating and vetoing legislation. While technically responsible for appointing key figures – such as the attorney general and judges – these appointments are all made on the government’s advice.

The two main powers of the Irish president are the ability to refuse the Taoiseach’s request to dissolve the Dáil and the power to withhold their signature from a bill, referring it, instead, to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality. No president has ever formally refused a Dáil dissolution, and the referral power has been used sparingly – only 16 times since 1938.

Ultimately, the Irish presidential election functions as a second-order contest, with leftwing opposition parties eagerly seizing on the opportunity to stage an informal referendum on the governing centre-right coalition this year.

However, even a decisive victory should not be taken as evidence of majority support for a change in government. In 2018 Higgins retook the presidency for the Labour party with an impressive 56% of first-preference votes, yet his party gained no momentum from this victory in the general elections that followed.

Reflecting the second order nature of these elections, turnout is expected to be quite depressed, and, if very low, could prove crucial to the outcome. Nearly half of respondents in recent polls say they do not feel represented by the slate of candidates on offer. That suggests participation may fall short of even 2018 levels, when it hit a historic low of just under 44%. It remains to be seen if young voters, who favour Connolly heavily, will match their enthusiasm with action.

Gail McElroy is a member of the National Election and Democracy Study Management Board of An Coimisiún Toghcháin (the Irish Electoral Commission).

– ref. Ireland’s presidential election race now down to two women – https://theconversation.com/irelands-presidential-election-race-now-down-to-two-women-268024