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Directors’ Duty on Climate Change under English Law? Lessons from Sequana and ClientEarth
No full textDoes company law have a role in addressing the global climate crisis? Specifically, do directors of the board have a duty to act on climate change? The recent English cases of BTI 2014 LLC v Sequana and ClientEarth v Shell Plc provide opportunities for the courts to re-examine the directors’ duties under the English company law. Nevertheless, the focus on shareholder interests persists. While the enlightened shareholder value provision in the UK Companies Act 2006 requires directors to “have regard to” non-shareholder stakeholders, this obligation does not make these interests overriding or displace the interests of shareholders. Even where climate risks or environment considerations are interpreted as aligning with the success of the company or the long-term shareholder interests, they are unlikely to drive meaningful change. Coupled with the existing power dynamics within the corporate framework, directors’ fiduciary duties are likely to remain predominantly shareholder oriented. Accordingly, this paper concludes that the capacity of company law, in its present form, to address the pressing global climate challenges is limited. A disproportionate focus on directors’ duties, in particular fiduciary duties, risks diverting attention from more effective avenues of reform. Instead, the paper recommends that policymakers prioritise regulatory initiatives focused on climate-related requirements, such as reporting and due diligence obligations, which are likely to offer a more direct and impactful responseto the crisis we are facing
How to understand the psychological drivers of household food waste
No full textWe need to reduce household food waste, but the complexity of its determinants makes this difficult. Here we put forward a model for understanding some of the key behavioural and psychological drivers thought to promote or undermine food waste reduction. The model draws on multiple theories and integrates reflective processes (e.g., the influence of goals and outcome expectancies on planning behaviours) with automatic processes (e.g., habitual behaviours), psychological traits (e.g., self-efficacy and disgust sensitivity) and environmental influences (e.g., stress and time pressure). It leads us to identify two important potential levers for change: promoting shorter term, flexible meal planning and changing the way we feel about food waste
The Trump administration's birthright citizenship order: blatantly unconstitutional - or not?
Full text linkThe second Trump administration has sought through the use of executive orders to fashion significant changes to federal government policies in many areas. While many of those Orders raise no significant constitutional issues, some appear to overstep long-recognised constitutional boundaries. Perhaps the most contentious of the Orders is the Trump administration’s attempt to alter understandings of the so-called ‘birthright citizenship’ clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Order has widely been regarded as what one federal judge termed ‘blatantly unconstitutional’. This paper suggests that characterisation is overly simplistic, and that a close reading of the (very little) Supreme Court authority on the point would suggest that the current Supreme Court could credibly construe the citizenship clause in a fashion which gives the Trump administration much of the policy outcome which it is seeking, albeit not through the interpretive methodology that one would expect the Court’s conservative majority would instinctively wish to use
Exploring Search Behaviors Across Expertise Levels: Graphical vs. Form-Based Interfaces
Full text linkEnacting justice in food systems transitions: A critical lens on governance, power and participation
Full text linkFood systems are characterised by persistent injustices – from exploitative labour and unequal access to healthy food to disproportionate environmental burdens on marginalised communities. These injustices have spurred diverse conceptual frameworks (e.g., food democracy, food sovereignty, food justice), resulting in a fragmented debate around justice that tends to conceptualise it as an ideal outcome, rather than as a process. In this paper, we introduce the concept of “just sustainability transitions” to integrate distributive, recognitive and procedural dimensions of justice within a dynamic, process-oriented approach to food governance. Focusing on Food Policy Networks (FPNs) – i.e., multi‐stakeholder networks operating at the intersection of policy and practice – we conducted 67 semi‐structured interviews across varied institutional and cultural contexts and examined how justice is negotiated, enacted and transformed in everyday governance. Our analysis reveals that distributive justice often remains aspirational rather than structurally embedded, whereas recognitive and procedural justice are pursued unevenly due to local power asymmetries and institutional cultures. Within these constraints, emergent practices – such as reconfigured leadership models and enhanced participatory mechanisms – illustrate how actors experiment with redistributing power and reimagining inclusion. These practices suggest that power redistribution should be understood not merely as a democratic outcome, but as a precondition for achieving meaningful and equitable participation. By framing justice as a plural, contested and evolving process, this study bridges fragmented discourses of justice in food systems research and positions participatory governance platforms such as FPNs as sites where “justice‐in‐the‐making” unfolds
Healthcare professionals’ views on barriers, facilitators and optimisation of care for perinatal anxiety: a qualitative investigation
Full text linkBACKGROUND: The experience of pregnancy and having a baby is a time of significant change and transition. One in five perinatal women experience problems with their emotional wellbeing and mental health in this period; adjustment, anxiety and depressive illnesses being most common. Whilst investment in specialist perinatal mental health pathways continues, there is limited understanding of healthcare professionals' views and experiences of these pathways and of support available for women with mild or moderate mental health problems. This study explored healthcare professionals' views on the barriers and facilitators to identification and management of perinatal anxiety, and on how to optimise care pathways.
METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of healthcare professionals in universal perinatal services (including maternity, primary care, and health-visiting) and specialist (including talking therapies, maternal and perinatal) mental health services. Data were analysed using framework analysis.
RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with 62 healthcare professionals from England and Scotland. 40% of the sample stated they had received no training in perinatal mental health, and 45% reported that they did not use standardised or validated questions or scales when enquiring about mental health. Themes related to barriers, facilitators, and service optimisation are presented for each stage of their care pathway: identification; disclosure; referral and assessment; care and treatment. Recommendations for optimising care included improving mental health education and training to strengthen perinatal healthcare and developing a sustainable perinatal mental health pathway, including for women with mild mental health problems.
CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals considered that the healthcare pathway for women with severe mental health problems was clear and well-developed, but that healthcare for women with mild and moderate anxiety and mental health problems was under-developed. Improvements in perinatal mental health education, in mandatory training for healthcare professionals, should be put in place in order to improve care. Increasing the number of staff and time available to address perinatal mental health is vital but requires additional resources and should be part of long-term strategies for funding
The creative economy and the triple transition
Full text linkThis study examines the role of culture in the Triple Transition, a task that it argues requires rethinking how we understand culture. It argues that these questions rest on a further problematic relationship of culture and development, challenging the normative idea that culture is an instrumental communication tool that facilitates development. The study argues that we need to appreciate culture in development, namely as a system of practices, values (economic, environmental, social, and cultural), and institutions that are embedded in places and times. We review the impact on, and of, the culture and creative sector in each dimension of the triple transition: digital, social, and environmental. The review of findings across the areas of the triple transition (digital, social, and environmental) suggests that culture plays an intrinsic role in development, better described as a driver of change rather than a bystander
The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for self-harm in males compared to females: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Full text linkBackground: Males are three times more likely to die by suicide than females. The biggest risk factor for suicide is self-harm. Limited evidence suggests that psychosocial interventions (PSIs) for self-harm may be less effective for males than females. We aimed to establish whether this is the case by conducting the first systematic review specifically comparing PSIs for self-harm in clinical and non-clinical settings in males compared to females.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using data from trials identified in two Cochrane reviews of PSIs for self-harm published in 2021, and updated their searches in: CENTRAL; MEDLINE; Embase; and PsycINFO - up to 15.05.2024. Studies were eligible if they: included participants who had self-harmed within the past six months; had ≥1 male and ≥1 female in the intervention arm; evaluated the effectiveness of a PSI; were randomised-controlled trials; and collected data on an eligible outcome. Data by sex was extracted and/or requested; and appraised using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomised trials. The primary outcome was: repetition of self-harm post-treatment - analysed on an intention-to-treat basis, where possible. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020225630.
Findings: 108 trials were identified. We obtained outcome data by sex post-treatment for 46 trials, that involved 15,405 participants. 11,723 (76.1%) were female. Intervention males were significantly more likely to repeat self-harm than intervention females (301/2062 (14.6%) vs 599/4166 (14.4%): risk ratio 1.21, 95% CI 1.03–1.43; n = 6228; k = 32; I2 = 31%). Eight trials were considered high risk of bias. Omitting them did not materially affect the result. PSIs were more effective than comparator conditions for females, but not for males.
Interpretation: PSIs for self-harm appear to be more effective for females than for males. As males are more likely to die by suicide, PSIs should better address the needs of males who harm themselves
Caregiver Views of Communication Barriers Within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Children With and Without Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
Full text linkBackground
Communication is a key component in successful talking therapies. Furthermore, the association between Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and mental-health problems is well-established and we might expect this group to have increased difficulties accessing services. Despite this, research into potential communication barriers within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is lacking, both generally and for SLCN children specifically.
Aim
This study explored the views of caregivers of children with and without SLCN to identify perceived barriers to accessing CAMHS. Key factors were considered: caregivers’ understanding of the language used by CAMHS; communication strategies used by professionals; and caregiver views of children’s mental health outcomes after accessing CAMHS.
Methods
An online caregiver survey was used to collect views. The survey was completed by 61 caregivers of children who had been referred to CAMHS, for reasons other than communication, 32 of whom cared for a child with SLCN.
Results
Caregivers generally understood the language used with them by CAMHS, although a minority reported difficulties. They were less positive about communication adjustments, discharge processes, and outcomes after accessing CAMHS. Caregivers of children with SLCN were more likely to report that their child’s mental health was poorer after CAMHS. No other differences were found between the SLCN/non-SLCN groups with communication presenting some barriers across both.
Conclusions
All children accessing CAMHS would benefit from increased communication adjustments in order to achieve the most effective intervention
Experimental study of a segmented-buoy wave energy converter integrated with a monopile-based offshore wind turbine
No full textA novel monopile segmented-buoy combination system (MSCS) integrating a segmented-buoy WEC with a monopile-supported offshore wind turbine (OWT) is experimentally tested in still water (free decay), under regular and irregular waves. This study proposes a viscous correction method that integrates experimental results with theoretical analysis. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the hybrid system under different wave heights are experimentally analyzed to evaluate the fluid viscous effect; free decay tests are further carried out, and the viscous damping coefficient of the MSCS system is quantified by a theoretical analytical model. In addition, a multi-parameter experimental analysis is implemented to reveal the effects of uniform and non-uniform draft configurations, wave parameters, and PTO force. The comparison of draft distribution on system performance improvement is highlighted, and the optimal parameter configuration scheme is preliminarily obtained. The results show that the MSCS exhibits a highly linear characteristic, simplifying the study of the hydrodynamic performance of the MSCS system in sea areas with different wave heights. Compared with the uniform-draft configuration, the non-uniform-draft configuration significantly improves the buoy's motion response but has a limited effect on enhancing energy capture. This study can provide reliable guidance for the sea area layout and system optimization configuration of the MSCS system
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