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Young climate activists hold their own virtual summit

Tue Dec 1

In a bleak year, young activists are giving us some hope. You see, the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) was postponed due to the coronavirus, but that didn’t stop young activists from holding their own virtual conference to discuss the issues.

More than 350 youth delegates from 146 countries attended the two-week virtual event, complete with workshops, panels, and breakout sessions. The speakers were a diverse set of leaders in climate change activism (which young organizers believed the official conference lacked) coming from backgrounds such as social entrepreneurship, academia, or even policy — including the Minister of the COP26 himself! Countries most severely affected by climate change, like Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh, were given more delegates than usual, so that they had more time to speak.

Some of the issues and agreements the delegates want adopted include:

• Alignment from all nations of the climate warming goal of 1.5C
• Conservation of 30% of land and oceans 
• Safeguards for indigenous people
• Ensuring clean air through stronger regulation

You can read the full document here.

SOURCES: Global Citizen, Time, Mock COP, Grist

Hackers are targeting small businesses

Sponsored by

We all hear about cyberattacks on big companies, but it seems small businesses are increasingly hit, too. In fact, one in five small businesses fall victim to such attacks — with 60% of those businesses ultimately going out of business in just six months.

Whoa, more than half?

Yup. Even the smallest attack can be costly and time-consuming. The biggest culprit of these cyberattacks? Phishing, a cyberattack that steals logins and user data by pretending to be a legitimate company or website and then gets the victim to reveal personal information. And these attacks are on the rise: 

• 70% of cyberattacks involve phishing
• ~1.5 million new phishing sites are created each month
• The average attack costs a small business $9,000

So what can be done about it?

Surprisingly, even though the internet has evolved in many ways over the past 30 years, domain names just recently caught up. And our sponsor, TrueName, helps protect small businesses by:

• Blocking look-alike domains, which can be created by bad actors using similar-looking characters that make it hard to detect any difference
• Allowing for more than a .com address, with over 240 descriptive domain extension options (such as .business, .news, or .studio)

TrueName domains are available wherever domain names are sold, including Name.com

SOURCES: Vox, Inc., ReTruster

How garment workers are only paid an average of $6 an hour in Los Angeles

Tue Dec 1

There’s a long history in the garment industry of wage theft and mistreatment. In Los Angeles’ fashion district, the average hourly rate is just $6 an hour even though the current minimum wage is supposed to be $12. Many fast fashion brands including Forever 21, TJ Maxx, Ross Dress For Less, and Fashion Nova have seen their names included in investigations in California into working conditions and pay.

How are employees being paid so little?

There seems to be two main causes for this:

1. A vulnerable workforce where many employees are undocumented and then subjected to intimidation
2. Piece rate, a system that allows workers to be compensated for each piece they produce rather than at an hourly rate

Is there anything being done?

They’re trying. There are a couple things that have happened recently.

• In 2019, a Garment Work Restitution Fund was established to pay workers whose wages were stolen, say if their employer declared bankruptcy or closed. But many advocates say this wasn’t enough because it didn’t address the main problem or establish accountability for businesses.
• There is also the Garment Worker Protection Bill, which was introduced in the California Senate this year, but didn’t pass in the Assembly. This proposed bill would have replaced the piece rate system to one based on an hourly minimum wage. So now, the fight will continue with the next legislative session in 2021.

SOURCES: Fashionista, Los Angeles Times, UCLA

Bushfire damages the world’s largest sand island

Tue Dec 1

A heatwave and drought is making conditions difficult for firefighters in Australia. A bushfire has already destroyed about 40% of Fraser Island, which is a natural and cultural heritage site. Normally a popular holiday destination, visiting is now banned and ferry service is being restricted. 

This is not normal. A recent report says climate change has led to more extreme droughts, wildfires, and cyclones in Australia — and they’re only expecting things to get worse as temperatures rise. Currently, 

• There are currently about 50 bushfires burning across New South Wales state
• The area is still recovering from the devastating fires last year, which killed 33 people. 
• Overall, Australia has been slow to tackle climate change as it is one of the world’s largest fossil fuel exporters. 

What makes Fraser Island so special?

The island is part of the Great Sandy National Park and is protected under the Nature Conservation Act of 1992. It’s so unique because it includes coastal dunes, lakes, and rainforests. These different ecosystems also means that there are a number of diverse, important species that live there.

SOURCES: CBS News, CNN, Reuters, UNESCO