The Know Daily - Wednesday 1 May 2024

_{Read in 5m 36s ∙ Listening to Olivia Dean ∙}

81 different marine species have been identified along the Sussex coastline, as part of a study which scientists say could impact future conservation efforts around the world. Notable species included the tope shark 👇 and European eel - both of which are critically endangered - along with the cat shark and spotted ray.

🗣️ Women in politics

Local elections are set to take place across England and Wales tomorrow, but women will make up only a third of candidates.

What’s the story?
A new study - carried out by equal rights charity the Fawcett Society and Democracy Club - found that just 34% of local election candidates are women. That figure drops to 26% among police and crime commissioner candidates, and 27% among mayoral candidates. 

David, John, Paul, Mark and James were the top five most common first names of local election candidates, noted The Independent. 

Why does this matter?
Despite being underrepresented in local government, women are “more significantly impacted” by local decisions as they are more likely to rely on council-run services such as social care, said the Fawcett Society’s Alesha De-Freitas. 

The report called on the government to require political parties to collect their own candidate diversity data, to enable a better understanding of how women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people are represented. 

Why are there fewer women standing?
The Fawcett Society has said that being a local councillor must be made more accessible to those with caring responsibilities - but the reported upsurge in intimidation of those in local government is undoubtedly another key factor. 

2023 research by the Local Government Association found that 82% of all councillors feel at risk “at least sometimes” in their roles, driven in part by social media. And as we reported last month, there are particular concerns about the impact of such abuse on women. 

What’s the bigger picture?
Around the world, more people are set to vote in elections this year than at any other time in history - but female leadership remains in “noticeably short supply”, according to analysis by The Guardian. This matters because numerous studies have shown that increasing the representation of women in politics is a “huge factor” in improving outcomes for women and girls. 

Our takeaway? If you’re eligible to vote in tomorrow’s local elections - or in any other elections - turn out to make your voice heard on the issues you care about.

🤸 Green Games

Paris 2024 organisers have pledged to halve the carbon footprint of this summer’s Olympic Games. 

What’s the target, exactly?
The Games kick off on 26 July - and according to organisers, they’ll be “historic for the climate”. While previous Games have emitted an average of 3.5m tonnes of CO2, Paris organisers have set a target of no more than 1.5m tonnes.

How will they get there?
Construction is generally a major source of emissions for Games. But for Paris 2024, organisers opted against constructing as many purpose-built buildings as seen in previous years, reported Associated Press. 

And with nearly 40% of the Games’ emissions expected to come from transport, most venues will be within 10km of the Olympic Village and accessible by public transport for spectators, said Context News.

What else is in focus?
Food. Paris 2024 is set to make history by offering more vegetarian food than in any other Games - despite France consuming twice as much meat as the global average. One-third of the 500 recipes on offer at the Olympic Village restaurant will be veggie, along with 60% of the estimated 5m meals and snacks sold to spectators, reported The Guardian. 

And will the Games reach their aim? 
While commentators have broadly praised organisers’ ambitions, experts are divided over whether the target can be met. In a sceptical report, Carbon Market Watch called for a “radical rethinking” of how the Games are structured, suggesting that holding different events in different countries was key to reducing their carbon footprint going forward.

But one expert told The Washington Post it’s certainly possible that Paris 2024 will meet its target, adding: “I wouldn’t question the legitimacy of the goal”.

🏡 Rocketing rents: Average UK rents have reached record highs, hitting £2,633pcm in the capital - but there’s “potential relief” on the horizon. 

🧑‍⚖️ Donald in the dock: Trump has been fined for contempt of court during his hush money trial, after he repeatedly criticised expected witnesses on social media.   

👏 Fresh support: Australia announced new measures to combat violence against women, including financial help to leave abusive relationships and a ban on deepfake pornography.  

🍞 The best thing since…: Scientists are working to make white bread just as healthy as wholemeal - and the challenge is keeping the taste and texture the same.

🎨 Weekend inspo: Five UK museums are in the running to be crowned 2024 Museum of the Year - though we reckon they’re all worth checking out.

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Trivia answer: C) Student Abubakar Tahiru managed to hug an incredible 1,123 trees in an hour - and his reasons for doing it are kind of fantastic.

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