The article discusses the importance of focusing on workers and their skills for a successful green recovery post-COVID-19. It emphasizes the need for long-term thinking and the development of future skills, particularly digital and transferable skills, to support the transition to a circular economy. The article highlights the growing skills gaps in retail due to rapid automation and the need for businesses and governments to shift their focus from short-term revenue to sustainable future skills. It also points out the lack of focus on skills transferability in the European Union's Circular Economy Action Plan and the potential for skills redeployment in sectors like energy, where decommissioning of oil and gas platforms presents opportunities for reuse and recycling. The article calls for involving workers in developing reskilling and upskilling programs and for taking a long-term view in planning for a circular recovery.

Hostwriter has announced the finalists for the 2023 Hostwriter Prize awards, with over 50 applications received. The shortlist includes investigative stories on topics such as waste-to-energy technology in South East Asia, fraud in Syria, drug trade in Syria, disability in war, and oil-spill devastation in Nigeria. The winners will be announced in December. The Pitch Prize shortlist includes topics like indigenous seeds in Vietnam, post-WW2 city challenges, female migrant workers' vulnerability, and the four-day work week in Belgium and the UK.

A discussion on the significance of feminist speculative fiction, particularly works by authors like Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia E. Butler, Marge Piercy, and Joanna Russ. These works challenge existing social norms and power structures, offering new perspectives on equality, solidarity, and freedom. The text emphasizes the political nature of these narratives and their potential to inspire social and political transformation.

Campaigners, including artists, philosophers, and scientists at the Embassy of the North Sea in The Hague, are advocating for the North Sea to be recognized as a legal person to protect it from environmental harm. This movement, driven by concerns over climate change and biodiversity loss, aims to present concrete proposals to the Dutch government by 2030. The initiative is part of a global 'rights of nature' movement, which has seen successes in countries like Ecuador and New Zealand. However, integrating such rights into Dutch law poses challenges, including defining legal representation and managing liability risks.

Spain has granted the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon legal personhood status, allowing citizens to sue on its behalf if its rights are violated, a proposal originating from a citizens' initiative. This development has inspired activists in various countries, including the Netherlands, where the Embassy of the North Sea is advocating for similar rights for the North Sea by 2030. Dutch legal scholar and UN expert Laura Burgers advises the initiative, discussing the potential for nature's rights to be less anthropocentric and more effective than current environmental laws. The North Sea faces challenges such as pollution and climate change impacts, and the movement for nature's rights represents a shift in worldview, recognizing our inseparable connection to nature.

The article discusses the challenges and paradoxes of circular consumption within a predominantly linear global economy. It highlights the environmental and social impacts of products like avocados and fast fashion, while noting that other products with similar impacts often go unquestioned. The text argues that systemic changes led by businesses and governments are necessary to facilitate circular consumption behaviors. It outlines strategies such as slowing, narrowing, cycling, and regenerating material flows, emphasizing the roles of consumers, businesses, and governments in achieving a circular economy. The article underscores the importance of collective action and interdependence in transitioning to sustainable consumption patterns.