Yesterday, as the sun broke through for the first time after a long, wet winter, the first buds of hope appeared in Swansea with the announcement that the city has officially joined the Biophilic Cities Network, marking a major milestone in its drive toward a greener, healthier urban future.
Continuing our series highlighting publications from 2025, we focus on a volume that brings African environmental humanities to the forefront of global discourse. This edited collection explores how cultural production serves as a vital tool for navigating the complexities of the Anthropocene from the perspective of the Global South. Fresh Ecocritical Voices in African Literatures and Cultures is an interdisciplinary effort that bridges the gap between literary analysis and ecological activism. Co-edited by Chinonye C. Ekwueme-Ugwu, Joyce Onoromhenre Agofure, and Nsah Mala, who also serves as a Hub Coordinator for the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition Hub at the University of Cologne, this work exemplifies the coalition's mission to integrate humanities-led insights into sustainability science.
A transformative initiative at Arizona State University is equipping the next generation with the tools to actively design the future. Storying Just Futures (SJF) is a Youth-centred initiative of Humanities for the Environment and UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition, that empowers young people to imagine, articulate, and co-design the worlds they desire.
BRIDGES Activity Update: UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition Explores New Nordic Hub in REYKJAVIK, Iceland: pivotal discussions begin; and Mobilising Humanities for Global Policy Initiative: "Building Bridges from Knowledge to Policy Formulation and Impact: Mobilizing humanities expertise in a rapidly changing world." The primary goal of the initiative is to bridge the "science-policy nexus" by ensuring that qualitative and contextual knowledge, often found in the humanities, is translated into actionable wisdom for global leaders.
The REPAIR research project was invited to speak at the It's Your Swansea, held at the Swansea Arena on March 12. The event, organised by 4theRegion, brought together community members, businesses, researchers and civic leaders to explore current developments in the city and discuss what kind of Swansea people want for the future. During the programme, one of the project co-leads, Dr Luci Attala, delivered a presentation introducing the REPAIR project to the audience. REPAIR is a transdisciplinary research collaboration, funded through the Arts and Humanities Research Council Mission Award.
