The Independent announces the return of its acclaimed Climate 100 List

Increasingly frequently, the world is suffering from more wild fires, flash floods, droughts, and hurricanes, caused by the human-induced climate crisis.

Recent data from Nasa revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of extreme weather events which are happening more regularly, are lasting for a longer period of time and are more severe, such as the LA fires in January that devastated tens of thousands of homes, recent deadly flooding in Beijing, and long heatwaves in the Nordic countries that even reach the Arctic Circle.

Across the US, ‘heat streaks‘ are on the rise, a phenomenon that’s seeing an increase in the number of consecutive hot days across its cities, with life-threatening temperatures. It’s becoming a pattern as for the second year running, the planet has reached record temperatures, following 2024 becoming the warmest year on record.

Alongside the physical extremes on the environment, the effects of the USA’s climate-sceptic administration’s rollbacks are already being felt. Cuts to overseas aid, which many conservation areas like Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park rely on, as do vulnerable nations like Malawi who are now struggling to prepare for climate disasters, will have long-lasting and devastating effects.

Despite more awareness than ever, the climate crisis is only worsening and it’s never felt more urgent to react. The Independent has long been at the forefront of calling for action and change when it comes to the climate, as well as reliably reporting on the severity of the global climate crisis.

It’s this understanding and commitment to resolving the issues that sees the important return of The Independent’s Climate 100 List. Back for its second year, it will be published again next month, aptly during the United Nations’ Summit of the Future in New York, part of the 16th annual Climate Week NYC.

The list brings together 100 changemaking and inspiring people to celebrate their contributions in finding positive climate solutions. From around the globe, it includes those who have dedicated their lives to the cause, as well as lesser known newcomers to the movement who need their voices heard and actions seen, across industries as broad as science to activism, food to politics, and business to entertainment, to name a few.

We want to continue to celebrate their courage, innovation and much-needed efforts in paving the way for a cleaner and greener future for the next generation.

The unveiling of the list will also align with the Climate 100 event held in New York, hosted by The Independent’s Editor-in-Chief, Geordie Greig, bringing together global changemakers, business leaders, scientists, policymakers, and activists.

Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, says: “Now in the second year of Climate 100, we are excited to continue honoring leaders who are not just raising the alarm, but driving the solutions our planet urgently needs.”

The list is compiled by a team at The Independent, but as we know three out of four of our readers consider themselves to be environmentally friendly, a key part of the list is the Reader’s Choice category, which is returning after last year’s success.

We’re once again asking you, the readers, to get involved and submit your unsung climate hero – someone who has made a significant contribution to protecting the environment through their work and deserves to be properly recognised for it. Perhaps it’s a colleague, a classmate, a mentor, a peer or even a friend or family member.

Submit your nominations for The Independent’s Climate 100 List using the form below – and stay tuned: the full list lands in mid-September.

‘Banksying’ is the cruel new dating trend you need to know about

Recently, I watched a few episodes of Sex and the City with teenagers. There were obvious revelations in the room: the girls were baffled as to why someone would choose to walk around a city in vertiginous heels, for example; as generations before them have been, they were of course stumped by Carrie Bradshaw’s confounding finances. But the biggest eye-opener – at least for me – was the stark (and, sometimes, downright cruel) differences in dating.

Because, while dating – and, along with it, investment and effort made in the pursuit of love – used to be necessary, for Gen Z and, soon, Gen A, dating has become more or less obsolete.

You don’t need to go on a date to discover someone’s likes or dislikes – you can chat on Snap. You don’t need to get excited about how cute they might look in a new dress or pair of jeans, because they’re all over Insta, and even sex in an age of sexting, porn, and hook-up app culture seems to have lost some of its exciting appeal for the younger generations. And this, in turn, has given way to a heartless dating game with its own language, rules and rituals.

Some of it is now well-established – we’ve all heard of (and maybe experienced) ghosting, when the person you’ve been dating (or just chatting to, which in modern terms is often a substitute for dating in old terms) completely vanishes, cutting off all contact.

Breadcrumbing – where the object of your affections doesn’t quite ghost you but pops up occasionally with a morsel of contact, therefore maintaining a sliver of connection and hope – is similar. Less well known is throning, a bizarrely modern concept that sees someone date another purely for social or financial clout.

Then I spoke to Rhiannon. She’s a 22-year-old who had been dating her partner Amir for almost a year – they’d met each other’s families, lived together at university and had been planning on going travelling. Until, completely out of the blue, Amir ended their relationship. “I was beyond upset,” she tells me, “but what really tipped me over was when my friends saw Amir on TikTok (he blocked me) explaining to his followers how he’d done it.

“He’d basically been withdrawing from the relationship for over six months using advice from ChatGPT and his online ‘bro’ workout communities, so he was prepared for the emotional fallout. I wasn’t, and all the commenters online were laughing at me and congratulating him on his ‘strategy’. I threw up when I saw it.”

Rhiannon had been the victim of “Banksying”, a cruel dating phenomenon named after the British street artist, whereby one of the partners in a relationship is blindsided by a sudden and unexpected dumping that’s been planned by the other partner for weeks or even months, often using AI and online communities for advice on how to execute this.

The level of glee and cruelty I see on the video Rhiannon speaks about is pretty shocking, but typical: the consensus often seems to be the victim “deserved” the treatment, but in Rhiannon’s case (and many of the others), her transgression seems to be nothing more than being a good, loving girlfriend who was into Amir and their relationship.

And this is the crux of the problem. In an era of hostile algorithms, the manosphere, the femosphere and influencers who paint an extremely toxic view of the opposite sex, young people are coming of dating age in an atmosphere that’s less Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, and more akin to a gender civil war, where the opposing side must not only be heartbroken, but punished and vanquished.

Girls are being told at an impressionable age that “all men are trash” and boys are being told that girls are “scheming b*****s” by people they follow and admire and so it’s unsurprising that they view dating less as a pleasurable pursuit and more as a game of tactics where the goal is not to fall in love, but to win. Even Love Island, the wildly popular dating show, has seemed less about silly games and hookups this year, and more about oppositional solidarity between the young men and women. This year seems to firmly suggest, young dating is not just in a problematic state, but a downright hostile, nasty one that will view Banksying, ghosting, breadcrumbing and throning as fair game.

But dating isn’t a game and shouldn’t be viewed as one – despite what over a decade of influencers have been telling younger generations. At its best, dating is a nerve-wracking, butterfly-inducing, risk-taking appetiser to most great relationships. The time and effort signified not just to the other person but to yourself that this might be something worthwhile, and it also built the foundation of good connections.

It’s a time and space, where you were both at your best and could figure out compatibility and chemistry in all kinds of areas without the need for an algorithm or matchup – something essential for any couple who were going to go the distance.

It is no coincidence that as younger generations become more estranged from the old rituals of dating and courtship, there are serious long-term consequences. Younger people are putting off (or being put off) coupling up and having children. By 2084, the UN predicts, “The global population will officially begin its decline. Rich countries will all have become like Japan, stagnant and ageing. And the rest of the world will have become old before it ever got the chance to become rich.”

Of course, there are other important factors at play in the stagnating populations – economics, access to contraception, changing attitudes to having children. But we shouldn’t underestimate how much of an important building block the attitude to dating and relationships is in our stability as a society, both now and in the future.

If Gen Z and Gen A believe they don’t like or respect each other enough to safely date each other, let alone form serious, trusting, long-lasting relationships, the long-term consequences are potentially catastrophic.

I ask Rhiannon (who’s highly dateable – she’s bright, beautiful and kind) if she’s planning on re-entering the dating scene and her response is depressing. “No, I don’t think so. I feel like dating is over. Everybody finds it sad, depressing and at worst, humiliating. It’s like we’ve all become strangers who don’t trust each other and don’t like each other much, but are vaguely aware we’re still required to have sex with each other and live with each other at some point in the future. I can’t see that happening.”

I wonder if the real Banksy could paint that sentiment in a mural?

Farewell, Darwin Nunez, Liverpool’s magnificently ridiculous striker

In one respect, Darwin Nunez replaced Sadio Mane, in another Roberto Firmino. When he left the Anfield pitch, probably for the last time in a Liverpool shirt, he was replaced by Lewis Koumas. He was given a standing ovation by many, along with a final blast of the chant of “Nunez”, as he came off in Monday’s pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao’s second team.

It was a fond farewell, but also an anticlimactic one for the man who, when he joined, arrived with the expectation that comes with being Liverpool’s record signing. He had the deceptive debut, when he scored and Manchester City’s striking newcomer Erling Haaland did not, in the Community Shield; since then the Uruguayan delivered another 39 goals in competitive games, the Norwegian 124. The comparison was long since abandoned.

When each came to England in 2022, Nunez as Firmino’s long-term successor and as Mane was joining Bayern Munich, it did not escape attention that he cost more than Haaland – an initial £64m, potentially £85m – albeit with a significantly lower salary. So a transfer to Al-Hilal for a guaranteed £46.2m, and perhaps more, represents both a significant loss and yet a fine bit of business by Liverpool.

Napoli’s lower offer entailed deferring the first payments until 2026; Nunez was AC Milan’s top striking target but there was little prospect of them coming up with the best part of £50m. Selling Nunez to Al-Hilal seems a case of damage limitation. Those with a basic grasp of maths may note, too, that the fees being recouped for Nunez and Luis Diaz come to just over £110m, or about the amount Liverpool offered Newcastle for Alexander Isak.

The applause at Anfield on Monday, however, was not for Liverpool’s prowess at negotiating. Nunez goes having created memories, many of them unforgettable. He offered constant entertainment, much of it stemming from his innate unpredictability. There are compilation videos of many a forward’s goals online; in Nunez’s case, there are series of clips of his misses, some of them extraordinary. His goals could be brilliant, too, though one of the more pertinent comments came from Michael Owen after a chip at Brentford in February 2024: “A one-in 10, two-in-10 finish at best,” he said, wondering why Nunez hadn’t taken a simpler approach.

But then, some would say, he wouldn’t be Darwin Nunez. He was a magnificently ridiculous footballer. Before he was consigned to the bench by Arne Slot, every game seemed to revolve around Nunez. He was agent of chaos, force of nature, approaching the role of centre-forward in the manner of a runaway horse. Every now and again, a contrarian would argue that, actually, it was all planned, that Nunez knew what he was doing. Then he would do something quintessentially anarchic to show that was essentially uncontrollable and that no one – opponents, teammates, managers or Nunez himself – knew what was coming next.

The definitive Nunez performance may have come in January 2024’s 4-1 win against Chelsea. Nunez ran Chelsea ragged but didn’t score. He did, however, contrive to hit the woodwork four times. Which conformed to a theme: Nunez would average more shots per 90 minutes than anyone else in the division. He was so far clear in his first two seasons at Liverpool that he was essentially off the charts. It illustrated how hard he was to contain.

Which Jurgen Klopp had noted when he troubled Virgil van Dijk in the 2022 Champions League tie against Benfica. Klopp always liked players with a super-strength, and Nunez’s pace, height and relentlessness were three. But Klopp also had huge influence in transfers then; Liverpool’s former director of research Ian Graham said the German preferred Nunez over Isak. He bought the Uruguayan as Michael Edwards was leaving: the sense is that Fenway Sports Group’s data and statistics model did not point to Nunez as Firmino’s successor.

The red card on his Anfield debut, for headbutting Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen, constituted a false start. Nunez’s first two seasons brought 15 and 18 goals respectively – respectable but not remarkable – but with a question of where to use him and if he was reliable. He spent a spell in 2022-23 on the left wing, Klopp not really trusting him with the tactical demands of the role in the middle.

In public, Klopp excelled at looking indulgent and understanding rather than frustrated with Nunez, even though his wayward finishing was often an issue. By the end, it felt as if even he gave up on Nunez, starting him in just one of his last seven games.

He only began eight league matches under Slot, who preferred Diogo Jota and the converted winger Diaz as strikers. The Dutchman’s football was less chaotic than Klopp’s; he did not operate on the principle that if Nunez wreaked enough havoc, the goals would come, even if they were for someone else. He showed a willingness to rebuke Nunez in press conferences; the striker wanted to leave in January. He never learnt much English. It became clearer a Klopp project did not suit Slot’s style of football.

Nunez scored a mere seven goals in 47 appearances in last season (he left with seven in 57, going back further and the goal before then was a clearance by Sheffield United keeper Ivo Grbic that rebounded in off his thigh). He departs the Premier League with the idiosyncratic stat that no one who hit the woodwork so often – 14 times – did so in anything like as few minutes. But, in their own way, the Liverpool crowd may miss him and opposing defenders may not: there were days when Nunez seemed unstoppable, except by his own inability to hit the target. The Saudi Pro-League won’t know what is about to hit them.

First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out’ returns deal with France, Starmer confirms

The first migrants who arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel have been detained under the new “one in, one out” deal with France, the prime minister has confirmed.

The first detentions came after people arrived in Dover on Wednesday, the first day the pilot scheme came into force.

The agreement, announced by the prime minister in a joint press conference with Emmanuel Macron last month, means that any adult migrant who crosses the Channel will now be at risk of return if their claim for asylum is considered inadmissible.

For each small boat migrant sent back across the English Channel, an asylum seeker will be allowed to enter the UK from France under a legal route.

UK officials aim to make referrals for returns to France within three days of a person’s arrival by small boat while French authorities will respond within 14 days.

Adults and families in France are now able to express an interest in coming to the UK through an online platform set up by the Home Office. They will have to meet suitability criteria, standard visa application process and security checks.

Posting to social media, the prime minister said: “We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France. No gimmicks, just results.

“If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.”

The government is hoping the new scheme will turn the tide on the numbers of people arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel, amid mounting tensions over the issue in recent days.

There have been protests across the UK opposing the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, with a number of people arrested after a protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf in London on Sunday.

The Home Office said detentions began for those who arrived on Wednesday afternoon and they will be held in immigration removal centres until they are returned to France.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil and will now be held in detention until they can be returned to France.

“That sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat.”

However, there is confusion over whether the UK-France deal leaves open a loophole which would allow for human rights claims to hold up deportations.

The terms of the treaty indicated that migrants who had arrived in the UK via small boat could frustrate attempts to deport them to France, as the agreement contains a clause that says in order for people to be returned to France the UK must confirm they do not have an “outstanding human rights claim”.

Critics have argued this could risk bogus applications being made to frustrate the deportation process and cause delays.

Home Office sources said that migrants with an ongoing human rights claim would not be removed from the UK until their claim is complete in UK courts.

If, however, a claim hasn’t been commenced then an individual can be removed, with any further legal challenges being dealt with in the French courts.

It is also understood that people with claims that have been ruled as unfounded can be removed even where there is a possibility of future legal challenge.

Labour has put a pledge to crack down on the number of people coming to the UK on small boats at the centre of its plan for government.

But with boat crossings at a record high, and the asylum backlog still above 75,000, there is mounting pressure on ministers to take more drastic action – pressure which is exacerbated by the success of Reform UK in the polls.

Last week figures showed that the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel topped 25,000 – the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 25,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.

Police investigate after video of men spraying water at Orthodox Jews

Police have launched an investigation after a video of two men firing a water pistol at members of the Jewish community was circulated on social media.

In a now deleted video, two men were seen laughing as they sprayed traditionally-dressed Orthodox Jewish adults and children with water on the streets of Manchester.

Greater Manchester Police said a crime had been reported after the video was shared online.

“A crime has been recorded, with multiple lines of enquiry being actively investigated,” the force said.

“We are working closely with partners to provide reassurance to the communities impacted, and we encourage anyone who has been targeted to contact us on 999 in an emergency, 101, or by reporting on our website.”

The video was shared on Instagram and YouTube before it was taken down.

Community Security Trust, a charity which monitors antisemitism across the UK, described it as “an appalling antisemitic video”.

The Independent has contacted the account that uploaded the video.

One of the men told The Jewish Chronicle they “sincerely apologise” if anyone felt offended and said: “I honestly don’t understand the hate we’re getting right now. It was just a simple water gun prank using a small toy — nothing more.

“I have two other “Water Gun Prank” videos filmed with British people, and everyone was smiling, laughing, and the vibe was great.

“I don’t understand how this suddenly became labeled as hate speech. It’s not hate speech in any way — it’s just a normal human joke, nothing offensive or targeted.

“We do not accept being called hateful or being accused of spreading hate speech. That’s simply not true. We respect all people regardless of their race.”

Homelessness minister urged to resign after ‘hiking rent at London house by £700’

Homelessness minister Rushanara Ali is facing calls to resign over her handling of a rental property, following reports she raised the rent at her east London townhouse by £700 weeks after the previous tenants’ contract ended.

Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake accused the Labour minister of “staggering hypocrisy”, saying: “Rushanara Ali has been somebody who’s obviously a government minister in charge of homelessness. She’s spoken out about exploiting tenants, about providing more protections to tenants.

“You can’t say those things, then do the opposite in practice, as a landlord. She’s got to resign.”

He said the conduct appeared to be “unethical, not illegal” but “we can’t just say one thing and do another.”

Ms Ali has been accused of raising the rent on the property, which has four bedrooms, from £3,300 to £4,000 after the previous tenants vacated the property.

According to the i paper, the previous occupants were handed just four months’ notice last November, informing them that their lease would not be renewed.

And weeks after they had left, the house was reportedly once again up for rent – but for £700 more each month.

It is understood that Ms Ali – who is the Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Stepney – told the occupants their tenancy would not be renewed as the house was being put up for sale and were offered a rolling contract while the house was on the market, but chose to leave.

The property was then re-listed as a rental when a buyer could not be found, it is understood.

Mr Hollinrake said her handling of the situation seemed “extremely unfair”.

Asked whether an investigation should take place before a resignation, he said: “Well, I think the facts are pretty clear, and that’s up to the prime minister, I think, to do whatever, to take whatever steps he needs to take to ascertain the facts of the matter.

“But the facts of the matter, as we see today, and I always believe people have a right of reply, of course, but the prime minister should investigate. If these these facts are as we’ve heard that they are today, then she must resign.”

Shadow housing secretary James Cleverly echoed Mr Hollinrakes calls, saying the allegations “would be an example of the most extreme hypocrisy and she should not have the job as homelessness minister”.

Meanwhile, Tom Darling, director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, added: “It’s mind-boggling that we have a homelessness minister who has just evicted four people in order to rake in more rent – something that will soon be illegal under the Renters’ Rights Bill her own department is bringing through parliament.

“The government are currently considering an amendment to the legislation from the House of Lords which reduces the ban on reletting after eviction from 12 months to 6 months.

“The government must remove this amendment, and at the very least Minister Ali must recuse herself from any discussions on this within government.”

Ms Ali has previously criticised “private renters being exploited and discriminated against” when defending the government’s Renters Reform Bill, which will eliminate “no-fault” evictions, where landlords can end tenancies without a specific reason using Section 21 notice.

She said the legislation would “empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases”.

The bill will also stop landlords who have terminated a tenancy to sell the property from re-listing it with higher rent until six months or more after the occupants vacated the premises.

The Renters’ Rights Bill has received its third reading in the House of Lords having already been through the Commons.

A spokesperson for Ms Ali told The Independent: “Rushanara takes her responsibilities seriously and complied with all relevant legal requirements.”

Ballon d’Or 2025 nominees announced as Dembele and McTominay make the cut

The nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or have been revealed, with football’s best players contending for a number of top prizes.

Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue have led Paris Saint-Germain’s charge, and both French superstars will contend for the top men’s prize, succeeding Rodri after his stunning win over Vinicius Jr last year. A long injury absence has meant the holder is absent from this year’s list, whereas Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka and Trent Alexander-Arnold have also missed out.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Mohamed Salah, who inspired Liverpool to Premier League glory, are also on the 30-man longlist. Joining them are Scott McTominay, who guided Napoli to the Scudetto and Kylian Mbappe, despite a tough start as he shone for Real Madrid in his debut season at the Bernabeu.

Aitana Bonmati is still the favourite to win the women’s award for the third straight year, despite losing out with Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League final to Arsenal and then with Spain in the Women’s Euro 2025 final to England. Chloe Kelly, Hannah Hampton and Spain teammate Mariona Caldentey are also nominated.

Join The Independent’s live coverage of the 2025 Ballon d’Or nominations below: