Entrants from the 2018-2019 GSD Year 12 Competition answered one of the following questions:

1. 'Single-use’ has been named Word of the Year 2018. Why is the banning of ‘single-use’ plastics relevant to sustainable development?
2. A recent study reported that, at current rates of progress, it may take more than 100 years to close the gender pay gap globally. How does narrowing this gap contribute to establishing more sustainable societies?
3. Many countries have recently pledged to reduce their emissions in order to stay within a 1.5 degree rise in global warming. Is this target achievable?

We received a considerable number of applications at an impressive standard. The shortlisted entrants were invited to a Campus Day at Warwick to have a feel of what it means to be a GSD student at Warwick.

Best Video – Finn Deacon

The judging panel really enjoyed Finn’s video, as it was ‘well edited and filmed, with a lot of information provided throughout’. He provided a ‘confident’ delivery and made his points ‘well justified and researched’, making for ‘a clear and coherent argument’.

 

Best Essay - James Rennie

James’ essay was ‘an impressively fluent summary of many of the key issues relevant to the challenges posed by single-use plastics’. He managed to support his arguments through the use of ‘well-referenced sources’ and a ‘scientific rigour to support and reinforce explanations and reasoning’, without making his work an ‘overly technical discussion’.

 

Highly Commended – Issy Edwards

Focusing on the gender pay gap, Issy’s essay was ‘well-written and argued, and the conclusion provides a good summary of the analysis’. She also clearly defined the key terms and used effectively several sources to ‘provide evidence for the arguments made’.

 

Highly Commended – Freddie Seagrave

Freddie’s work covered ‘several critical, and fundamental, climate change topics’, such as decarbonisation of the energy supply, carbon capture, bridge fuels and afforestation. His well-thought considerations showed a very good ‘ability to contextualise issues in their wider context’.