Brief synopsis of the top good news stories from last week.
Cognitive Offloading: New research shows, perhaps counter-intuitively, that creating a bedtime 'to do' list can help you get a better night's sleep.
Restoring Vision: Japanese researchers have developed world-first stem-cell treatment that restores vision in humans, using an alternative source of cells to make the corneal transplants. After the transplants, all four recipients showed immediate improvements in their vision. The improvements persisted in all but one recipient, who showed slight reversals during a one-year observation period.
Flatulence Tax: Denmark has agreed on how to implement the world’s first tax on agricultural emissions, including flatulence by livestock. These are "things that we could all benefit from if the rest of the world could foster such cooperation in the climate fight.”
Child Welfare
Child Marriage: Though it must still be signed into law by its president, Colombia just voted to change a law that allowed minors as young as 14 to get married with parental consent. The new law would raise the minimum age to marry to 18 years old. Colombia follows Sierra Leone, which also banned child marriage earlier this year.
Nairobi School Lunches: Since the program launched in 2023, test scores, attendance and enrollment have increased significantly. "We've been able to build 17 central kitchens that have created 2,000 jobs. 300,000 children now are having a meal every day. Enrolment has gone up by 34 percent in our schools just by providing those meals. For many of them it’s the only meal they get. They look happier. More importantly they feel loved."
Corporal Punishment: Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Burundi, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic are set to ban corporal punishment against under-18s, while the Gambia and Nigeria have promised to end it in schools. Together, these countries are home to approximately 150 million children, with the WHO calling the move a "fundamental shift."
Rewilding
30 Million Acres: Brazil has announced a plan to restore an area of degraded land about half the size of the U.K. by 2030, in a bid to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
Less is More: An international team of scientists found that over 800,000 square miles of deforested lands could recover naturally with minimal human involvement. Five countries (Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico, and Colombia) accounted for the majority of the estimated potential regrowth. The new study noted that when forests bounce back on their own, they can sequester significant amounts of atmospheric carbon and improve water quality in the process.
Wildlife & Conservation
'Green-Listed': Scimitar Oryx has been down listed from Extinct in the wild to Endangered by the IUCN following successful breeding and reintroduction schemes. Scimitar Oryx is a large antelope that was once widespread across North Africa and parts of West Africa and Central Africa. It is specially adapted to harsh desert conditions and can survive for months or even years without drinking water.
Lights Out in Texas: In a key migratory pathway, a Texas metro area reduced light pollution to save birds from colliding with buildings. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the third most dangerous area for avian migration nationwide, so the Lights Out team convinced downtown businesses to turn down their brightly-lit buildings, reducing light pollution that that they believed was disorienting to birds. The initiative has already proven to successfully reduce bird casualties.
Renewable Energy
Toronto: The city is set to expand its groundbreaking deep lake water cooling/heating system, enhancing its position as a leader in sustainable urban energy solutions.
Exponential: In June, The Economist published a feature called “The exponential growth of solar power will change the world,” noting that the planet’s installed solar capacity doubles about every three years. Five months later, the Global Solar Council now says that installed capacity has actually doubled over the past two years. Even solar’s exponentials have exponentials. This is great news for phasing out coal and gas, as the plummeting prices of solar and wind are economic realities that could power them through the coming political headwinds.
Onshore Wave Energy: Eco Wave Energy has secured final approval for what will become the first onshore wave energy project in the US, at the Port of Los Angeles. The idea behind the setup is to mount a number of floaters on coastal infrastructure, which rise and fall to the motion of waves. This drives hydraulic pistons to move fluid to an accumulator, which is then released to produce electricity via a generator. EWP has already identified 77 more sites on the US coast with potential for adopting its wave energy technology.
Subsea Cables: A network of subsea power cables that will power millions of homes in Europe just received final approval. The cable projects will link Great Britain to power grids in Germany, Ireland, and Northern Ireland to help share renewable electricity across borders and help Britain meet its green energy goals.
Global Energy Transition: It will cost a lot less than we think. With estimates ranging from $3 trillion to $12 trillion, the cost to green the world's economy can seem inconceivable but The Economist argues the cost will actually be closer to $1 trillion annually - or 1 percent of global GDP. Most analysts overestimate energy demand and underestimate technological advances.
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Today's Articles
Thomas Paine: Quaint English town where one of America's Founding Fathers, and the world's first international revolutionaries, sparked spirit of rebellion that continues today.
Remarkable Impact: Reducing global cattle production by just 13 percent and turning it over to nature could lock away equivalent to three years’ worth of global carbon emissions.
Sounds of Nature: Listen to a huge choice of soothing and captivating soundscapes with this Global Forest Sound Map.