What better than starting the day than with a global round up of positive news nuggets?
Environmental Hero
It's been a good week for Alessandra Korap Munduruku, a leader from Brazil’s indigenous Munduruku community, who has been awarded this year’s Goldman Prize for her fight against mining in the Amazon rainforest. Anglo American withdrew 27 applications to research mineral extraction inside indigenous territories as a result of her campaign.
Quadrupling Capacity
European countries surrounding the North Sea are committing to quadrupling their offshore wind power capacity by 2030 as they set out to turn the region into an enormous renewable energy hub. At the second North Sea Summit, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Germany all committed to developing green energy “islands” connected to renewable power generation sites offshore and to quickly constructing wind farms, reported Reuters. “We need offshore wind turbines - and we need a lot of them,” the countries’ leaders wrote in a joint op-ed in Politico. “We need them to reach our climate goals, and to rid ourselves of Russian gas, ensuring a more secure and independent Europe.”
Multi-Purpose
The city of Bergen in Norway just opened 1.8-mile-long tunnel specifically for cycling and pedestrians constructed through the base of Løvstakken mountain. The team that made it say it’s the longest purpose-built tunnel of its kind in the world. Following four years of construction, Fyllingsdalstunnelen, as it’s called, officially opened with a family day of activities. The tunnel features two lanes so both bikers and runners or walkers can enjoy the tunnel side-by-side.
Nearly Half Way
Washington just became the 23rd state in the U.S. to abolish the death penalty. "We’re celebrating with everyone in Washington for helping the U.S. get one step closer to ending the death penalty nationwide," said Governor Jay Inslee.
Family Lineage
A 2-year-old Chihuahua named Pearl is officially the world’s shortest dog, as confirmed by her vet, and Guinness World Records. Pearl measures 3.59 inches (9.14 cm) in height, meaning she’s shorter than a popsicle stick. She has her head to thank for being longer than a dollar bill, at 5 inches (12.7 cm). She comes from a lineage of tiny and relatively calm Chihuahuas, with her ancestor Miracle Milly, being the previous Guinness World Record holder for shortest dog.
Fusion Funds
Sam Altman, who brought the world ChatGPT, has quietly invested $375 million in a fusion energy start-up that claims to be building the world’s first nuclear fusion power plant. A lot of firms have made similar claims since the fresh burst of interest in fusion occasioned by the “ignition” achieved last December in an experiment at California’s Lawrence Livermore lab. But Helion Energy’s technology is unique in two respects: it doesn’t use lasers or magnetic donuts known as tokamaks, but fires pairs of plasma pulses at each other at a million mph instead. And rather than produce power by converting heat to steam, it claims to be able to extract it directly from the fusion reaction via fibre-optic cables. Altman is one of many investors piling into the sector on the basis that, as one tells the WSJ, “you either lose one times your money, or you can make a thousand times your money”. Nice work if you can afford it.
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Vince Lombardi
On this Day
27 April 1992: British politician Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected speaker of the House of Commons; she held the post until 2000.
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