Tuesday's Upbeat News

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Today's eclectic global collection of upbeat news nuggets.

Manta ray swimming through clear blue water — Manta ray

New Global Pact

Manta rays, jaguars and migratory birds are among the species set to gain from greater protections under a new global agreement aimed at halting biodiversity loss. At a “pivotal moment” for nature, nations agreed this week on new measures to reduce bycatch, expanded protections for some threatened species, and - crucially - strengthen cross-border wildlife connectivity on land and sea. The agreement was originally struck at the Cop15 migratory species conference in Brazil, where more than 130 governments signed off on the stronger protections. Susan Lieberman of the Wildlife Conservation Society called this “one of the smartest, most cost‑effective climate solutions available today - protecting animals that protect the planet”. Birdlife International described the pact as “a major breakthrough for migratory birds”, while the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said it was a “vital step for both people and nature”.

Megalodon Tooth

A Florida teen will have quite the story for his friends to chew on when they all meet back in class after spring break. 16-year-old Aiden Andrews found the 6-inch-long tooth of an ancient shark known as a megalodon while diving near Sarasota. This was the largest shark species in history, and is believed to have had a stronger bite than any other creature to ever live. The largest megalodon known weighed an estimated 50 tons in life, and stretched 60 feet nose to tail.

Road Safety Charter

A long running campaign to reduce road deaths in Africa has reached a crucial milestone after nations ratified the continent’s first ever road safety charter. Africa has more deaths on its highways than any other region and the new charter aims to change that by committing nations to halving fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. Countries must now establish national road safety agencies, invest in safer road infrastructure, and enforce legislation that has cut deaths elsewhere, such as laws mandating seat belt use.

Triangular rock painted to look like a sandwich — Credit: Colossal

Betty Rubble

Painting rocks is typically a fun activity introduced to kids at a young age, but New York-based artist Elizabeth Saloka has turned the nostalgic pastime into an equally entertaining art form as an adult. Using stones of all shapes and sizes, she meticulously paints them to resemble an array of common objects, from Kodak film cases to sandwiches, and peanut butter jars to old cellphones. She scours building sites, parking lots, and sidewalks, collecting pieces of rubble that she’ll later turn into art. No wonder she's known on Instagram as bettyrubblenyc. She was drawn to the material after struggling to afford traditional art materials, and has now been painting rocks for around 10 years.

Land of The Pharoahs

For a country that’s over 90 percent sand desert, where the Sun was deified in ancient times, and where the Sahara wind is so desiccating it’s known as samoom, or “poison,” installing gigawatts of solar and wind energy seems a no-brainer. No wonder that Egypt has announced it's building massive solar, wind, and battery storage facilities along the Red Sea coastline - enough clean energy to power 6 million homes. To reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, Egypt has set a target of 42 percent renewable electricity by 2030.

Green Initiative

Saudi Arabia has restored almost 4,000 square miles of degraded land and planted over 159 million trees under its Green Initiative, shifting from pledges to actual large-scale ecological delivery. The programme targets desertification, dust storms and biodiversity loss, and marks one of the largest coordinated restoration efforts in the world’s arid regions.

"Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch." Hans Christian Andersen

On This Day

English chemist John Walker striking a match

7 April 1827: English chemist John Walker sells the world's first friction matches, for 1s 2d (6 new pence) per 100 matches in a tin case with a piece of sandpaper. Walker chose not to patent his invention to make it freely available for the benefit of humanity, despite others later profiting from it.