We've met some extraordinary human beings while putting together the third season of our podcast, Hope Is A Verb: people like rewilding pioneer Kris Tompkins; the founder of The Dream Orchestra, Ron Davis Álvarez; and one of the key figures behind the decriminalization of homosexuality in the Cook Islands, Valerie Witchman.
We're thrilled to bring you the trailer for Season 3, featuring a few of their voices. New look, new sound, same idea: what does it actually take to change the world? First episode launches on the 9th of August. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out the 90 second trailer here, or just hit play on the video below:
Good news for people
UN predicts world population to peak earlier, and lower
A new analysis projects a high of about 10.3 billion people by the mid-2080s—and that the population will fall to approximately 10.2 billion by the end of the century, which is 6% lower than predicted a decade ago. This is also earlier than expected, with UN officials describing it as a 'hopeful sign… [that] could mean reduced environmental pressures from human impacts.' Guardian
Incredible progress on maternal and neonatal tetanus
Since the WHO began its maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination initiative in 1999, neonatal mortality due to tetanus in the 59 priority countries has decreased by 84%. Globally, the percentage of infants protected at birth increased from 74% in 2000 to 86% in 2022, and 47 of the 59 priority countries had achieved full elimination by 2022. WHO
Huge breakthrough for the prevention of AIDS
Delegates at the International AIDS Conference last week 'leapt to their feet in delight' after results were shared from one of the most promising HIV prevention trials in the history of the epidemic—a twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir that prevented 100% of new HIV infections among 2,134 women aged 16 to 25. Health Policy Watch
China makes inroads on hepatitis prevention and control
Thanks to a prevention-first, whole-society approach, China's hepatitis B infection rate has continued to fall, especially among children under five, among whom it is now below 1%. Also, the incidence rate of hepatitis A has dropped from 55.69 per 100,000 individuals in 1991 to 1.06 per 100,000 in 2020, and the antiviral cure rate for hepatitis C patients has surpassed 95%. CGTN
G20 nations plan to make the super-rich pay their taxes
At the G20 summit in Brazil, the nations’ finance ministers pledged to 'engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed.' Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said that 'from a moral point of view, it is important that the 20 richest nations consider that we have a problem, which is to have progressive taxation on the poor and not on the rich.' DW
US crime rates now at their lowest level in decades
'Our crime rate is going up, while crime statistics all over the world are going down because they’re taking their criminals and they’re putting them into our country' (take a guess who said it). Actually, America's violent crime rate is at its lowest level in more than 40 years, and property crime is also at its lowest level in many decades. NYT 🎁
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone yields results
New data confirm that the air quality in London has dramatically improved in the year since Mayor Sadiq Khan expanded fees on polluting cars, vans, minibuses, and motorcycles driving into the city. Harmful particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions are an estimated 20% lower than they would have been had Khan not expanded the zone to outer London in August 2023. NYT 🎁
Bosnia and Herzegovina crosses bridge to a more hopeful future
When the Stari Most ('Old Bridge') in the city of Mostar was destroyed during the Yugoslav Wars in 1993, residents called it 'the saddest day of our lives.' Today, thanks to a decades-long collaboration between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the World Bank’s International Development Association, the bridge is whole once more. World Bank
Progress on ending violence against women in Australia
New data tracking national progress find that the prevalence of physical intimate partner violence has decreased significantly since 1989. Australians’ attitudes towards gender inequality and domestic violence have also improved. In 2023, only 37% of Australian men aged 18-30 felt social pressure to conform to rigid ideals of masculinity, compared to 49% in 2018. Our Watch
More good news you didn't hear about
More than five billion people around the globe can now read and write. Public health officials in Bangladesh say they're on track to eliminate malaria after witnessing a 96% decline in deaths between 2008 and 2023. The real immigration crisis in Germany? Not enough immigrants. In America, human rights lawyers and activists are holding the line: halfway through 2024, just 41 of the 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced this year have passed into law. More news from the United States that's not about the election: several states have enacted pay transparency laws to fight gender and racial wage gaps; the overall birth rate for 15- to 19-year-olds declined 71% between 2000 and 2022 (with Latina teens seeing the steepest declines); Michigan's latest education budget includes free community college and preschool programs; and Virginia is laying down plans for cell phone-free education in public schools. Scientists have identified a cause of lupus, potentially paving the way for a cure where none currently exists. HPV vaccination rates among Malawi’s schoolgirls are finally rebounding post-COVID, and in Timor-Leste, 61,374 girls will receive the HPV vaccine thanks to support from international partners.
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If it bleeds, it leads
A new cross-cultural study has revealed that doomscrolling, 'the habit of continuously consuming negative news online,' significantly increases feelings of existential anxiety, distrust, and despair. Researchers from the United States and Iran found that constant exposure to distressing news reshapes our perception of reality, making life seem more fragile and uncertain.
This phenomenon, described as 'vicarious trauma,' causes symptoms similar to PTSD—even without direct personal experience. The lead author of the study, Dr. Reza Shabahang, explains, 'When we’re constantly exposed to negative news and information online, it can threaten our beliefs about our own mortality and the control we have over our own lives.'
TL;DR: regular news makes you sick.
Good news for the planet
Six new sites added to UNESCO World Heritage List
The new sites include a marine hotspot in the Marquesas Islands, coastal sand dunes in Brazil, interdunal lakes and important migratory bird sanctuaries in China, Vjetrenica Cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one of the largest remaining peat bog ecosystems in Scotland. IUCN
China’s progress on ocean protection
The country has protected 150,000 km2 within marine 'ecological redlines,' which include biodiverse ecosystems such as wetlands, coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass meadows. China has also established 352 marine nature reserves, spanning about 93,300 km2 of marine habitat, which have aided the recovery of rare species like the spotted seal. Dialogue Earth
Bullfighting bites the dust in Columbia
The Colombian president has signed a bill to ban the centuries-old tradition by 2027, with plans turn more than a dozen bullrings into cultural and sporting venues. 'We cannot tell the world that killing living and sentient beings for entertainment is culture.' This leaves only seven countries where bullfighting remains legal. AP
A conservation victory for the spotted owl
Canada has taken a step towards protecting the spotted owl, releasing a draft recovery strategy that identifies over 400,000 hectares of old-growth forest critical to the survival of the bird. The historic win is thanks to two decades of First Nations leadership and overwhelming public pressure. Wilderness Committee
Our ancestors taught us the spotted owl is our messenger between this world and the spirit world and how they speak to us, and this new recovery strategy gives them chance at survival.
Chief James Hobart, Spô’zêm First Nation
Jaguars return to the wilds of Argentina
The Iberá Provincial Reserve in Argentina has celebrated the release of nine jaguars, marking the first time this top predator has been seen in the Iberá area in 70 years. The park is home to one of the most comprehensive rewilding projects on the planet and has reintroduced foundational species like giant anteaters, Pampas deer, and collared peccaries over the past 50 years. Time
Amazon communities save giant freshwater fish
Just over a decade ago, the arapaima, a fish capable of growing up to three metres long, was on the brink of extinction. But thanks to sustainable fishing practices spearheaded by local communities, the arapaima population has increased by 425% in 11 years. Across the Amazon, around 1,100 communities have adopted conservation initiatives for the fish. National Geographic
For many, many decades, people have been looking to the outside for solutions to the problems in the Amazon, but the arapaima story shows that the answers are often in the hands of the local people and communities living in the forest.
João Campos-Silva, Ecologist
The app helping farmers commit to ‘good fire’ in Thailand
The FireD app is a novel system to reduce deadly smog from agricultural burning in Northern Thailand. Using imagery and data from NASA satellites and thermal drones, the app helps farmers determine the right time to do controlled burns, depending on current atmospheric conditions. The Grist
The EPA is taking steps to regulate vinyl chloride
Experts and environmental groups have been urging the government to take action after a train shipment of the chemical derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, last year. The EPA just designated vinyl chloride, along with four other chemicals used to make plastic, as 'high-priority substances.' If finalized, a years-long study could lead to further restrictions. Toxic Free Future
Jabiluka uranium site protected after decades of activism
In a major win for the Mirarr traditional owners, the application for a ten-year renewal of the mineral lease for the Jabiluka site in Australia, one of the world's largest and richest uranium deposits, will be rejected. The controversial site will be absorbed into Kakadu National Park, ending three decades of uncertainty for First Nations communities. ABC
More music for those who will listen
In the UK, a small fee on plastic bags has resulted in an 80% decrease in litter on beaches over the last decade. This autumn, salmon will return to California’s Klamath River, as the world’s largest dam removal project wraps up. How Shenzhen, China’s most ‘futuristic’ city, restored its mangroves. A revision to the Clean Water Act could mean that US states must consider tribal rights when crafting water rules and protect resources such as wild rice, sturgeon, salmon, and shellfish. Chesapeake Bay in Maryland has received its highest grade in overall health since 2002, proving that cleanup efforts are working. An initiative to rewild 13,000 ha of South Downs National Park in Sussex and Hampshire has hit the halfway mark. The Grand Canyon will become the first national park in the US to trial eliminating single-use plastic waste, potentially saving over 7.2 million foodware items per year. A decade-long initiative to protect tricolored blackbirds in California has prevented the deaths of at least half a million chicks. Local communities in Wales will begin the restoration of a lost Atlantic rainforest in Pembrokeshire. Meet Europe’s Big Five: wolf, bison, wolverine, brown bear, and lynx.
That's it for this edition, thanks for reading we'll see you next week!
With love,
Gus and Amy