This is the members only edition of Future Crunch, a weekly roundup of good news, mind-blowing science, and the best bits of the internet (not necessarily in that order). One third of your subscription fee goes to charity.
Good news you probably didn't hear about
In May this year, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health embarked on a first of its kind vaccination drive aimed at under-15s. In just ten days, they managed to vaccinate four million kids and teenagers against typhoid and cholera. The campaign has since been extended to reach six million, and the vaccine has been successfully added to Zimbabwe’s routine immunization schedule. WHO
80% of Malaysia’s adult population are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with over 40 million doses administered in the last six months (here in Australia, with a similar sized population, we've only just passed 50%). The country is planning to open domestic travel bubbles and booster shots are planned for frontline workers and the elderly. Channel News
Health authorities in Yemen have managed to control the explosive cholera outbreak that started in 2017, thanks to an unprecedented effort to get medicine and vaccines to those affected. Global cases of cholera plummeted by almost two thirds last year, thanks to a 68% decrease in cases in Yemen, and a 23% decrease from all other countries. WHO
A court in Jakarta has ruled that the Indonesian government has failed to protect citizens’ rights to clean air. The landmark decision requires the President and ministers to tighten national air quality standards to protect human health and the environment, and oversee efforts to cut pollution that directly affects air quality in Jakarta. The Independent
More than 97% of people in Bangladesh now have access to electricity, up from 62% in 2014. That's something like 60 million people who have gained access in the last seven years. Included in that number are around six million solar home systems, the largest off-grid network in the world. New Age
For the first time in Germany’s history, 85,000 people living with disabilities will be eligible to vote next election. The victory marks a turning point for disability rights and is thanks to new legislation that passed in 2019, after decades of lobbying from activists and NGOs. DW
People with disabilities are not a homogenous group and to bar some from voting is not only unfair, its unconstitutional. Without inclusion, there is no democracy.
Queensland will become the fifth Australian state to legalize voluntary assisted dying. The new laws, which have been 30 years in the making, will take effect from January 2023 and allow people over the age of 18 who meet the criteria to seek medical assistance to end their life. ABC
362,000 marijuana cases in New Jersey have been dismissed and 1,200 people released from probation as new drug laws take effect. New Jersey joins Illinois which has cleared 500,000 marijuana-related records, and California which has expunged 200,000. NJ
In one of the largest shifts of public opinion ever recorded, Gallup says that 94% of American adults now approve of interracial marriage, a huge leap from 4% when the poll began in 1958. People over the age of 50 experienced the biggest shift, increasing their approval by 64% in the past 30 years. Can't help but think of Max Planck's legendary quote:
A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.
Saving the world is cheaper than ruining it
On Tuesday this week, Xi Jinping announced that China “will not finance or build new coal-fired power projects abroad." Difficult to overstate how important this is; in all the years we've been reporting on the clean energy transition, it's one of the biggest pieces of news we've ever shared. Beijing is by far the largest source of financing for coal plants globally, and the decision sends a clear signal to the rest of the world that the end of the fossil fuel era is now in sight. But of course, as a regular reader you knew that already :) DW
Decarbonization is a combination of big moments, like Xi's announcement, but also thousands of tiny little steps. Across millions of backyards in America, there's a quiet revolution taking place, as the roar and fumes of petrol-powered leaf blowers, mowers and trimmers is replaced by the silent hum of battery-powered ones. "My guys won’t even touch a gas hedge trimmer anymore." AP
Records continue to tumble on Australia's main electricity grid, with the share of renewable energy smashing through 64% for the first time earlier this morning. The fact that the new peak occurred on a working day rather than a weekend is significant, and highlights the increasing pace of the clean energy transition, despite the best efforts of the government here to slow it down. Twitter
India added 521 MW of rooftop solar in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 517% compared to the same quarter last year. The country now has a cumulative installed rooftop capacity of 6.1 GW, and is on track for its best year ever for rooftop installations. PV Tech
Vattenfall, the biggest energy producer in the Nordic region, with 50% market share, just brought its net zero target forward by a decade to 2040. “The climate crisis is for real and not only do we have a responsibility to step up and move fast, we also see many opportunities in being a leader in this urgent transition." Reuters
FirstRand, Africa’s biggest bank by market value, is ending its funding of new coal-fired power stations immediately and will halt the financing of any new projects to mine coal over the next five years. It's the second African bank to ban lending for new coal plants, after Nedbank, which made the decision earlier this year. Bloomberg
The EV revolution is happening far quicker than anyone realises (except regular readers of this newsletter). In Germany, 21.7% of all cars produced in July were electric, compared with 6.8% in March 2020 and 3.2% in January 2019. Meanwhile, in China, 17.8% of all new cars sold in August were either electric or hybrids - up 180% year on year.
The only home we've ever known
Earlier this week, the UN brought more than 20 world leaders together with representatives from indigenous communities and the private and philanthropic sectors, to ‘commit to momentous action for nature, climate, and people’. Nat Geo
Here are the highlights:
- The largest-ever philanthropic commitment for conservation. Nine organizations joined forces to launch the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, pledging $5 billion to conserve 30% of the planet by 2030 and support indigenous stewardship of native territories.
- The Finance for Biodiversity Pledge, 75 financial institutions worth a collective €12 trillion in assets, committed to protect and restore biodiversity through their activities, and reduce existing investments which are harmful to nature.
- Costa Rica announced it will ramp up its ocean protection from 2.5% to 30% and will also expand the area designated to the Cocos Islands National Park.
- Nigeria will establish 10 new national parks across the country and create new marine protected areas.
- Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia presented the ‘Amazon of Europe’, the world’s first five-nation biosphere reserve spanning 700km between the countries.
A partnership between five conservation groups in Kentucky has pulled off the largest dam removal in the state’s history. The Green River, one of the most bio-diverse river systems in America, will soon flow freely for the first time in 70 years. Good news for 150 fish species, over 70 species of mussel and 43 endemic species that call it home. BG
The EU has voted to phase out the use of animals in laboratory experiments, calling for systemic changes to scientific research methods. Over eight million animals, including monkeys, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, and rats, will be saved from the invasive experiments Europe carries out each year. Totally Vegan Buzz
Canada just pledged $340 million to indigenous-led conservation initiatives over the next five years. Smart policy - indigenous communities have been responsible for safeguarding 80% of the world’s biodiversity, despite making up less that 5% of the population. Planetary Press
A South-African-based conservation group has been gifted a $100 million philanthropic grant to help sustain some of the most biodiverse and threatened landscapes on the planet. The group manages 19 protected areas that cover 14.7 million hectares across Africa. Mongabay
And finally... wildlife crossings!
Indistinguishable from magic
Archaeologists say that 3,600 years ago, an icy space rock exploded above the Dead Sea, obliterating the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam, and burning Jericho to the ground. The blast was 1,000 times larger than Hiroshima, creating a shockwave that moved at 1,200 km/h and heated the air to 2,000 °C. Historians think the event inspired the story of Sodom’s destruction in Genesis. Conversation
Fibre optic cable, without the cable. Engineers have built a laser that transmits high speed internet across the Congo River, between Brazzaville to Kinshasa. The new technology created a 20 GB per second broadband link between two points with clear line of sight, and over 20 days, transmitted 700 TB of data. The Verge
Two of our favourite technologies, additive manufacturing and clean energy, in one story - what's not to love? General Electric is building a huge 3D printer to make molds for the metal parts of its monster Haliade X wind turbine. The molds will be able to cast objects up to 9.5 metres in diameter and over 60 tons in weight. PEI
The first human trials for a gene-editing treatment for HIV have been cleared by the US FDA. The new therapy uses CRISPR to snip out HIV, which coils its genetic material into the genome of a host cell - a snake-like characteristic that has made it so difficult to remove for so long. Another gene editing therapy, for acute myeloid leukemia, was cleared for human trials in the same week. Fierce Biotech
A team under Feng Zhang, one of the inventors of CRISPR, has discovered a new class of DNA-cutting enzymes called OMEGAs. Originated in bacteria, they have now been engineered to work in human cells, suggesting the tantalizing possibility that there are many more programmable systems in biology to drive the next revolution in gene-editing. MIT
Rolls-Royce's all-electric Spirit of Innovation plane has flown for the first time. Inside its sleek, streamlined hull is the most power dense battery ever assembled for an aircraft: 6,000 cells that punch out 400 kW at 750 V through an electric powertrain, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 480km/h. New Atlas
The information superhighway is still out there, buried beneath the noise
Don't ever say we don't bring you the big, world-shaking events here. A new pasta shape has been invented, the first in decades, called Cascatelli (waterfalls). It was designed by a food enthusiast to be the perfect shape according to three criteria: sauceability, forkability, and tooth sinkability. It's so popular it's impossible to buy - orders are backed up by 12 weeks. Pasta.com
Two wonderful essays for you this week. The first, from ecological historian Bathsheba Demuth, on how Anthropocene is a word but also a story, and one that requires us to bear witness in the far reaches of the world. The second, from writer Debbie Weingarten, on how far we should bend a thing to fit inside it, or make it fit around us — a river, a relationship, a garden in the desert. Beautifully done.
Far right troll, Niccolo Soldo, is a real piece of work; we disagree with almost every single thing he says. He does great interviews though. This exchange with reactionary feminist Mary Harrington includes the simplest, most powerful explanation we've seen yet for our collective loss of trust in elites: "Mass media destroyed elite paternalism by ripping away the veil of aristocratic mystery."
In an increasingly digitized world, measuring an activity that's good for us, like exercising or spending time outdoors, might increase motivation, but do we lose something essential in return? That's the question posed in this excellent article by running journalist Alex Hutchinson, which includes a lot of new insights on the brand new science of the human exposome. Outside Online
The best rant we've read on COVID-19 in a while. Where are all the pictures?
These deaths, second and third hand, were text messages and Twitter DMs and phonecalls and emails, and always sanitary. While these human costs were very real, I never saw them either. Because we’ve seen, and I cannot overstress this, f*ck all.
You might have heard about companies that now offer a service for turning human bodies into a cubic yard of soil. Lisa Wells investigates the 'elegant science of turning cadavers into compost,' reminding us that the point of keeping death in mind isn’t to dwell on the macabre, but to remember what we are always in danger of forgetting: life ends. Harpers
Humankind
The WhatsApp Academy
Meet Maxwell Chimesza, a 27 year old self-taught tutor in Zimbabwe who developed an exam preparation program for students on WhatsApp, and sparked an education revolution with just a Samsung Galaxy phone, and 32GB of storage.
Maxwell lives in Mbare, one of the poorest townships in the country. Growing up with aunts as teachers, Maxwell was passionate about education and was a gifted, dedicated student. Although he earned 14 A-Level examination distinctions at school, he couldn’t fulfill his dream of university because his family were unable to pay for a teaching degree.
When unemployment ravaged Zimbabwe in 2019, Maxwell struggled to find a job. Taking matters into his own hands, he launched a 'student polishing service' to help kids prepare for exams. “As someone who could not get to university for lack of funds, I was confident I had the capacity and knowledge to help other students earn top grades.” Without access to a computer and unable to pay Zimbabwe’s exorbitant internet rates, Maxwell launched his service through WhatsApp, which offered more affordable bundles.
Creating class timetables and materials, Maxwell ran mock tests to prepare his students for upcoming exams and families paid him $10 per subject each month to help cover his data. When COVID-19 hit, demand for Maxwell’s services suddenly skyrocketed. With many Zimbabwean households struggling to access the high speed Wi-Fi required for remote learning, Maxwell’s WhatsApp classroom was an accessible, effective option.
Today, Maxwell, or ‘Dr Maxx’ as he’s known in the classroom, has tutored over 700 students. His school gained public attention earlier this year when his class of 64 WhatsApp students snagged 41 A-grade marks and 100% pass rate, placing them in the same league as students from Zimbabwe’s most expensive elite boarding schools. Maxwell is now on a mission to incorporate WhatsApp schools as part of the public curriculum, giving more kids access to affordable and a wider scope of quality education.
“The quality of education in most schools is poor compared to boarding and private schools. I would like my school to grow. WhatsApp schools mean no expensive uniforms or desks.”
A slightly lengthier edition than normal, thanks for sticking with us this week (that UN conference kept us busy). Hope you're doing alright out there - feels like we're into the endgame of this thing now, just a few more months to go. Stay safe, look after the people you love, we'll see you next week.
Gus, Amy and the rest of the FC team
What did you think of this edition?
