Hi everyone, we're trying out a bit of a format change with the inclusion of mini headlines above each story. The hope is that this makes reading and navigating a little easier. We're also going to limit the number of stories in each section to ten, and put everything else in the overflow sections. Oh, and we've changed the name of our clean energy section.
Let us know what you think of the changes by giving us a thumbs up or thumbs down at the end of the newsletter, or by just hitting reply.
Good news for people
Global child deaths fall to their lowest level ever
The number of children who died before the age of five hit a historic low of 4.9 million in 2022, less than half the number who died in 2000. Some countries such as Malawi, Rwanda, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan have reduced child deaths by more than 75% since 2000. NPR
Type B influenza may be on track for elimination
One of the silver linings of the pandemic was that the restrictions eliminated the Yamagata lineage of type B influenza—a viral source of death and disease, especially among children. Scientists now say it might be possible to eliminate the second strain, known as the Victoria lineage, leading to the end of influenza B worldwide. Bloomberg
FBI confirms huge decline in crime in the United States
New data from over 13,000 agencies, covering all of 2023, have shown that there was a 13% decline in murder last year (the largest one-year decline ever recorded); a 6% decline in violent crime, likely the lowest rate since the late 1960s; and a 4% decline in property crime. Fox News has been strangely silent. Jeff Asher
Billions gain access to clean cooking
A new report from the Clean Cooking Alliance says that more than 1.5 billion people have gained access to clean cooking (i.e. not using biomass, kerosene, or coal) since 2010, and that last year saw significant accomplishments, with new commitments from national governments and record levels of investment.
School feeding programs take off in Africa
School feeding policies are now in place in 48 out of 54 countries in Africa, supporting 15% of all students in low-income countries and more than half of students in upper-middle-income countries. Meals are also becoming healthier and more diverse, including legumes, vegetables, fruits, meat and dairy. WFP
EU backs new law to protect human rights in supply chains
The proposed law would enforce stricter checks on forced labour and environmental damage outside the EU and would apply to companies with over 1,000 employees and annual revenues of over €450 million. It will now proceed to a final vote in the European Parliament. DW
Croatia passes law making femicide a specific crime
Croatia's parliament has approved changes to the criminal code making the killing of women because of their gender a distinct crime. Anyone found guilty of femicide faces between 10 and 40 years in jail, the toughest punishment provided for under Croatian law. RTE
Japanese courts make historic rulings on same-sex marriage
The LGBTQ community in Japan is hoping the country is one step closer to legalising same-sex marriage, after two separate courts last week ruled that the country's ban was unconstitutional. Support for same-sex marriage is now at 70% nationally. ABC
Thailand takes a big step towards same-sex marriage
A bill to legalise same-sex marriage cleared its first legislative test last week after a committee set up by the House of Representatives approved it, setting it up for a final vote in the House on 27th March. After that it will need to be approved by the Senate, after which it's expected to pass into law by the end of the year. The Diplomat
The world's largest economy is getting more equal
Wages are growing faster than inflation (and most strongly for the most vulnerable), households are more financially stable than they've been in decades, and the number of startups is higher than before the Great Recession, but tacos are still expensive, so who can say whether anyone is better off than they were four years ago?
More good news you didn't hear about
A huge sigh of relief as the US Congress re-authorises PEPFAR, arguably the most successful public health initiative of the 21st century. Lichtenstein's parliament just voted 24-1 to legalise same-sex marriage. The African Development Bank says Africa will have 11 of the 20 fastest-growing economies in the world this year. McKenzie Scott has now given away $16.5 billion from the fortune she came into after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Over 200 tons of aid and food has now reached Gaza by sea. Fewer middle-aged people are dying from cancer in the UK than at any other point in the last 25 years. Gene editing for sickle cell disease is expensive, but it's going to get a lot more accessible. Since its launch in 2016, 1.8 million Sri Lankan citizens have used the country's free ambulance service, which has one of the fastest response rates in the world. Ethiopia’s social safety net is helping more than 9 million poor and vulnerable people, mostly through digital payments. Mexico is investing about €5 billion in clean water. Crime in the Philippines has dropped by at least 21% this year. The Yakuza crime groups are on the verge of disappearing:
If it bleeds, it leads
There's no shortage of studies correlating social media use with poor mental health. But this one, by de Mello, Cheung, and Inzlicht, really made an impression, especially in light of the work we do here. Nature Communications
In public debate, Twitter (now X) is often said to cause detrimental effects on users and society. Here we address this research question by querying 252 participants from a representative sample of U.S. Twitter users 5 times per day over 7 days (6,218 observations). Results revealed that Twitter use is related to decreases in well-being, and increases in political polarization, outrage, and sense of belonging over the course of the following 30 minutes. Effect sizes were comparable to the effect of social interactions on well-being. These effects remained consistent even when accounting for demographic and personality traits. Different inferred uses of Twitter were linked to different outcomes: passive usage was associated with lower well-being, social usage with a higher sense of belonging, and information-seeking usage with increased outrage and most effects were driven by within-person changes.
To some extent we're immune, since we spend most of our time on #EnergyTwitter, but this a good reminder of the horrors that lie beyond that island of calm. Long story short: doomscrolling is hazardous to your mental health. Unless you're using it for professional reasons, get off X. It's poisonous.
Good news for the planet
The UK expands marine protection in the Southern Ocean
The government just announced full protection for an additional 166,000 km2 surrounding South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, home to one of the largest and most varied aggregations of wildlife on the planet. Full protections within the MPA now encompass approximately 450,000 km2. Mongabay
China protects its largest saltwater lake
Qinghai Lake, on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, is the country's largest inland saltwater lake and a key stopover site for migratory birds. It's about to become a new national park, protecting endangered species such as the Przewalski's gazelle, key migratory channels for fish, and areas critical for bird migration. China Daily
US moves closer to creating two huge new marine sanctuaries
The proposed 19,200 km2 Chumash Heritage national marine sanctuary in California has been recognised as a Mission Blue Hope Spot, and NOAA just released a draft proposal to designate marine portions of Hawaii's 1.5 million km2 Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a national marine sanctuary.
Tree planting project in Africa restores thousands of hectares
Since it was founded in 2015, the Trees for the Future programme has planted tens of millions of trees each year in nine countries, ranging from Senegal and Mali to Tanzania and Kenya. It has reportedly restored a combined area of more than 410 km2, replacing barren monocultures with biodiverse forest gardens. Guardian
Conservationists make headway as rewilding arrives in Japan
Monoculture plantations make up 44% of the country's forests, but now a new movement is trying to change that. Piece by piece, year by year, expanses of protected areas in Japan are becoming wild again with the aid of environmentally-conscious volunteers who help nature recover. Inside Climate News
Air pollution levels improve in Europe
A new study looked at pollution over the last 20 years in 1,400 regions in 35 European countries and found that overall suspended particulate matter levels (PM2.5 and PM10) have decreased on average by 2.72% and 2.45% every year, and that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels have decreased by an average of 1.72% annually. Guardian
The UK and Sweden launch new conservation projects
Twenty new nature projects across the UK will receive funding to create and restore critical habitat areas equivalent in total to the size of York; in Sweden, new funding has been secured for a four-year project to protect ten endangered species. 'It's a massive undertaking to be able to protect this many species.'
Fisheries monitoring system in South Africa pays off
Nine years ago, South Africa put in place an innovative information management system designed to monitor and protect its seas. A new study has shown that it has brought significant benefits—mitigating environmental risks, reducing overfishing, and allowing for better coordination with other countries on ocean governance. Science Direct
NGO takes on Bali's plastic problem
Three years after its creation, Sungai Watch has installed 268 rubbish barriers on rivers, initiated more than 1,000 weekly cleanups with the help of volunteers, and collected a total of more than 1.7 million kilograms of waste. It's still a drop in the ocean, but it's starting to inspire greater government action. Guardian
Oregon outback named world’s biggest dark sky sanctuary
Long regarded as a stargazers’ paradise, the region is the new home of the world’s 19th, and largest, dark sky sanctuary, offering pristine views of the night sky across over 10,000 km2. The certification involved a years-long effort by federal, state, and local officials, community members, and several legal jurisdictions. Guardian
More music for those who will listen
Inside the successful, decades-long effort to protect the Humboldt Archipelago in Chile. After three decades, the US EPA has finally fully banned asbestos, a material that still causes about 40,000 deaths each year. Conservationists in the Galapagos have begun restoring 13 species to Floreana Island. Apple and its partners are spending $280 million on forest restoration projects in Latin America. Have you heard of the Amazon of the Seas? More than 2% of Scotland’s land is now rewilding. France’s lower house of parliament has voted to limit the excesses of fast fashion. New York is about to get its first Miyawaki forest. The Biden administration wants to limit oil and gas drilling, mining, and livestock grazing across the American West to save a bird. As dams come down on the Skutik River in Maine, the once-demonised alewife gets a second chance. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Colorado want to bring back wolverines in an unprecedented rewilding effort. Spain recently protected a whole lot of its ocean, and we sent someone an email asking for the maps. Here they are:
Hope is a Verb, Season 2, Episode 11
It's no secret that the news media is in crisis: sweeping layoffs across newsrooms, consumer disengagement and stories of doom and destruction on loop 24/7. But what if we could fix it? In this bonus episode Amy and I chat about our mission to highlight stories of progress, and why we're trying to show that another form of journalism is possible - one that not only informs us about the world, but inspires real hope for the future of our planet.
Solarpunk is a valid belief system
World’s top fossil-fuel execs deride efforts to ditch oil and gas
Oil executives at a conference in Houston, Texas this week took turns denouncing calls for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels. 'We should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas, and instead invest in them adequately. [...] in the real world, the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts.' Guardian
Who's gonna tell them?
EV sales in China may exceed 50% within three months
The CEO of BYD says sales of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will soon make up more than half of all new cars sold in China. 'The penetration rate of NEVs crossed 48.2% last week, and if it continues at this rate, I estimate it could cross 50% in the next three months.' The Driven
Germany's emissions fall by record 10.1% in 2023
Emissions dropped by a tenth in Europe's biggest economy last year, thanks to a dramatic increase in renewables deployment, high energy prices, and a wobbly economy. The country's target is a 65% cut compared with 1990, by 2030. These stats put them on track. 'Germany is on course, for the first time.' Euro News
California surges beyond 100% wind, water, and sunshine
California is the world’s biggest sub-national economy and the fifth biggest in the world. For 11 days this month, wind, solar, and hydro have matched all demand for hours per day. Before this, it's never reached 100% on a weekday, and never more than two days in a row. Now for storage. Marc Z. Jacobson
China goes big on battery storage
This week we discovered a pretty obscure research organisation funded by Denmark called the China Energy Transformation Program, which has a treasure trove of incredible data on last year's dramatic increase in renewables deployment in China, including this graph on battery storage, which really made us sit up.
Italy brings forward its coal phase-out date
Italy has committed to stopping electricity generation from coal by the end of 2025 nationwide, except in the island of Sardinia. The country has also nearly ended its dependence on Russian fossil gas imports, which fell to 4% in 2023, down from 40% before the war. Reuters
Solar installations are booming in Brazil
Brazil installed about 17 GW of solar last year, roughly equal to its entire solar market in 2021 and accounting for over 80% of clean energy investment in Latin America. The boom is driven by small-scale plants of 5 MW or less, catapulting Brazil to the world’s third-largest solar market in 2023, after China and the US. BNEF
$20 billion is coming for climate finance in America
The EPA is about to set up a green bank and an accelerator with $20 billion to make green lending accessible to more Americans, a move which will provide financing for tens of thousands of green energy and energy efficiency projects—with at least 40% of the benefits flowing to disadvantaged communities. Politico
New tailpipe pollution limits in the US set to supercharge EVs
The Biden administration just issued one of the most significant climate regulations in the nation’s history. Nearly three years in the making, new tailpipe pollution limits from the EPA would transform the country's automobile market, ensuring a majority of new cars and trucks are all-electric or hybrids by 2032. NYT 🎁
Study shows negative messaging does not drive climate action
In one of the largest-ever climate change behaviour experiments, researchers tested 11 messages on almost 60,000 people in 63 countries. Doomerism ranked among the worst for changing beliefs, and the worst for motivating action, often making people less likely to take action for the environment. Science
What's the opposite of doom-scrolling?
BMW didn't get the memo about the slowdown and is raking it in on electric vehicles. So is Volvo, which is experiencing 'Ferrari-like waiting times' for its new models. Zombie factories for combustion engine vehicles in China are the canary in the coal mine for the global automotive industry, with ICE vehicle production down 37% from 2017. The flipside: 'new energy' vehicles now account for three quarters of China's public transport system. Behold, the Rivian R3, an electric vehicle with the soul of a rally car. No transition without transmission: here's a really good overview of the global challenge. US manufacturer Thomas Built Buses, founded in 1916, just delivered its 1,000th electric school bus in Georgia. No, wind turbines don't affect property values. India’s report card against a short list of climate actions is better than most people realize. Perovskite solar panels take another crucial step towards mass commercialisation, and here's a new efficiency record for flexible, perovksite-based solar cells, courtesy of the nerds at the CSIRO.
Indistinguishable from magic
Human language may be eight times older than we thought
A new study based on the latest archaeological, paleo-anatomical, genetic, neurological, and linguistic evidence suggests early humans developed rudimentary language around 1.6 million years ago. Until recently, most experts thought we only started speaking around 200,000 years ago. Independent
Nvidia unveils super powerful GPU for next-generation AI
The company's new flagship AI product contains 208 billion transistors and delivers 7 to 30 times the performance of the previous best version, yet uses up to 25 times less energy. These new chips will be deployed at the world’s largest data centres, enable 'trillion-parameter large language models.' Bloomberg 🎁
Humanoid robots join Mercedes-Benz workforce in Hungary
Workers will soon be joined on the factory floor by Apollos—5’8”, 70-kg humanoids capable of carrying loads up to 25 kg. The robots will have two jobs: inspecting assembly kits while bringing them to workers, and delivering already-assembled parts to workers farther down the manufacturing line. Freethink
Let machines do the machine work.
Starship flies halfway around the world, reaching orbital speeds
Lift-off, hot staging, Super Heavy boost back and coast (and likely a couple engines making mainstage during landing burn), clean ship 'insertion' and coast, payload door cycling and prop transfer demo, and ship re-entry. It's already the most revolutionary rocket ever built, and the next flight is up in six weeks. Ars Technica
One of the world's largest 3D construction companies adds AI
Icon, which recently completed a 3D-printed 100-house neighbourhood in Austin, just unveiled its latest suite of innovations, including an 'AI architect,' low-carbon concrete, and a robot that can 3D-print two-story houses with roofs and foundations included. 'There’s no reason to build ugly-ass spec homes anymore.' Bloomberg
Researchers use AI to design antibodies from scratch
Scientists in Washington designed thousands of novel antibodies to recognize regions of bacterial and viral proteins, then made a subset in the lab to test whether they could bind to the right targets. Around one in 100 worked as hoped. 'It feels like quite a landmark moment. It really shows this is possible.' Nature
Woman given a new 3D-printed windpipe in a world first
In a landmark moment for medicine, a lab-grown windpipe has successfully been transplanted into a patient in South Korea for the first time ever. The new windpipe was built with cartilage and mucosal lining grown from another person's stem cells, with a synthetic, biodegradable polyester material for support. BBC
Robot dogs can now do parkour
Take that, Spot. Most of the robot videos you see are set in controlled environments. Swiss researchers have now overcome that, teaching their robot dog ANYmal a suite of basic locomotive skills that it can string together to tackle a wide variety of obstacle courses, indoors and outdoors, at speeds of up to 7 km/h. Singularity Hub
It's still an information superhighway
A few years ago, I posted an article by Jonathan Haidt on the negative impact of smartphones on teenagers, expressing some scepticism. Perhaps it's the accumulation of more evidence, or perhaps it's just the effect of being the father of two young daughters and starting to worry about what happens when they become teenagers, but I feel very differently about things now. Haidt's latest piece in The Atlantic should be required reading for all parents, and especially anyone with tweens or teens.
There's nothing there you haven't heard before but it's the language around it that's so powerful, and that really drives home the message that the smartphone-saturated environment in which kids grow up today is hostile to human development. Fortunately it's not just a lament, there are also some really useful, practical steps everyone can start taking to make sure we don't sacrifice another generation. We didn’t know what we were doing in the 2010s. Now we do. It’s time to end the phone-based childhood.
For millennials of a certain vintage, there is one cartoon that stands heads and shoulders above all others: X-Men. I still remember seeing it for the first time, and struggling to understand how something could come along and instantly occupy a whole new universe of cool. The last episode aired 27 years ago... and now the show is back, complete with its original theme song and 2D hand-drawn aesthetic. Inverse
It’s been almost three months since The Guardian launched its "Reclaim your brain" newsletter—a free, five-week email coaching plan for anyone who wants to spend less time on their phone. Since then, more than 100,000 readers have signed up, making it the fastest-growing newsletter the newspaper has ever launched. Overall, readers have reduced their collective screen time by 38%.
You know that piecing chant in the new Dune movies? Yep, that one. Well here it is performed live, courtesy of the incredible Loire Cotler.
That's it for this edition, thanks for reading, we'll see you next week.
With love,
Gus
