This is the premium edition of Fix The News, a weekly roundup of good news, mind-blowing science, and the best bits of the internet. Check out our new TED talk. If someone forwarded this, you can subscribe here. One third of your subscription fee goes to charity. Listen to our podcast. Buy a gift subscription for someone else here. If you need to unsubscribe there's a link at the end.
Good news for people
Incredible global progress on water, sanitation, and hygiene
Last week the WHO and UNICEF released a new report on global access to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools. You need to dig a little - but around halfway through they reveal that between 2015 and 2023, global access to clean drinking water in schools increased from 66% to 77%, basic sanitation increased from 68% to 78%, and basic hygiene rose from 58% to 67%.
This is a staggering achievement. In actual numbers, it means that well over 200 million schoolchildren have gained access to improved water, sanitation, or hygiene services in the last eight years, a period of time which includes the severe disruptions of the pandemic. If you can find a single story about this from any other news organisation in the world, let us know. We tried and failed.
Millions of people gain access to oxygen thanks to COVID-19
A pandemic silver lining: in 2021, UNICEF launched a project aiming to install 130 oxygen plants in over 40 countries by 2025. As of May 2024, 57 plants have been set up in 21 countries. Once all 130 become fully operational, they will provide essential oxygen therapy to an estimated 400,000 sick children with hypoxemia each year and access to oxygen for millions. UNICEF
How free school meals in the United States went mainstream
Eight states have passed free meal legislation since 2022. Dozens more have introduced similar bills. Roughly 4 in 10 public schools are now enrolled in a federal program, and more than 21 million American children now attend schools that offer free meals to all—a tenfold increase from 2010. 'Introducing universal free meals is probably the best thing we ever did.' NYT
Europe’s crackdown on air pollution cuts heart disease deaths
Europe recorded the largest annual decline in PM2.5—the air pollution most closely linked to harmful health effects—of any region of the world between 2010 and 2019. As a result, deaths in the region from heart disease attributed to pollution fell by 19.2% and from strokes by 25.3%. This amounts to 88,880 fewer heart disease deaths and 34,317 fewer stroke deaths. FT
Cambodia lifts 2.8 million out of poverty in seven years
In a remarkable achievement, Cambodia has lifted around half of the country’s total poor out of poverty in the last seven and half years, according to the UNDP. This comes despite the setbacks caused by the pandemic, which pushed half a million back into poverty. During the same time period, 148,000 people (46% of them women) have gained access to mine-free land.
Tobacco use falls dramatically in Africa
Tobacco use among teenagers in Africa declined by nearly 18% between 2020 and 2022—and by 46% among adults during the same period—thanks to stronger measures. In Africa, 37 countries now have bans on public smoking, and 14 of those have 100% smoke-free laws in all public places. This puts the region on track to achieve a 30% reduction in tobacco use by 2025 compared with 2010. WHO
Bereaved father wins change to parental leave law in 3 UK countries
A father who was left without the right to parental leave after his wife died in childbirth has won a change to the law in England, Wales, and Scotland on the last day of the current parliament. After a two-year campaign, the law was pushed through at the last minute after the surprise announcement of a 4 July general election. Guardian
Japan inches closer to same-sex marriage
Three cities in Japan will begin registering same-sex couples the same way that they register heterosexual couples in common-law marriages, the latest advancement in an ongoing struggle for legal recognition of same-sex couples in the East Asian nation. Meanwhile, hundreds of municipalities and 26 of Japan’s 47 prefectures have created partnership oath registries for same-sex couples. Asahi
Murder rates and gun violence in America are plummeting
Murder is down around 18.5% in more than 260 cities with available data for 2024 compared to the same time frame in 2023. It’s late enough in the year, with a large enough sample, to say that the country is on track for another historic annual decline. Gun violence is falling fast, too, with the overall number of shooting victims down around 12% relative to 2023. Jeff Asher
More good news you didn't hear about
Suicide rates in China have declined dramatically since the 1980s, down 66% in cities and 81% in rural areas. A program to improve education is coming to another 500 secondary schools and 1,000 primary schools in Cambodia. Zimbabwe turns the tide on both HIV and cholera. In the next five years, A$715 million will be spent to roll out preschool for three-year-olds in South Australia. A $350 million project will HELP provide water, sanitation, renewable energy, and disaster shelters for at least 645,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh. FIFA expands access to maternity leave for coaches and players. California is about to tax guns more like alcohol and tobacco. The first pill for postpartum depression is finally getting to patients (and it's working). Azerbaijan has made remarkable progress in enhancing immunisation services in the last three years. Relief might be coming: global wheat and maize prices have hit three-year lows during the first four months of 2024.
Good news for the planet
A new $300 million plan to clean up industrial sites in the US
The EPA has announced new funding to redevelop 200 industrial sites across the country, and an additional $14 million will be invested into a brownfields job training program. The redevelopments will improve air, water, and soil quality and add tens of millions of dollars in local tax revenues. The Guardian
China ramps up clean water efforts
For the first time, China has issued national-level regulations on water conservation to help manage shortages across nearly two-thirds of its cities. A total of 145 national water-saving cities have been established, focusing on wastewater reuse and 'sponge city' construction—which emphasises flood management through green infrastructure rather than relying on drainage systems. China Daily
New protected area in Bolivia
The Puerta Amazónica municipal conservation area in Guanay will protect 426 km2 of tropical Yungas forests, which are home to several vulnerable species, including the harpy eagle, the giant anteater, and the giant armadillo. The designation will protect the area from gold mining and support water security for the 26 communities located within the reserve. Andes Amazon Fund
$400 million project for resilient forests in Türkiye
The Türkiye Climate Resilient Forests Project will strengthen wildfire management for the 14 provinces that are most at risk of wildfires. In 2021, Türkiye’s southern and western regions experienced their worst wildfires ever recorded. The selected provinces are home to about 20 million people, many of whom depend on the forest for their livelihoods.
The restoration of Bear River kicks off
The restoration of Wuda Ogwa, the site of the 1893 Bear River Massacre, has begun. In 2018 the Northwestern Band of Shoshone acquired land around the massacre site to restore the land, improve water quality, and send an additional 13,000 acre-feet of water to the Great Salt Lake every year. 'Cultural healing is the reason we started… to heal that land there.' Great Salt Lake Collaborative
The incredible comeback of barn owls in Britain
Collaborative efforts of conservationists and communities have drastically increased barn owl populations across the British Isles from 4,000 breeding pairs in 1980 to around 12,000 breeding pairs today. One of the key strategies has been the installation of nest boxes, which provide safe nesting sites in areas where natural sites are scarce. Restore Our Planet
'The story is an inspiring case of how small groups of dedicated conservationists and communities, with a little ingenuity and effort, can have extraordinarily positive effects on one species.'
Marine protected areas shown to conserve sharks
Drowning in a sea of bad news? A global survey of 66 MPAs across 36 countries found that there were twice as many reef sharks in protected areas compared with fished areas—and the conservation benefits of MPAs double when combined with fisheries management. Nature
Good news for a small Australian native fish
Over the past eight years the population of the red-finned blue-eye, once Australia’s rarest freshwater fish, has grown from 1,000 to 5,000 on a special wildlife reserve in Queensland. The former cattle station is home to 26 fish species that are found nowhere else in the world, which 'helps us understand how life functions, how diversity is created, how our world has changed.' The Guardian
Vietnamese ‘farmfluencers’ are making rice fields more sustainable
In Vietnam, 1,645 rice farmers have adopted more sustainable methods thanks to a 'train-the-trainer' programme that has helped 20 influential farmers encourage communities to reduce burning and pesticide use and improve water management. To date, 90% of farmers involved in the project have reduced crop burning, with 57% ceasing the burning of rice straw and stubble altogether. RTBC
Paris has reduced air pollution by 40% thanks to urban renewal
Paris has closed more than 100 streets to motor vehicles, tripled parking fees for SUVs, removed roughly 50,000 parking spots, and constructed more than 1,700 km of bike lanes since Mayor Anne Hidalgo took office in 2014. 'How did we achieve this? By assuming a major and radical rupture: the end of car-dependence.' NBC
More music for those who will listen
The Eastern Kuku Yalanji people are collaborating with conservationists to create a wildlife corridor between the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. Sustainable projects are offering new hope for the Mekong River. Columbia has banned bullfighting across the country from 2027. The population of a tiny desert fish hit a 25-year population high in the Mojave Desert. A decade after its pest eradication programme, Macquarie Island is ‘flourishing.’ Fish stocks in the Yangtze River are up 25.6% following the introduction of a 10-year fishing ban in 2021. A forest restoration project is bringing birdlife back to Angola’s highest mountain. A record 27 Mexican wolf pups have been fostered into wild dens. Seoul has banned a popular pesticide in order to protect honeybees. Atlantic rainforest restoration in Scotland surpassed its 2023-2024 target by 40%. Environmental education is thriving across Latin America. Across California and Oregon, 1.2 million acres of critical habitat for the Pacific marten have been protected. The US has invested $240 million in new fish passage projects to support conservation efforts. Meet the First Nations guardians protecting Canada’s shoreline.
Solarpunk is a valid belief system
IEA says tripling of renewables capacity by 2030 is within reach
Most countries still haven't submitted their 2030 renewable energy targets under the Paris Agreement, but they appear to be making progress when you look at their actual domestic plans. Already-published existing policies, plans, and estimates from 150 countries project 8,000 GW of new global renewables capacity by the end of the decade—70% of the way towards the 11,000 GW goal. IEA
At COP28, nearly 200 countries pledged to triple the world’s renewable power capacity this decade, which is one of the critical actions to keep alive hopes of limiting global warming to 1.5C. This report makes clear that the tripling target is ambitious but achievable – though only if governments quickly turn promises into plans of action.
Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director
It's official—we don't need any more fossil fuel development
A new study from University College London and the International Institute for Sustainable Development finds that the world does not need to issue any further oil, gas, or coal licenses to meet future projected demand, given the number of projects already in the works and progress toward net-zero goals. The Guardian
Wind and solar displace one-fifth of fossil fuels in EU in four years
As Europe gears up for a parliamentary election, it's pretty amazing to consider that all national power systems across the EU are cleaner than they were during the last round in 2019, with the overall share of renewables increasing from 34% in 2019 to 44% in 2023. More than half of member states have doubled wind and solar capacity in that time. Ember
Who says Vladimir Putin never achieved anything?
US air quality improves thanks to more wind, solar resources
Clean energy solves climate change—and also public health. A new study says that due to an increase of around 55% in wind and solar generation between 2019 and 2022, air quality in the United States shot up and asthma risk fell. To put a dollar amount on it, increasing those two resources alone resulted in $249 billion in climate and health benefits. The Guardian
Denmark winds down fossil fuels
Denmark’s public net power mix was less than 10% fossil fuels during the entire month of May. Not a drop of it was hydropower; over half came from wind energy, offshore or otherwise. Solar and wind combined accounted for 78.4% of the total. This is how quickly an energy transition can happen; a decade ago, fossil fuels accounted for around half of electricity. John R Hanger
Mexico elects a climate scientist as president
The former IPCC author and climate scientist is now leading the world’s 11th largest oil-producing country. Claudia Sheinbaum is expected to make sweeping energy policy changes—her campaign goals included meeting 50% of the country's electricity needs with zero-carbon power by 2030, investing $13.6 billion in renewable energy, and adding nearly 3,800 km of transmission lines. NYT 🎁
Petrol and diesel vehicles now represent less than half of EU market
Although the EU’s car market grew just under 14% in April, there’s a silver lining. About 49% of those new vehicles were powered by petrol or diesel, meaning just over half of them were some flavour of electric or hybrid. France was behind most of the electric and hybrid-electric registrations. ACEA
No more gas in the tank at Nissan
Well, kinda. A Nissan executive says the Japanese car manufacturer won’t be investing further in powertrains for its petrol-fueled vehicles. But the transition will still be gradual, updating current engines as countries with more lax emissions standards catch up. Motor 1
Slowing EV sales? Not for these four carmakers
In May, BYD saw its all-electric and hybrid car sales up 38% from the year prior and 5% from just the previous month. General Motors had its best month ever for EV sales, Hyundai’s US market saw 12% more electric vehicles sold than the year before, and Kia notched a triple-digit jump of 127% in all-electric vehicle sales from the year prior. The usual suspects have been strangely silent.
What's the opposite of doom-scrolling?
Even in Saudi Arabia, fossil gas is now more expensive than wind. Microsoft and an AI firm are spending $1 billion on a geothermal-powered data centre. The United States has a ton of geothermal potential (and a lot of it is under military bases). Could Europe have zero coal in five years? Check out Volvo’s three new electric heavy-duty construction machines. In Vermont, the easy part was getting climate lawsuit legislation passed; now they're trying to figure out how to get Big Oil to pay up. The US federal government kicks off the application period for EV charging network funds, with up to $1.3 billion available. The European Council adopts a target for European industries to meet at least 40% of the EU's annual renewable energy deployment needs by 2030. A sunny future for agrivoltaics in Colorado. The world’s biggest solar plant has come online in China, covering an area the size of New York City and capable of meeting the electricity demands of a country the size of Luxembourg or Papua New Guinea.
Indistinguishable from magic
Japan is making all its publicly-funded science free to read
In June, the science ministry will assign funding to universities to make research papers free to read on a national scale. The move follows an announcement in February that researchers who receive government funding will be required to make their papers freely available to read from April 2025. It's one of the first countries in the world to forge a nationwide plan for open access. Nature
China’s lunar lander has landed safely on the dark side of the Moon
The Chang’e 6 lunar lander has made a successful landing on the far side of the Moon. The ambitious mission has already collected 2 kilograms of pristine lunar material—drilled from a depth of up to 2 meters and gathered on the surface with a robotic arm—and returned to lunar orbit en route back to Earth. Orbital Index
Physicists coax molecules into exotic quantum state
A bizarre state of matter just got weirder—and more useful. Physicists have succeeded in cooling down molecules so much that hundreds of them lock in step, making a single gigantic quantum state. Physicists have been trying to achieve this state—known as a Bose–Einstein condensate of molecules—for more than a decade. This is the first research to achieve this goal. Nature
Genome with 50 times more DNA than humans found in plant
Scientists have found the largest-known genome inside an unassuming Pacific island fern. 'It doesn’t catch the eye. You would probably step on it and not even realize it.' While the cause and use of such a vast volume of junk DNA in this fern is still little-understood, this record-setting plant is helping researchers further probe junk DNA and its role in evolution. NYT 🎁
Robot 'skin' closer to feeling the world like humans do
A team from China and Singapore has developed an electronic skin that can be applied to robots, enabling them to more precisely handle and interact with soft, fragile, or living objects, such as food, humans, and other animals. The electronic skin can sense force and strain with enough accuracy to allow a robot hand to handle cake without damage. Science
A three-atom-thick lens is now the world’s thinnest
A team at Stanford and the University of Amsterdam have created the world’s thinnest lens. At just 0.6 nanometers, or three atoms thick, this new lens is ten times thinner than the previous record from 2016. The lens, or others like it, could be used in applications where the view through the lens should not be disturbed but a small part of the light can be tapped to collect information. New Atlas
Artificial intelligence upends the field of weather forecasting
Researchers have begun to pour a colossal dataset of publicly-available historical weather data into new AI models, and the results are going to change the future of weather forecasting. The new data model can run on a high-performance, GPU-equipped desktop, faster and cheaper than running the physics simulations on a supercomputer. Ars Technica
World’s first personalized mRNA vaccine for melanoma
Data presented at the world’s largest cancer conference showed that a new mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma halves the risk of patients dying or the disease returning. In trials, patients who received the vaccine after having a stage 3 or 4 melanoma removed had a 49% lower risk of dying or the disease recurring after three years. Guardian
New lung cancer drug shows unprecedented, 'off the charts' results
Lorlatinib has an ability to stop and prevent the recurrence of lung cancer for 'longer than any other treatment in medical history.' In a Phase III trial of 296 patients with advanced forms of lung cancer, 60% of those who took the drug were alive five years later. The rate was 8% in patients treated with the previous generation of drugs. Guardian
The information superhighway is still out there
The Doomsday Clock is one of humanity's best known, and most abiding symbols of negativity. It's been with us for almost 80 years, and it's currently at 90 seconds to midnight, indicating that right now we are in 'the most dangerous situation that humanity has ever faced.' Perhaps it's time for a rethink? James Pethokoukis has an idea for what he calls a Genesis Clock: one that tracks how close we are to an age of abundance and opportunity rather than the midnight of our existence.
If you do research and don’t publish it, is it science? Elon Musk and computer scientist Yann LeCun recently got into a fight on the internet, and the conversation sprawled into a brawl about the definition of science, attracting thousands of commentators, including researchers of all stripes. Unlike most things that start on X, this actually turned into a pretty great debate. Nature
Some kids grow up loving horses. Others, apparently, grow up loving wolves. E.B. Bartels, one of those wolf nerd kids, is now grown up and takes a trip to Yellowstone to see her beloved childhood fantasies in the flesh. 'There is magic about the parallelism of spaces — to visit the childhood home of a favorite author, to stand in the same rooms, to sit at their desk. You feel closer, and I was walking in the wolves’ footsteps.' Pangyrus
When was the last time you watched America's Got Talent? Get rid of your preconceptions and just trust us. One of the most powerful voices in rock and roll just got matched, and possibly exceeded, by the unlikeliest of heroes.
That's it for this edition, thank you as always for reading.
We're currently looking to hire someone on a part time basis with our social media. If that sounds like you, or you know someone who fits the bill, hit reply and let us know.
We'll see you next week.
With love,
Gus and Amy
