Good news for people
Investments in neglected diseases have save eight million lives
Between 1994 and 2022, almost $100 billion has been invested in neglected disease R&D for drugs, diagnostics, vaccines, biologics, microbicides, and vector control. This has resulted in 183 new products—which have saved 8 million lives since 2000 and reduced deaths by more than 30%. With continued scale-up and introduction, more than 32 million more lives could be saved by 2040. Vox
World sees significant decline in tetanus-related fatalities
Tetanus, a bacterial infection that causes paralysis and can be fatal, claimed over 250,000 lives annually in the early 1990s. By 2019, the number of deaths had plummeted to fewer than 35,000 per year—largely thanks to widespread administration of the combined diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines. OWD
World's most populous country reverses slide to authoritarianism
'The years ahead will, with any luck, be ones of negotiation and compromise. This will be a return to form for India, a vastly diverse nation whose unruly polity has resisted autocracy at every turn since it shrugged off British colonial rule in 1947. The whole world should breathe a sigh of relief that India’s voters have spoken, loudly, in favor of continuing that glorious, messy tradition.' NYT
Foreign aid helps millions of people in South Asia
The World Bank's International Development Association says that in the past four years, an estimated 84.7 million people in the region benefitted from safety-net programs; 24.5 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population services; 2.6 million gained access to improved water sources; and 1.8 million gained access to improved sanitation services. World Bank
Historic gains in healthcare for minorities in America
Between 2010 and 2022, the proportion of uninsured Black Americans declined from 20.9% to 10.8%; for Latinos from 32.7% to 18%; for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders from 16.6% to 6.2%; and for Native Americans from 32.4% to 19.9%. The federal government is now investing an extra $500 million to sign up more people from underserved communities. HHS
Violent crime is down and the US murder rate is plunging
Finally, a bit of mainstream coverage! According to a new report from the FBI, murders, rapes, assaults, robberies, burglaries, and vehicle thefts all dropped by double-digit percentages during the first three months of 2024, compared to the same months in 2023. As Jeff Asher points out, the data is preliminary, but the trend is clear. CNN
West African border towns regain their coasts and livelihoods
Over the last few years, Benin and Togo have constructed over 42 km of protection for communities on their coastlines, protecting hundreds of thousands of people from the threat of flooding. 'We now sleep peacefully, free from the fear of inundation. It's not merely a project; it’s a beacon of hope, a testament to our resilience and reconciliation with the sea, our lifeblood.' World Bank
Ireland is extending free contraception to more women
From July 1, all women and other people identifying as transgender or non-binary, aged 17-36, will be eligible for free contraception. Almost 2,400 GPs and 2,050 pharmacies are already providing services under the scheme, with more than 189,000 women accessing the service in 2023.
Gender should not be a barrier to healthcare, and I firmly believe that the Free Contraception Scheme is a landmark initiative that empowers women, enabling them to make choices about their reproductive health without any financial burden.
Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health, Ireland
Free contraception helps Finland reduce teenage abortions by 66%
After rising in the 1990s, the number of teenage abortions in Finland plummeted between 2000 and 2023, thanks to free contraception for adolescents and compulsory sex education in schools. Since September 2023, Finland has also stopped requiring women to give a reason for having an abortion, making it available upon request during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Reuters
Humanity is making progress on reproductive rights
As the US Supreme Court prepares to hand down its latest batch of rulings, here is your periodic reminder that America is an outlier. Some 60 countries around the world have made their abortion laws more liberal in the past 30 years; only a small handful, which includes the United States, have made their abortion laws more restrictive. Think Global Health
More good news you didn't hear about
With the historic election of Mexico's first female president, here's a look back at the long journey feminists have travelled to get to this moment. A new blood test in the UK can predict if breast cancer will return years before the disease shows up on scans. Mobile health brigades are saving lives in rural Mozambique. Colombia's homicide rate has more than halved since the 1990s (also from Colombia, check out 'Esperanza's tale of hope'). The World Bank says the global economy is in better shape than it was at the start of the year, thanks largely to the United States. The dramatic decline in childhood mortality during the 20th century has added a full year to women's lives. Reducing air pollution in London resulted in elementary school students doing better at tests. Taiwan has cut air pollution by around a third since 2007, and lung cancer deaths have declined too. How Ecuador got hospitalisations to drop by hundreds of thousands. Social safety nets in Latin America and the Caribbean reached 73 million beneficiaries between 2019 and 2023. New fronts are opening in the war against malaria. Real superheroes don't wear capes: meet the eight champions just recognised by the WHO for outstanding contributions to public health.
Thanks to your support and generosity, we have sent SOLA the funds to buy 35 Kindles for their new cohort in Rwanda, Fondo Guadalupe Musalem the funds to purchase a new computer and printer for their office and 14 laptops for their high school students, who would otherwise not have access to this technology.
Each piece of equipment will unlock new possibilities for the young women who attend these schools. Thank you to all of you for being part of this, simply by reading this newsletter; and of course a special shout-out to all our subscribers who donated. We were overwhelmed by your support, and we loved reading all your messages. It’s inspired us to double down on our commitment to keep finding these charities.
Good news for the planet
Major milestone for ozone layer recovery
Levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), the last ozone-damaging chemicals to be phased out, have been falling since 2021—the first decline since scientists started taking measurements in the late 1970s. 'This marks a major milestone in the recovery of Earth’s ozone layer – and offers a rare success story in humanity’s efforts to tackle climate-warming gases too.' The Conversation
China’s Green Great Wall against desertification
Since 1978, China’s ambitious Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program has reforested 32 million hectares of desert-prone lands in the north of the country. The program has flourished thanks to scientific plant distribution methods and the rise of agrivoltaics, which combines new energy power generation with agricultural production, expanding greenery in fragile sandy areas. China Today
Brazil boosts protections of mangroves in the Amazon
After 13 years of advocacy, the state of Pará has created two new conservation areas along the Amazonian coastline, protecting an additional 74,700 hectares of the most continuous belt of mangroves on the planet. The Filhos do Mangue and the Viriandeua extractive reserves will preserve the area’s rich diversity and guarantee food security for local communities. Mongabay
Wild horses return to Kazakhstan
After a 200-year absence, a group of seven Przewalski’s horses—known as the world’s last wild horses—have returned to central Kazakhstan. The horses are descended from two groups that survived in Munich and Prague zoos, and a total of 40 horses will be relocated over the next five years. The Guardian
Biden administration’s environmental track record
During Biden’s term, around 41 million acres—an area slightly larger than Florida—has been placed under some form of new protection, making him 'one of the nation’s strongest conservation presidents.' Protections range from glacial lakes in Minnesota to tribal lands in New Mexico, huge expanses of the Arctic, and archaeological sites in Texas. The Guardian
Cleanup of Washington’s ‘forgotten’ river
Twenty-five years ago, the Anacostia River, a 14-kilometer urban waterway that flows through Washington, D.C., was one of the most polluted rivers in America. Today the water quality is steadily improving, after a series of tunnels that reduced outflows of sewage and wastewater by 91% were drilled under the city. AP
New national park in Australia will be home to 12 threatened species
The 37,422-ha Comeroo Station in NSW provides habitat for at least 158 native species, including the threatened eastern fat-tailed gecko, the south-eastern hooded robin, and the Hall's babbler. The property boasts alluvial floodplains, wetlands, grasslands, woodlands, and Yantabulla Swamp, an internationally-recognised area that hosts up to 50,000 waterbirds at any one time. Mirage News
California is building the world’s largest wildlife bridge
Construction has begun on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a $100 million structure that will give threatened mountain lions and other animals such as bobcats, coyotes, and mule deer a safe path over a 10-lane freeway. The bridge will span roughly the size of a football field, reconnecting the Santa Monica Mountains with the Simi Hills; it is expected to open in early 2026. Washington Post
More music for those who will listen
Rewilding efforts are throwing a lifeline to Brazil’s most-trafficked endangered bird, farmers in Bolivia are improving their livelihoods by protecting the endangered red-fronted macaw, and birding tourism is thriving in Ecuador. Sweden is about to become the second EU country, after Greece, to ban bottom fishing in MPAs. Exciting news for vulture populations in Bulgaria. A historic rewilding project has seen 120 southern white rhinos translocated to Kruger National Park. In Bangladesh, olive ridley turtles break a four-year record with a 53% increase in eggs. Mangrove restoration is underway in the Niger Delta. A conservation victory for California’s Mendocino forests is good news for the endangered coho salmon, steelhead trout, and northern spotted owl. This innovative Australian organisation uses marine trash to track ghost nets in the ocean. How Indigenous aquaculture is healing ecosystems and communities in Hawaii. The number of nature-based policy announcements from governments around the world has doubled in the past year. And finally, a reminder: it's actually just one big ocean.
Solarpunk is a valid belief system
Five words that explain the energy revolution better than anything you'll ever see in the news. They're from a new report by RMI, which should be required reading for anyone who cares about climate change. It covers the remarkable exponential growth of clean energy in the past decade, why rapid change is likely to continue, and what needs to happen next.
The orthodox view of the future is wrong. The goals of the Paris Agreement are within reach.
China is investing way more into clean energy than dirty energy
But what about the coal plants? If you've ever said the words China and climate in a sentence together, you've probably heard this question. Turns out, this year China will invest 3.7 times more into clean technologies than fossil fuels—and since it's by far the world's largest carbon emitter, that changes the trajectory of our collective climate future. IEA
Major world economies seek to fund early retirement of coal plants
A draft plan from the OECD proposes to instruct investors, banks, and insurers to halt new financing for existing or planned coal projects, and to end funding for companies building coal infrastructure. It's the first big multilateral plan that calls not just for divestment, but for funding early retirement of coal plants and matching that with financing for clean energy to replace the lost capacity. Reuters
In a world-first, China installs first 18 MW offshore wind turbine
State-owned manufacturer Dongfang finished building this thing last week at a coastal test base in Shantou, Guangdong, and it's ridiculous. The rotor diameter (the hub and blades) is 260 metres, which is around four-fifths as high as the Eiffel Tower, and it will generate enough power annually to power around 36,000 households. Maritime Executive
The energy revolution speeds up in Nepal, Greece, and Poland
Coal output in Greece plummeted to a record low in May 2024, and the country's phaseout date has moved forward by two years. Poland has long been seen as a climate laggard, but that's changing. In Nepal, imports of EVs have doubled in each of the past two years, and most of its electricity is already clean.
US developers are deploying batteries at a record pace...
California and Texas, the two states that use the most energy, are leading the build-out, which is already helping them meet the peaks in evening demand and offsetting the decline in solar generation when the sun goes down. 'Storage is becoming increasingly significant, helping to stabilise renewable energy output and increase its ability to serve as a reliable base load resource.' FT
... and it's changing the power mix far quicker than anyone expected
This is what people mean when they say solar, wind, and storage are coming for gas next. Compared to the same period last year, California reduced the use of fossil gas on its main grid by 46% between March and June by decreasing grid demand by 5% with rooftop solar, increasing the supply of utility solar by 30% and wind by 12%, and doubling battery output. Marc Z. Jacobson
Long-range EVs now cost less than the average new car in the US
At least three manufacturers—Tesla, Hyundai-Kia, and General Motors—now offer EVs with more than 480 kilometres (300 miles) of range, for less than the cost of the average new vehicle. It's a key milestone for the world's second-largest national car market, signalling a new fiercely competitive phase in the electric vehicle transition. Bloomberg
What's the opposite of doom-scrolling?
We're into the steep part of the S-curve now: the US installed more solar in the first three months of 2024 than it did in all of 2018. New energy vehicle sales in China reached 47% in May (a year ago they were 33%). If you've been reading the ludicrously negative headlines about electric vehicles for a while, read this thread about what's actually happening. Battery-electric just overtook diesel as the most popular powertrain for new city buses in the EU. Only 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled, right? Wrong. The real figure is over 90%. The US government is spending another $900 million to replace around 3,400 old, diesel school buses with electric ones. It looks like we're going to need a lot less carbon removal/burial than we thought. A region-wide electricity market across the American West just took a step closer to becoming reality. A draft blueprint of South Korea's new energy strategy shows plans to generate 70% of electricity from carbon-free energy sources by 2038. 'It’s 2035. The sun rises, and you wake up refreshed after eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. You slept like a baby, knowing that the morning light would soon be powering up a world driven by clean, zero-emissions solar power.'
Indistinguishable from magic
First reentry and intact landing for SpaceX and Starship
SpaceX scored a milestone with the successful launch, reentry, and soft ocean landing of its ultra-heavy Starship launch platform. Starship landed gently, as planned, in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing SpaceX one step closer to operational use. It's always amazing to us how these launches become normalised over time—they're still magic as far as we're concerned. CBS & NYT
Successful launch for 72-hour 3D-printed rocket engine
Engineers at a startup in India have successfully launched a fully 3D-printed rocket engine in a sub-orbital demonstrator test flight. The engine, printed in just 72 hours, performed as expected and helps pave the way for the development of a seven-engine orbital rocket designed to carry 300-kilogram orbital payloads. IEEE
Palm-sized 3D printer could make portable rapid prototyping a reality
Researchers from MIT and the University of Texas at Austin have demonstrated a proof-of-concept photocurable-resin chip-based 3D printing system that could allow for extremely small, highly portable rapid prototyping. 'This is completely rethinking what a 3D printer is. It is no longer a big box sitting on a bench in a lab creating objects, but something that is handheld and portable.' MIT News
Crows can count out loud, and elephants have names for each other
Scientists have shown that crows can 'count' out loud, producing a deliberate number of caws in response to cues—the first evidence of numeric literacy observed in any non-human species. And machine-learning analysis has suggested that elephants make calls with elements specific to individuals—the first evidence of names observed in any non-human species.
Scientists successfully index 10% of all known genetic sequences
A 'Google for DNA' has developed a database and search engine for publicly-available DNA sequences and, thus far, indexed 10% of the world’s known genetic sequences, with a goal of indexing the remaining 90%. The current database is available for download, giving scientists access to sequences comprising trillions of base pairs and billions of amino acids. Science
Smart bandages are coming, and they'll help wounds heal faster
A new generation of smart bandages that could allow doctors to remotely monitor wounds, decrease scarring, and reduce the risk of infection by applying active treatment through light, electro-stimulation, or on-demand antibiotic treatment is on its way. It’s a field of medical technology that is still very much in its infancy; however, progress is accelerating rapidly. WSJ
Chinese team completes successful intercontinental cancer telesurgery
A surgeon has completed a successful robotic prostate cancer surgery over a 5G network, operating on a patient in Beijing while physically in Rome. The surgery was made possible by an extremely-low-latency (135 milliseconds) connection. SCMP
The information superhighway is still out there
The incredible Robyn Kimmerer on the 'ancient grammar of animacy'—the attempt to find language to affirm kinship with the natural world. This essay is seven years old, but the wisdom is timeless. Orion
As we stand beneath the stoutly branched oak, the students debate how to use the words. If the tree is ki, what about the acorns? They agree that the acorns are kin, a whole family of little beings. The ground is also littered, in this unkempt portion of the cemetery, with fallen branches. “Are these dead limbs considered kin too? Even though they’re dead?” Evelyn asks. “Looking at the dead branches on the ground, I found myself thinking a lot about firewood,” she says. “I’ve always spoken—and thought—as if I was the one who made firewood. But when I thought of that tree as ki, as a being, I suddenly saw how preposterous that was. I didn’t make the firewood. The tree did. I only picked it up from the ground.”
The world is full of emergent phenomena: large-scale patterns and organization arising from innumerable interactions between component parts. Neurons firing in a brain to create thought, storms arising from the flow of air molecules, ant colonies building rafts to cross rivers. And yet there is no agreed scientific theory to explain emergence. That might be about to change, thanks to a new framework that suggest emergence works as a kind of 'software in the natural world,' by organizing itself into a hierarchy of levels that each operate independently of the details of the lower levels. Quanta
Everyone knows what the CIA is, but very few people have ever heard of INR, the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, American diplomats’ in-house intelligence agency. Despite its tiny size (fewer than 500 employees) and lack of resources (it reads the same raw intel as everyone else), it's got by far the best track record in the intelligence community, over many decades. Why? Because it's not afraid of expertise, has a pretty flat hierarchy, and embraces its status as an outsider. Oh, and check out the photo. Notice anything? Vox
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Gus and Amy
