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Hi everyone, we are thrilled to bring you the first episode of Season 3 of our podcast, featuring conservation legend and rewilding pioneer, Kris Tompkins, who, along with her late husband Doug Tompkins, has helped protect over 14 million acres of land across Chile and Argentina. This conversation was everything we hoped it would be - expansive, honest, inspiring, and one which left us a little breathless by the end. It's a story about great love, great loss, the future of our planet, and what it takes to create a real legacy, and we couldn't think of a better way to kick things off for our new season.
While we've got your attention - we promised a little while ago that we would be making a change to the cadence of this newsletter, moving to publishing twice a week in order to accomodate all the news. We're ready to press the button. Next week there won't be a regular edition, keep an eye out instead for the first of our new bi-weekly editions on Tuesday 10th August, followed by another later in that week. Thanks for your patience as we figure this out, we think it's going to make for a much better reading experience.
Good news for people
UNESCO highlights significant increase in children in school
The global number of children and adolescents who are not in school across primary and secondary education has dropped from 390 million in 2000 to 244 million in 2023. That’s a reduction of nearly 40%—during a period in which the global population of children has grown. Historically, more girls have been out of school than boys, but the gender gap has nearly closed. Our World in Data
The Americas have an impressive disease elimination record
The WHO's Pan American region eliminated smallpox in 1980 and polio in 1994, and in the last decade, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, and neonatal tetanus. This year, 19 out of 35 countries celebrated being malaria-free, and 11 countries have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis. PAHO
Fewer children are dying from air pollution
The State of Global Air (SoGA) 2024 report has recorded a 53% drop in air pollution deaths between 2000 and 2021 for the world's population of children under five. Deaths from household air pollution have decreased by 36%, largely driven by reductions in exposure in China and South Asia. Lower respiratory infection deaths have also declined globally. IISD
Major strides in global immunisation achieved in 2023
In 2023, 69 million children received Gavi-supported routine immunisations—more than in any other year except 2019; DTP3 (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) coverage is increasing in Gavi-supported countries in Africa; and cervical cancer vaccination rates for girls in Gavi-supported countries have doubled since 2022. Gavi
Biggest tobacco-producing country raises smoking age to 21
Indonesia has one of the world’s highest smoking rates. A new government regulation, effective immediately, is intended to 'lower prevalence of smokers and prevent early-age smokers.' In addition to raising the smoking age from 18 to 21, it also bans single cigarette sales and sales within 200 metres of schools and playgrounds and heavily restricts selling and advertising on social media. Reuters
A dedicated campaign to eradicate polio in Sierra Leone
Over 4,000 vaccinators recently mobilised to ensure that every child under five in Sierra Leone is reached with two drops of the oral polio vaccine. Using door-to-door vaccinations and fixed vaccination centres in health facilities, vaccinators focus on building trust within communities. Over 3.3 million children under five in Sierra Leone have already been vaccinated against polio this year. WHO
Mozambique adds malaria vaccine to routine immunisations
Thanks to co-financing by the government and Gavi, the country has over 800,000 doses of the R21 vaccine for its 'Expanded Programme on Immunization.' The first phase aims to immunise about 300,000 children in Zambezia Province. International partners such as WHO and UNICEF are assisting with the vaccine's preparation, acceptance, and introduction. Gavi
Africa celebrates hard-won gains in education
Across the continent, primary school completion rates have soared from 52% to 67% between 2000 and 2022. High school dropout rates have slowed, with 50% of students finishing lower secondary education (up from 35%), and 33% completing upper secondary education (up from 23%). The number of tertiary education students has skyrocketed from 800,000 in 1970 to over 17 million today. Guardian
Cleaner air brings relief to India’s urban residents
In 2019, the government implemented the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to reduce air pollution. Now a Princeton University-led study has recorded significant decreases in fine particulate air pollution emissions in six cities between 2017 and 2022, with four cities seeing reductions of over 20%.
People power changes lives
Amnesty International has published a lengthy list of human rights victories that occurred in the last six months—from the release of political prisoners to safeguarding press freedoms, enshrining LGBTQ+ and gender rights, and successfully holding governments to account. To quote Andorran abortion activist Vanessa Mendoza Cortes, 'Our strength is in our solidarity.'
14.7 million fewer people go hungry in Brazil
A new UN report shows that severe food insecurity in Brazil has fallen by a colossal 85% in just one year, from 8% in 2022 to 1.2% in 2023, meaning the country might be removed from the FAO Hunger Map. Celebrating this progress, President Lula has proposed a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, aiming to foster international collaboration to achieve zero hunger by 2030.
More good news you didn't hear about
Every day of infancy is safer for the world's children than it was a century ago. The world's leading HIV drug also reduces carbon emissions. Cancer researchers worldwide are hailing several new breakthroughs, including less-invasive liquid biopsies and the world’s first cancer treatment injections. Türkiye receives $600 million in financing to rebuild after the 2023 earthquakes. A new UN report finds anti-corruption strategies in Nigeria are working. Gavi strikes again: more than 50 low- or medium-income countries across Asia and Africa can now receive financial aid for the rabies vaccine. A few clapbacks to Fox News-style talking points: crime rates in San Francisco are now below pre-pandemic levels (no, seriously); the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines reduced cardiovascular events and complications; sin taxes improve health outcomes; inflation rates are falling in 90% of the world's countries. Across southern Africa, over six million people will be better protected against climate shocks. In Guyana, authorities are conducting a mass drug administration campaign to eliminate elephantiasis. Pakistan has increased its exclusive breastfeeding rates by 10%. In Albania, new roads have revitalised local economies and catalysed investment. How the war on drunk driving was won. It's not just London and Paris—Barcelona’s low-emission zone is working too: pollution has fallen to levels last seen at the height of the pandemic (except now the city is back to full activity).
Good news for the planet
Spain approves proposal to protect the Mar de las Calmas
The Mar de las Calmas (Sea of Calm) in the Canary Islands has been a marine fishing reserve since 1996, and now the Spanish government has approved a proposal to declare it a national park. Once ratified by parliament, it will become the first entirely marine national park in Spain and the 17th in the state network of national parks. El País
Australia’s EPA halts a multi-billion-dollar gas drilling plan
A gas export development off Western Australia’s northwest coast has been deemed 'unacceptable' by the state’s Environment Protection Authority due to its impact on marine life at Scott Reef. Scientists flagged risks to migrating whales and a beach where endangered turtles make nests, as well as the potential of an oil spill destroying a pristine environment. The Guardian
Ecuador safeguards drinking water for half a million
Ecuador's highest volcano, Chimborazo, soars 6,263 metres above sea level, and its surroundings provide a habitat for unique Andean flora and fauna. It's now home to the newly-created Bolivar Provincial Conservation and Sustainable Use Area, spanning 428 km2, which safeguards drinking water for over half a million people and supports sustainable development for local communities. Andes Amazon Fund
The spillover benefits of marine protected areas
The first global assessment of the benefits of MPAs has discovered a positive spillover effect, with areas just outside the protected zones producing larger fish. The study also reveals that these spillover effects accumulate over time and that within a decade of creation, MPAs help support local livelihoods, 'resulting in a win-win situation for nature and people alike.' University of Hawaiʻi
Colombia pioneers a community-led approach to conservation
At approximately 680 km2, Colombia's new Serranía de Manacacías National Natural Park is small, but it is home to an extraordinary amount of biodiversity—'a landscape that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.' It's also one of the country's first protected areas created after a shift in policy that requires the agreement of the people who live in the conservation area. Nature Conservancy
European polecat begins reintroduction to Europe
After being trapped to extinction in the 19th century, the European Polecat (Mustela putorius), ancestor of the domestic ferret, has recolonised extensive parts of the United Kingdom and is now being reintroduced in Spain in an effort to bring the species back to its historic habitats on the continent.
Pesticide spraying halted on millions of acres in US west
Environmental activists have won a lawsuit preventing the US federal government from spraying insecticide on millions of acres in 17 western states to kill native grasshoppers and crickets. 'This approach will reshape grasshopper management for the better, and contribute to the well-being of pollinators, birds, fish and other wildlife across millions of acres of western rangeland.' CBD
Zimbabwe join two UN conventions on water
In an effort to protect its water resources, Zimbabwe has joined two big UN conventions on water, specifically the Water Convention and the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. It's backed by action, too—the country's shared basins covered by cooperation agreements have risen from 69.9% in 2020 to 90.4% in 2023. Afrik21
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho restores dumping ground
For over a century, a site on the Kootenai River was used as a dumping ground by the county and the local lumber mill. But within the next few years, tribal members and wildlife will be able to enjoy Ambush Rock, thanks to a $2 million grant from the federal government to clean and restore the land. 'It’s justice for the tribe. It’s also environmental justice for the fish and wildlife.' Idaho Capital Sun
More music for those who will listen
Atlantic sturgeon have been reintroduced to Sweden for the first time. In Mexico City, a vast wetland park rises from a dead airport. Meet the all-women Indigenous patrol team protecting tigers and orangutans in Sumatra's rainforests. How a monk and a solar-powered boat joined forces to tackle Bangkok’s plastic pollution problem. Bull trout in the Klamath Basin are thriving after 30 years of conservation work. Scientists in Florida are hailing the landmark release of the 1,000th Florida grasshopper sparrow into the wild as part of efforts to save the critically-endangered bird. How a clean cooking project in the DRC improved respiratory health for over 600,000 people—and led to the creation of almost 200,000 hectares of community forest concessions. In Yosemite, peregrine falcons are rebounding thanks to rock climbers. A new nature restoration project in Wales is being funded by mountain bikers, flipping the conventional business model for rewilding on its head. Rubber farmers in Thailand are adopting agroforestry as a more sustainable way of cultivating a crop that ranks alongside beef, soy, and palm oil for its destructive effect on forests. The Alaska Youth Stewards are reclaiming Indigenous authority and restoring culture, forests, and local economies.
Solarpunk is a valid belief system
More money going into solar than all other electricity technologies
By far the largest piece of the global power generation investment pie is now solar. This year should see $500 billion in solar investments alone, while all other electricity generation investments are notching just under $450 billion combined. IEA
A greener, cleaner Spanish future
Spain just gave the go-ahead to nearly 300 renewable power projects, worth over $18.4 billion. Most are solar photovoltaic sites, but a few dozen are wind projects, and one is a hydroelectric facility. Combined, the projects are expected to notch 28 GW of additional capacity for Spain, helping the country reach 81% renewable power by 2030. Reuters
China remains on track for a decline in annual emissions
China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1% in the second quarter of 2024, the first quarterly fall since COVID-19, and the first ever structural decline due to growth in renewables. Electricity generation from wind and solar grew by 171 TWh in the first half of the year, and the increase in the number of EVs on China’s roads cut demand for transport fuels by approximately 4%. Carbon Brief
China's cement bubble bursting is good for everyone
David Fickling writes that 'we can all breathe easier' now that Chinese cement production seems to have plummeted by 20%. Cement-making represents around 8% of global emissions, and China is responsible for half of it—that means a 20% decline translates to a fall in global carbon pollution of nearly 1%. Bloomberg 🎁
How oil-rich Texas became a clean energy titan ...
The world's eighth-largest economy, a Republican state that dominates America’s oil and gas industry, has quietly become a clean energy superpower. In the first half of 2024, wind and solar accounted for 38% of electrical output in the state’s main grid. Together with nuclear, clean sources comprised 47% of the mix—up from 31% just five years ago.
... and how it's keeping its momentum
The Lone Star State has plans for another 35 GW of installed battery, solar, or wind capacity over the next year and a half, more than any other state in America. That's due to its 'connect and manage' interconnection process, relatively free market conditions, and booming power demand. Clean View
China's car market officially crosses the halfway mark
China's auto market moves about 26-27 million new vehicles each year, almost twice as many as the US market. Last month, for the first time ever, half of all vehicles sold there were battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric. This is massive, massive news, a world-changing lever in global emissions and oil demand.
Vroom goes Ford's EV sales
The American car manufacturer is seeing double-digit increases in its all-electric and hybrid vehicle sales… and a dip in sales of gas-only models. Specifically, that means a 31.2% jump in all-electric sales and a 47% bump for hybrids in July 2024 compared to last July. Over half of Mach-E and Lightning buyers were new to the brand—meaning it's the first Ford they've ever bought.
Electric vehicles on the upswing in the UK
Although still not on target for the country’s electric vehicle transition mandate, the EV sector is having a moment. In July, battery electric vehicle sales shot up almost 20% year-over-year, while petrol and diesel sales plunged, falling 5.9% and 21.9%, respectively. Plug-in hybrids and hybrid vehicles had separate surges of 12.4% and 31.4%, respectively, during the same time.
Is it time to retire the 'hard to abate' label?
Until very recently, it was considered much harder to reduce carbon emissions in industries like steel, cement, chemicals, shipping, aviation, and sometimes long-distance trucking, than in the power and transportation sectors. Five years of technological innovation and great power rivalry, however, mean that most of those sectors now have a line of sight to affordable decarbonisation. Bloomberg 🎁
Europe’s historic buildings get a clean energy upgrade
The quintessential European architecture that attracts so many to the continent didn’t really earn its cultural cachet because of the number of solar panels on roofs. But now, more and more historic buildings—like the Guggenheim Museum in the Basque city of Bilbao—are using specially coloured or configured solar panels to discreetly blend into the exterior. Euronews
What's the opposite of doom-scrolling?
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: The shift to a low-carbon global economy is the single greatest opportunity of the 21st century. What’s Pakistan doing with the 15 gigawatts' worth of solar panels it imported from China in the past year? Here's a clue. It's not just Pakistan; China is exporting record numbers of solar modules to other countries, too. The share of renewables in Germany's electricity generation has gone from under 7% in 2000 to roughly 60%, as of this year. US power plants have accumulated their largest coal stockpiles since COVID, a sign of plummeting demand. Chile has almost 8GW of renewables under construction, almost half of which is solar. Brazil now has 45GW of solar—and climbing. The evolving art and science of agrivoltaics. One for the energy nerds—the s(tr)eams have crossed!—big news on a new interconnection line between the western and eastern parts of the continental United States. Samsung debuts a solid-state oxide battery that’ll get you over 1,000 km on a single, crazy-fast (like, sub-nine-minute-fast) charge. Solid state batteries are coming! Mineral mining demand for batteries could peak within the decade, and extraction may end altogether by 2050 due to improved efficiency and circularity practices. Reports of the death of the US EV market appear to be greatly exaggerated: year-over-year EV sales are trending upwards. You can see all the dinosaur-juice-powered passenger cars sold in Norway last month below (a decade ago, it was 10,000 per month).
Indistinguishable from magic
Complex life on Earth may be much older than thought
A group of scientists working in Gabon says they've found evidence of life forms similar to slime mould in rocks that are 2.1 billion years old. It's a big departure from conventional thinking, and not all scientists agree—most experts believe animal life began around 635 million years ago. BBC
Heavy-lift drones begin operation at wind farms
The world’s first heavy-lift cargo drone operations have been launched at an offshore windfarm in the North Sea. The 70-kg drones—which have a wingspan of 2.6 metres—are being used to transport cargo of up to 100 kg to each of the 94 wind turbines. The drone flight takes about four minutes per turbine, while the conventional approach takes approximately six hours. Ørsted
Exoskeletons arrive in the leisure industry
A US-based outdoor apparel company is now offering a strength-boosting exoskeleton built into hiking pants, available sometime in 2025. The powered pants feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee that boosts a hiker’s leg strength when going uphill while also absorbing the impact of steps during a descent. The Verge
A step closer to humanoid robots in the workplace
California-based Figure just released version two of their humanoid robot. It has human-scale hands that enable 'a wide range of human-like tasks,' thanks to 16 degrees of freedom and human-equivalent strength. Difficult to figure out how much of this demo is staged, but it's still incredibly impressive—and a reminder of just how quickly this field is moving. New Atlas
Startup completes first fully-robotic dental surgery
Last week, a US-based firm announced it had completed the surgery on a patient in Colombia using its suite of fully automated dental technologies, which 3D scan a patient’s mouth, use AI to analyse the data, and then employ a series of robotic arms and tools to carry out procedures. Spare a thought for the patient—going to the dentist is terrifying enough. Independent
AI determines structure of small molecules even with fuzzy data
'It’s like magic in a way.' Danish researchers just released a new tool that can determine the structure of small molecules with as little as 10% of the data needed with traditional x-ray methods. The approach could make it easier for chemists to work on a wide range of compounds central to modern life, speeding the discovery of new medicines, herbicides, and other important compounds. Science
3D-printed blood vessels could improve heart bypass
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have developed 3D-printed blood vessels which mimic the properties of human veins, a breakthrough that could transform heart surgeries by replacing the human and synthetic veins currently used to re-route blood flow. The vessels were created from a water-based gel, using a rotating spindle integrated into a 3D printer. Science Daily
Physicists pinpoint the quantum origin of the greenhouse effect
Until recently, scientists haven't really understood why the CO2 molecule is so good at trapping heat. Now researchers at Harvard say they've figured it out—and it has to do with something known as Fermi resonance, caused by a strange quirk of the molecule’s quantum structure that affects its ability to absorb light. 'If it weren’t for this accident ... then a lot of things would be different.' Quanta
Very different indeed. Check out this incredible simulation from NASA of carbon dioxide moving through Earth's atmosphere. Do yourself a favour and have a look at the high -res version, this GIF doesn't really do it justice.
That's it for this edition, thanks for reading, we'll see you in ten days!
With love,
Gus and Amy
