297: Brontë Country

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This week's top stories

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party has announced it is renouncing armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, ending four decades of warfare. The militant group said that that the struggle had “brought the Kurdish issue to the point of resolution through democratic politics, thus completing its historical mission.” AP

Clean energy pushes China's CO2 emissions into historic reversal. For the first time ever, China's carbon emissions are falling even as power demand grows, marking a major potential turning point in climate action. Wind, solar and nuclear are now reducing the use of coal even as electricity needs soar, with emissions declining 1.6% in the first quarter of 2025 and by 1% over the last 12 months. This is a crucial structural shift, differing from previous declines, which were caused by economic downturns or COVID lockdowns.

It's probably a little early for serious celebration - a looming drought could threaten hydropower, and of course nobody knows what's going to happen with tariffs. Long term, a continued downward trend will depend heavily on China's upcoming five-year plan targets and sustained renewable expansion. Make no mistake though, this is very, very good news. Carbon Brief

Colombia has established a pioneering legal framework giving Indigenous communities full self-governing authority—including public budgets and administrative power—across vast Amazon territories. The new presidential decree culminates a 30-year struggle for autonomy, positioning Colombia ahead of other Latin American nations that typically only grant land titles without governance rights. AP

Since 2015, the African Development Bank has facilitated access to drinking water and sanitation for 96.2 million people, largely through the African Water Facility accelerator fund. The fund has improved access to sanitation for 11.3 million people, provided drinking water for 23.2 million, equipped two million hectares for irrigation, and will undertake at least 14 new projects in 2025. AfDB

Engineers revive 'dead' thrusters on Voyager spacecraft 24 billion kilometres from Earth. NASA engineers successfully reactivated Voyager 1's primary roll thrusters, dormant since 2004, by solving a power supply circuit mystery. The creative fix extends the 47-year-old interstellar mission, coming just before a nine-month communications pause while our planet's only dish powerful enough to contact Voyager undergoes upgrades. Phys.org

One of Australia's rarest birds returns to fire-ravaged habitat after 42 years. Captive-bred helmeted honeyeaters have been released into Cardinia Forest, near Melbourne, where they disappeared after the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires. The charismatic gold-and-black birds now have three potential wild populations, with conservationists monitoring sites for breeding success. The Guardian

CRISPR treatments are ready for prime time: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has created the first custom CRISPR therapy to save an infant named KJ with a rare metabolic disease, while in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a biotech startup has used a flexible form of CRISPR editing called prime editing to restore the immune functions of an immunocompromised teenager suffering from chronic granulomatous disease.

England has protected the sweeping Pennine landscapes (the inspiration for the Brontë sisters) by creating the Bradford Pennine Gateway, connecting eight nature sites across 1,274 hectares. The reserve safeguards the literary sisters' creative inspiration while providing green space access for one of Britain's most nature-deprived cities. The protected area preserves rare wildlife, peat bogs, heathlands and wetlands. Guardian

Solar and wind provide 98% of new US power capacity in record-breaking quarter. March 2025 marked the 19th consecutive month that solar was the leading new energy source. Combined, renewables are now 31.5% of total US utility-scale capacity, with projections showing solar will likely surpass coal and wind within two years to become the second-largest source behind fossil gas. Oh, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says there's as much as 223GW of solar in the current three-year pipeline. Electrek

Tame predictions versus wild reality: the rollout of solar is consistently underestimated. Actual global solar installations have smashed past all projections. From Nat Bullard: "Not much more to say than this technology, consistently underestimated, now adds more capacity to the global grid than anything ever and will soon add more power in any given year than anything ever as well."

This may be a good time to remind everyone of some of the previous stories of solar's rollicking progress, including Europe's record-breaking solar output and Pakistan's solar shock. In some places, all government has had to do is get out of the way, as they've done in with balcony solar in Germany and Spain, and in Utah, where a bipartisan bill passed back in March allows portable solar systems to plug directly into 120V outlets.

Oh, and don't forget the big new push to electrify Africa, where mini-grids are rocking it in Nigeria and solar panels are being sold on the side of the streets in Niger.

Plus... there's plenty more solar panels coming. Solar cell production in China in the first four months of this year totalled 239 GW, an 18.8% increase from the same period in 2024.

India's Supreme Court has declared inclusive digital access a fundamental right to life and liberty, ordering 20 improvements to make identity verification accessible for marginalised groups. The ruling, stemming from a petition by acid attack survivors, establishes that bridging the digital divide is now a constitutional imperative—not merely policy discretion—particularly benefiting rural populations and persons with disabilities. Economic Times

Even more stories about wiring the world --

• In Niger, the World Bank is bringing broadband to millions in conflict-affected villages, allowing vulnerable populations to access services and receive alerts that help them avoid high-risk areas and situations.
• In Nigeria, the number of people with digital IDs has hit 117.3 million, up from 36.9 million in 2020, enabling access to services like voter registration and bank account verification for the previously underserved including IDPs, refugees, and persons with disabilities.
• And as far as digital access is concerned, India is putting its money where its mouth is: this year's budget promises broadband for all rural schools and primary healthcare centres. And India's free telemedicine service, eSanjeevani, now provides 300,000 telehealth consultations a day, and has served 330 million patients.

Mass shootings in the United States are at a 16-year low. There have been only four incidents causing four or more deaths in the first four months of 2025—the lowest count since tracking began in 2006. Public mass shootings have disappeared entirely, following a 24% overall decline from 2023 to 2024. The Washington Post 🎁

An ultra-thin brain implant that could enable thought-to-command (and eventually shut down paralysis) has received FDA clearance. The hair-thin device slides through an incision without damaging brain tissue, unlike similar prototypes which require removing pieces of the skull to be implanted. Oh, uh, and there's another brain-computer implant in the works that doesn't require surgery at all but instead gets to your brain via your bloodstream. Which is great! Because it's been used to help patients with ALS and other forms of paralysis communicate!

Cape vulture rebounds across southern Africa after 50-year conservation effort. Southern Africa's largest endemic vulture species is now vulnerable but not endangered; the population has stabilised after declining by 70% between 1992-2007, with birds returning to historical areas abandoned for decades. This recovery stems from decades of work changing landowner practices, reducing poisoning, and mitigating power line collisions. Mongabay

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission has enacted landmark shark conservation measures, including rules to curb finning, expanded bycatch bans, and restricted harmful fishing gear. The agreement establishes a management system for blue sharks, extends retention bans to whale sharks by 2026, and requires sharks be landed with fins attached. Mongabay

And finally, The Ocean Cleanup just brought in its biggest haul of the year - 1,079 tons of trash in Rio las Vacas, Guatemala. Here's what it looks like: