What went right this week: North America’s first national park city, plus more

A city once dubbed “the dirtiest in the US” has been designated North America’s first national park city. 

Half a century ago, Chattanooga in Tennessee was infamous for its acrid air and toxic water, which had been polluted by heavy industry. But a citizen-led cleanup and environmental legislation helped to revitalise riverfronts and transform former industrial sites into parks and trails.

Such efforts were rewarded this week when Chattanooga (main picture) was declared the world’s third national park city, after London and Adelaide. The distinction is granted by the UK-based National Park City Foundation, a grassroots movement to make cities “greener, healthier, and wilder”. Its experts review evidence of a city’s ecological credentials before offering the designation, which is not officially recognised by national governments.       

“National parks are often called America’s best idea – one that has inspired people across the globe,” Dan Raven-Ellison, founder of the National Park City Foundation, told Positive News. “That same spirit has led London to become the world’s first national park city, and now, in a powerful cultural exchange, Chattanooga is following suit as America’s first.

“At a time when the world needs more harmony and hope, Chattanooga’s story is one of inspiration – proof that cities can reconnect with nature, and with each other.”

Image: iStock

Distinguished scientists who have driven remarkable discoveries in gene editing, human diseases, mathematics and the search for the fundamental laws of the universe have been celebrated at the ‘Oscars of science’.

Among those honoured at the Breakthrough Prize was David Liu – a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, US – who invented two gene editing tools: base editing and prime editing. The former was first used at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where it saved the life of a British teenager with leukaemia.

Liu (pictured) was presented his award at Saturday’s red-carpet event by the actor Jodie Foster, who said that the scientist was “not prepared to accept that genes are destiny”. Receiving his gong and $3m (£2.3m) prize, Liu said that “breakthroughs with impact begin with compassion”.     

Among the other winners were Alberto Ascherio and Stephen Hauser, a US-based duo who established the role of B cells in multiple sclerosis and developed B-cell based treatments.

Image: Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize

A mental health intervention pioneered in Zimbabwe is coming to the UK.

The Friendship Bench project employs female elders – known as ‘community grannies’ – as lay counsellors to deliver one-to-one therapy on park benches. The initiative has reached more than 280,000 Zimbabweans since launching in 2007, and has spawned spin-offs in Malawi, Kenya and Vietnam. 

Now the concept is coming to the UK thanks to Brighton and Sussex Medical School, which plans to launch a pilot in Sussex next month, initially aimed at migrant groups and minority ethnic people. As per the Zimbabwean initiative, lay counsellors will receive training – albeit just two weeks – before being deployed. Owing to the British weather, benches will be situated indoors.

Dr Nina Lockwood, research fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, told Positive News: “The Friendship Bench – founded by Prof Dixon Chibanda – presents a peer-support approach to mental health care provision that has proved successful across several countries, making it an appealing model to trial here in the UK, where national mental health needs outweigh current primary care resources.”   

Zimbabwe’s Friendship Bench project featured in Positive News’ Developing Mental Wealth series and podcast, which this week was shortlisted for four awards at the Publisher Podcast Awards. Read about the initiative’s impact here.

Image: Cynthia Matonhodze and Costa Juta

The global boom in wind and solar power saw the world get more than 40% of its electricity from clean energy sources last year – a new record.  

That’s according to a report by the thinktank Ember, which said the milestone was achieved thanks largely to the rapid increase in solar generation, which has doubled in just three years.  

“Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,” said Phil MacDonald, Ember’s MD. “Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force.” 

The share of renewables increased despite demand for energy rising. But it wasn’t all good news. Ember said that heatwaves pushed up electricity use as more people tried to stay cool, resulting in a small increase in fossil generation, meaning power sector emissions reached an all-time high.

Ember’s report landed as data showed that March was warmest ever for Europe. The renewables industry called on governments to accelerate the energy transition. 

“Governments must step up, cut red tape and unlock finance to accelerate deployment, and realise the vast security, economic, social and health benefits of clean energy,” said Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance. “People and businesses can’t afford delays.” 

Image: Kindel Media

A baby girl has become the first child in the UK to be born to a mother with a donated womb.

The baby’s mum, Grace Davidson, received her sister’s womb in 2023 having been born without a functioning uterus. It was the UK’s first successful womb transplant.

Grace and her husband Angus named the “miracle” baby Amy, after her aunt. She was born at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London. 

“We have been given the greatest gift we could ever have asked for. But we are very aware that for many couples who have gone before us, carrying a baby could only be a dream,” said Grace. “We sincerely hope that going forward this could become a wonderful reality, and provide an additional option for women who would otherwise be unable to carry their own child.”

The first baby born to a mother with a donated womb was in Sweden in 2014. Since then, more than 100 such transplants have been carried out in more than a dozen countries, including the US, China, India and France. Around 50 healthy babies have been born so far.

Image: Angus, Amy and Grace Davidson. Credit: Womb Transplant UK

A simple saliva test is more accurate at identifying future risk of prostate cancer in some men than the current standard blood test, a new study has found.

There is currently no screening test for prostate cancer, but an existing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is used to identify levels of a protein that could suggest men are at risk of developing the disease. 

However, in a study involving more than 6,000 European men, the new saliva test – which looks for mutations in men’s DNA – was found to be more accurate at predicting prostate cancer than the PSA blood test. The test was developed by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London.  

“With this test, it could be possible to turn the tide on prostate cancer,” said Ros Eeles, professor of oncogenetics at the ICR. “We have shown that a relatively simple, inexpensive spit test to identify men of European heritage at higher risk due to their genetic makeup is an effective tool to catch prostate cancer early.”

She added: “We’re now excited to be rolling out our updated test to diverse populations – as black men are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer.”

Image: Benjamin Elliott

UK parents with newborns in neonatal care have been given the right to paid leave for up to 12 weeks – a move hailed as “historic” for families. 

Under the new rules, parents will be eligible to take leave on top of other statutory allowances, such as maternity and paternity leave. The entitlement is available from the first day of a new job.

“The lack of additional parental leave rights for parents to date has forced many to make the unimaginable choice to return to work in order to pay their bills while their baby is desperately ill in hospital,” said Caroline Lee-Davey, chief executive of the charity Bliss, which campaigned for the changes. 

“[The new rules] will provide thousands of employed parents every year with the assurance that they can take the time to be with their sick baby when they need it most.”

Image: Pixabay

Children in England are to be given lessons in financial literacy in a bid to help them manage money and avoid scams in adulthood. 

Primary school pupils will be taught about where money comes from and how to manage it, while secondary school children will learn about inflation, taxation and how to scrutinise claims made by online influencers.

The new resources, produced by the Oak National Academy – which helps deliver the curriculum – are aimed at helping children avoid falling into debt and being duped by scams. 

John Roberts, interim chief executive of Oak National Academy, told the Press Association: “By giving teachers the tools to provide well-sequenced, engaging financial learning, we can make sure it resonates with children to support them through adulthood.”  

Image: Thirdman

The International Booker Prize has revealed its shortlist and for the first time in its history, all the selected books are published by indie presses. 

The shortlisted novels – which are also all translations – are: On the Calculation of Volume I, by Solvej Balle; Small Boat, by Vincent Delecroix; Under the Eye of the Big Bird, by Hiromi Kawakami; Perfection, by Vincenzo Latronico; Heart Lamp, by Banu Mushtaq; and A Leopard-Skin Hat (pictured), by Anne Serre. 

“This list is our celebration of fiction in translation as a vehicle for pressing and surprising conversations about humanity,” said judge and bestselling author Max Porter. “These mind-expanding books ask what might be in store for us, or how we might mourn, worship or survive. They offer knotty, sometimes pessimistic, sometimes radically hopeful answers to these questions.” 

Image: A Leopard-Skin Hat

“Being optimistic can seem ludicrous in the face of global challenges. But this isn’t about passively hoping for the best, more developing a necessary belief that things can – and should – be better, which in turn leads to positive change.” 

So writes Positive News editor-in-chief, Lucy Purdy, introducing the new issue of the magazine, which explores the themes of abundance and positive possibilities. 

“This quarter, I’ve loved unearthing stories of people who see abundance where it could easily be missed,” she says. “Where some see a decommissioned wind turbine, others spot a tiny home. Where some see a pile of old hot air balloon fabric, others glimpse beautiful bags. And where many see victims, others see survivors with much to offer.

“At this time of unease in global politics, which dominates the rest of the media’s attention, it feels like a good time to counter the feelings of contraction it might bring by tuning into abundance. I hope this issue helps to get you started.”

Order a copy here.

Image: Positive News
Main image: City of Chattanooga