What went right this week: the good news that matters

Helsinki’s “people-first” approach to mobility is paying off after officials announced that no traffic-related deaths have been recorded in the Finnish capital over the last year. 

The milestone follows a years-long drive to make the city more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, including lowering speed limits, laying cycle lanes and improving public transport. 

“A year without road deaths is a milestone that reflects Helsinki’s consistent, people-first approach to mobility,” said Sara Mecatti of POLIS, a network promoting active travel. “While challenges remain, the city’s experience shows how sustained, integrated action can create streets that are safe, equitable and welcoming for all.” 

Image: Tapio Haaja

South Korea has become the latest nation to outlaw smartphones in school, amid growing evidence of a link between early use and poor mental health. 

The country’s government passed a bill this week outlawing the devices in schools. It comes after research from the Netherlands suggested that its ban on smartphones in school has made students more sociable, improved their focus and boosted academic performance.

Critics claim that such bans do not tackle the root causes of smartphone addiction, but a growing list of countries are implementing them in various forms, among them France, Finland and China. 

Though there is no nationwide ban in the UK, many schools prohibit the devices, thanks partly to the fast-growing Smartphone Free Childhood movement, as featured in the latest issue of Positive News magazine. 

Image: iStock

The number of Iraqis experiencing material poverty has almost halved since 2011, according to the country’s latest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). 

Going beyond simple measuring financial means, the index assesses things like access to healthcare, education, housing and food. It found that the country’s MPI rate has shrunk by nearly 50% since 2011, despite many regions still facing high levels of deprivation. 

“Iraq has made important gains, but these data also show us where we need to focus our collective efforts,” said Sascha Graumann of the United Nations Development Programme. “Now that material poverty is beginning to decline, it is time to ensure that no region, woman, or community in Iraq is left behind.”

The index caused some controversy with the Kurdistan regional government complaining that its better-than-national-average data was excluded from the report. 

Image: Sgt. Canaan Radcliffe

A simple blood test can detect ovarian cancer in its early stages, providing a potentially life-saving intervention for women who get the disease, scientists said this week. 

The test looks for signs of ovarian cancer in those showing vague symptoms of the disease, including pelvic pain and bloating. It then uses machine learning to identify patterns in the blood that are consistent with ovarian cancer. 

In a US trial, the test exhibited an accuracy of 93% across all stages of ovarian cancer and 91% for early-stage disease. In a UK trial, it also performed strongly, with an accuracy of 92% for all-stages of ovarian cancer and 88% for early-stage disease.

The joint results were published in a study this week. Those behind the research said that the test – developed by diagnostics company AOA – could be a life-saver for the more than 300,000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. 

Prof Emma Crosbie of the University of Manchester said that the test “has the potential to significantly improve patient care and outcomes for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer”. Further trials are planned. 

Image: National Cancer Institute

It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but scientists said this week that solar arrays in space could prove to be a “gamechanger” for decarbonising Europe’s energy grid. 

Two years after Californian scientists successfully harvested solar energy in space and beamed it down to Earth, researchers at King’s College London (KCL) claim that the technology could cut Europe’s need for land-based renewable energy by up to 80%.  

In a world first, KCL analysed the potential of a design by Nasa for space-based solar generation, which is planned to be in use by 2050. The experimental technology uses space-based arrays to harvest solar energy and beam it down to Earth where it is converted to electricity.

The KCL study suggests that the design could reduce the cost of Europe’s power system by up to 15%, while offering a “gamechanger” for reaching net-zero. It will not, however, help in the vital short-term mission of slashing emissions. 

“Although the feasibility of this technology is still under review, our research highlights its vast economic and environmental potential if adopted,” said Prof Wei He, lead author. 

Image: 3DSculptor/iStock

Global investment in green energy projects hit a record $386bn (£286bn) in the first half of the year – a 10% increase compared to the same period last year – according to analysis by Bloomberg. 

Europe saw the biggest surge in money flowing to renewables, giving credence to the claim that it’s benefitting from the so-called “Trump effect” in the US, where the president’s policies are stifling domestic green energy, diverting investment overseas.

The world’s renewables powerhouse, China, also saw investment shrink due to regulatory changes that expose renewables to market-based pricing. Despite this, it still accounted for 44% of global renewables investment.

Meanwhile, separate data from the energy think tank Ember suggests that solar is starting to “take-off” in a meaningful way in Africa, where 20 countries set new records for the import of solar panels.

Image: Karsten Würth

It was missing, assumed extinct, but a long-lost shark has been recorded again off the coast of Papua New Guinea, raising hopes for a species not seen since the 1970s. 

The sailback houndshark was thought to have been fished to extinction. But a study published this week verified sightings of six individuals, including – for the first time – a male. 

Little is known about the shark, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists as “data deficient”, but scientists believe that it is limited to a specific region in Papua New Guinea’s Astrolabe Bay (pictured).

“This possible micro-endemism could make this species susceptible to population declines from increased fishing effort in the future,” warned the study’s authors. The existence of the shark, they added, offers a second chance to save the “important marine biodiversity icon”. 

Image: Jack Sagumai @ WWF Pacific

People who eat plant-based diets are less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters, according to one of the most comprehensive studies of the vegetarian diet to date. 

The research followed around 80,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America for eight years. The diets of participants were recorded in detail and their health was tracked. None had cancer to begin with.  

The results suggest that vegetarians on average had a 12% lower risk of developing the disease than meat eaters, with the biggest reductions recorded for stomach cancer (45% lower risk), lymphoma (25%) and colorectal cancer (21% lower risk). 

Vegans were shown to have the largest overall reduction in cancer risk (24%) than meat eaters.  

Lead researcher Prof Gary Fraser of Loma Linda University, US, said the results could be more pronounced in the general population. “Many of those non-vegetarian adventist people in this study were still very health-conscious people, so in some ways, it’s amazing that we found anything at all,” he said.

Image: roam in color

Finland and Poland are drawing up plans to restore their wetlands to mitigate two looming threats: climate change and Russian tanks.

Despite being vital carbon sinks, many of Europe’s bogs have been drained to make way for agriculture. But amid an escalating climate crisis and concerns that Russian tanks could roll across the border, Finland and Poland see the wetlands as a useful ally, and plan to restore them along their borders with Russia. 

“It’s a win-win situation that achieves many targets at the same time,” Tarja Haaranen, director general for nature at Finland’s environment ministry, told Politico. 

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, peat bogs cover 3% of the planet, yet hold nearly a third of the world’s stored carbon – twice the amount locked away in forests. Scotland is among the nations scrambling to restore bogs to mitigate climate change – a mission that got a record £20m funding boost this week. 

Image: Jevgenij Voronov

Penguins marching along an ice shelf, a lion facing down a cobra (main image), and a bellowing red deer are among the striking images entered into this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. 

Run by London’s Natural History Museum, the competition received a record 60,636 entries this year, highlighting growing interest in the natural world. 

The museum released a handful of images this week. Winning shots will be announced on 17 October, with an exhibition of the 100 best images launching at the museum on the same day. 

The exhibition will also examine how habitats are changing thanks to the Natural History Museum’s pioneering Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII). It measures how much of a region’s natural biodiversity remains on a scale of 0 to 100%, tracking international progress towards conservation goals.

“With the inclusion of our Biodiversity Intactness Index, this year’s exhibition will be our best combination of great artistry and groundbreaking science yet, helping visitors to become inspired to be advocates for our planet,” said the museum’s director Dr Doug Gurr.

Image: Bertie Gregory/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Main image: Gabriella Comi/Wildlife Photographer of the Year