Biodiversity hotspots offered hope for conservationists, a fresh approach to homelessness showed promise in England, and hyperloop travel came to Europe, plus more good news
This week’s good news roundup
Conserving just 0.7% of Earth’s land could be enough to save a third of the world’s rarest species.
That’s according to a new study, which this week identified 25 biodiversity hotspots home to some of the rarest and most endangered species on Earth. They include the aye-aye lemur, found only in Madagascar (main picture), and the gharial (pictured), a critically endangered crocodile found on the Indian subcontinent.
Accounting for 0.7% of Earth’s surface, the hotspots are spread over 33 countries and five continents. However, despite supporting some of the world’s rarest wildlife, researchers discovered that just 20% of the land is protected.
“Our research highlights the regions of the world that are of immediate concern,” said lead author Sebastian Pipins, a PhD student at Imperial College London, England. “Furthermore, it shows that in protecting just a fraction of the Earth’s land surface, huge gains can be made for the preservation of nature.”
He added: “Given the global importance of the biodiversity found within these regions, high-income countries must mobilise funding to facilitate sustainable development that can benefit both humans and nature.”
Image: Amit Chorge
Island nations most vulnerable to climate change have taken a first step towards having ecocide recognised internationally as a crime alongside genocide and war crimes.
On Monday, Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa formally requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider ecocide – the destruction of the natural environment by deliberate or negligent human actions – as a punishable crime.
Such a move is likely to be resisted by developing nations. It could also take years for the ICC to consider the proposal.
Nonetheless, the move was welcomed by Stop Ecocide International, a campaign group, which described it as “a major step forward in the global effort to enshrine mass environmental destruction as a crime under international law”.
Philippe Sands KC, professor of law at University College London, England – who helped create a legal definition for ecocide – said: “This development reflects a growing recognition that severe environmental destruction deserves the same legal accountability as other grave international crimes that focus on the human. I urge member states to support this initiative.”
Image: Matt Palmer
A remarkably simple approach to homelessness has housed more than 400 rough sleepers in Manchester, England, while saving the state money.
That’s according to the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham, who this week applied for more government funding to continue the ‘housing first’ scheme.
Developed in Finland, the approach provides homes to people without preconditions, then offers wraparound support tailored to their needs. It stands in contrast to other models that expect people to be sober, engaging with support already and seeking employment.
According to the Great Manchester Combined Authority, 413 people have been housed under the £8m pilot, which began in 2019. Of those, 75% sustained their tenancies. Finding homes for all the people that need them, however, is a challenge in a country with an acute shortage of housing, like the UK.
One woman who was helped by the scheme told the BBC that it had “given me my life back”. Burnham said the scheme showed that “if you set people up to succeed – they largely do”.
Manchester is not the only city trailing the ‘housing first’ approach. Houston, US, has also piloted the model, moving a reported 25,000 people from tents and benches into secure housing between 2012 and 2022.
Read more: The surprisingly simple solution to homelessness that’s changing lives
Image: Kelly Sikkema
More than 100 Afghan women gathered in Albania this week to discuss women’s rights in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Women’s Summit was held in Tirana a fortnight after the Taliban banned women in Afghanistan from speaking in public. Exiled female leaders and women still living in the country were among those attending. Some were reportedly hauled off planes trying to reach Albania.
The aim of the summit was to put ethnic divisions to one side and develop a unified voice to stand up for Afghanistan’s brutally suppressed women.
The summit comes at a time when other global events have eclipsed the fate of Afghanistan’s women. Only last week, the United Arab Emirates accepted a Taliban diplomat as its Afghan ambassador, normalising the regime.
Farzana Kochai, former Afghan MP living in exile, was among those attending the event. “A country and millions of people is not something you can give up on,” she told the UK’s Channel Four News.
Image: Eric Draper/Wikimedia Commons
A man who received the world’s first whole-eye and partial-face transplant is “back to being a normal guy”.
Aaron James of Arkansas, US, lost most of his face in a high-voltage accident at work. The 46-year-old received the world’s first whole human eye transplant last May. This week, a study revealed the clinical outcomes of the procedure.
While James cannot yet see through the donor eye, the study showed that it has maintained normal pressure and blood flow and had retained its size.
“The outcomes we’re seeing after this procedure are quite incredible,” said Dr Vaidehi Dedania, a retina specialist at NYU Langone Health in New York, US, where the procedure was carried out.
“We’ve done the work to transplant an eye,” added lead surgeon Dr Eduardo Rodriguez. “We now need to do more work in understanding how to restore sight to the eye.”
Receiving the eye was transformative for James (pictured). “I’m pretty much back to being a normal guy,” he said. “This has been the most transformative year of my life. I’ve been given the gift of a second chance. I don’t take a single moment for granted.”
Image: Haley Ricciardi
It’s long been touted as the sexy near-future of overland travel, but hyperloop has remained something of a pipe dream. This week, the technology took a step forward with the first successful test at the European Hyperloop Center in the Netherlands.
Against a backdrop of claims that hyperloop could one day take thousands of trucks off the road and many more planes out of the sky, Hardt – a firm involved in the technology – completed a short test run.
During the test, the company showcased hyperloop technology, including magnetic levitation. The aim is that one day hyperloop trains will be able to travel at 700kmp between cities. Monday’s test run hit a modest top speed of 30kph.
It’s proof that it works, claimed Hardt. “This achievement marks a key milestone toward realising the hyperloop in Europe and around the world,” said the firm’s CEO, Roel van de Pas.
Read more: The plan to bring hyperloop to our cities
Image: Hardt
The UK’s electricity grid had its greenest ever month in August, when the amount of power generated by fossil fuels fell to a record low.
Data shows that both wind and solar produced more electricity than gas throughout the month. The amount of power generated by fossil fuels crashed to 3.6 terawatt-hours (TWh). Even in lockdown, it never fell below 4TWh.
The figures come as the UK’s last coal-fired power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar prepares to close on 30 September, marking the end of coal-fired power in the UK. At its peak, coal – the dirtiest fossil fuel – provided more than a third of the country’s electricity.
Image: Zach Rowlandson
Despite inflationary pressures pushing up the cost of living, people in the UK have continued to make ‘conscious’ decisions in the supermarket.
That’s according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation. It found that 70% of UK adults had bought Fairtrade products in the last year, while 85% believed that farmers should be paid fairly for their produce.
Marie Rumsby, director of advocacy at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “Every Fairtrade purchase makes a difference to farmers’ lives. We want to remind shoppers that when they next visit a supermarket, they choose products with the Fairtrade logo, as these ensure farmers receive fairer prices for their hard work and can invest in their families and communities.”
Image: Isaac Fryxelius
Fish that’s so undervalued it’s either thrown back into the sea dead, or used as bait by crabbing fleets, is feeding children in an English coastal city.
According to the UN, more than 9m tonnes of fish – equivalent to 10% of global catches – are discarded annually. To address that, the Plymouth Fish Finger Project is working with small-scale fisheries to turn local bycatch into school dinners.
“This is about food security and social justice,” explained Caroline Bennett, founder of ethical fishmongers Sole of Discretion, which is part of the project. “It’s giving local people access to their local fish.”
Read the full Positive News story here.
Image: Fotonow/CIC
Main image: Dennisvdw/iStock
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