What went right this week: ready-to-go climate solutions, plus more

Governments could trigger a “global cascade of positive tipping points” that would slash emissions and cut energy bills – and all they’d have to do is replicate existing legislation.    

That’s according to a new report which analysed the effectiveness of regulations, subsidies, and carbon taxes in more than 70 countries, including all the major emitters. It comes hot on the heels of a separate study identifying the most effective climate policies around the world.   

Authors of the new report identified four policies to trigger big emissions cuts: phasing out coal by 2035 for developed countries (by 2045 for developing countries); requiring a rising proportion of car sales to be zero-emissions, reaching 100% by 2035; requiring a rising proportion of truck sales to be zero-emissions, reaching 100% by 2040; and requiring a rising proportion of heating appliance sales to be heat pumps from 2025, reaching 100% by 2035. 

“Triggering positive tipping points is now the only credible way to limit global warming well below 2C above pre-industrial levels,” said co-author Prof Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter, UK. “Focusing on positive tipping points benefits consumers, taxpayers, businesses and people around the world facing the worst impacts of climate change.”

Read more: Positive tipping points could save the climate – this man is showing us how

Image: Wim Vant Einde

Developed nations could mobilise more than $5tr (£3.74tr) per year for climate action by ending fossil fuel subsidies, making polluters pay and taxing the uber-wealthy. 

That’s according to a report published this week by the advocacy group Oil Change International. Such a sum, it argued, could supercharge climate action and adaption, including in countries most vulnerable to climate change. 

Globally, fossil fuel companies raked in around $7tr (£5.23) in subsidies in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund. 

“The solutions are within reach and the resources exist – but the political will remains shamefully absent,” said Tasneem Essop, executive director of Climate Action Network International, commenting on the research. 

“While trillions are funnelled into militarisation and fossil fuel subsidies, these funds could be redirected to build a just, sustainable future. It’s time to stop stalling. It’s time to make polluters and the wealthy pay for the harm they have caused. We need bold, transformative action – now.”

Image: Zbynek Burival

Reintroduced bison will soon be trip-trapping over bridges in England, where a “ground-breaking” conservation project aims to reconnect the animals’ woodland habitat.  

Linking up fractured habitats is an ongoing conservation challenge, and one that the county Kent is addressing. There, in the so-called ‘garden of England’, work has begun on four bridges that will help a herd of reintroduced bison move freely between forests near Canterbury. 

Recent research showed that bison sequester vast quantities of carbon as their ‘eco-engineering’ creates new woodland habitats. The animals went extinct in Britain thousands of years due to overhunting but were introduced to West Blean and Thornden Woods in Kent in 2022. Last November, a calf was born. 

Simon Bateman Brown of Kent Wildlife Trust, which led the reintroduction programme, described the bridges a “ground-breaking proof of concept project laying out the blueprint for others to follow”.

Image: Russell Perry Visual Studio

Clothing companies would have to fund programmes to ensure their garments get reused, repaired or recycled under legislation that’s one step away from becoming law in California, US.  

The Responsible Textile Recovery Act has breezed through the state legislature and now only requires the signature of governor Gavin Newshom. A petition has launched to encourage the Democrat to sign on the dotted line by the deadline: 30 September. 

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the fashion industry is the fastest growing waste stream in the country. If the Responsible Textile Recovery Act becomes law, it will be the first of its kind in the US.

“We need to move toward a circular system that encourages big companies to make less and better quality clothing that can be repurposed, reused, repaired or recycled and prevents unnecessary waste,” said Kathryn Horvath of the Waste is Out of Fashion campaign.

“California’s new textile bill is one step towards that future, and we hope governor Newsom signs it into law.” 

Read more: The secrets of secondhand clothes shopping – according to you

Image: Waldemar

A ‘millionaire’s tax’ in Massachusetts is funding free community college places in the US state.

Massachusetts has 15 community colleges offering a range of undergraduate programmes that are now free for all. It’s thanks to the MassReconnect scheme, which launched in 2023 for those over 25, and has now been rolled out to anyone. The scheme has been funded by the state’s Fair Share Amendment, often dubbed the ‘millionaire’s tax’. 

“No matter your age or income: community college is now free in Massachusetts,” the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges said.  

More states are offering free places at community college, with California, Hawaii and New York among those already doing so. 

Image: Element 5 Digital

In a symbolic move, the UK government has appointed a new climate envoy – a role axed by the previous government. 

Taking the position is Rachel Kyte (pictured), a former senior climate official at the World Bank, who previously served as special representative on sustainable energy to António Guterres, the UN secretary general. 

The UK was considered a climate leader before hosting the COP26 summit in 2021, but subsequently backslid on its commitments under the last government. The reappointment of a climate envoy will help to restore trust in the UK as a climate leader, activists said. 

“Rachel Kyte looks to be an excellent choice as climate envoy but she has her work cut out,” Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, told the Guardian.

“Her background working in climate finance will be crucial to ensure the UK is a leading voice in calling for an improved financial package, paid for by fossil fuel companies, for countries that are struggling to keep their heads above the rising tide of climate impacts.”

Image: Brooke Bernstein

Domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in teams responding to emergency 999 calls from next year, the UK government has announced.

The new advisers will make risk assessments on cases involving rape, domestic and sexual abuse claims, to ensure the approriate support and protection is provided. 

The initiative is part of the government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. It was inspired by Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018, despite her making repeated calls to the police beforehand. 

“We need to ensure that when victims and survivors of abuse have the courage to come forward it will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves,” said home secretary Yvette Cooper, announcing the move. 

Last month, the UK became one of the first countries to offer 24-hour mental health support over the phone. 

Image: Pexels

Work is due to begin on the world’s largest heat pump, which has been approved in the Finnish capital Helsinki (pictured). 

The air-to-water heat pump will be powered by renewables and is expected to warm around 30,000 homes annually from 2026. It’s part of a plan to decarbonise the city’s district heating network. 

“Helsinki has set the ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, and transitioning our heating system is crucial to achieving this,” said Juhani Aaltonen of Helen Oy, the firm behind the project. “The heat pump plant will significantly reduce the CO2 emissions caused by heating. In addition, it is likely to create price stability for customers.”

Finland and its Nordic neighbours are leading the way on climate-friendly home heating, with 40% of buildings fitted with a heat pump. In the UK, the figure is less than 1%. 

Image: Tapio Haaja

Good news for those struggling to exercise regularly: a weekend bout of brisk activity could be as effective as frequent running. 

That’s according to a study of nearly 90,000 people enrolled on the UK Biobank project. It found that those who cram their workouts into the weekend – known as weekend warriors – enjoy similar benefits to those who spread their exercise throughout the week.

At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise – or 75 minutes of vigorous activity – is recommended each week. Participants who achieved that, whether during the whole week or just at the weekend, lowered their risk of developing more than 200 health conditions, including heart disease, the study found. A 2022 study reached a similar conclusion. 

Read more: 10 science-backed tips for improving your motivation to exercise

Image: Antoni Shkraba

Move over, football. The Netherlands has a new national sport: removing paving slabs and replacing them with greenery. 

This week, the fourth annual Tegelwippen – or ‘tile whipping’ – competition got under way. Dutch municipalities will now compete in a contest to remove the most paving slabs, with the winner declared at the end of October. 

More than 11m tiles have been removed since the first competition in 2021, replacing hundreds of acres of grey concrete with trees, grass, vegetable gardens and vibrant flower beds. The space is equivalent to around that of 200 football pitches. 

Read the full story here. And see similar efforts made by Positive News readers here. 

Image: NK Tegelwippen
Main image: Singapore plans to phaseout the sale of internal combustion engines by 2030. Credit: Pavel Sipachev