This week’s good news roundup includes a historic climate deal, a breakthrough in pregnancy sickness research, the success of two endangered animal species, and the return of a national bird species to a city after 150 years.
Nearly 200 nations agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels” at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, described as a “landmark” agreement. It is significant given that major petrostates signed it, despite reportedly attempting to keep “fossil fuels” out of the final text. However, some climate scientists have criticized the deal as woolly, “loophole ridden” and lacking teeth.
Researchers believe they are one step closer to finding a cure for extreme sickness in expectant mothers. The hormone hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which is produced by babies, typically affects one in 100 pregnancies and in some cases may hospitalize women. Exposure to GDF15, a hormone found ahead of pregnancy, is a reliable indicator of an individual’s sensitivity to HG, according to Prof Sir Stephen O’Rahilly of the University of Cambridge.
Conservationists successfully reintroduced the Scimitar-horned Oryx, making it one of the few species to come back from extinction. The species’ reintroduction also prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to relist the animal as “endangered” this week. Additionally, there are now roughly 1.3 million Saiga antelopes, a 1,100% increase since 2015. However, the IUCN had a troubling report this week, warning that 25% of freshwater fish are at risk of extinction due to overfishing, pollution and climate change.
Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, saw the hatching of Kiwi chicks for the first time in 150 years. The Capital Kiwi Project reintroduced the national bird last year, and the birth of these chicks marks a significant step in the mission to restore a large-scale wild population of kiwis to the city.
Despite the optimistic news, the IUCN stated that we must address the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises, emphasizing the importance of “decisively tackling” them to ensure conservation outcomes can be maintained.
(Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
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