From victims of a major scandal finally getting justice to a court ruling on climate change, there has been a lot of positive news this week. Here are some of the highlights:
– In what is being hailed as a landmark moment, an international court said that countries are legally obliged to curb greenhouse gases in order to protect the marine environment. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea made the statement in Hamburg, adding that wealthy countries must cut emissions faster than developing ones. This represents the first time an international court has issued such a statement, and is a sign that courts could play a major role in driving down emissions.
– For the first time, wind has become the UK’s biggest source of electricity over the course of an entire year. Data from Imperial College London shows that over the past 12 months, wind generated 32% of the UK’s electricity, compared to 31% for gas. This is supported by a number of factors, including Blustery weather and new offshore wind farms. According to Dan McGrail, chief executive of RenewableUK: “The UK’s transition from gas to wind has gone beyond the tipping point. We’re now living in a world where clean power dominates our electricity system.”
– In breast cancer research, scientists have made a breakthrough by finding a way to keep human breast tissue viable outside the body for at least a week. By preserving tissue samples in a special gel solution, different drugs and hormones can be tested on live tissue, which helps to speed up the development of new drugs.
– Radiography departments in England are set to receive £15.5m worth of AI technology which can pinpoint cancer cells 2.5 times faster than doctors alone. The technology works by automatically reviewing CT or MRI scans, helping medics distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy tissue more rapidly. Health and social care secretary Victoria Atkins called it “an exciting breakthrough in our work to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.”
– Victims of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history are having their convictions quashed after being wrongly accused of theft due to an IT fault. Parliament approved a law to quash their convictions on Thursday, following a scandal which saw over 700 sub-postmasters wrongly accused and some even imprisoned.
From climate change to cancer research and solar power to social justice, it’s been a week of progress that gives hope for the future
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