This week brought a variety of good news, from England taking a significant step in boosting its biodiversity to Norway retaining its title as the world’s most democratic country. In a world first, England passed legislation requiring all new developments to increase nature. If habitats are destroyed for infrastructure, equivalent habitats must be created on-site or elsewhere in addition to delivering a 10% gain in biodiversity. The Wildlife Trusts, a nature conservation charity, said the law might “make a positive contribution towards nature’s recovery and help address the climate emergency.” Many other countries, including Scotland, Sweden, and Singapore, are said to be following England’s lead.
According to a recent report, Ember, the thinktank revealed a 26% decline in coal power generation and a 15% decrease in gas generation in the EU. Renewable energy accounted for 44% of the EU’s electricity mix, leaving the EU with a cleaner electricity mix than ever before. “The EU’s power sector is in the middle of a monumental shift,” said Ember’s Sarah Brown. On the other hand, Brown cautioned against complacency and urged rapid deployment of wind, solar, and flexibility to develop a fossil fuel-free system.
In England, a £1.6m research project launched to investigate the possibility of flooded coal mines in the west of the country as a potential source of green energy. The project will explore whether water inside the mines can be pumped up and used to heat the homes located on top of them since mine water is naturally warm. Gateshead, a town in northern England, is already using its old mines as a source of renewable energy. The green project could transform abandoned coal mines into sources of clean energy.
The latest Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) showed that, despite the general decline in global democracy, the number of democratic countries in 2023 increased by two to 74. Norway, New Zealand, and Iceland were among the top ten most democratic countries globally, while the US only ranked 29th and the UK 19th. The UK and US are described as “flawed democracies” according to the index.
Scientists identified blood proteins that indicate the risk of developing dementia. Efforts to defeat Alzheimer’s have witnessed significant developments, with breakthrough treatments found to slow the disease. New frontiers against the disease seem to be opening up with the help of the newly discovered blood protein. Scientists are hopeful that such studies could lead to new ways of detecting the disease and developing preventative treatments
Read the full article on Positive News here: Read More