Goodbye to 2020 – Last year is perhaps not one that we shall want to recall with much fondness, but it’s worth remembering that not all the news was gloomy. Future Crunch has set out a collection of global good news stories including these:
– [i] all six major US banks have now ruled out financing for oil and gas development in the Arctic. This is the result of years of pressure from the Gwich’in and Iñupiat peoples, activist shareholders, and hundreds of thousands of phone calls from conservation groups. Sierra Club
– [ii] The WHO says that malaria deaths fell to the lowest level ever recorded last year. The mortality rate has dropped by almost 60% in the last two decades, from 24.7 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 10.1 per 100,000 in 2019.
– [iii] A new study has shown that air quality in Europe has improved dramatically in the past decade. Thanks to the implementation of better environmental and climate policies, around 60,000 fewer people died prematurely due to fine particulate matter pollution in 2018, compared with 2009. For nitrogen dioxide, the reduction is even greater; premature deaths have declined by about 54%. EEA
– [iv] UNESCO says that since 1995, the proportion of girls receiving primary and secondary education has increased from 73% to 89%. In actual numbers, that’s an extra 180 million girls in school compared to a generation ago (and three times more women are also now enrolled in universities).
– [v] In 2020, the number of people without access to electricity dropped from 860 million to 770 million, a new record low. Africa has made particularly good progress; the number of people gaining access to electricity doubled from 9 million a year between 2000 and 2013, to 20 million between 2014 and 2019. IEA
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Environmental Education and conservation board games – The North American Association for Environmental Education [ NAAEE ] has published details of a series of board games that attendees at its 2020 conference recommended. These range fromOn the Origin of Species toTerraforming Mars with lots more in between. If you prefer digital games, try these.
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Good Blue Whale news – A new population of blue whales has been found in the Indian Ocean. These are the largest creatures known to have lived. Their hearts are the size of a small car and their stomachs can hold a tonne of krill. They were discovered because researchers from the African Aquatic Conservation Fund heard their unique song. The total global population is estimated to be between 5 and 15 thousand individuals. Blue whales were hunted to near extinction in the early 1900s but numbers have increased following a moratorium on commercial whaling. The Antarctic subspecies was the worst hit by whaling. Around 3,000 remain, according to the IUCN, down from as many as 125,000 in 1905. The reduction of the Antarctic population was the largest factor in the decline of the Blue Whale, but there’s now welcome news that they have returned to South Georgia.
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News of new species – London’s Natural History Museum named 503 new species last year. These included a monkey, a lichen, a crested lizard, a parasitic worm, 2 frogs, 3 red seaweeds, 3 bees, 4 diatoms, 6 centipedes, 9 moths, 9 snakes, 51 snails, 70 wasps, and 170 beetles. There’s more detail here.
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Beavering away – Beavers have built their first dam on Exmoor in more than 400 years after they were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th century. The animals were released by the National Trust in early 2020 in order to slow the flow of water through the landscape and improve river quality and biodiversity. The animals can build dams to create deep pools of water that offer shelter from predators and turn the surrounding land into a mosaic of nature-rich habitats.
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Biodiversity news – The latest newsletter from the International Institute for Environment and development [ IIED ] has features on a green recovery from COVID-19, assessments of conserved areas, and ecosystem-based adaptation. For example, IIED has developed three practical and relatively low-cost tools for stakeholders and rights-holders of a protected or conserved area to assess their social impact, the quality of governance and the equity of conservation.
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Development and Climate Days 2020 – D&C Days usually take place alongside COP meetings to encourage dialogue on a range of issues that link policy, knowledge and practice for climate ambition. They took place virtually in December 2020. One session was on Biodiversity loss is an underestimated risk: climate, development and business perspectives. Biodiversity loss is contributing to food insecurity, exacerbating climate change, destabilising communities and affecting human health. This event brought together expert speakers from climate, development and business backgrounds to discuss why biodiversity matters and outline how biodiversity loss is a critical and underestimated risk. Contributors were: Joanna Elliott, Fauna & Flora International; Dilys Roe, IIED; Natalie Seddon, the University of Oxford; and Liz Rogers, BP International. You can view a recording of the event here. Background reading includes: Biodiversity loss is a development issue.
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Citizen Science and conservation – ZSL says that well-designed citizen science can be a cost-effective and high-impact way of gathering broad and detailed information, especially over large geographical areas. It can also be the glue that binds stakeholders around a conservation issue, builds social capital and connects people to nature. A webinar on February 9th 1800 to 1930 will use case studies from a variety of projects to illustrate and discuss what motivates people to get involved in citizen science, what the potential impacts of citizen science projects are, and which sections of society aren’t engaging and why?
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Learning for Sustainability Scotland – A networking event and AGM takes place on 12th January 2021 1000 – 1430 with the theme of Building Forward Better- the role of Learning for Sustainability. This will showcase what members are doing to support a just and green recovery and tackle poverty, race, climate and environmental inequalities through learning for sustainability. LSS says it’s “an excellent opportunity to hear about the impactful work of members from across the education, charity and community sectors, be inspired by knowledgeable speakers practicing Learning for Sustainability near you, and take part in workshops to boost your knowledge and skills on a range of topics.” You can read more, and register, here.
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