Nations

Tuna

Maldives drops plan to reopen longline tuna fishing following protests

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Longline fishing for tuna will remain closed in the Maldives, the island country’s president announced on Aug. 29. The decision came after local fishers, conservation NGOs and scientists protested against plans by the administration of President Mohamed Muizzu to reopen longline fisheries for yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna. Longline fishing has been banned in the Maldives since 2019.

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Trees

Norway’s forests have more than tripled in a hundred years

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Over the course of the last hundred years, Norwegian forests have tripled in size according to a new report. The survey from Statistics Norway shows that forest growth continued for the whole of the 20th and much of the 21st century, but has begun tapering off as spruce saplings planted by schoolchildren in the 1960s are now fully mature and beginning in some cases to die or be logged.

Norway’s forests have more than tripled in a hundred years Read more

Union Jack flag

Britain’s reliance on coal-fired power set to end after 140 years

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Home to the world’s first coal-fired power station, opened in London in 1882, the U.K. is set to be the first G7 country to stop using coal to generate electricity, one year earlier than first set out by the previous Conservative government in 2015. In the coming weeks, it will officially close the lone remaining coal-fired plant in the country, a station known as Ratcliffe, near the city of Nottingham.

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South Korean flags

‘Major milestone’ immunization campaign begins in North Korea with support of UNICEF

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More than 800,000 children and 120,000 pregnant women will be vaccinated in a nationwide campaign launched on Monday by the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) with the support of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Over four million doses of essential vaccines — including Pentavalent, Measles-Rubella (MR), Tetanus-Diphtheria, BCG, Hepatitis B, and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) — were delivered to the DPRK in July to kickstart this comprehensive catch-up effort.

‘Major milestone’ immunization campaign begins in North Korea with support of UNICEF Read more

Salmon run

Salmon will soon swim freely in the Klamath River for first time in a century once dams are removed

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The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is nearing completion. Crews will use excavators this week to breach rock dams that have been diverting water upstream of two dams that were already almost completely removed, Iron Gate and Copco No. 1. The work will allow the river to flow freely in its historic channel, giving salmon a passageway to key swaths of habitat just in time for the fall Chinook, or king salmon, spawning season.

Salmon will soon swim freely in the Klamath River for first time in a century once dams are removed Read more

Coral

$35 million debt-for-nature deal aims to protect Indonesia’s coral reefs

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A $35 million debt-for-nature swap between Indonesia and the U.S. aims to conserve coral reefs in eastern Indonesia over the next nine years, with the funding offset by canceled sovereign debt payable to the U.S. Indonesian conservation groups and their international partners will implement ground programs to protect reefs in key areas, strengthen marine protected areas and support community livelihoods under the deal.

$35 million debt-for-nature deal aims to protect Indonesia’s coral reefs Read more

Red pandas in a tree

Nepal opens first community-based red panda conservation area 

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Nepal’s first community-based red panda conservation area has been established in the Puwamajhuwa area of Ilam Municipality, covering 287 acres of temperate broad-leaved forests. The conservation area aims to protect the endangered red panda species, promote ecotourism, and contribute to local community livelihoods. This initiative demonstrates the increased authority of local governments in Nepal following the 2015 Constitution, allowing for community-driven conservation efforts.

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Egyptian flag

Egypt recovers 3 ancient artifacts found in the Netherlands

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The items retrieved include a mummified head from the Hellenistic period, a ceramic funerary figurine dating to Egypt’s New Kingdom era (664-332 B.C.), and part of a wooden tomb bearing an inscription of the goddess Isis from 663-504 B.C., the Egyptian embassy in The Hague said in a statement. The head was found in good condition, showing remnants of teeth and hair. Dutch police and the cultural heritage inspection unit retrieved the figurines and parts of the tomb after determining that they were smuggled out of Egypt.

Egypt recovers 3 ancient artifacts found in the Netherlands Read more

clean energy concept, photovoltaic panels and wind turbines in the light of the rising sun

Wind and solar energy production in U.S. surpasses coal for the first time in history

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From January through July of this year, wind and solar in the U.S. generated more net electricity than power from coal, according to recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Further, wind energy generation alone beat coal energy generation in two consecutive months: March and April. As CleanTechnica reported, wind energy installations produced 45.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in March and a record high 47.7 GWh in April, compared to the 38.4 GWh in March and 37.2 GWh in April generated by coal-fired power plants.

Wind and solar energy production in U.S. surpasses coal for the first time in history Read more

Australian employees now have the right to ignore work emails and calls after hours

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The new rule means employees, in most cases, cannot be punished for refusing to read or respond to contacts from their employers outside work hours. Australians worked on average 281 hours of unpaid overtime in 2023, according to a survey last year by the Australia Institute, which estimated the monetary value of the labor at $88 billion USD. The changes add Australia to a group of roughly two dozen countries, mostly in Europe and Latin America, which have similar laws.

Australian employees now have the right to ignore work emails and calls after hours Read more

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