Nations

Mt. Everest

Chinese drones to transport trash from Nepal’s Mount Everest

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Nepal is set to deploy Chinese-made drones to transport garbage from the slopes of Everest, marking the first time unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be used commercially in the country’s high-altitude zones. This initiative announced by China’s leading drone manufacturer, Da Jiang Innovations aims to reduce the risks faced by Sherpas and improve waste management on the world’s tallest peak.

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And nine more of humanity’s social change milestones from the week of July 1 – 7 2024 C.E.

Wind and solar capacity overtake coal in China in historic first

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In what is being hailed as a “pivotal moment” and an “historic first”, the accumulated capacity of wind and solar projects in China has overtaken coal for the first time, and solar capacity alone is predicted to overtake coal within two years. Rystad Energy says it has analyzed the latest data from China’s National Energy Administration and says the additions of wind and solar have outstripped coal in China by a factor of 16 in the first half of 2024 – as new coal additions slump to just eight gigawatts.

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Amazon

Peru establishes new Indigenous reserve in the Amazon for peoples in isolation

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Indigenous organizations in Peru’s Amazon have achieved a milestone in a campaign that has lasted for almost two decades. Indigenous peoples living in isolation and initial contact (PIACI) will be protected within the recently declared Sierra del Divisor Occidental Indigenous Reserve, a territory they’ve long inhabited — and place where they have historically faced pressures that threaten their existence. The Indigenous reserve spans over 1.2 million acres in the Peruvian departments of Ucayali and Loreto.

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Tiger lying down

Thai tiger numbers swell as prey populations stabilize in western forests

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The tiger population density in a series of protected areas in western Thailand has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to new survey data. Thailand is the final stronghold of the Indochinese tiger, the subspecies having been extirpated from neighboring Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam over the past decade due to poaching, habitat loss, and indiscriminate snaring.

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South African flag

South Africa passes its first sweeping climate change law

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a broad climate change act that will set caps for large emitters and require every town and city to publish an adaptation plan. The Climate Change Bill aims to enable South Africa to meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris climate agreement. South Africa, which is the world’s most carbon-intensive major economy and among the top 15 greenhouse gas emitters, is on track to miss those targets because of to its heavy reliance on coal for electricity.

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Ocean water

Island states win historic climate case in world oceans court

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Nine small island states have won a historic climate change case at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which ruled that all signatories to a United Nations treaty on marine activities must do more to protect the world’s oceans from climate change. The tribunal found that signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’s responsibilities to prevent marine pollution extend to greenhouse gas emissions, which harm oceans by altering the earth’s atmosphere.

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Rows of students at graduation

U.S. President Biden announces additional $1.2 billion in student debt relief for 35,000 public-sector workers

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President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan debt forgiveness, totaling $1.2 billion for 35,000 public-sector workers including teachers, nurses, and firefighters. The administration has now canceled more federal student loan debt than any prior administration – now totaling more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million Americans.

U.S. President Biden announces additional $1.2 billion in student debt relief for 35,000 public-sector workers Read more

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