It’s the start of a new month, which means it’s time for our September roundup! In this special edition, our editors have picked the stories that caught their attention the most over the past four weeks – from major legal milestones in climate protection to the rollout of HPV vaccines and the activists taking a stand against far-right Trumpian policies in the US.
The World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is designed to limit the depletion of fish stocks caused by excessive fishing. The Geneva-based trade body claims that the treaty is the first to focus on the environment and the first binding multilateral agreement on ocean sustainability.
Morocco signed on as the 60th nation, pushing the treaty across the threshold number for ratification next year. It pledges to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, provides a legal process for creating protected marine areas, and sets a framework for collaboration on research, technology, and funding.
In the latest case of legal action against questionable environmental practices, residents of a tiny Indonesian island have filed a landmark climate case against Swiss cement multinational Holcim, arguing that their home is being swallowed by rising sea levels.
A new national park in New South Wales could protect around 12,000 koalas from loggers and help safeguard old-growth forests that are home to over 100 endangered species.
The figure dropped by about 18.7% globally between 2014 and 2024, from 507 million initially to 412 million as of last year. Although South Asia has more than halved its child poverty rates in general, India shows the largest reduction in the number of extremely poor children in the region.
A report from the World Food Programme last week showed the rise in the number of children fed at school in sub-Saharan Africa is the biggest increase of any world region, pointing to governments’ prioritising of education and less dependence on foreign aid as reasons for the change.
The first symptoms of Huntington’s disease generally appear in a patient’s 30s or 40s, and are normally fatal within two decades. A new gene therapy has slowed the progress of the disease down by 75%, meaning that the decline you would usually expect in one year would actually take four years after treatment.
Despite vaccination hesitancy, the end may be in sight for cervical cancer, which kills 64% of women with the disease. Healthcare officials and advocates hope the free vaccine rollout will not only save lives but also help break the silence surrounding the disease, and are passionate about dispelling suspicions about vaccines.
Thanks to the success of immunisation campaigns and various disease-surveillance programmes, the highly contagious infection is no longer considered a major health issue in the landlocked Southeast Asian country.
After a social media ban that backfired and a collapse of Nepal’s government, Gen Z political protesters organised a Discord poll to elect an interim leader during the chaotic situation, a way of designating leadership that its backers are calling more egalitarian and transparent.
From November 1st, all families, regardless of income levels, will have access to publicly-funded child care in New Mexico, making it the first state in the US to offer it. It’s expected to invest millions in the construction and renovation of daycares.
Starting immediately, children aged eight and below are now eligible for the Child Leap Card, covering all Transport For Ireland services. Children under the age of five already can travel for free without the need for a card.
Despite most supermarkets having already introduced a voluntary ban, up to a third of children are thought to consume these types of drinks every week, with some brands containing more caffeine than two cups of coffee. Young people have smaller bodies and their brains are still developing, which can make them more sensitive to caffeine, say experts.
Ireland’s solar photovoltaic capacity has increased enormously since 2023, with the International Energy Agency projecting that this momentum will continue. Estimates suggest that the annual average growth rate will hover around 32% between 2025 and 2027, outpacing wind energy.
Wind and solar power generated more than a third of the South American country’s electricity in August, making it the first month on record where renewable sources have crossed this threshold.
In 2010, Gerardo Ceballos and a team of researchers set out to answer a burning question: how many jaguars were there in Mexico? The group’s latest census found that in 2024 there were 5,326 jaguars in Mexico, a 30% increase compared with 2010’s 4100.
Researchers have developed a single-dose vaccine for chlamydia, which accounts for up to 50% of koala deaths. They hope to receive enough funding to start vaccinating koalas across Australia.
Pollution, warm oceans and hungry urchins devastated Pacific kelp. Now, thanks to divers with hammers, one of the world’s most successful rehabilitation projects has helped it rebound.
A 12-year study found that an amphibian underpass near Burlington, Vermont, reduced road deaths by over 80% during migration seasons. The underpass was also found to help protect mammals like black bears, bobcats and porcupines.
With housing values increasing by up to 35% in some districts, the The Douglass Community Land Trust of Washington D.C. has created an equitable development plan that puts the rights of local, long-term residents front and centre.
Since her firing as archivist of the US, Colleen Shogan has brought together presidential centers, civic groups, former presidents and first ladies to fill the gap she sees in civic education at all ages. The goal is to strengthen democracy by teaching a better understanding of the US democratic system.
The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program has college students study philosophy alongside inmates in an attempt to create a more creative, open and informative environment for both groups.
For nearly two decades, Nigel Bromage was a leading member of the openly neo-Nazi group Combat 18. Now, he’s the founder of Small Steps, an organisation made up of fellow reformed right-wingers to try and prevent others from going down the same path.
Across West Africa, men often have the final say in major household decisions, included health-related ones. A programme in Senegal is hoping to change that: respected male community members learn about “positive masculinity” in health and social issues and promote them in their communities.
Foreign tourists pay high fees to see gorillas in their natural Ugandan habitat, and official revenue sharing from it supports healthcare, water projects and other development in local communities. With jobs created and good income generated, local incentive to protect the animals has led to a dramatic decline in poaching.
