In Squirrel News today, a New Orleans basic income study targeting teens sees positive results, UN reports show huge growth in green energy and predict prices will continue to fall, and Kew Gardens in London opens a permanent installation to teach about climate change.
Basic income study for teens shows growth in responsibility
Many studies of universal basic income show it improves health, education, and financial outcomes. In this first study targeting teens, most participants used extra money beyond their immediate needs towards future goals. They saved three times as much on average as US adults nationally and reported more confidence about long-term financial decision-making.
UN reports say solar and wind power now cheaper globally than fossil fuel
The UN general secretary stated that renewable energy has reached a “positive tipping point” that indicates costs will continue to go down, based on two UN reports released last week. Of the growth in electricity generated globally last year, 74% came from solar, wind, or other green energy sources.
A law requiring employers to respond to job applicants within 45 days will go into effect next January in the Canadian province of Ontario. At present, employers only do this about 25% of the time, despite the stress of waiting after applications and interviews. In a separate provision, job adverts are required to say if the application process uses AI.
Missouri bans child marriage as part of sweeping child welfare bill
Missouri’s child welfare reform bill was signed into law with key provisions banning both child marriage and the state’s practice of seizing millions of dollars of foster children’s benefits to pay itself back for routine expenses of the foster care system. The bill also bars child sex abusers from obtaining non-disclosure agreements to silence victims.
Argentinian high court rules generating images of child abuse with AI is a crime
Britain and the US have enacted laws criminalising the generation of child abuse images with AI, which had been in a legal vacuum. Now Argentina has set a precedent in Latin America by doing the same. The high court ruling sees society as the victim of illicit AI content that campaigners say normalises child abuse and can be used for blackmail.
Temporary tattoo turns red in less than a second to show if drinks are spiked
Researchers in South Korea have developed a temporary tattoo meant to protect wearers from the danger of a drugged drink. The wearer should be able to touch a drop of their drink to the tattoo and see a result right away, a method that is much less conspicuous than dipping a test card.
A stick of gum could identify more potential bone marrow transplant donors
For two decades, Gift of Life has been successfully using a cheek swab method to identify possible donors for stem cell transplants, needed by some 20,000 Americans per year. A new partnership with Wrigley’s gum has given them a new method to find more donor sign-ups across younger and more diverse groups of people.
MultiCaf mobile market sells food at cost to low-income Montrealers
With food prices rising and food banks struggling to meet the need, MultiCaf spends the summer selling produce at cost, moving between different locations in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood of Montreal, which organisers say is the part of the city most affected by food insecurity and food injustice.
Tiny staircases planned along Amsterdam’s canals to save animals
The city of Amsterdam has committed €100,000 to fund a safe exit for cats and wildlife from the water in case of flooding or accidents. Animals will be able to rescue themselves by climbing up new mini staircases to safety. Adjacent Amstelveen has already installed a similar network of canal emergency exits.
New ‘Carbon Garden’ in London’s Kew Gardens teaches carbon’s climate role
The newly opened section of Kew Gardens features a pavilion that looks like a gigantic mushroom to highlight how fungi help store carbon in the soil. A permanent installation with 6500 plants, 35 trees, and educational signs about processes such as photosynthesis, the garden brings awareness to how the earth and what grows in it can counter climate change.
