In today’s edition of Squirrel News, people all over the world are feeling safer walking alone at night, Spain designates some of its most biodiverse waters as protected marine areas, and Poland will move from being the world’s second biggest fur producer to banning fur farming entirely by 2033.
Despite geopolitical conflicts and wars, more and more people around the world are feeling safe in their everyday lives. Gallup’s Global Safety Report 2025 reports the highest level of people feeling safe since the survey began.
Spain’s new marine protected areas are some of the most ecologically significant and biologically diverse of the country’s waters. Together they add 17,000 square metres to Spain’s protected marine areas and represent a milestone in achieving the commitment to preserve 25 per cent of its waters by 2030.
Offering compensation to companies that close by 2031, Poland joins 20 other EU countries in banning fur farming. The country is the world’s second-largest fur producer and kills around 3 million animals per year.
The World Health Organization announced that Maldives has eliminated three life-threatening illnesses due to a robust health system and integration of prenatal care and disease testing and treatment. Free access to care, vaccines, and testing has been a critical factor.
The millions of protesters at the latest ‘No Kings’ protests brought a festive atmosphere, costumes and performance to streets across the US. The party vibes presented a counterpoint to the Trump administration’s moniker of ‘Hate America’ rallies publicised widely in the media previous to the events.
The StrongHearts Native Helpline is now the National Indigenous Domestic Violence Hotline after receiving new federal funding. In the US, Indigenous women are 1.7 times more likely than white women to experience violence, and the many different tribes make a culturally specific hotline essential. Any caller experiencing domestic violence will be helped.
Conservation measures to save sea turtles from entanglement have restricted fishing practices, putting many out of work. Now Arizona researchers have developed solar LED-equipped nets that reduce the possibility of entanglement by 63 per cent and plan to bring them to market in two to three years.
Jubilee Oasis farm collects rainwater from the roof of a community church, diverting it from the city’s struggling sewer system, and using it to grow produce for local restaurants as well as feed needy members of the community.
In an effort to prevent a large gap in the historical record, ‘Future Nostalgia’ is piecing together outdated computer hardware to save important documents of the late 1900s that can only be found there. The digital material will degrade long before the plastic casings.
Fixing the World journalists visited Alaska to learn about projects that help people in a remote northern environment be more self-reliant. A microgrid powered 99% with renewables supplies everything on Kodiak Island, and a project developing mushroom insulation plans to replace the Styrofoam containers used by Alaska’s fishermen.
