In this edition of Squirrel News, the High Seas Treaty to protect 30% of international waters by 2030 will be ratified now that 60 nations have signed on, Bolivia ends underage marriage by eliminating exceptions, and green-roofed bus stops to beat city heat have made their way to the US.
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.
The Bolivian parliament voted to eliminate any under-18 exceptions in their marriage law, making the country the 13th in Latin America to ban child marriages.
Solar arrays installed over canals are a good solution when land use is constrained, but the panels also cut water loss from evaporation and can limit algae growth. The cooling effect of the water allows higher efficiency and more generated electricity, which offsets the somewhat higher installation costs.
California was the first state to offer free school meals and to ban six synthetic food dyes from school food. Now it is again first with its ban on ultra-processed foods in school meals. The banned foods have been shown to cause child obesity and other health problems.
Swedish researchers found that patients with a specific gene mutation in their tumours, who took a low daily dose of aspirin after having their tumour removed, were half as likely to have their cancer return over the next three years. About 40% of colorectal cancer patients have such mutations.
Food Rescue Hero is an app and a network of nonprofits in two dozen US cities with a mission to scale up food recovery and cut waste. Flashfood, Olio and Too Good to Go have similar goals. As 10% of US households experience food insecurity, and with recent aid cuts, these apps can help meet the need.
The steel industry is a huge producer of carbon with other environmental costs as well. BBC’s Rare Earth journalists talk to experts involved in different stages of steel production, recycling, and reuse about the different ways the industry is starting to get greener and the potential for more.
First popular in the Netherlands, green bus stops combat the heat-island effect and boost habitat for bees. Boston was the first US city, installing 30 green roofs at stops on a highly-travelled route in areas disproportionately affected by heat. Now Maryland and New York are making plans for stops of their own.
Future residents of Boston Public Library’s new Chinatown branch, which broke ground last week, will be able to borrow books without ever leaving home. The new building will include over 100 units of affordable housing and is the third such multi-use BPL project started in the last two years.
At the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, the US display is titled ‘Porch: an architecture of generosity’, built to showcase ‘something positive in troubled times’. Porches as community spaces are a feature of cultures everywhere. Minneapolis celebrates the US version yearly with ‘porchfests’ across the city.
