In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about how Botswana’s voters have ended the BDP’s 58-year reign, a new UN advisory body to incorporate Indigenous voices in nature conservation decisions, and a recent land donation aiming to address the historical injustices of land loss faced by Black Southern farmers.
Historic election sees new ruling party in Botswana after nearly six decades
Botswana’s voters have unseated the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) after 58 years of uninterrupted rule since the country’s independence in 1966. By Friday afternoon, the BDP had secured only four parliamentary seats, paving the way for the opposition coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change, to take power in the southern African nation.
UN to include Indigenous voices in conservation decisions
Following two weeks of negotiations, delegates at the UN’s biodiversity conference reached an agreement to create a new advisory body that includes Indigenous representatives in nature conservation decisions.
Rats trained to sniff out smuggled rhino horn and pangolin scales
Researchers trained eight African giant pouched rats to sniff out the contraband, even when it was hidden among items commonly used to hide trafficked goods, including peanuts, leaves, wigs and washing powder. The rats were studied by scientists at Apopo, a Belgian-founded, Tanzania-based NGO, whose rodents also sniff out landmines and tuberculosis.
EU emissions fall by 8% in steep reduction reminiscent of Covid shutdown
The decline over 2023, helped by a switch to renewable power, means greenhouse gas pollution is now 37% below its levels in 1990. The European Commission has described the reduction as “very encouraging”. It said it “reinforced confidence” in the EU’s ability to meet its target of cutting emissions 55% by 2030.
States push for resident-owned mobile home parks as affordable housing
With housing affordability reaching a crisis point in the US, lawmakers are turning to resident-owned mobile home communities as a sustainable solution for preserving affordable housing across states.
Rwanda’s blueprint for controlling a deadly Marburg virus outbreak
With a mortality rate nearing 90% and no approved vaccines or treatments, the Marburg virus poses a grave threat wherever it appears. However, Rwanda has managed to contain its outbreak in what one doctor describes as an “unprecedented” public health win.
Jaywalking decriminalised in NYC after claims of discriminatory enforcement
After years of criticism and protests over alleged racial bias, the NYPD will no longer issue tickets for jaywalking. Advocates argued that enforcement disproportionately targeted Black and Hispanic communities, prompting this change in policy.
For many formerly imprisoned individuals, voting for the first time is a powerful and emotional experience: a hard-won right that not everyone gets back after serving their sentence. While some celebrate this chance to have their voices heard, others remain disheartened, knowing that in many states, voting rights aren’t fully restored for everyone.
‘Cloud-milking’: the zero-energy technique keeping young trees alive
The project in the Canary Islands, named Life Nieblas (niebla is the Spanish word for fog) intended to mimic the way that the leaves of laurel trees capture water droplets from fog, by using sheets of plastic mesh erected in the path of the wind.
White couple gifts 80 acres to support Black farmers and reparative justice
In rural Virginia, a recent land donation is a small step in addressing generations of land loss among Black Southern farmers. This 80-acre transfer is a move towards righting historical injustices and creating new opportunities for Black farmers in the region.
