Photo: Olivia Anne Snyder/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition: new data suggest that longer paternity leaves are closely linked to lower rates of depression, London’s ULEZ scheme sees improved lung growth in young children, and the world’s largest penguin vaccination scheme is underway.
In a new study, fathers who took 14-40 weeks of paternity leave were much less likely to experience depression than those who took fewer than 4. Additionally, despite long-standing assumptions that those who took more leave would see negative impacts on work productivity, a new study shows that the opposite is in fact the case.
Source: Times Of India
To cut back the health effects of air pollution, many cities have introduced so-called Ultra Low Emission Zones: schemes which restrict or charge drivers of more polluting vehicles to encourage cleaner transport. Now, a new study has linked improved air quality within these clean-air zones with faster lung growth in children living in London.
Source: Euronews
New data from Ember and Global Energy Monitor suggest that clean energy sources now account for 331.7 gigawatts of installed capacity in the region, compared with 302.0 for fossil fuels. Although coal is still India’s primary power source, the numbers are clear: investment is turning towards renewables.
Source: Reuters
A major new forecast points to solar power becoming the world’s largest generator of electricity by 2032. This is largely bolstered by a booming battery storage market and the third global energy shock in a decade, as well as a wave of falling prices and manufacturing oversupply.
Source: Renew Economy
California is currently one of only three states in the USA, alongside Mississippi and New Mexico, that has no minimum age limit for marriage, meaning a child of any age can be legally wed as long as a parent or guardian signs off. Now, a bill designed to close that loophole permanently just cleared a major hurdle in Sacramento, passing the state Senate on a 38-0 vote.
Source: Hoodline
HAAM subsidise monthly insurance premiums of local musicians when they take out plans through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace – meaning many performing artists pay $0 toward monthly premiums. To fund the scheme, HAAM works alongside public agencies such as Central Health, which provide resources for low-income residents.
Source: NPR
The Housing First policy led to the number of homeless people in Finland dropping by half. The model focuses on housing as a fundamental human right rather than a reward, and temporary accommodation is seen not as a solution, but something to be avoided.
Source: The Guardian
Aerial footage of an estate in Somerset has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis. The area of the National Trust’s Holnicote estate where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands have been restored have remained green and lush during the five heatwaves across the summer. In contrast, the surrounding countryside has become parched and brown.
Source: The Guardian
More than 150 plant species have been recorded on Sayer’s Old Meadow, in north Norfolk, England, which is remarkable as there was just one – oilseed rape – growing there 21 years ago. This transformation has happened without sowing any commercial wildflower mixes or making any other expensive interventions such as deep ploughing or top-soil removal.
Source: The Guardian
More than 1,000 little penguins have received their first dose of bird flu vaccine in Victoria, in what is believed to be the world’s largest vaccination programme involving wild birds. About 5,000 birds across Phillip Island and St Kilda will receive two doses of the H5N1 vaccine, an effort that was only possible because penguins returned to the same burrows each night.
Source: The Guardian
