In Squirrel News today, a study comparing US areas with and without plastic bag bans or fees shows these measures are really working, Australia will give permanent residency to Tuvalu Island residents based on the extreme climate threat they face, and Minnesota researchers conclude that hope is the vital ingredient for well-being and a meaningful life.
Plastic bag bans and fees working as intended in the US, new study finds
The plastic bag portion of shoreline litter is down 25% in areas of the US that have bag bans or fees in place, as shown by data from thousands of beach clean-ups. The rules about bags vary a lot by area or US state, so researchers could compare. Because many places do not have bans or bag fees yet, plastic litter is not down overall.
Almost all European waters safe for bathing, says new EEA report
Monitoring of Europe’s bathing waters shows significant improvement in water quality over recent decades, mainly due to better wastewater treatment and far fewer organic pollutants. In the latest assessment released Friday, 96% of the 22,000 sites tested met EU minimum standards for safe swimming. and 85% were deemed excellent.
Australia offers permanent residency to Tuvalu citizens under climate threat
The island county of Tuvalu is predicted to be among the first world countries made uninhabitable from climate change. In the world’s first agreement that creates a visa in the context of climate change, up to 280 Tuvaluans can migrate each year to Australia and obtain permanent residency, which allows them to move freely between the countries.
Flight tax could raise €100bn to tackle climate crisis, study finds
Analysis by the Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft has shown that a levy on tickets that began at €10 on short-haul flights in economy, including domestic flights, rising to €30 on long-haul flights, and €20 for short-haul business-class tickets, rising to €120 for long-haul, would produce revenues of about €106bn a year.
LA Dodgers commit to giving $1 million dollars to support immigrant families
The Dodgers’ announcement, pledging support for LA immigrant families affected by “recent events”, came one day after the US immigration authority ICE requested and was denied access to the stadium parking lot. The Dodgers plan to collaborate with community and labour union organisations that provide food and mental health support.
New disposable diapers paired with fungi become black soil in nine months
Hiro Technologies, a start-up in Texas, has developed the “MycoDigestible Diaper”. When parents change a poopy diaper, they can easily slip a disc with fungi spores into the diaper, re-close it and discard. In lab tests, the diaper is entirely digested and converted to soil over nine months. Hiro’s next step is to test the breakdown in real-world situations.
Sex positive German city has inclusive spaces in surprising places
Cologne has ranked in the top three sex positive world cities two years in a row. German comedian Gazelle takes a video tour of five inclusive haunts in the city to show what city spaces can be like when everybody’s sexual identity is celebrated and included.
New exhibit space in London shares vast stored art collection for free
Curators at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum have been thinking out of the box on how to share their enormous stored art collection with the public. The result is a world first: a new four-storey facility where people can view 250,000 art objects of all sorts, from all angles, without protective glass, seven days a week for free.
Knowing neighbours, sharing resources offers protection in a changing climate
It is well documented that community cohesion bolsters resilience to climate disasters. Earthhaven Ecovillage in North Carolina is a good example, its members faring much better after Hurricane Helene than others around them. With hundreds in North America and more than 2000 worldwide, experts think all can learn from the collectivity and resource and information sharing that keeps eco-communities like this safer.
Hope shown the most important emotion for a feeling of meaning in life
Researchers at the University of Missouri say hope is not just wishful thinking or a way to be motivated for goals; it is the single most important emotion for well-being and a life that feels meaningful. They stress the importance of cultivating hope by noticing what is going well, acting on opportunities even in chaotic times, and engaging in nurturing activities like care of plants, children, and animals.
