We’re kicking off the week at Squirrel News with exciting updates: the WHO has approved the first mpox vaccine, setting the stage for distribution in Africa, The Hague has become the world’s first city to outlaw fossil fuel-related advertisements, and California is establishing its first new marine sanctuary in more than three decades to protect its coastline.
WHO approves first mpox vaccine, paving the way for distribution in Africa
The approval of the vaccine, developed by Danish company Bavarian Nordic, allows global donors like UNICEF and Gavi to procure doses and send them to Africa, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo is at the center of an outbreak with thousands of reported cases.
The Hague becomes world’s first city to pass law banning fossil fuel-related ads
The legislation spells the end of publicly and privately funded advertising for petrol and diesel, aviation and cruise ships in the streets of the Dutch city, including on billboards and bus shelters. It takes effect from the start of next year.
California’s first new marine sanctuary in over 30 years to protect coastline
More than 116 miles of California’s coastline are set to become part of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, making it the nation’s third-largest marine protected area. The proposed sanctuary will span 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters along the central coast of California.
Pilot scheme offering basic income to single mothers shows positive results
A year-long pilot programme in Maine, aimed at supporting low-income single mothers, has shown encouraging results. The Quality Housing Coalition initiated the project, providing $1,000 in monthly cash assistance to 20 single mothers who had previously faced homelessness. Participants had full discretion over how they used the funds.
The Swedish startup offering a new form of supermarket farming
SweGreen’s vertical farming solution grows fresh vegetables directly inside supermarkets, using a hydroponic system where plants thrive in rockwool plugs and water – completely soil-free.
Shuggie’s Trash Pie: The restaurant tackling food waste creatively
Co-founded by chef David Murphy and Kayla Abe in 2022, is a San Francisco restaurant aiming to normalise the use of imperfect ingredients that are often discarded. Dubbed a “climate solutions restaurant”, Shuggie’s has saved approximately 41,000 pounds of food waste from landfill in two years.
Following the arrival of 42,000 migrants bussed in from Texas and an investment of $72 million in their temporary housing, Denver is now embracing a new strategy. The city’s updated programme aims to integrate asylum seekers into the local community as soon as they obtain their work permits – offering them housing, English lessons, and job training.
How to escape the ‘heroin hustle’: the project helping South African addicts
Heroin use has risen sharply across the country – but in Pretoria, a programme of methadone and support is successfully helping people regain their lives.
Africa is home to a vast linguistic diversity – but only a fraction of these languages are represented online or in translation tools. Beninese computer scientist Bonaventure Dossou has developed a French-to-Fon translation app with speech recognition capabilities. Though still in its early stages, the app was recently released as open-source software for broader use.
Learning climate literacy surrounded by trees, flowers, and herbs
Two decades ago, a group of West Adams residents and their friends in Los Angeles had a vision: transform the asphalt and concrete of 24th Street Elementary School into a vibrant garden with shade trees and lush flower beds. The outdoor learning centre now features an orchard with kumquats, apples, pears, and pomegranates, and countless vegetable, herb, and flower beds.
