no. 130: Friday the 13th

Hey fam,

Happy Friday! 13 is my lucky number (and my birthday is on a 13th), so no need to worry today.

In fact, this email serves as the exact opposite as worry :)

So no wasting your time this morning, enjoy this week's good news!

Friday, December 6

🐝 35 wild bumblebees increased to 4,056 in just two years thanks to a rewilding project in Scotland that took monoculture barley fields and restored 84 different species of native plants which improved the habitat and helped these important pollinators (Katharine Hay|Scotsman)

🧑‍⚖️ The largest case in history is underway for the United Nations International Court of Justice in which 15 judges will have two weeks of hearings from 99 countries to decide what the world is legally required to do to help vulnerable nations fight devastating climate impacts and protect our planet (Molly Quell|AP)

🚫 The High Court of South Africa ruled that the government’s plan to add more coal power plants is illegal thanks to the negative public health impact from this dirty fuel, hopefully signalling the start of the nation cleaning up their energy sources and improving their air quality (Antony Sguazzin|Bloomberg)

💧 And today’s community win comes from h who got their dad to switch from plastic water bottles to a reusable one.

Monday, December 9

💎 A tiny diamond battery that can continuously generate power for thousands of years has been developed by a team of scientists with a carbon isotope inside it that has a half life of 5,700 years which could revolutionize power for medical implants, spacecrafts, and even nuclear reactors (Curtis Lacaster|BBC)

🐦‍⬛ The Hawaiian crow which is said to be a spirit guardian helping guide souls to the afterlife in local tradition has been extinct in the wild for over 20 years, but conservationists just released five young birds back into the slopes of a Maui volcano to rewild these intelligent birds known to use sticks to dig insects out of holes (Elizabeth Anne Brown|SciAm)

👍 New York City approved their “City of Yes” plan to start addressing the notoriously high rent costs amidst this housing crisis by building 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years, and while it still falls short of the estimated number of homes the city needs, it’s the biggest step forward in decades (Emma G. Fitzsimmons|NYT)

❤️‍🩹 And today’s community win comes from drakocxjo who’s been standing up for themselves at work and negotiating paid medical leave for their coworkers.

Tuesday, December 10

742 new species have been discovered in the “lungs of Africa” Congo Basin over the past decade and each one is more surprising than the last.

A new variety of coffee, an electric fish, and even a monkey with human looking eyes are documented in a sweet new report from WWF revealing incredible work by hundreds of scientists to discover some of the coolest species ever known to humanity.

New plants, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals have all been found in the second largest tropical forest in the world which spans more than 494 million acres through six African nations and is one of the most important ecosystems our planet has.

Home to hundreds of thousands of Indigenous Peoples who have helped these forests thrive for generations, this report further shows how important conservation is, because although these forests and new species are extraordinary, their survival is not guaranteed amidst environmental pressures, conflicts, and a changing environment.

But with so much magic and mystery still left on our planet, it’s clear that it’s not too late to get involved, support these organizations, and advocate for conservation action so we can protect it.

Wednesday, December 11

🥚 The world’s oldest known wild bird is a 74-year-old Laysan albatross named Wisdom who just laid another egg at a wildlife refuge in Hawaii, which should hatch in about two months, and this healthy bird born in the same year as Mark Hamill has now raised an estimated 30 chicks. (Hallie Golden|AP)

🇨🇦 A new study in Canada shows that protecting ecosystems like forests and wetlands would help prevent flooding in over half of the areas at high risk, meaning these natural ecosystems are vital to protect the species that live within them but also nearby communities. (Cristen Hemingway Jaynes|Ecowatch)

⛵️ Several hundred cargo ships are starting to use wind-powered sails again which have worked for thousands of years to lower fuel usage and reduce emissions in the global shipping industry responsible for about 3% of the world’s greenhouse gases (John Leicester|AP and Maria Gallucci|Canary Media)

✍️ And today’s community win comes from sturmhond_but_better who’s writing a college paper to prove the benefits of specialized biodiversity conservation in helping local species and reducing human impacts.

Thursday, December 12

🧑‍⚖️ A bill to jail the bosses of major polluters for up to 20 years has received enough support in Scotland’s government to move forward and be voted on next year, which is called the Ecocide Prevention Bill and would criminalize the destruction of ecosystems, holding executives accountable for their companies actions (BBC)

🤖 Some sophisticated robots are automating the process of installing solar panels which lowers costs, speeds up the installation, and uses less land to generate the same amount of power due to increased precision and the ability to work on varied terrain (Coco Liu|Bloomberg)

🌴 Mangroves around the world are saving about $855 billion by preventing flooding according a new report that highlights the trees incredible ability to absorb waves through their intricate root systems that provide habitat for coastal species while saving us money (Paige Bennett|Ecowatch)

🏠 And today’s community win comes from alanfschmid who helped a coffee shop customer and her son find housing for the winter.

Bonus stories

🌞 The US is adding a lot of solar power,

🌊 How Indigenous activists reclaimed their way of life,

♻️ Can Gambia end plastic pollution?

This newsletter was written by Jacob Simon. 700,000+ people are in our community replacing dread & fear with hope & action across Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and now YouTube. You can say hi on LinkedIn, or by emailing jacob@jacobsimonsays.com