International community

World’s nations back $200 billion a year plan to protect nature

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Global negotiators concluded an extended session of the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP16, by agreeing on how they would contribute a massive $200 billion a year by 2030 to protect the world’s ecosystems. The money includes a plan to raise $20 billion in annual conservation financing for developing nations by 2025, with that number rising to $30 billion annually by 2030, and on details of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims at placing 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030.

Silhouette of baobob trees

Seeds of 19 African tree species added to Svalbard Global Seed Vault

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Norway is home to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a vast collection intended to secure the world’s vital genetic heritage against any eventuality. The vault currently holds duplicates of 1.3 million seed samples from nearly every corner of the world. Recently, the World Agroforestry Center deposited new seeds to the vault representing tree species of special value to communities across Africa. The 19 species represented included 13 native to Africa and six others that have found a place in the economies and ecologies of the continent.

Traffic on freeway

Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

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To decarbonize road transport and achieve global climate goals, the world must move away from petrol and diesel cars and toward electric vehicles and other forms of low-carbon transport. Fortunately, this transition is already well underway, with global sales of combustion engine cars peaking in 2017 or 2018 and now falling. In 2018, global combustion engine cars peaked at more than 80 million. By 2023, sales had fallen below 65 million units as EV sales rose dramatically.

Indonesian children smiling

Nine Asian nations have cut child mortality by more than half since 2000

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Child mortality in Asia has fallen sharply, especially in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Nepal, which have all seen a decline of at least 50% since 2000. This progress amounts to millions more children surviving through the crucial early years of life. Particularly noteworthy, India’s child mortality fell from 9% to 3% and China’s from 4% to just 1%. These huge strides have been made possible by improved nutrition, clean water, sanitation, vaccinations, and poverty reduction.

Peace sign lit in the sky at night

Israel and Hamas agree to cease-fire after 15 months of war and terror

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The guns have gone silent in Gaza after over a year of brutal war, destruction, and terror. The initial stage of a truce between Israel and Hamas prompted celebrations in Gaza and hope for an end to the 15-month war. Three women were the first Israeli hostages to be released. In exchange, Israel has agreed to release dozens of Palestinian prisoners. Since October 2023, over 45,900 Palestinians and 1,700 Israelis have been killed, including many civilians, children, journalists, and humanitarians.

digitally colorized scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image, depicts a blue-colored, human white blood cell, (WBC) known specifically as a neutrophil, interacting with two pink-colored, rod shaped, multidrug-resistant (MDR), Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria

Global child deaths from pneumonia have been cut in half since 2009

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Pneumonia kills 2,000 children under five worldwide every day, making it the world’s biggest infectious cause of death in children. The introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) has significantly lowered the burden of death and disease from pneumonia, but millions of children remain unvaccinated. Since the public-private global health partnership Gavi supported the first roll-out of the PCV vaccine in 2009, 438 million children of all ages have been vaccinated in 64 countries, averting an estimated total of 1.2 million deaths by the end of 2023.

03 ozone graphic

For the first time, researchers detect significant dip in global atmospheric levels of HCFCs

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Almost 30 years after nations first agreed to phase out these chemicals, which were widely used for air conditioning and refrigeration, scientists say global concentrations peaked in 2021. Since then, the ozone-depleting potential of HCFCs in the atmosphere has fallen by about three-quarters of a percentage point. Though small, that decline comes sooner than expected and represents a significant milestone for the international effort to preserve the ozone layer.

Tetanus vaccination

Global deaths from tetanus have been reduced massively since 1990s

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Tetanus is a bacterial disease that causes paralysis and can lead to death. Globally, it was estimated to kill more than 250,000 people each year in the early 1990s. Most of these deaths were in children. By 2019, annual deaths had fallen to less than 35,000. The rollout of the combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis among children has been crucial in driving this.

Shipping liner

Global sulfur dioxide emissions from shipping dropped sharply with the introduction of new rules in 2020

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In 2020, the International Maritime Organization introduced strict limits on marine fuels: the maximum percentage of sulfur allowed in fuels fell from 3.5% to 0.5%. All ships worldwide had to comply. As a result, there was a dramatic fall in global sulfur dioxide emissions from over 10 million tonnes a year in 2019 to 3 million tonnes a year later, helping abate local air pollution and acid rain.

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