U.K. will require all new buildings to have EV charging stations starting in 2022
The government expects the move to lead to 145,000 new charging points each year.
United Kingdom
Scotland ends all coal power
Scotland has marked the end of its coal-powered history by demolishing the huge chimney at its last remaining coal plant at Longannet in Fife.
12 international donors pledge $1.5 billion to support protection of the Congo Basin forests
The 500 million acres of forests may be the last significant land-based tropical carbon sink in the world, making the forests vitally important in the global fight against climate change.
Largest-ever psilocybin trial finds the psychedelic is effective in treating serious depression
Overall, 29.1% of patients in the highest-dose group were in remission three weeks after treatment, compared to 7.6% of those in the control group.
HPV vaccine cutting cervical cancer by 87% in the U.K., shows new study
Cancer Research UK described the findings as “historic”, and said it showed the vaccine was saving lives.
Indigenous peoples to get $1.7bn in recognition of role in protecting forests
The money will support the capacity of indigenous peoples and local communities to govern themselves collectively, assist with mapping and registration work, back national land reform and help resolve conflict over territories.
Psychedelics linked to lower heart disease and diabetes risk in new study
“The findings suggest that lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with lower odds of having had heart disease or diabetes in the past year,” lead study author and Oxford sociologist Otto Simonsson.
New cancer treatment destroys tumors in terminally ill head and neck cancer patients
In a landmark trial, a cocktail of immunotherapy medications harnessed patients’ immune systems to kill their own cancer cells and prompted “a positive trend in survival.”
Seven nations launch initiative to end new coal power
The Compact calls on nations to halt the construction of unabated coal-fired power generation projects by the end of this year. Initial signatories include Sri Lanka, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Montenegro, France, and the U.K.
Aberdeen University decides to divest from fossil fuels
The move, coming just weeks away from the U.N. COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, makes the university, which lies in the heart of Europe’s “oil and gas capital”, the 90th in the U.K. to commit to divestment.