New Caledonia bans ‘dangerous’ seabed mining for half a century

New Caledonia bans ‘dangerous’ seabed mining for half a century

The South Pacific French territory has imposed a 50-year ban on deep-sea mining across its entire maritime zone – a rare and sweeping move that places it among the most restrictive in the world on seabed extraction. The law blocks all commercial exploration, prospecting, and mining of mineral resources within New Caledonia's exclusive economic zone – an area of over 500,000 square miles. New Caledonia is considered a global hotspot for marine biodiversity. Its waters are home to nearly one-third of the world’s remaining pristine coral reefs.

Solar panels to be fitted on all new-build homes in England by 2027

Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years. Under the plans, housebuilders will be legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027. The policy is estimated to add between £3,000 and £4,000 to building a home, but homeowners would save more than £1,000 on their annual energy bills, according to the Times.

Brazil court grants gender-neutral ID in historic victory

A nonbinary person in Brazil has been granted official documents with a neutral gender marker for the first time in a unanimous court decision. The case involves a person who originally requested to be recognized as male on their official documents after starting hormone replacement therapy, but later regretted this decision and appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice in Brasilia. According to the AP, the case represents the first time that someone in Brazil has been able to get gender-neutral official documents in the country.

Fecal transplants reduce alcohol cravings as human trials progress

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have found that fecal transplants may help those suffering from severe alcohol use disorder. The work points to a compelling relationship between the gut microbiome and addiction disorders, with large-scale Phase 2 human trials currently underway. Nine of 10 patients who received a transplant had a reduction in their cravings and in the urine measurement of alcohol-related metabolites, compared to only three of the 10 placebo subjects displaying similar levels of improvement.

Coal produces less than half of Poland’s power for first time since 1800s

According to a report by Forum Energii, an energy think tank, electricity produced from coal in April 2025 amounted to 6.5 terawatt-hours (TWh), accounting for 49.4% of the total energy mix. This represents an 18.9% decrease from March and a 9.6% drop compared to the same month in 2024. Forum Energii described recent changes in the electricity mix as “unprecedented”, noting that the use of coal had fallen by 29.9 percentage points between April 2015 and April 2025.

Dissent Is Not Grounds For Deportation

From the American Civil Liberties Union: ICE has illegally snatched multiple people from their homes and neighborhoods, threatened their legal status, and shipped them across the country with no notice to their loved ones or legal team – all in retaliation for constitutionally protected speech. Tell Congress to defend our right to free speech and vote NO on any bill that would punish noncitizens for exercising their First Amendment rights. Sign the petition.​

This week’s calendar

GET S*** DONE Work Group​ every weekday, 10:45am-12pm PT (online)
Bellingham Men’s Circle​ on Monday, May 19, 6-8pm PT (in-person)

Weekly reflection

Hi beautiful people,

My family got hit with a nasty stomach bug this week, which put me out of commission for several days. Because of that, my apologies for the abbreviated version of this newsletter! Hopefully, I'll be back in full next week.

Love,
Peter

Peter Schulte Leadership coach Bellingham WA USA About | Instagram | Donate