Weekly Successes Spotlight: Recycling Transformation and Additional Highlights
In a series of notable developments, the UK and the global community are making strides in addressing environmental concerns and improving public health.
Shifting Packaging Responsibility
The UK government has announced a new 'Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging' scheme, which will make producers pay a portion of the cost for recycling their packaging. Under this initiative, businesses will be charged fees based on how easy their packaging is to recycle, with lower costs for reusable or refillable packaging. This move aims to incentivize businesses to slash packaging and switch to more planet-friendly materials.
The Underground Atlas and Mycorrhizal Fungi
Meanwhile, The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) has drawn up a map of subterranean fungi, modeling the Underground Atlas of mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi form symbiotic relationships with plant and tree roots, helping to prevent erosion, boost water retention, and sequester carbon. However, 90% of Earth's mycorrhizal hotspots remain unprotected, despite these fungi sequestering 13bn tonnes of CO2 every year.
Combating Liver Cancer
The Lancet has forecast global liver cancer cases to double over the next 25 years, with more than one in ten cases resulting from a severe form of fatty liver disease linked to obesity. However, researchers suggest that boosting hepatitis vaccination programs and encouraging changes to diet and drinking habits could prevent as many as 60% of liver cancer cases and save 8-15 million lives over the next quarter of a century.
Llamas in Laboratories and Offshore Wind Energy
On the medical front, llamas, in lab coats, are being used to develop new therapies for schizophrenia, with scientists harnessing a unique llama antibody to create 'nanobodies' capable of targeting brain receptors. In the realm of renewable energy, the UK now has 28GW of offshore wind capacity consented and scheduled to come online over the next five years. Last year, renewables accounted for 50.4% of electricity generation, up from 46.5% in 2023, with 2024 marking the first time that clean energy took the majority share in the national power mix.
Other Noteworthy Developments
- A pioneering satellite, the $1.2bn (£908m) NISAR satellite, was launched this week in a US-India collaboration. It aims to map Earth in 'unprecedented' detail, measuring ecosystem change, shifting ice masses, and sea level rises.
- Conservation efforts have led to a spike in seahorse sightings off the coast of Dorset, attributed to the installation of 'eco moorings' that prevent scouring of marine vegetation.
- England is taking on health inequality in the LGBTQ+ community with a major review, amid evidence of worse access to healthcare and poorer outcomes for LGBTQ+ people compared to the general population.
- A critically endangered angel shark was sighted in Wales' Cardigan Bay, marking the first sighting in the area since 2021.
- Fossil fuels dropped to a record low, making up less than a third of the overall mix.
In the 'Buena Cabra ("Good Goat") project' in Chile's Biobío region, a herd of 250 goats is used for 'strategic grazing', creating natural firebreaks by consuming fire-hazardous shrubs. The project, started in 2016 by biologist Rocío Cruces and forestry engineer Víctor Faúndez, has saved 600,000 sq m of land from wildfires.
Researchers have also used a vaccine-coated dental floss to target the junctional epithelium in mice, potentially leading to needle-free vaccinations in the future.
These developments underscore the ongoing commitment to environmental conservation and public health, with initiatives spanning from the subterranean to the cosmic, and from the medical lab to the open sea.
