Nobel prize in physics for two climate modellers and more.
- Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann jointly won the 2021 Nobel prize in physics. These two climate modellers laid the foundations of our current understanding of carbon dioxide’s impact on the climate since the 1960s and 1980s respectively.
- The World Health Organization greenlighted the Malaria vaccine RTS,S for use across Africa. This vaccine was proven effective six years ago and recently underwent a successful pilot immunization programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.
- A study showed that the Montreal Protocol, which was only supposed to fight against ozone-depleting chemicals, has prevented between 0.65°C and 1°C of global warming. Indeed, carbon sequestration in vegetation through photosynthesis would have dropped by 30% without the treaty.
- Maine and Oregon made the companies that create consumer packaging responsible for the recycling and disposal of their products (e.g., cardboard cartons, plastic wrap and food containers).
- Australia returned some of its world-famous national parks to the hands of Indigenous owners. Last month, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji community and the government signed a deal for an area that includes the Daintree National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and three other national parks.
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Australian bushfires yielded unexpected benefits and more.
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Recycling gets you a free trip on the metro in Rome and more.
You can get a free trip on the metro in Rome by recycling 30 plastic bottles. During its first six weeks of operation, the Ricicli + Viaggi (Recycle + Travel) initiative processed over 350,000 plastic bottles and offered €17,500 worth of free travel.