Friday 16nd December //
Positive news round-up
Ubuntu Thoughts / 5 Min read
December 23, 2022
Callum Berry
Content & Media Manager
Content & Media Manager
About PNR
From reports of rising temperatures to increased natural disasters, climate news can sometimes come off as all doom and gloom. So we’ve committed to sharing a weekly update called the ‘Positive News Roundup’ (PNR) that showcases just some of the stories of hope for our planet.
If you’d like to contribute or have ideas for upcoming articles, get in touch with PNR editor Callum at callum@ubuntustudio.co.uk.
If you’d like to contribute or have ideas for upcoming articles, get in touch with PNR editor Callum at callum@ubuntustudio.co.uk.
Happy Friday! How time has flown — PNR has been going strong for nearly a whole year now, and we sincerely hope we’ve made your Fridays just a little bit easier each week.
This will be the last PNR of 2022, so we’d like to thank you, our readers, for sticking with us. So let’s get right into the final instalment of the year…
Sharks are friends, not food!
At its annual meeting, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has adopted a measure to ban two types of shark-fishing gear in the western and central Pacific Ocean.
This decision is a major victory for conservationists who have long argued that urgent action is necessary to prevent the extinction of one of the most important apex predators in the ocean. Shark populations in the open ocean have declined by an estimated 71% in the past 50 years, with humans believed to kill 100 million sharks annually, despite the apex predators being a key part of the ocean’s biosystem.
The ban on fishing gear is seen as a potentially precedent-setting step towards protecting the vulnerable species. Kelly Kryc, the head of the U.S. delegation to the WCPFC, said “By taking these steps, the conservation gains are quantifiable and measurable for vulnerable shark populations like oceanic whitetip and silky sharks.”
This decision is a major victory for conservationists who have long argued that urgent action is necessary to prevent the extinction of one of the most important apex predators in the ocean. Shark populations in the open ocean have declined by an estimated 71% in the past 50 years, with humans believed to kill 100 million sharks annually, despite the apex predators being a key part of the ocean’s biosystem.
The ban on fishing gear is seen as a potentially precedent-setting step towards protecting the vulnerable species. Kelly Kryc, the head of the U.S. delegation to the WCPFC, said “By taking these steps, the conservation gains are quantifiable and measurable for vulnerable shark populations like oceanic whitetip and silky sharks.”
A new angle
A startup based in the United Kingdom is developing a technology to aid fishers in their catch, and prevent bycatch at the same time. SafetyNet Technologies offers LED lights in various colours and brightness levels that can be attached to fishing equipment. Fishers can then adjust the lights to attract specific types of fish.
Bycatch makes up a staggering 40% of the global fishing catch, which hugely impacts biodiversity and fishing stocks.
“Different species can see different lights and are attracted to that,” Tom Rossiter, head of precision fishing and sales lead at SafetyNet Technologies, told Mongabay in a video interview. “It’s those triggers we use to get particular species to move towards the net.”
Bycatch makes up a staggering 40% of the global fishing catch, which hugely impacts biodiversity and fishing stocks.
“Different species can see different lights and are attracted to that,” Tom Rossiter, head of precision fishing and sales lead at SafetyNet Technologies, told Mongabay in a video interview. “It’s those triggers we use to get particular species to move towards the net.”
Time to dye
Experimental clothing brand Vollebak and biomaterials company Living Ink have collaborated to create a brand new T-shirt that uses black dye made from algae rather than petroleum, which they say represents a significant milestone in sustainable fashion.
The dye was created as a result of five years of research and development and is produced by taking waste spirulina algae from the natural food colouring industry and then heating it to create a blackened char. The process helps to isolate the carbon that the algae has absorbed during its lifetime, making the resulting dye carbon negative, according to Living Ink.
Toxic textile dyes are one of the biggest causes of altering the physical and chemical properties of soil, reducing water quality and causing harm to the plants and animals in the environment. Harmful dyes also cause death to the soil microorganisms, which affect agricultural productivity.
The dye was created as a result of five years of research and development and is produced by taking waste spirulina algae from the natural food colouring industry and then heating it to create a blackened char. The process helps to isolate the carbon that the algae has absorbed during its lifetime, making the resulting dye carbon negative, according to Living Ink.
Toxic textile dyes are one of the biggest causes of altering the physical and chemical properties of soil, reducing water quality and causing harm to the plants and animals in the environment. Harmful dyes also cause death to the soil microorganisms, which affect agricultural productivity.
About Ubuntu Studio
We're not your average, run-of-the-mill creative agency. We were founded and built on a passion for helping companies do better - for themselves, for people, and for the planet.
We appreciate that all life on earth is under threat, so we’re using the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations—to do something about it. Reducing the negative impact on people and the planet.
If you're looking to make a change in how you market your business, we'd love to chat. Find out more.
We appreciate that all life on earth is under threat, so we’re using the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations—to do something about it. Reducing the negative impact on people and the planet.
If you're looking to make a change in how you market your business, we'd love to chat. Find out more.
Solving the climate emergency starts with us all.
Customers
Reading
A Studio Nine company.
© 2023 Ubuntu. All rights reserved.