Joy on the one hand, as we finally have a ‘Loss and Damage’ fund in writing, coupled with disgust, including about the rumours that the number of climate delegates were equalled by oil and gas lobbyists at this year’s event, the latter of whom were hoping to disrupt talks that could stifle their industries.

As always though, we want to look to the positive things that have come out over the past few weeks, and celebrate the successes that are taking our planet in a more positive direction.

Without further ado, here’s this week’s Positive News Roundup – we hope you enjoy it!

Despite COP27 having its fair share of ups and downs, one of its biggest (and arguably, most necessary) achievements was the creation of a Loss and Damage fund and committee. The group will be positioned to decide how and when to compensate countries — typically those in the Global South who have contributed the least to our current climate crisis, yet feel the adverse conditions the most — and support them in building infrastructure and the necessary innovations needed to bring them along on the green wave out of fossil fuel dependency.

It was an important and hard-fought acknowledgment of the damage, and importantly begins the process of acknowledging who should bear at least some of the responsibility for historic activities.

“This outcome moves us forward,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. “We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss and damage – deliberating over how we address the impacts on communities whose lives and livelihoods have been ruined by the very worst impacts of climate change.”

Japan has inadvertently addressed the elephant in the room when it comes to the ivory trade.

Ivory has always been a prized commodity, however, is sourced from the tusks of elephants — giving rise to a long history of hunting and illegal poaching around the world. The international ivory trade was banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in 1989, however domestic markets for ivory have always persisted — especially in countries like Japan which at one point accounted for one third of global ivory trade.

Thankfully, due to ivory becoming less desirable material, as well as other factories such a financial recession and international trade bans, its value has dropped significantly.

An analysis found that due to the long term reduction in ivory trading, Japan’s ivory market no longer represents a threat to elephant populations in the country for the first time in years.