Friday 9th December //
Positive news round-up
Ubuntu Thoughts / 5 Min read
December 9, 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.
Friday is here and our latest positive news roundup is here.
Today, we’re covering US advancements to ban oil wells, as well as some amazing new technology bringing water to the world’s driest areas. Let’s ‘dive’ right in…
From golden to green state
The Los Angeles City Council has voted 12-0 to ban new oil wells within the city and to phase out all current wells within 20 years or less. The city’s move not only bans new sites from getting licences, but also mandates oil companies operating in the city to begin the process of shutting down within the next 20 years.
As California has shifted away from fossil fuels, tens of thousands of wells have fallen idle across the state. However what should be a good thing has turned into a problem: many of the companies operating them claim to have insufficient funds to close them down properly, leaving a potential multibillion-dollar problem for the Golden State.
Whilst not famous for oil, a number of LA’s oil fields are situated within dense areas of the city which is consequently having negative health effects on nearby Californians. Climate injustice is also playing a role, as these areas of the city tend to skew towards higher concentrations of Black and ethnic minority residents — meaning the negative health effects are being felt in a racially disproportionate manner.
As California has shifted away from fossil fuels, tens of thousands of wells have fallen idle across the state. However what should be a good thing has turned into a problem: many of the companies operating them claim to have insufficient funds to close them down properly, leaving a potential multibillion-dollar problem for the Golden State.
Whilst not famous for oil, a number of LA’s oil fields are situated within dense areas of the city which is consequently having negative health effects on nearby Californians. Climate injustice is also playing a role, as these areas of the city tend to skew towards higher concentrations of Black and ethnic minority residents — meaning the negative health effects are being felt in a racially disproportionate manner.
Trials and trails
If you’re a keen cyclist, you’ll love the development of one of the world's largest trails under construction: the Great American Rail Trail.
Set to be the longest bike trail in the world when complete, it will boast more miles of cyclable routes than the 3,000-mile-long Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (from Canada to Mexico).
Measuring over 3,700 miles long and cutting through 12 states from Washington DC to Washington state, when the trail is completed it will be 80% off-road with clear separation from vehicle traffic. The creators have said they intend for the whole trail to ultimately be set away from main roads.
The trail was first launched in May 2019, with around 2,000 miles (a little over half) of the trail completed already. It’s estimated around 50 million Americans will be living within 50 miles of the route. Any chance of us getting one of these in the UK?!
Set to be the longest bike trail in the world when complete, it will boast more miles of cyclable routes than the 3,000-mile-long Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (from Canada to Mexico).
Measuring over 3,700 miles long and cutting through 12 states from Washington DC to Washington state, when the trail is completed it will be 80% off-road with clear separation from vehicle traffic. The creators have said they intend for the whole trail to ultimately be set away from main roads.
The trail was first launched in May 2019, with around 2,000 miles (a little over half) of the trail completed already. It’s estimated around 50 million Americans will be living within 50 miles of the route. Any chance of us getting one of these in the UK?!
Hydration station
Scientists have created a way of harvesting fog as a means of providing water to the most arid countries in the world.
Scientists from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created a net out of stainless steel filaments with three to four times the thickness of an isolated human hair .
A specially made coating is applied in order to help water droplets slide down the mesh more easily, collecting the water in troughs below.
One net mechanism can provide up to 200 litres of water a day, making the innovation a crucial potential lifeline for providing water to those who live in incredibly dry areas. Today, the contraptions have been located in areas where lakes, rivers or water wells aren't options for drinking water, and have already been deployed in more than a dozen nations, including Peru, Morocco and Nepal.
Scientists from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created a net out of stainless steel filaments with three to four times the thickness of an isolated human hair .
A specially made coating is applied in order to help water droplets slide down the mesh more easily, collecting the water in troughs below.
One net mechanism can provide up to 200 litres of water a day, making the innovation a crucial potential lifeline for providing water to those who live in incredibly dry areas. Today, the contraptions have been located in areas where lakes, rivers or water wells aren't options for drinking water, and have already been deployed in more than a dozen nations, including Peru, Morocco and Nepal.
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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.
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