• 40 years ago, Stanislav Petrov saved the world. Vox.
• Renewables sail past 70% on Australia’s main grid, send coal to new lows. Renew Economy.
• The Indian state of Rajasthan hits record-low share of fossil fuel generation for four consecutive months in 2023. Ember.
• Since 1990, the number of healthy years of life lost due to infectious diseases more than halved. Financial Times.
• In Southest Asia, the maternal mortality rate has declined by 41% and under-five mortality has declined by 45%. WHO.
• Kenya achieves remarkable 68% decline in Aids-related fatalities. Star.

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• The proportion of the world’s children living in extreme poverty fell from 20.7% to 15.9% between 2013 and 2022. Overall, 49.2 million children were lifted out of extreme poverty during this period. World Bank (PDF link).
• A guaranteed basic income program for pregnant woman in Delaware resulted in $299,520 in reduced hospital stays and $21,600 in reduced emergency department visits. For every dollar invested into the program, there was a return of more than three-dollars. WDEL.
• In Bangladesh, the proportion of market turmeric samples containing detectable lead decreased from 47 percent in 2019 to 0 percent in 2021. Turmeric mill worker blood lead levels dropped a median of 30%. ScienceDirect.
• Globally, the murder rate has dropped 17% in the past 20 years. Warp News.
• Sixty-seven per cent of the world’s population, or 5.4 billion people, are​ now online. Internet users in low-income countries increased by about 17 per cent over the past year. ITU.
• Leposy has declined around 20% since 2013. WHO (PDF link).
• In the last ten years, girls’ school enrollment in Nigeria has skyrocketed from 1.76 million to 2.87 million – representing a 64 per cent increase. UNICEF.
• The number of countries with low health coverage has decreased from 68 to just 14 from 2000 to 2021. WHO (PDF link).
• The Azores bullfinch, one of Europe’s most endangered birds, has bounced back from the brink of extinction after 20 years of habitat restoration in Portugal. Smithsonian.
• UK wind-energy capacity overtakes gas generation for first time. Bloomberg.
• Since the passage of the IRA, companies in the United States have invested over $92.4 billion into EV and battery factories and have created more than 80,000 new jobs in the same time frame. EDF.
• Germany likely to pass 50% mark for renewable power this year. Reuters.
• Florida is now adding more solar power than any other state. Canary Media.
• Semaglutide is not only effective for weight loss, but also reduces heart attacks and stroke. Vox.
• Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins $3-million Breakthrough Prize. Nature.
• Cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. Illinois is the first state to abolish it. AP.
• Median black household income is now at the highest level it has ever been. Economist Writing Every Day.

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• Renewables set to overtake coal as the world’s largest source of electricity by 2024. IEA (PDF link).
• World record: Wind turbine generates enough energy in a day to power 170,000 homes. Euronews.
• 15% of world auto sales are electric vehicles. Clean Technica.
• A Canadian study gave $7,500 to homeless people. The results show the power of cash transfers to reduce homelessness. Vox.
• Within a decade of implementing stricter laws, monthly drunk-driving injuries in Taiwan fell by nearly 40 percent, and monthly alcohol-related traffic deaths dropped by more than 80 percent. Think Global Health.
• Punjab, home to over half of Pakistan’s population, has doubled school enrollment from 13 million to 26 million students between 1998 and 2020. World Bank.
• China’s ‘war against pollution’ over the past decade has led to a 42% drop in pollution levels since 2013. This remarkable progress has added 26 months to the average Chinese citizen’s lifespan. CNN.
• Drones help boost immunization rates in remote parts of Ghana. VaccinesWork.
• Scotland is planning a transition to a 4-day workweek for civil servants and wants the private sector to follow suit. Fortune.
• Peregrine falcons, once extremely endangered, now stable in Iowa skies. The Gazette.
• Tantalising sign of possible life on faraway world. BBC.

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• Schoolkids in 8 US states can now eat free school meals, advocates urge Congress for nationwide policy. AP.
• The poverty rate in Bangladesh declined by 5.6% between 2016 to 2022, lifting almost ten million people out of poverty. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (PDF link).
• Violent deaths in Brazil reach lowest number in 12 years. Fohla De S.Paulo.
• Montreal adds nine more car-free streets after ‘mind blowing’ success. Energy Mix.
• Ocean cleanup group removes record 25,000 pounds of trash from Great Pacific Garbage Patch in one extraction. ABC News.
• A family-run environmental organisation in Indonesia called Sungai Watch has successfully removed 1.2 million kilograms of plastic from polluted rivers and mangroves. Mongabay.
• The takahē, a large, flightless bird once thought to be extinct, returns to New Zealand wild. The Guardian.
• After 90% of the wild population was wiped out by disease, the Tasmanian devil breeding program in New South Wales has produced its 500th joey. ABC.
• Renewables generated 25% of US power in the first half of 2023. Electrek.
• The price of solar modules has reached a record low of $0.15 per watt. pvxchange.
• South Africa, the world’s most coal-dependent economy, has been installing enormous amounts of solar. Bloomberg.
• Mozambique has connected half a million people to tap water. The World Bank.
• Young adults in U.S. drink less alcohol than in prior decades. Gallup.
• Electrified cement could turn houses and roads into nearly limitless batteries. Science.
• Smart contact lens battery charged by human tears. Interesting Engineering.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.