Things aren't as bad as they seem.

The EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service reports that sulphur oxide emissions from industry fell 59% since 2015, and road transport NOx dropped 40%. Transport CO₂ hit 1.05 billion tonnes in 2024, down 5% from 2019. Sweden generated 99% of its electricity from low-carbon sources in 2025 — the

Europe’s air is measurably cleaner as SOx and NOx emissions keep falling

Europe’s air is measurably cleaner as SOx and NOx emissions keep falling

04.07.2026

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Europe’s air is measurably cleaner as SOx and NOx emissions keep falling

01.07.2026

Morocco’s women riders are reclaiming a 500-year-old equestrian tradition

Tbourida — a UNESCO-recognized Moroccan cavalry sport practiced since the 16th century — was for centuries exclusively male. Since the mid-2000s, women like Zahia Aboulait have formed all-female troupes, or sorbas. Last year's largest festival welcomed 130 male troupes and three female ones; Aboulait now trains the next generation.

01.07.2026

Former NOAA scientists rebuild shuttered US climate data site with $280,000 in public funding

After the Trump administration shut down Climate.gov — which drew nearly 1 million visitors a month — former NOAA program director Rebecca Lindsey and two colleagues rebuilt it as Climate.us. Crowdfunded with $280,000 and backed by 80 volunteer scientists, the independent site restores access to climate dashboards, data maps, and 15 years of reporting.

01.07.2026

Stem cells from menstrual blood shown to repair cartilage in lab studies

Researchers at Kaunas University of Technology isolated extracellular vesicles from menstrual blood stem cells and applied them to damaged human cartilage tissue. Published in Scientific Reports, the study found the vesicles reduced cartilage breakdown and boosted production of key structural proteins — a potential cell-free therapy for osteoarthritis, which affects over 600 million people worldwide.

01.07.2026

US murder rate hits its lowest level on record since FBI data began in 1960

Data analyst Jeff Asher, drawing on figures from 600 police agencies, found murders fell 18.7% in the first four months of 2026 versus the same period in 2025, which itself was already the lowest year on record. All violent crime dropped 6.4%. The rate had spiked to 6.8 per 100,000 in 2021, up 54% from its prior low of 4.4 in 2014.

01.07.2026

Bangladesh scraps EV import taxes to cut deadly air pollution

In its June 11 budget, Bangladesh eliminated tariffs on electric buses and trucks, reduced EV registration fees, and hiked duties on fossil fuel vehicles — effective July 1, 2026. Transport causes 9% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. The target: 25% electric buses and 30% electric trucks by 2035, per the country's NDC commitments.

01.07.2026

Barcelona tests olive pit asphalt that cuts road surface emissions by 75%

Spanish firms AMSA and ELSAN, with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, replaced conventional mineral filler in bituminous road mix with biochar made from olive pits and pine waste. Lab results show comparable durability to standard asphalt, with up to 75% lower CO₂ emissions in the surface layer. The project won Barcelona's "21st Century Street" urban challenge.

29.06.2026

Seychelles marks 50 years with conservation at the center

Fifty years after independence, Seychelles has protected about 30% of its vast marine territory and roughly half of its land. From restoring coral reefs to safeguarding giant tortoises and expanding marine reserves, the Indian Ocean nation has made conservation a central part of its development while supporting tourism and local livelihoods.

29.06.2026

Watching sunsets reduces anxiety, inflammation and cortisol — here’s the science

Researchers at Arizona State University and the University of Toronto have found that the awe triggered by sunsets lowers stress hormones, reduces inflammatory cytokines linked to diabetes and depression, and improves sleep by reinforcing the body's circadian rhythm. Dusk's red and gold light activates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling the body to wind down.

29.06.2026

South Africa opens art galleries in prison to cut one of the world’s highest reoffending rates

Since 2023, South Africa's Department of Correctional Services has opened nine arts-and-crafts galleries inside prisons. At Leeuwkop in Johannesburg, 34 inmates display their work publicly. The program — run with Just Detention International since 2024 — builds skills and income ahead of release, in a country where recidivism estimates reach as high as 95%.

29.06.2026

Kerala creates India’s first dedicated department for elderly welfare

In Kerala — India's fastest-ageing state, where migration to the Middle East and beyond has left growing numbers of older people living alone — the state government has launched the country's first dedicated department for elderly welfare. Its strategy centers on keeping people in their homes and communities, with planned caregiver training, day-care centres, and volunteer networks to address isolation.

29.06.2026

Philadelphia bans horse-drawn carriages, with New York set to follow

Philadelphia City Council voted to ban horse-drawn carriages — both commercial and noncommercial — effective June 26, with fines of $1,000 per day for violations. Chicago banned the practice in 2020, San Antonio in 2024. New York City's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has also voiced support for removing carriages from Central Park.

29.06.2026

Floating capsule cleans drinking water with a shake, no power needed

An international team of researchers developed a self-powered capsule that tests and disinfects water without batteries, filters, or chemicals. Three seconds of shaking generates enough electricity to measure water quality via Bluetooth, then floating motion powers disinfection — eliminating 99.9999% of microorganisms across 120+ cycles.

27.06.2026

Budapest’s biggest Pride in years draws tens of thousands after Orbán’s defeat

Hungary's 31st Budapest Pride marched through the capital on June 27 — the first since Viktor Orbán, who had legislated to ban it, lost April's election. Last year's march was held in defiance of the ban; this year police authorized the event and provided security along the route.

27.06.2026

Cape Verde reach the World Cup knockouts unbeaten on their debut

Ranked 67th and playing their first-ever World Cup, Cape Verde — an Atlantic island archipelago of just over 500,000 people — finished second in their Group. Three draws put them through to face reigning champions Argentina in Miami on July 3, becoming the first debut nation to go unbeaten in three group games since Senegal in 2002.

27.06.2026

Researcher maps the full vocabulary of zebra finches

After more than a decade of observation and recording, Dr. Julie Elie identified 11 distinct call types used by zebra finches, decoding both their meanings and the individual vocal signatures birds use to recognize each other. Machine learning helped organize the data; crucially, birds confused calls with similar meanings more than similar-sounding ones — showing they respond to content, not just sound.

27.06.2026

New oral hair loss drug passes key trial with 80% reporting regrowth

The first oral minoxidil formulation developed specifically for pattern hair loss, showed roughly four times more regrowth than placebo in a 500-plus participant study. Nearly 80% of patients and investigators reported improvement. A Phase 3 men's trial is underway; if approved, it would be the first oral treatment cleared for women too.

27.06.2026

Dodgers donate $1.1 million to families hit by LA immigration raids

The Los Angeles Dodgers have delivered on a pledge made last year, distributing $1.1 million between two nonprofits: California Community Foundation, which used $1 million to provide $1,000 in direct cash relief to 1,000 affected households, and Labor Community Services, which used $100,000 to supply food assistance to more than 4,000 families.

27.06.2026

Ocean conference in Mombasa ends with $6.4 billion in pledges for the sea

The 11th Our Ocean Conference — the first ever on African soil — closed with 320 new commitments from 104 governments, businesses and civil society groups. The World Bank pledged $1 billion for blue economies; Kenya committed $1 billion including $200 million for electronic fishing vessel monitoring. About 85% of all pledges made since 2014 have been fulfilled or are underway.