In the headlines...

🌎 Outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, a Canadian artist created a massive replica of Rodin’s “The Thinker” sculpture that will slowly be engulfed in plastic waste as delegates gather for 10 days to finalize a global treaty to curb plastic pollution.

📉 Amid backlash to the Trump administration’s push to dramatically boost the number of detentions, arrests by U.S. immigration agents dropped by nearly 20% in July.

Environment

Missouri is building a nearly 300-mile-long butterfly trail to attract monarchs and tourism

Passing through 12 counties in western Missouri, the state is building a 26-mile-wide, 292-mile-long corridor in what will become the Highway 13 Butterfly Trail.

The initiative is focused both on pollinator conservation, particularly for monarch butterflies, and on helping boost local economies by creating plantings and tourist attractions.

Led by a community alliance, the trail will feature gardens, art installations, educational centers, and research facilities.

Why is this good news? The monarch butterfly is proposed to be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and initiatives like this will help conserve and revive local populations.

It’s also good for business: a report found that nearly 25% of tourists to the state visit for outdoor activities, including ecotourism. Good for people, good for the planet.

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More Good News

​The Long Beach Public Library is opening its e-book library so teens from other states can read banned books. In 2024, the American Library Association recorded challenges to 2,452 different books across the country, with the majority of those challenges coming from organized movements, many targeting sexual or LGBTQ+ content.

​To help mitigate the rising cost of living, Australia wiped more than $10 billion in student loan debt for 3 million people. Under the plan, student loans would be reduced by one-fifth, meaning university graduates with an average loan of A$27,600 would have A$5,520 wiped, helping “take a weight” off the backs of young people in the country.

​To tackle record-breaking levels of infections, the U.K. is rolling out gonorrhea vaccines in sexual health clinics across the country. The NHS predicts its world-first rollout could prevent as many as 100,000 cases and potentially save it nearly £8m over the next decade.

​A soccer team in Vermont is the first in the U.S. to make climate action a central tenet of its business plan. Vermont Green FC’s approach is inspired by that of England’s Forest Green Rovers, which in 2018 became the first U.N.-certified carbon-neutral football club.

Businesses doing good

This abandoned office building was transformed into a floating bookstore — and you’ll never want to leave

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good data

The IEA says renewable energy sources will overtake coal to be the world’s top power source ‘by 2026 at the latest’

Driven by the exponential growth of wind and solar power, the International Energy Agency is now predicting that renewable energy sources will officially overtake coal and become the top source of electricity by 2026 — if not sooner.

Depending on weather-related impacts on output, renewables could surpass coal as soon as this year.

Wind and solar together are projected to make up 17% of the share of global electricity generation this year, up from 1% in 2005 and 4% in 2015.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

🧠 Research says: Believe the Bluey hype.

👗 Greenwashing in fast fashion? That’s gonna cost ya.

🏃‍♀️ That mandatory genetic test for women athletes is not as straightforward as you might think.

🥡 Scientists have a new lead on the next plastic alternative.

✏️ Black teachers play a vital mentorship role for students.

What’s good?

Obviously we’ll still have work to do once renewables surpass coal ... but I won’t lie, it feels like a bit of a dream even hearing that milestone in the same sentence as “this year.”

How did seeing that chart make you feel?

Reply and tell me your reaction!

— Megan