“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, & in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” – Jonas Salk
Let’s take a 7-minute vacation. With a sampling of good news. Five recent good news:
1. In Brazil: “deforestation in the Amazon is the lowest it’s been in 5 years”. Notably, under eco-conscious President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s leadership. Under his earlier leadership “… a substantial decrease (around 75%) in deforestation starting in 2004.” & Now: President Lula recently announced a many-millions reforestation fund & “has goals to eliminate all illegal burns by 2030″. & Apparently environmental fines in the Amazon have > doubled”.
2. & Brazil again: Last year the World Mosquito Program announced “a 10-year program to release modified mosquitoes into … urban areas”. They spread a specific bacteria that stops mosquitos from transmitting viruses. Over time, this initiative might protect “up to 70 million people from diseases such as dengue.”
While in Colombia: Reported near end-2023 that over the last several years, similar mosquito releases have virtually stopped dengue in 3 Colombian cities by spreading “Wolbachia bacteria, which prevents them from transmitting [dengue]”. Has been reported there as “a 95–97% decline in dengue incidence” compared to previously.
4. As of November 2023, the solar energy industry has been growing extremely fast “installing record volumes worldwide & selling @ record-low prices.” Worldwide, installed capacity had doubled in 4 years; prices @ their lowest level ever. Near the end of Nov., pricing: $0.128 per watt.
5. Experts predicting that in 2024 “researchers could get closer to cracking the code of long Covid“.
(Am thinking that most of us hope for much progress there.)
& Indicative of our times:
“I told my computer I needed a break, and now it won’t stop sending me vacation ads.” – from Unknown, might be “Jeff”