#hopepunk

[reasonsforhope]

Here's the top 2 stories from each of Fix The News's six categories:

1. A game-changing HIV drug was the biggest story of 2024

In what Science called the 'breakthrough of the year', researchers revealed in June that a twice-yearly drug called lenacapavir reduced HIV infections in a trial in Africa to zero—an astonishing 100% efficacy, and the closest thing to a vaccine in four decades of research. Things moved quick; by October, the maker of the drug, Gilead, had agreed to produce an affordable version for 120 resource-limited countries, and by December trials were underway for a version that could prevent infection with just a single shot per year. 'I got cold shivers. After all our years of sadness, particularly over vaccines, this truly is surreal.'

2. Another incredible year for disease elimination

Jordan became the first country to eliminate leprosy, Chad eliminated sleeping sickness, Guinea eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus, Belize, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, India achieved the WHO target for eliminating black fever, India, Viet Nam and Pakistan eliminated trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, and Brazil and Timor Leste eliminated elephantiasis.

1. The EU passed a landmark nature restoration law

When countries pass environmental legislation, it’s big news; when an entire continent mandates the protection of nature, it signals a profound shift. Under the new law, which passed on a knife-edge vote in June 2024, all 27 member states are legally required to restore at least 20% of land and sea by 2030, and degraded ecosystems by 2050. This is one of the world’s most ambitious pieces of legislation and it didn’t come easy; but the payoff will be huge - from tackling biodiversity loss and climate change to enhancing food security.

2. Deforestation in the Amazon halved in two years

Brazil’s space agency, INPE, confirmed a second consecutive year of declining deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. That means deforestation rates have roughly halved under Lula, and are now approaching all time lows. In Colombia, deforestation dropped by 36%, hitting a 23-year low. Bolivia created four new protected areas, a huge new new state park was created in Pará to protect some of the oldest and tallest tree species in the tropical Americas and a new study revealed that more of the Amazon is protected than we originally thought, with 62.4% of the rainforest now under some form of conservation management.

1. Millions more children got an education

Staggering statistics incoming: between 2000 and 2023, the number of children and adolescents not attending school fell by nearly 40%, and Eastern and Southern Africa, achieved gender parity in primary education, with 25 million more girls are enrolled in primary school today than in the early 2000s. Since 2015, an additional 110 million children have entered school worldwide, and 40 million more young people are completing secondary school.

2. We fed around a quarter of the world's kids at school

Around 480 million students are now getting fed at school, up from 319 million before the pandemic, and 104 countries have joined a global coalition to promote school meals, School feeding policies are now in place in 48 countries in Africa, and this year Nigeria announced plans to expand school meals to 20 million children by 2025, Kenya committed to expanding its program from two million to ten million children by the end of the decade, and Indonesia pledged to provide lunches to all 78 million of its students, in what will be the world's largest free school meals program.

1. Solar installations shattered all records

Global solar installations look set to reach an unprecedented 660GW in 2024, up 50% from 2023's previous record. The pace of deployment has become almost unfathomable - in 2010, it took a month to install a gigawatt, by 2016, a week, and in 2024, just 12 hours. Solar has become not just the cheapest form of new electricity in history, but the fastest-growing energy technology ever deployed, and the International Energy Agency said that the pace of deployment is now ahead of the trajectory required for net zero by 2050.  

2. Battery storage transformed the economics of renewables

Global battery storage capacity surged 76% in 2024, making investments in solar and wind energy much more attractive, and vice-versa. As with solar, the pace of change stunned even the most cynical observers. Price wars between the big Chinese manufacturers pushed battery costs to record lows, and global battery manufacturing capacity increased by 42%, setting the stage for future growth in both grid storage and electric vehicles - crucial for the clean flexibility required by a renewables-dominated electricity system. The world's first large-scale grid battery installation only went online seven years ago; by next year, global battery storage capacity will exceed that of pumped hydro.

1. Democracy proved remarkably resilient in a record year of elections

More than two billion people went to the polls this year, and democracy fared far better than most people expected, with solid voter turnout, limited election manipulation, and evidence of incumbent governments being tamed. It wasn't all good news, but Indonesia saw the world's biggest one day election, Indian voters rejected authoritarianism, South Korea's democratic institutions did the same, Bangladesh promised free and fair elections following a 'people's victory', Senegal, Sri Lanka and Botswana saw peaceful transfers of power to new leaders after decades of single party rule, and Syria saw the end of one of the world's most horrific authoritarian regimes.

2. Global leaders committed to ending violence against children

In early November, while the eyes of the world were on the US election, an event took place that may prove to be a far more consequential for humanity. Five countries pledged to end corporal punishment in all settings, two more pledged to end it in schools, and another 12, including Bangladesh and Nigeria, accepted recommendations earlier in the year to end corporal punishment of children in all settings. In total, in 2024 more than 100 countries made some kind of commitment to ending violence against children. Together, these countries are home to hundreds of millions of children, with the WHO calling the move a 'fundamental shift.'

1. Space exploration hit new milestones

NASA’s Europa Clipper began a 2.9 billion kilometre voyage to Jupiter to investigate a moon that may have conditions for life; astronomers identified an ice world with a possible atmosphere in the habitable zone; and the James Webb Telescope found the farthest known galaxy. Closer to Earth, China landed on the far side of the moon, the Polaris Dawn crew made a historic trip to orbit, and Starship moved closer to operational use – and maybe one day, to travel to Mars. 

2. Next-generation materials advanced

A mind-boggling year for material science. Artificial intelligence helped identify a solid-state electrolyte that could slash lithium use in batteries by 70%, and an Apple supplier announced a battery material that can deliver around 100 times better energy density. Researchers created an insulating synthetic sapphire material 1.25 nanometers thick, plus the world’s thinnest lens, just three atoms across. The world’s first functioning graphene-based semiconductor was unveiled (the long-awaited ‘wonder material’ may finally be coming of age!) and a team at Berkeley invented a fluffy yellow powder that could be a game changer for removing carbon from the atmosphere.

-via Fix The News, December 19, 2024

[rebuilding-hope]

If I'm ever asked this question, I hope I remember to answer something like this.

via @/_weloveyou__ on tiktok

[hope-for-the-planet]

From the article:

Today, the EU adopted a seat of conservation measures to strengthen the environmental protection of five Natura 2000 sites in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Baltic Sea. The initiative, put forward by Germany and agreed by all Baltic EU countries, prohibits fishing with mobile bottom contacting gears in areas of the Fehmarnbelt, Kadetrinne and Pommersche Bucht mit Oderbank and in the entire sites of the Westliche Rönnebank and Adlergrund. The measures will protect sensitive seabed habitats, such as sandbanks and reefs, and will contribute to revert the unfavourable environmental status of species and biotopes.

[hopepunk-humanity]

Another affirmation: Sometimes, by asking someone to help you, you actually make them happy. Because they know that you trust them, that you trust their knowledge and abilities. Because they know you aren't struggling alone.

"People are inherently selfish--" wrong. People crave being helpful. They get sad and feel unfulfilled and unwanted when they're not allowed to be helpful. Especially when it comes to those closest to them.

[fascistsarefreefood]

Daily reminder that we do not actually live in a dystopian movie put the apocalypse down and back away slowly. You know when your cleaning a room and you pull everything out of it's draws to sort through it and you're like "what the fuck have I done I'm never going to be able to tidy all of this" I think that's the stage we're at in the world. Thanks to social media we've pulled out all the messed up shit from the cupboards of the world, it was always there but now we can see it and we're going to have to sort it all out we made this mess and we can fix it. Falling to the floor sobbing will not clean a crusty room. A group of people working systematically (preferably with music in the background) will.

[angel-cryptid]

[twelvebooksstuff]

This is brilliant!!!!!!

i cannot hate myself into a version of me i will love.

[reasonsforhope]

If you're feeling anxious or depressed about the climate and want to do something to help right now, from your bed, for free...

Start helping with citizen science projects

What's a citizen science project? Basically, it's crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!

You don't need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases

Like labeling trees in aerial photos so that scientists have better datasets to use for restoration.

Or counting cells in fossilized plants to track the impacts of climate change.

Or digitizing old atmospheric data to help scientists track the warming effects of El Niño.

Or counting penguins to help scientists better protect them.

Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.

Oh, and btw, you don't have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.

--

I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can't participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.

Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help

Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.

[star-girlfriend]

Did u get my vibes man?

[cherryblossomshadow]

@skill7spark04 that's so fucking metal

i want that on a t shirt

i was never designed. i was born

Artwork by: Gusfink🖤

[nariarts]

Tips for Defying the End of the World.

Printable version here - feel free to print out for yourself or distribute to others for free.

[crabussy]

I'm so serious about being kind above all else. it has genuinely changed the way I interact with the world on a fundamental level and has made me so so much happier.

[hope-for-the-planet]

In Austria Renewable Energy Steps in to Fill the Hole Left by Russian Gas

Image and text from this finimize article:

With Gazprom cutting a five-decade-long gas supply to Austria's OMV due to a contract dispute, the nation is turning to renewable sources to fill the gap. Thanks to its network of over 3,000 hydroelectric plants, Austria's electricity security is robust, with hydro plants providing more than two-thirds of the national demand. A report from energy think tank Ember highlighted a 17% surge in hydroelectric output and an 18% rise in wind power generation in the first ten months of 2024. This boost, fueled by high precipitation and subsequent flooding, has fortified Austria's energy reserves for winter. Collectively, these renewables not only surpass gas-fired electricity but also play a crucial role in reducing gas dependency during peak winter demand.

[hopepunk-humanity]

I saw the hopepunk gnocchi and they slay and I also wanted to share hopepunk feta cheese. 

I experience suicidal thoughts and while I believe I’m quite good at keeping myself alive, I obviously don’t enjoy that state of mind. The problem is talking to other people about it is always a kind of gamble. 

We were doing Secret Santa and being mostly focused on surviving I couldn’t come up with anything I’d like to receive, the one and only idea I had was feta cheese and my friends knew about it. 

And one day I was particularly not having fun, my friend caught on and we had a very sweet and non-judgmental conversation. Despite her best best intentions she kinda didn’t know what to say, so she was like: can I help you with anything? would you like some feta cheese? and honestly that was the best reaction bc it had this underlying message of: you’re still human and the same person I know, and that’s very sweet.

So yeah, she got me feta (even before the Secret Santa thing)

Pasta with spinach and feta: cook pasta, defrost spinach on a pan, at some point add feta, stir a bit, add the cooked pasta, meal, even more beautiful with pine nuts and/or pumpkin seeds

This is so sweet. "You're still human and the same person I know", thank you for verbalizing a concept I couldn't quite express. And thank you for the mini-recipe!

[saint-theophania]

don't loose hope, there is love in life, there is community. people are coming together to protest all over the world, people are finding solidarity with each other even among the horror, people want to help. over the course of hours i saw hundreds come together from all over the world online to buy e-sim cards for the gaza reporters (they've succeeded in getting internet access to key online press reporters and are working to connect more), i've seen stories of people coming together in their grief and joy. despite the darkness there really is love. and i do believe that it is fundamental to the human condition.

Palestinians prepare food for the displaced families in the south of Gaza Strip. 10-28-2023