Hello again,

Three days in a row? Hope you don’t get tired of so many good news.

This is the final one though. I promise.

See you next year 😋 

THE MUSTS

Wholesome news

there’s more?!

Milestones for Energy:

• Record-Breaking Solar Installations: Global solar installations are set to reach 660GW in 2024, up 50% from 2023, with deployment now ahead of net zero targets for 2050.

• Coal Exits Accelerate: The UK closed its last coal plant, Slovakia and Italy advanced phase-out plans, and Indonesia committed to retiring coal plants within 15 years while ramping up 75GW of renewables.

• China's EV Boom: EVs now make up 10% of cars in China, cutting gasoline demand and forcing OPEC to lower oil forecasts five times this year.

• Emerging Markets Embrace Renewables: Pakistan became the third-largest solar importer, Brazil adds 1GW of solar monthly, and Türkiye increased solar output by 40%, with 20% of emerging markets now leading developed nations in renewable energy share.

• Transport Electrification: The EU mandated a 90% emissions cut for heavy-duty vehicles by 2040, electric buses and ferries launched globally, and 50% of ships under order now support clean fuels, promising a 20% alternative-fuel fleet by decade's end.

Milestones for Human Rights:

In a year when populists and authoritarians dominated the news cycle, there were still some bright spots for tolerance and equality. 

• Democracy Resilient in 2024 Elections: Over two billion voters participated globally, with peaceful transitions in Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Botswana, while Indonesia held the world's largest single-day election. Indian and South Korean voters rejected authoritarianism, and Syria saw the end of a brutal regime.

• LGBTQ+ Wins: Thailand legalized same-sex marriage, Greece became the first Orthodox-majority country to do so, and Namibia and Dominica struck down anti-gay laws. South Korea granted equal health benefits to gay couples, Israel approved adoption rights, and Japan saw a surge in public support for marriage equality.

• Progress on Reproductive Rights: France enshrined abortion as a constitutional right, Poland reversed restrictions, and seven US states protected abortion rights in their constitutions. Sub-Saharan Africa doubled the number of women using modern contraception, reaching 66 million.

• Improved Workers' Rights: The EU banned goods made with forced labor, Germany's Supply Chain Act enforced better conditions in Pakistan, Belgium extended employment protections to sex workers, and Colombia advanced a major labor rights bill.

Milestones for Science & Technology:

• Desalination Breakthroughs: Renewables made desalination cheaper, while new tech like solar-powered systems, evaporation devices, and air-to-water condensers promise more water for farming and drinking. MIT even discovered light can vaporize water, unlocking new possibilities!

• Revolution in Disease Detection: AI-led tools diagnosed cancer in seconds, including hidden brain cancer and early-stage cancers from a drop of blood. ChatGPT-4 outperformed doctors in diagnosis tests, while humans developed better methods for bowel and skin cancer detection.

• Restoring Speech, Sound, and Sight: ALS patients spoke again using brain-machine interfaces; stem cell transplants restored vision for the visually impaired, and gene therapy helped a deaf boy hear for the first time.

• De-Extinction Progress: Scientists reconstructed 99.9% of the Tasmanian tiger genome, made steps toward resurrecting woolly mammoths, and brought back chestnut trees from functional extinction for eco-restoration efforts.

Not bad for only 365 days uhn? (and this was just a really really long summary...)

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