Good news for humankind!

From the week of October 9 – 15 2023 C.E.

Countries pledge to raise $12 billion to fund coral reef protection

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) said it would secure a massive public and private investment to help conserve and restore coral ecosystems, which sustain a quarter of the world’s marine species and more than a billion people.

China likely already hit peak oil demand in 2023

Now, half of the world’s economy has already reached peak gasoline and diesel demand while electric vehicle deliveries in every segment are shooting through the roof.

California creates nation’s first ‘Ebony Alert’ to find missing Black children

Senate Bill 673 will create the “Ebony Alert” system for missing Black children and young women. When activated, the proposed system – similar to Amber or Silver alerts — would inform people of missing Black children and young women between the ages of 12 to 25.

The Kenya Nut Company to become world’s first farm to produce fossil-free fertilizer on site

Every day, the plant will produce 1 ton of ammonia, which can be applied to crops as fertilizer.

Brazil strikes intruders of Amazon’s most deforested Indigenous land

The Brazilian government has launched a long-awaited operation to remove thousands of non-Indigenous invaders illegally occupying two ancestral territories in the Amazon Rainforest, in what human rights defenders hail as a victory for protecting Native communities.

In a world first, scientists discover ‘roadmap’ to beating bowel cancer

Researchers at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute at La Trobe University in Australia have found that how a patient responds to cancer comes down to how effective a group of immune cells in the large bowel are.

UNESCO to launch world’s first virtual museum of stolen cultural artifacts

Developed with the international police organization Interpol, whose database of cultural objects stolen from museums, collections and archeological sites worldwide lists more than 52,000 artefacts, the $2.5m virtual museum should open in 2025.

Canada’s first First Nations provincial premier elected in Manitoba

Wab Kinew, the 41-year-old head of the leftwing New Democratic party (NDP), has led the province’s party since 2017. A former rapper, broadcast journalist and university administrator, Kinew said his newly elected government will focus on reopening three emergency rooms shuttered in recent years.

Biden administration cancels another $9 billion in student loan debt

A White House official said that the new discharges bring the total approved debt cancellation to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million borrowers so far during Biden’s time in office.

European Union launches world’s carbon border tariff

The European Union has launched the initial phase of the world’s first system to impose CO2 emissions tariffs on carbon-intensive imports like iron and steel, as it tries to stop more polluting foreign products from undermining its green transition.

Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, U.K., and U.S. found the International Coral Reef Initiative (1994 C.E.)

The ICRI is an informal partnership among nations, international organizations and non-government organizations to help protect coral reefs globally. It is now the world’s largest body dedicated to coral conservation.

After decades of collapse, the world’s coral reefs begin a new era of net positive growth (2056 C.E. ???)

After concerted efforts to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and restore collapsed reefs, the world’s corals begin adding more volume than they lose every year for the first time in decades.

New website

I’ve spent much of this week rebuilding Spark of Genius’s website. It’s now definitely easier for me to manage. And I hope it’s easier for you as well.

This was practically helpful in a lot of ways. It’ll save me time and money in the long run. But it was also a little gift to myself. I find web development weirdly peaceful, fun, and satisfying. And last week, I felt tired and was yearning for some sort of pause on business as usual. This felt like the perfect way to offer myself something while still taking some meaningful steps forward.

You can check it out here: https://www.sparkofgenius.org

I’d love to know what you think! Anything not working or not making sense to you? Anything else you’d like to see on it?

Peter Schulte

Purpose & Leadership Coach

Founder & Executive Director, Spark of Genius

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