Polluting bosses to face jail

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♻️ This week’s sustainability news

Scottish bill to jail bosses of polluters

What’s happening: A proposed new law that could send the leaders of big polluting companies to jail for up to 20 years has gained enough support from Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to be introduced next year. Monica Lennon’s Ecocide Prevention Bill has the backing of various political parties, and the Scottish government has said it won't block it. This means the bill can be officially presented in the Scottish Parliament next year. If passed, Scotland would be the first in the UK to have a law that could severely punish executives responsible for significant environmental harm.

Why it’s happening: Ecocide means causing serious harm to the environment, like damaging large areas of nature or causing long-lasting effects. This can happen through things like oil spills, cutting down lots of trees, polluting the air or oceans, and mining. Some people think ecocide should be considered a crime by the International Criminal Court, which currently deals with four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.

Why it’s important: Ms. Lennon had support from over 30 MSPs from all the major parties in Holyrood for her bill. The Central Scotland MSP mentioned that her recent consultation on the plans received a lot of positive feedback. She explained that the bill aims to establish ecocide as a crime, focusing on penalties and consequences, without changing the overall environmental regulation system. She also noted that ecocide would be considered the most serious environmental crime, aimed at company executives responsible for damaging ecosystems, rather than individual workers. Ecocide laws aim to prevent people from causing major harm to the environment. Earlier this year, Belgium added a new ecocide law to its criminal code.

Analysis shows benefits of electrifying the home

What’s happening: A study by nonprofit Rewiring America found that if all American homes switched from oil or gas furnaces, hot water heaters, and clothes dryers to electric heat pumps and appliances, it could reduce yearly greenhouse gas emissions by about 400 million metric tons. Additionally, air pollution could decrease by 300,000 tons, which is like removing 40 million cars from the roads. Switching to electric appliances can save people $60 billion a year on energy bills and improve health, researchers found. It could prevent 3,400 early deaths, 1,300 hospital visits, and 220,000 asthma attacks each year, adding up to about $40 billion in health benefits.

Why it’s happening: The report titled "Breathe Easy" by Rewiring America used information from several government sources, like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Energy Information Administration. About two-thirds of households in the US use fossil fuels like natural gas, propane, and fuel oil for heating, hot water, and drying clothes. This releases pollutants into the air. Electric heat pumps, which are the cheapest and most energy-efficient way to heat and cool homes, are now being sold more than gas furnaces across the nation.

Why it’s important: The reduction in pollution would depend on whether the electricity comes from low-carbon sources like wind and solar power or from gas or coal power plants. The Inflation Reduction Act set aside almost $9 billion for rebates to help people buy electric appliances and make their homes more energy-efficient. In 2023, over 250,000 families got tax credits for heat pumps, and more than 100,000 families got credits for heat pump water heaters. President-elect Donald J. Trump has mentioned he wants to cancel this law. It's uncertain how this will affect the use of heat pumps since a lot of the rebate money has already been given to states.

📖 Read the full article: Here’s how much cleaner energy could save America, in lives and money

Mexico introduces unique animal welfare protection

What’s happening: On December 2, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum approved changes to the Constitution to help create a new federal law for animal welfare. This is the first time animals are mentioned in the Constitution of Mexico, which is a big step forward for animal rights in the country.

Why it’s happening: For years, people have been raising awareness about the widespread mistreatment of animals and the harsh conditions in Mexico's expanding meat industry. These changes to the constitution happened after two years of efforts by groups that support animal rights, like Igualdad Animal Mexico, Humane Society International/Mexico, and Movimiento Consciencia. Outside of Mexico, nine other countries mention animals in their constitutions, but these references are usually short and can be interpreted in different ways.

Why it’s important: Many countries have laws to prevent animal mistreatment. However, these laws in many cases haven't been very successful in stopping animal abuse. One reason is that they often don't cover farm animals like cows, pigs, and chickens, leaving most animals unprotected. Mexico's new laws are different because they aim to protect all animals, including farm animals and other exploited species. The reforms happening in Mexico, the biggest Spanish-speaking country, are a big step forward for animal rights worldwide. These changes might influence other Latin American countries, where animal rights have become more important recently, according to Macarena Montes Franceschini from Harvard Law School's Animal Law and Policy Program.

📖 Read the full article: Mexico just put animal welfare into its national constitution

🌐 Travel to Chiapas

One of the most underrated areas of Mexico

We’ve listed 25 of the best things to do there: Discover the many stunning natural wonders, intriguing Maya cultural sites and customs, colourful local towns, and delicious plant-based Mexican food in our article.

😇 People doing great things

Biodegradable material to replace plastics in cosmetics

Developed by MIT: Microplastics are small plastic particles that are harmful to the environment and are found almost everywhere, even inside our bodies. They come from many everyday items like tires, clothing, and plastic packaging. Sadly, they are also in personal care products we use, such as cleansers, cosmetics, and beauty products. To tackle the problem of microplastics, Ana Jacklenec, a lead researcher at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, worked with a team to create biodegradable materials that could replace the plastic beads found in beauty products. Jacklenec teamed up with Professor Robert Langer and Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, an MIT chemical engineering graduate student, to tackle the challenge. They used a polymer that Langer’s lab had already developed, called poly(beta-amino esters). These polymers can break down into sugars and amino acids, making them biodegradable. They might also be useful in medical situations, such as delivering genes. The researchers are now testing a new type of microbeads that don't contain microplastics. They have received a grant from Estée Lauder to help with this work. Their aim is to improve their microbead research and explore other possible uses. They also plan to conduct a small human trial later this year.

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

Sponge soaks up 99.9% of microplastics in water

Made from cotton and squid bone: The material was tested in an irrigation ditch, a lake, seawater, and a pond in China with the filter’s production appearing to be scalable, the University of Wuhan study authors said in a new report, which was peer-reviewed and published in the journal Science Advances.

Rare metals needed for clean energy found in coal ash

Could replace the need for new mines: Researchers at the University of Texas studied coal ash from power plants in the United States and discovered it might have up to 11 million tons of rare earth elements, almost eight times more than what the US currently has in its reserve and could be worth about $8.4 billion.

First US climate lawsuit against a utility company

Initiated by the small North Carolina town of Carrboro: The lawsuit says that Duke Energy, the third-largest polluting corporation in the US, misled people about the dangers of fossil fuels for the climate, causing delays in reducing emissions that warm the planet and make climate action more expensive.

Google to build clean energy and data centres together

A unique strategic partnership to achieve their goals: Data centres and solar, wind, and battery farms will be built near each other to reduce strain on the power grid, with the tech giant and its partners aiming to build $20 billion in renewable-energy and energy-storage assets by 2030; the first site is expected to be operating in 2026.

Monarch butterflies to be placed on protected list

Comes after years of warnings it may not survive climate change: US wildlife officials announced a decision to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies with the US Fish and Wildlife Service planning to add the butterfly to the threatened species list by the end of next year following an extensive public comment period.

Origami packaging could replace plastic

Developed by researchers in Finland: VTT, a research and technology company owned by the Finnish government, teamed up with Aalto University researchers and some Finnish paper companies to design a machine that can fold paper in a detailed way, similar to how it's done by hand, to produce paper packaging with strength from its origami folds.

Grey seals thrive without human activity

According to the National Trust: Orford Ness, a narrow piece of land off the coast of Great Britain, is now home to Suffolk's first group of breeding grey seals which came from large colonies in Norfolk and first chose the area in 2021 when visitor access was significantly reduced during an extended period of COVID-19 closures.

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