DEFORESTATION RATES PLUMMET IN BRAZIL

Following years of wanton destruction under former president Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has plummeted by 34%, data suggests. The figures cover the six months since Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January 2023, suggesting he is delivering on his pledge to safeguard the ‘lungs of the world’.

Monitoring by INPE, the Brazilian government’s space research institute, detected 2,649 sq.km of forest clearance this year, compared with 4,000 sq.km over the same period in 2022. Lula has ramped up environmental enforcement, got tough on illegal mining and announced new protected areas for indigenous peoples.

Amy Morin

Tackling Fast Fashion

France is taking action on the 700,000 tons of clothing thrown away each year.

A new ‘make do and mend’ bonus will offer rebates on clothing and shoe repairs in a bid to put the brakes on wasteful fast fashion. An initiative run by Refashion, a trade organisation promoting a circular textile economy, will begin in October 2023. By using sewing machinists and cobblers signed up to the scheme – backed by €154m (£131m) of government funding over the next five years – people will be able to claim back up to €25 (£21) per repair of their clothing and shoes.

Billions More Accessing Drinking Water

Drinking water and sanitation have improved for billions of people over the last two decades, according to a joint report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

It found that 2.1 billion people have gained access to safely managed drinking water since 2000, while 4.5 billion now have access to safe sanitation – up from two billion at the turn of the century. Basic hygiene has increased 8% over the same period, with three-quarters of the planet’s eight billion-strong population now having access.

In our exclusive Spotlight feature, we highlight women who are doing good things in their community. They’re not always seen but we think they should be.