Despite all doomsday prophecies, very positive things have happened on the environmental scene during the last year. Good News Network has compiled what they think is the most positive news during the year, and the top five are:
1. Canada uses satellite technology to detect fishing boats illegally in Canadian waters. Poachers often turn off their transponders, making it difficult to detect them, but a satellite network can see the poachers from space.
2. By picking up ten tons of plastic from the sea, a ship shows that we can eliminate virtually all plastic floating in the oceans by 2040. The Ocean Cleanup used a large "funnel" to catch plastic from the sea and showed that a sufficiently large fleet could clear the oceans of plastic.
3. Agrivolatics makes it possible to set up solar panels on arable land and grow crops on the same ground. By installing solar panels in the right way, it is possible to get better harvests.
4. Solar panels over canals in warm countries generate electricity while reducing evaporation from the water, which means that more water can be used for irrigating agricultural land. Solar panels can shade the water in canals and give warm countries millions of liters more water for irrigation.
5. Aircraft can absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into aviation fuel. Researchers have discovered a catalyst that enables aircraft to use carbon dioxide.
More news that shows that we have made significant progress with environmental work during the year can be found here.
