Good News Headlines 4/15/2024

Supported by her father, 11-year-old Prasiddhi Singh of India speaks out about the power of youth at the United Nations annual Climate Conference.

Meet The Girl Taking On Climate Change One Tree At A Time

by eOmega.org

She was four years old when a cyclone devastated her hometown. Six when she started cold-calling landowners to get them to plant new trees. Ten when National Geographic shone a light on her work. And 11 when she attended her first United Nations Climate Conference. Meet Prasiddhi Singh, a young changemaker from the southernmost state in India. “I don’t know why, but I’ve always had this unconditional bond with nature,” Prasiddhi says. “It really engaged me, even before I started to walk and talk. I gain inspiration from the buzzing of bees, the magic of trees.”

US Will Require Background Checks For Gun Shows And Online Firearm Sales

by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian

The sale of firearms on the internet and at gun shows in the US will in future be subject to mandatory background checks, the justice department said on Thursday as it announced a “historic” new action to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. The closing of the so-called gun show loophole, which exempts private transactions from restrictions that apply to licensed dealers, has long been a goal of the Biden administration, and is specifically targeted in the rule published in the federal register today.

Gold Mining Reduced This Amazon Rainforest To A Moonscape. Now Miners Are Restoring It

by Simeon Tegel, NPR

Sunlight dapples the once-denuded forest floor as saplings spread their branches and leaves overhead, slowly forming a lush canopy. Beside each young tree, a sign notes its species. Lupuna, says one, the colloquial Peruvian term, and below that its scientific name, Ceiba pentandra — in other words, a kapok tree, known for its cotton-like fibers. Huito, says another sign, or Geinpa americana, which produces edible gray berries. Each sapling is distinct, a reflection of the Amazon’s stunning biodiversity, with so many different species that you might go acres without finding a repeat.

Billions Allocated To ‘Green Banks’ To Help Decarbonize Disadvantaged Communities

by Syris Valentine, Grist

The idea of a national “green bank,” which would lend public money to help cash-strapped businesses and individuals invest in things like solar panels and energy-efficiency upgrades, has been kicked around since at least the first Obama administration. But it wasn’t until President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in 2022 that the federal government set aside money, through the bill’s $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, for this express purpose.

Scientists Develop Window Coating That Blocks Heat While Letting In Light

by Paige Bennett, EcoWatch

Without curtains, blinds, or other window covers, rooms can heat up quickly when the afternoon sun streams through a window. Close the curtain or pull down the blind, and the room may cool down, but you lose views of the garden or backyard. Even window film can still offer some transparency, but it often includes tinting that can disrupt the view. Scientists have been working to solve this dilemma, and they may have just made it happen with a newly developed clear window coating.