Environment wins of the week
Key takeaways
- Good news about the state of the planet might seem to be in short supply, but it’s out there.
- There are currently as many as 20,000 desalination plants around the world, but they often operate at an environmental cost.
- Abandoned as climate change made farming unreliable, rural villages in India's northern Uttarakhand state are coming back to life.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Good news about the state of the planet might seem to be in short supply, but it’s out there. Each week, DW’s environment desk brings you what went right.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Eu21The uptake of renewables is at an all time high, but that's not the only good environmental news out there Image: Pascal Rossignol/REUTERSAdvertisement Drinking from the sea As global temperature rise continues, intensifying heat waves and water scarcity in many regions, there is a growing need to make our oceans drinkable. There are currently as many as 20,000 desalination plants around the world, but they often operate at an environmental cost. This new technology could solve that issue.
Two years ago, Ethiopia became the first country in the world to ban the import of fossil fuel-powered vehicles — a move that's transforming its transport system. More than 100,000 of the 1.2 million registered vehicles are now electric and the east African country is aiming for a 500,000 EV share by 2030. A model to follow?