© Ocean Image Bank/Hannes Klost A sea lion swims past a starfish, highlighting the vibrant biodiversity of marine ecosystems.
UN ‘High Seas’ Treaty Clears Ratification Threshold, To Enter Into Force In January
by Vibhu Mishra, UN News
A landmark UN treaty to safeguard marine biodiversity on the high seas has now met the required 60 ratifications for entry into force, clearing the way for it to take effect in January 2026. Morocco and Sierra Leone joined the list of States ratifying on Friday, becoming the 60th and 61st parties to the pact. The treaty, formally known as the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ agreement), was adopted by UN Member States in June 2023.
Hundreds Of Celebrities Relaunch A McCarthy-Era Committee To Defend Free Speech
by Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR
On Wednesday, over 550 celebrities relaunched a group first organized during the post-World War II Red Scare: the Committee for the First Amendment. Their intent is to stand up in what they call a “defense of our constitutional rights,” adding: “The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry.” The current group is headlined by actor and activist Jane Fonda — whose father, actor Henry Fonda, was one of the early members of the first Committee for the First Amendment.
Boston To Open Series Of Affordable Housing Developments Atop City’s Public Libraries
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
Set to begin development in Boston’s historic Chinatown, an affordable housing complex will perch atop a branch of the Boston Public Library system. It’s been 60 years since Chinatown had a BPL branch, and activists see it as the full-circle closure of a saga that began when it lost that branch all those years ago. Demolished as part of a plan to thread Interstate 93 through town, the Chinatown library was located on Tyler St., near stretches of brick rowhouses inhabited by immigrants. A temporary library was opened nearby.
Remembering Jane Goodall, Who Taught The World How To Be More Humane
by Zoe Weil, Common Dreams
When I was a child growing up in the 60s and 70s, watching National Geographic specials on TV, I wanted to be Jane Goodall. Not like her. Her. I could imagine no better life than observing and learning about chimpanzees. But only Jane Goodall could be Jane Goodall, and I eventually fell into a more traditional path, even going to law school. That didn’t last long. I dropped out by Thanksgiving; read a book by a scientist who taught a chimp named Sarah to communicate through symbolic language; and, with Jane Goodall in mind, went to volunteer in his lab.
Becoming Nature Positive Book Now Free To Read Online
by Nature Positive
The world’s first book about Nature Positive is now available to read for free online under the Creative Commons Open Access license. Published by Routledge Earthscan in June 2025 and written by a diverse range of sustainability thought leaders, Becoming Nature Positive: Transitioning to a Safe and Just Future provides an in-depth description of how the Nature Positive global goal came to be, why it matters – and what it will take to achieve it across business, finance, governance and society.
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