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Here are the good news stories from around the world this week.
Good News This Week
French schools have a long ‘digital break’
Children in France will have to lock their phones away during school hours when they return to the classrooms this September. It’s part of a ‘digital pause’ scheme due to be trialled at 200 secondary schools.
The idea is a response to growing evidence linking early smartphone use with poor mental health. The plan was announced by education minister Nicole Belloubet on Tuesday.
Under the scheme, pupils will be obliged to leave their phones in special lockers during school hours. If the trial proves a success, Belloubet said the policy will be rolled out nationwide “from January 2025”.
The French trial is part of a growing global movement to protect childhood from smartphones. Communities in the UK and Ireland have introduced bans on phones in schools, while the Irish government plans to outlaw them in all secondary schools.
Brits in mental health crisis can now call 111
The UK has become one of the first countries to offer 24-hour mental health support over the phone, after England joined Scotland and Wales in launching such a service.
People in a mental health crisis can now call 111 at any time of the day to talk to a mental health professional, who can organise mental health assessments, dispatch crisis teams and signpost users to available local help.
Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity SANE, was among those welcoming the move, while echoing concerns about the National Health Service (NHS) already being stretched.
“We are delighted NHS England has rolled out this important service nationally,” she said. “However, we remain concerned that it may raise people’s expectations because of the paucity of frontline services available to follow up people in crisis.”
She added: “Our national helpline, SANEline, has operated for more than 30 years, but we can only do so much and are happy to work with government to meet the escalating need. We urge it to consider following our unique model of calling people back and sustaining them through dark times and periods of distress.”
Europe’s “blue heart” was saved from developers
Plans to dam one of Europe’s last wild rivers have been blocked in a major win for people power.
A scandal over the construction of a hydroelectric plant at the source of the Una River erupted last month in Croatia. Communities and environmental groups protested against the project, while lawyers argued that the dam was built without the correct permits.
The Croatian state authorities have now ordered construction of the dam to halt, saving a wild river that has been dubbed the “blue heart of Europe”.
“This success is more than just the prevention of a small hydropower plant,” said Ulrich Eichelmann, founder of Riverwatch. “It sets a precedent for other hydropower projects on the Una and its tributaries. Most importantly, [it] will motivate many people in the Balkans to stand up against the destruction of nature and corruption. It is a success to keep the blue heart of Europe beating.”
South Koreans took on their government —and won
South Korea’s lack of a plan to reduce emissions violates the constitutional rights of future generations, the country’s top court ruled on Thursday in Seoul (pictured).
The absence of legally binding targets to cut emissions between 2031 and 2049 breached the constitutional rights of future generations, South Korea’s constitutional court found.
The case was brought by around 200 plaintiffs, including young climate activists. The court’s verdict concludes four years of legal wrangling.
It’s the first such climate litigation ruling in Asia. Activists believe that it could set a precedent for future climate-related legal actions in the region.
Speaking of climate legislation…
The UK government has announced that it will not defend legal challenges brought against two proposed oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
Legal claims against the projects – Rosebank and Jackdaw, both in Scottish waters – were brought by the environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift.
Their litigation followed a landmark climate ruling by the UK’s supreme court in June. It dictated that the ecological impact of emissions from burning extracted fossil fuels must be considered in planning applications for such projects – not just the emissions produced during extraction.
That ruling has cast doubt on future oil and gas projects, notably Rosebank and Jackdaw, which the government has now said it will not defend.
“This is amazing news and a big win for the climate,” said Greenpeace. “The government must now properly support affected workers and prioritise investment in green jobs.”
England’s Community Diagnostic Centres Are A Success
The rollout of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) in England has been hailed a success after research showed they had performed 7m health tests across the country.
The mobile facilities have been introduced to public places, such as shopping centres and university campuses, to provide tests – including X-rays – more quickly.
Around 160 CDCs have been opened across England to tackle the long waiting lists for vital checks, such as CT and MRI scans. Research published this week by Healthwatch England revealed that CDCs have delivered more than 7m tests, and that 93% of patients using them had a “good experience”.
Yet waiting times remain stubbornly long. Figures suggest that 21% of patients wait longer than six weeks to be seen. The Royal College of Radiologists welcomed the report’s findings but said that “urgent action is needed to expand the radiologist workforce … if CDCs are to be a continued success”.
This article was originally published on Positive.news and was republished here, with permission, under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license.
