Good afternoon!

From scientific discoveries to activist wins, here are the latest news stories that showcase the people who are taking on climate change and nature loss.

🌊 Biden bans offshore drilling

As he prepares to leave office, the US president has made a last-minute move that’s been welcomed by environmental groups – announcing a ban on oil and gas development across vast swathes of the US coastline. While an infuriated Trump has vowed to overturn the ban, it might be tricky for him to do so, as repealing it will require an act of Congress. 

🪸 What coral reefs are worth

Thanks to their astounding ability to protect coastal communities from storms and erosion, support biodiversity, and allow local economies to thrive, research shows that coral reefs are worth a huge $1.8 billion every year. But climate change and pollution are decimating these vibrant underwater rainforests, which have largely relied on the handouts of philanthropic organisations. Now, scientists are making the case that protecting coral reefs should be paid for with federal disaster funds, which have much bigger budgets, since it saves these agencies money in the long run – and their argument is winning the government over.

🧏‍♀️ New climate terms for the deaf community

The unprecedented impacts of climate change have forced all of us to get to grips with new vocabulary, but many of these words simply did not exist in British Sign Language. Now, signs have been created for 400 key terms, from greenhouse gas to carbon footprint. Rather than spelling these words out letter by letter, these new signs are visual reflections of the concepts themselves.

“Both hands make cloud-like movements to represent weather conditions. The hands then make a turning motion to represent change, showing how weather patterns are shifting over time.”