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.

 🦜 Birdwatching’s staggering popularity

Birdwatching – an increasingly niche hobby practiced by a dwindling number of eccentrics, right? Far from it. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 96m people in the US – 35% of the population! – went birdwatching (or ‘birding’) in 2022. Of course, you won’t spot any birds if they’re extinct, so this boon is inherently great news for conservation. Birdwatchers act as citizen scientists, feeding back useful data to researchers and policymakers that can be used to figure out where the creatures most urgently need protection.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The quest to rewild Scotland

Rewilding is incredibly popular in Scotland, with 80% of people in favour of policies that would bring back the country’s nature. Support is especially high across rural communities, where rewilding could hold the key to reinvigorating local economies. Now, a campaign is urging the government to make Scotland the first ‘rewilding nation’, and revert 30% of its land and waters to their natural state. The country already has 150 initiatives in play, and is seeing hugely positive results – in one area, the population of bees is now 116 times as high as it was just two years ago.

👱‍♀️ Getting Swifties on board with climate action

Matty Healy can rest easy, as Taylor Swift fans have a new nemesis now: fossil fuels. The campaign Unite the Swifties, organised by climate action groups, recently offered fans the chance to win tickets to her Eras Tour. People could earn extra entries to the giveaway by signing petitions or organising protests against RBC, the Canadian bank and major fossil fuel funder that was a tour partner for the singer’s stops in Vancouver and Toronto. It’s a novel way of getting young people off the sidelines and into the fight against climate change – but will they stay engaged, or just shake it off?