The Know Daily - Wednesday 24 April 2024

_{Read in 5m 24s ∙ Listening to Dusty Springfield ∙}

Pine martens could soon return to Dartmoor, more than a century after they disappeared due to habitat loss and hunting. The elusive creatures - once one of England’s most common mammals - are regarded as key to healthy woodland ecosystems.

🤝 Ending plastic pollution

Crucial negotiations have begun in Ottawa, Canada to agree a global treaty on ending plastic pollution.

What’s the background? 
In March 2022, nearly 200 countries endorsed an historic agreement to develop a global and legally binding treaty by the end of 2024.

But previous negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya stalled last November. As The Guardian explains, this is because oil-producing nations pushed to focus on waste management, rather than on scaling down plastic production (an estimated 98% of single-use plastics are made from fossil fuels). However, other so-called ‘high-ambition’ countries argue that cutting down production is necessary to tackle plastic pollution. 

Will these talks face similar issues?
Almost certainly. As The Conversation reports, there remains a “broad division” between countries, so it’s unclear where the treaty will land. An ambitious treaty would introduce binding measures focusing on all stages of the plastics life cycle - whereas a weaker one would see voluntary measures focusing mainly on waste management. 

Why is a treaty needed?
Plastic production accounts for some 5% of climate emissions - and this could grow to 20% by 2050, according to a new report. And beyond the problem of pollution, there is also growing attention on the way microplastics may affect human health, said The Guardian. 

The chair of the negotiations, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, told the paper that while there were treaties in place to address climate change and biodiversity loss, “we have no legislation, no global agreement on plastic pollution”. 

So will an agreement be reached?
Valdivieso said that while it would be challenging, he was confident that the talks would lead to the signing next year of the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, adding: “compromise is an important word”. 

And if governments can agree on a treaty that reduces how much plastic is produced, it could become “the most significant pact to address global climate-warming emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement”, said Reuters. 

💉 A new approach

A single injection of a ketamine-derived drug could “significantly reduce” postpartum depression, researchers have found.

Tell me more.
The study - published in the British Medical Journal - found that among mothers who had experienced prenatal depression, those given esketamine directly after birth were around 75% less likely to experience major depressive episodes after 42 days. 

Why does this matter?
An Oxford University professor, who was not involved in the study, told Euronews that this was an “extraordinarily safe, effective and cheap” treatment for postnatal depression, which is thought to affect 1 in 10 new mothers.

While esketamine is already used for depression management, this is the first time that researchers have reached conclusions about its impact on postnatal depression. 

What’s the bigger picture?
Medical professionals are increasingly looking towards recreational and psychedelic drugs as alternative treatments for mental health conditions, with an estimated 1 in 3 people with depression not responding to conventional treatments.

In the UK, esketamine is currently licensed as a therapy for people with hard-to-treat depression. However, it’s not available on the NHS, as in 2022 the health watchdog NICE concluded that there were too many uncertainties about its benefits.

🏡 Tenants’ rights: Housing secretary Michael Gove said he cannot guarantee that “no-fault” evictions will be banned in England by the next general election.

🇺🇸 US politics: The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve a package of measures, including $95bn in foreign aid and a bill that could see TikTok banned in the US. 

🇬🇧 UK politics: The UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2030, the PM yesterday announced. 

🛤️ On the right track: Luxembourg - the only country in the world to offer free public transport - is set to expand its offering to commuters from France. 

📸 Skyscapes: Dust clouds blowing in from the Sahara turned the skies above southern Greece and Athens an orange hue.

Help your friends feel better about the news - and support The Know at the same time. Get them to sign up using your personalised code 👉 https://theknowmedia.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER 👈 and we’ll reward you with goodies from HURR, Grubby and CRU Kafe!

The Know is an independent media company on a mission to help everyone start their day feeling informed and hopeful. We only recommend things we genuinely love but sometimes we make money out of the links and content we share. This directly supports keeping our journalism free for all.

Here are four ways you can support our work:

⭐ Get clicking - this tells our partners that readers are interested in our content. Let’s get started with this one (or maybe this one!).

⭐ Become a friend of The Know - back independent, female-founded journalism for just £1.25 a week. You’ll also get exclusive editions, supporter-only giveaways and more.

⭐ Add us to your contacts or safe sender list - this makes sure we reach your inbox (and everyone else’s) each morning.

⭐ Shop our merch - support The Know and look great while doing it!

Trivia answer: B) Helen Mirren is set to star in the film adaptation - and it looks seriously great. 

How did you find today’s email?
😍 Loved it! | 😕 Could be better…

Need fewer emails? Click here to hear from us once a week.