Earth Pulse · 7-day outlook
Is the news good for the planet?
Every week the news records steps toward a livable planet — and setbacks. nadu.lk believes a sustainable future is worth reporting on, measuring and working for. Here is the week's balance, the events behind it, and what helps.
Why it matters
43%
The cut in global greenhouse-gas emissions needed by 2030 to keep warming near 1.5°C — with emissions peaking before 2025 at the latest.
Source: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Working Group III (2022)6.7 million
Premature deaths a year linked to the combined effects of outdoor and household air pollution.
Source: World Health Organization, ambient air quality and health fact sheet70%
Sri Lanka's goal for the share of its electricity that comes from renewable sources by 2030.
Source: Government of Sri Lanka, as reported by Climate Home News (2021)No new coal
Sri Lanka pledged to stop building coal-fired power plants and to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Source: Reuters, via Nippon.com (September 2021)What helps
Practical steps that move the balance toward greener news.
At home
- Cut electricity waste first — efficient fans, lights and appliances save money and emissions.
- Consider rooftop solar if you can; every panel moves the country toward its 70% goal.
- Refuse single-use plastic and keep waste out of drains, canals and the sea.
In your community
- Plant and protect native trees; support local reforestation and mangrove restoration.
- Report illegal forest clearing, sand mining or dumping to the authorities, with photos and locations.
- Choose buses, trains, walking and cycling where you can, and car-share where you can't.
From your leaders
- Ask candidates and MPs how they will deliver 70% renewable electricity by 2030 — and hold them to it.
- Back enforcement of environmental law: impact assessments, protected areas and penalties for polluters.
- Support a grid that can take more solar and wind, and an end to new fossil-fuel power.
How this is measured
Every report is classified once a day by its effect on the planet's health — clean-energy steps, conservation and pollution clean-ups count as greener; fossil-fuel expansion, pollution, habitat loss, war damage and observed climate harm count against. An event counts here whatever its area, so a war is also recorded as environmental harm. The index weighs each event by its impact, how many newsrooms reported it and how well rated they are, and leans toward balanced when there is little to go on — the same method as the rest of the outlook.
nadu.lk's view that a sustainable planet matters shapes what this page explains and encourages. It does not change how events are scored: a harm is recorded as a harm, and a greener step as a greener step, whoever is involved.