Punch the Macaque, Climate Trial, and Wellington Sewage Crisis

Landmark Climate Trial in France

• ⚖️ Paris town hall and environmental groups are leading a landmark trial against TotalEnergies, France's first major climate trial against an oil and gas giant.
• 💧 The lawsuit aims to oblige TotalEnergies to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting hydrocarbon production to meet Paris Agreement targets.
• 🏛️ The case is based on France's law of due diligence, requiring corporations to identify and mitigate human rights, health, and environmental risks.
• ⚠️ In an unusual move, the prosecutor's office has aligned with TotalEnergies, arguing the due diligence law does not extend to climate change.

Wellington's Sewage Crisis

• 🌊 Wellington, New Zealand, is facing a catastrophe with millions of liters of raw sewage dumped into the ocean for over two weeks.
• 🚽 This is due to the catastrophic collapse of a wastewater treatment plant, causing the city's toilets to flush directly into the sea.
• 🐟 Locals are angry, and there are fears for the safety of marine ecosystems and endangered species.
• 🌐 Water management has been a contentious issue in New Zealand, with ongoing debates about centralized control of services.

Viral Abandoned Macaque

• 🐒 A six-month-old macaque baby named Punch, living at a Japanese zoo, has gone viral after being abandoned by its mother.
• 🧸 Zookeepers are hand-rearing Punch and gave him an orangutan plushy to ease his anxiety and need for cuddles.
• 💖 Punch now takes his plushy everywhere, and a video of him snoozing with it has been seen more than three million times.
• 👍 The story has inspired the hashtag #hangintherepunch, resonating with many online.