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Stubborn problems overcome: Where hunger is dropping and weeds build homes

How a contest for cargo ships is saving whales

A contest for cargo ships is protecting whales by encouraging traffic to slow down. Fatal collisions with whales have ticked upward as maritime shipping has grown globally and warming waters have changed animals’ patterns of movement. Off the U.S. west coast, some 80 endangered whales are killed in ship strikes annually.

In the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies contest run by the federal government since 2014, companies are rewarded for reducing ship speed along the coast of California. Last year, 81% of the distance ships traveled was at the recommended speed of 10 knots per hour or less, and fatal collisions fell by 58%. Firms used to receive cash prizes – but bragging rights have become reward enough.

Why We Wrote This

Long-term problems like housing shortages and hunger can feel insurmountable. This week’s progress roundup shows significant movement on both fronts. In Latin America, food insecurity declines. And in Namibia, innovative management of an invasive species is helping to boost housing stocks.

This spring, whale scientists launched a real-time tool that tracks whales and ships’ compliance with speed limits, detailed data that is helping companies improve their performance.

Eric Risberg/AP/File

A ship passes San Francisco. A voluntary speed limit of 10 knots per hour is intended to reduce both pollution and collisions with whales.

In addition to causing fewer collisions, slower ships generate fewer air pollutants and less noise. In 2023, there were more contest participants – 33 companies – than ever before.

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