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© 2025 Island Innovation. All rights reserved.

    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    All ThemesCircular EconomyClimate ActionConnectivity & DigitizationCulture & CommunityEnergy & TransportGreen Finance & EconomyOcean & BiodiversityPolicy & GovernanceTourism & Remote WorkWater & Food
    Showing 9 of 2068 news items
    Climate activist seeks funding for 12,000km walk from Malta to India
    Climate ActionApril 15, 2026

    Climate activist seeks funding for 12,000km walk from Malta to India

    Excerpt from maltatoday.com.mt Jaydip Lakhankiya was studying hotel management when a discussion on sustainable tourism intrigued him and led him down a rabbit hole of research on climate change. His thirst for knowledge quickly turned into a yearning for activism and sowed the seed of an idea to become the first person to walk from Malta to India. I meet Jaydip in a quiet coffee shop where he sets out to explain the “mad idea” of travelling 12,000km to the other side of the world on foot to raise awareness on climate change.

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    Okinawa salt manufacturer shifts production method in decarbonization drive
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    Connectivity & DigitizationApril 15, 2026

    Okinawa salt manufacturer shifts production method in decarbonization drive

    Excerpt from japantimes.co.jp Surrounded by sea, Okinawa Prefecture has long treasured salt, which is indispensable to people’s daily lives. But the salt industry is facing a major challenge — to change how it produces salt and delivers it to end users, a process that emits a massive amount of carbon dioxide. The production of salt — called maasu in the Okinawan dialect — involves generating high-temperature, high-pressure steam and boiling seawater or concentrated brine in a flat pan until crystals form. In Japan, coal-fired boilers are commonly used in this process. “People even say salt equals coal — it uses an enormous amount of fossil fuel,” says Genei Matayoshi, CEO of Aoiumi, the operator of salt manufacturer Shima-maasu Honpo in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture. The salt industry’s total CO2 emissions in Japan in fiscal 2024, which ended in March 2025, are estimated at about 631,000 tons. While this represents a reduction of nearly 138,000 tons from the base year of fiscal 2013, achieving the government’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 remains distant.

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    Islandness: The Case for a Place-Based Approach to Conservation
    Culture & CommunityApril 15, 2026

    Islandness: The Case for a Place-Based Approach to Conservation

    Excerpt and Photo Credit from earth.org Islands are more than just ecological laboratories; they are socio-cultural hubs that host over a quarter of the world’s human languages. To be effective, conservation must shift toward a “place-based” approach that respects the unique, inseparable bond between insular communities and the environments they steward. In ecology, islands have long been considered as perfect natural laboratories due to their distinctive features. Among them: their geographical isolation, their replicability, and, most interestingly, their disproportionate level of biodiversity. Indeed, whilst representing only 5.3% of Earth’s land area, islands host around 20% of its terrestrial species. But beyond their ecological features, islands are also socio-cultural laboratories, hosting 27% of human languages and a huge diversity of culture and practices.

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    CalMac ferries could have lower capacity with rise of EVs
    Energy & TransportApril 8, 2026

    CalMac ferries could have lower capacity with rise of EVs

    Excerpt from heraldscotland.com The rise of electric vehicles could result in Scotland's ferries having a lower vehicle capacity, CalMac has warned. Due to the presence of large battery packs, modern electric cars are on average 200-400kg heavier than a petrol equivalent. At a meeting in the Western Isles, the ferry operator was asked whether this would mean that vehicle capacity could be reduced on sailings as more EVs enter the market. In comments reported by The Scotsman, Outer Hebrides area manager David Hamill said: "Yes, I think it’s fair to say potentially it could.

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    In Svalbard, where sea ice is vanishing faster than anywhere else, polar bears remain healthy
    Ocean & BiodiversityApril 8, 2026

    In Svalbard, where sea ice is vanishing faster than anywhere else, polar bears remain healthy

    Excerpt from lemonde.fr Footage shot in the Arctic by scientists shows a polar bear feasting on a seal atop a drifting slab of sea ice. In another video, a female bear crosses a vast, frozen expanse, trailed by her two cubs. Elsewhere, a male bear roams through the snow. These mammals appear healthy – far from the images of emaciated bears that have sparked concern in recent years. In the far north, Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago, is a paradox. Climate change has warmed the region faster than anywhere else on Earth, and its sea ice is shrinking more rapidly than in any other ice-bound area. Yet, the physical condition of adult polar bears has not worsened over the past 25 years. In fact, it improved after 2000, according to a study published on Thursday, January 29, in Scientific Reports, based on long-term monitoring in the Barents Sea. This may be only a respite before an expected decline.

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    Keeping the Lights On: How Cuba Is Fighting an Energy Crisis Under Tightened Sanctions
    Energy & TransportApril 8, 2026

    Keeping the Lights On: How Cuba Is Fighting an Energy Crisis Under Tightened Sanctions

    Excerpt from powermag.com The current state of the national power grid in Cuba is a response to an exceptionally complex scenario, marked by the intensification of the U.S. embargo and its direct impact on fuel supplies. This was the message delivered by First Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Argelio Jesús Abad Vigoa, during his appearance on the Cuban TV program “Mesa Redonda.” The official distinguished two clearly defined phases. Until the end of last year, although the embargo remained rigorous and had imposed severe restrictions for more than six decades—including the persecution of suppliers, sanctions on shipping companies, and financial obstacles—Cuba managed to acquire fuel on the international market.

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    Beneath Indonesia’s big EV dreams loom local costs
    Connectivity & DigitizationApril 8, 2026

    Beneath Indonesia’s big EV dreams loom local costs

    Excerpt and Photo Credit from eco-business.com In July 2024, then president Joko Widodo said Indonesia must “become a global player in the EV supply chain”. He was speaking at the inauguration of a Hyundai EV and battery factory in Karawang, West Java, where government officials declared the country’s commitment to strengthening its EV production “ecosystem”. Indonesia, with its large supplies of several metals used in EVs – such as nickel, copper and bauxite – has taken several steps towards doing so. But in the background of these ambitions lie concerns about the nickel industry’s impacts on local communities. Experts say that without major changes to the law, local people will continue to suffer from impacts already documented in existing projects.

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    Henning Larsen Proposes a "Learning Village" to Expand the Glyvra School in the Faroe Islands
    Culture & CommunityApril 8, 2026

    Henning Larsen Proposes a "Learning Village" to Expand the Glyvra School in the Faroe Islands

    Excerpt from archdaily.com Danish architecture studio Henning Larsen has been selected to redesign and expand Glyvra School in the Faroe Islands, proposing a landscape-driven educational campus that responds directly to the region's topography and climate. Conceived as a "learning village," the project rethinks the role of the school in a small coastal community, positioning architecture and outdoor space as integral parts of everyday learning. Commissioned by Runavík Municipality and developed in collaboration with engineering firm Ramboll, the project will be delivered in multiple phases to ensure the school remains fully operational throughout construction, with new facilities completed and occupied before existing structures are renovated or removed.

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    Sri Lanka declares Wednesdays off as Asian countries try to conserve fuel
    Energy & TransportApril 8, 2026

    Sri Lanka declares Wednesdays off as Asian countries try to conserve fuel

    Excerpt from bbc.com Sri Lanka has declared every Wednesday a holiday for public institutions to conserve fuel as the island nation grapples with possible shortages in the wake of the US and Israel's war with Iran. "We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best," President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said at an emergency meeting with senior officials on Monday. This is the latest in a series of belt-tightening measures undertaken by Asian countries since the war choked off the Strait of Hormuz, which used to carry millions of barrels of oil from the Gulf into the region. Nearly 90% of all the oil and gas flowing through the strait last year was bound for Asia, which is the world's largest oil-importing region.

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