Climate Diplomacy & Restoration: Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative drew praise from diplomats as a global model, with the country reporting massive tree-planting momentum and a new push to plant billions more seedlings in 2026. Health & Wildlife Risk: Russian researchers say the Caspian Sea is a key ecological hub in avian influenza spread, linking migration routes and wetlands to better early-warning planning. Corporate Climate Accountability: Microsoft’s FY25 emissions rose 25% as AI-driven data center expansion surged, even as the company reiterates its 2030 carbon-negative goal. Clean Energy vs. AI Demand: In Pennsylvania, renewable allies are pressing regulators to keep data centers on climate-friendly power, while Wisconsin residents challenge proposed transmission lines for data centers. Carbon Markets: Indonesia is set to issue its first forestry carbon credits under a national framework using Verra standards, aiming to channel climate finance to communities and protect peatlands. Waste & Water Resilience: Ghana’s Accra floods are being framed as a leadership test exposing long-running planning and enforcement failures, while Ghana’s Volta River Authority says it will institutionalize regular clean-ups. Nature Protection: Malaysia’s Bukit Lima Nature Reserve earned recognition as the largest protected urban peat swamp reserve.