Xi Jinping's announcement that China will stop funding overseas coal projects could buy the world about three more months in the race to keep global heating to a relatively safe level of 1.5C, experts say.

Although the impact will depend on implementation(实施), China's declaration should also help to kill off coal, which has been humanity's primary power source for most of the last 200 years.

The immediate impact is likely to be felt in the countries that rely most heavily on Chinese funding for new coal projects. The governments in these nations will now have to decide whether to find alternative funding from the private sector, where the borrowing costs can be high — as Pakistan has recently found out — or whether to shift to renewables, which Xi has promised to support.

Despite the uncertainties over implementation, Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said China's announcement would accelerate decarbonisation. "Countries now know that going forward, there is no financing on the table for coal. That should clarify things a lot."

Another positive knock-on effect would be to push Japan to follow suit. The government in Tokyo has already taken steps in this direction but left a door open for financing by its private-sector institutions. Their geopolitical reason had been that they did not want to leave China as the only option for regional energy projects. With Xi's announcement, they now have no excuse not to slam the door shut for good. Likewise for South Korea, formerly one of the world's biggest coal backers, which has recently moved towards decarbonisation.

Frustrated by an increase in wild boar(野猪) attacks, officials in Hong Kong used bread to attract and trap some of the animals in a district close to the city Press reported. Wild boars can be seen frequently along Hong Kong fuse to obey orders from authorities to stop feeding them because they can gather in large groups and pass along diseases. Attacks by wild boars have also become an increasingly common issue. In an attack last week, a wild boar knocked down a police officer and bit his leg last week before the animal fell from a residential car park and died.

Government data indicates that there are roughly 3,000 wild boars in Hong Kong. They are not a protected species. Though Hong Kong authorities have attempted to naturally cut down the boar population, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it " could not effectively control the wild pig disturbance." "A large group of wild pigs continued to wander and gather at the site, posing threats to members of the public and road users," a statement from the department read.

Since the attack on the police officer, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has cautioned that the city could impose more severe punishment against people who continue to feed the boars. "I understand that a lot of Hong Kong people love the wetlands and nature. However, we also need to protect public safety.We can't simply sit on our hands while things worsen," she added.

Philanthropic group ADM Capital Foundation, the Hong Kong Veterinary Association and other animal rights organizations have since sent an open letter to the government criticizing its shift in policy to kill the boars. A request by groups including Hong Kong Animal Post and Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group said that the measures announced by the agriculture department to regularly capture and put down wild boars "ignore their right to live. This approach is extremely unreasonable and contradicts previous animal management policy principles."

Hong Kong needs legislative reform to deal with the current gaps in existing laws, so that wildlife feeding is an illegal activity, punishment is severe and can be enforced effectively.

Growing up on a farm, I learned from my parents about the large bees we called mangangava. But in college, when I gave a presentation about those bees, I didn't mention their familiar name; instead I used formal terms when describing their adaptations for pollinating (授粉). I was afraid of being judged for expressing my personal knowledge in a science class. But when the instructor pressed me to tell the class whether I'd seen the bees myself and what I called them, my views and my whole career path began to change. I realized my background was valuable, and that my calling was to help educate others like me.

My parents worked on a small farm and I often helped out when I was not in school. They had a close relationship with nature, something they learned from my grandparents and passed down to me. This was why I became interested in biology.

In college, I joined a series of labs to gain research experience, but my interest in pursuing a career as a scientist began to wane after I realized my research was not helping poor people like my parents. As a black student from a rural community, I also felt out of place in most classes. The feeling of not belonging circled in my head. I sometimes thought about giving up.

My instructor's request that I share my knowledge of the mangangava bee changed my view. She saw that tapping into my personal experiences would help me grasp the scientific concepts. No other professor had shown that kind of sensitivity, which helped me realize I did have a place in higher education and that I didn't need to hide who I truly am.

I'm now a master's student in education, working on a project that explores the connection between science and traditional knowledge. I don't think I'd be here if I hadn't crossed paths with my instructor. We need more educators and scientists like her-people who can serve as role models and know that the best way to nurture new scientists is to allow students to be themselves.