Zambia halts mining permits in pristine wilderness
Besides being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park is 1,500 square miles of classic African bush (about half the size of Yellowstone).
Nations
This archive collects milestones and progress stories involving nations — countries and their governments — acting to improve lives, protect rights, or address shared challenges. From policy breakthroughs to international cooperation, these stories show what countries are doing right.
United States enacts animal cruelty bill into law, making it a federal felony
Animal cruelty has officially become a federal felony after President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan bill, Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, into law.
27 countries pledge $9.7 billion for climate action in the global South
Countries from around the world have pledged more than $9.7 billion to replenish the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was established in 2010 by the 194 countries to serve as a key channel for delivering climate finance to developing countries.
New Zealand passes historic zero carbon bill with near unanimous bipartisan support
The New Zealand parliament has passed landmark legislation that enshrines the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement into law, and will see the country achieve zero net carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
First-ever Ebola vaccine approved by European regulators
The drug, which has already been given to hundreds of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, can now be distributed more widely.
Canada invests $175 million in nature conservation projects
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change has announced the first in a series of more than 60 conservation initiatives launching in every province and territory under Canada Nature Fund’s Target 1 Challenge.
Italy to become first country to make studying climate change compulsory in schools
Under a new law, all state schools will dedicate around an hour a week to sustainability and climate change issues from the beginning of the next academic year.
Australia’s main grid reaches 50% renewables for first time
Australia’s main grid broke through the 50% benchmark for renewable energy in one trading period this Wednesday, the first time that half of net demand had been met by renewables.
Rooftop solar installations in Australia this October smash monthly record
Rooftop solar installations have set a new record of 207MW in the month of October, beating the previous benchmark by 15 per cent and with new records set in four different states.
E.U. Commission passes new laws to make large appliances easier to repair
The so-called “Right to Repair” law says spare parts should remain available for at least seven to ten years after the appliance has been sold.