This archive collects stories from Good News for Humankind involving nations — countries and their governments — as key actors in progress. Across 1,807 articles, you’ll find reporting on policy wins, international cooperation, and measurable improvements in health, climate, rights, and more.
New Zealand’s parliament has unanimously passed the Equal Pay Amendment Bill that ensures that women in historically underpaid female-dominated industries receive the same remuneration as men in different but equal-value work.
In the 1940s, 75% of Costa Rica was cloaked in lush rainforests. It is thought that between up to a half of that forest cover in Costa Rica had been destroyed by loggers by 1987. Today almost 60% of the land is once again forest.
The Great American Outdoors Act allocates $9.5bn over the next five years for previously neglected park repairs. And it sets up $900m a year to acquire land for conservation and continue maintenance.
France’s prime minister vowed to develop “railway highways” to carry food and other goods that now go by truck, part of a government push to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
When it becomes operational, the 988 dial-code will provide mental health support and ease pressure on the 911 line, which covers all emergencies. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and has increased by 33% in the past 20 years.
India’s Ministry for New and Renewable Energy is likely to propose to the government to set up a World Solar Bank. The MNRE may propose that the World Solar Bank disburse $50 billion over the first ten years.
Eligible individuals from Hong Kong currently can come to the U.K. for six months without a visa. With the rule change, they will have the right to live and work in the country for five years. After that, they will be allowed to apply for settled status and then again for citizenship.
President Donald Trump has threatened to veto a version that renames the military bases, but that looks less likely after the Senate passed its version 86 to 14, well above the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Fossil fuels fell by 18 percent, squeezed both by rising renewable generation and a seven-percent fall in electricity demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The state support is allowing Autohaus Koenig, a dealership chain with more than 50 locations across Germany, to advertise a lease for the battery-powered Renault Zoe that is entirely covered by subsidies.
