Infant mortality rates fall 15 percent over last decade in United States
The biggest drop 29 percent is for deaths from sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS, the team at the National Center for Health Statistics found.
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.
Philippines unanimously votes to ratify Paris Agreement
The Philippines Senate has voted unanimously to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, four months earlier than previously expected.
Chile to build massive 450 MW solar thermal power plant
This week, the Chilean government gave the green light to development of SolarReserve’s 450 megawatt (MW) Tamarugal concentrated solar power project.
U.K. emissions fall to lowest level since 19th century
According to the Carbon Brief, CO2 emissions fell by 5.8 per cent in 2016, after coal use fell a record 52 per cent.
Wind overtakes hydro as renewable energy leader in the U.S.
According to new data released on Monday 6 March, installed wind capacity in the U.S. surpassed hydroelectric generating capacity, long the nation’s largest source of renewable energy, in 2016.
7,000 railway stations in India to go solar
The Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the 7,000 railway stations across the country will be fed with solar power as per the Indian Railways mission to implement 1,000 megawatts of solar power capacity.
Saudis kick off $50 billion renewable energy plan to cut oil use
Bidders seeking to qualify to build 700 megawatts of wind and solar power plants should submit documents by March 20, and those selected will be announced by April 10, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said Monday in an e-mailed statement.
Renewables accounted for 90% of Europe’s new power last year
In 2016, 21.1 GW of the 24.5 GW of new energy sources added to Europe’s electrical grids were from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and biomass.
Solar now provides twice as many jobs as the coal industry
As solar power keeps getting cheaperand more and more of it is built as a resultthe industry is also an increasingly important source of new jobs, adding workers at a rate nearly 17 times faster than the overall economy.
E.U. court rules U.K. mass surveillance program illegal
Europe’s top court struck a blow against U.K. mass surveillance in 2016, ruling that blanket retention of citizens’ web history, location, and app data couldn’t be justified in a democracy. The case, brought by two MPs from opposing parties, challenged laws letting 48 public bodies access a year of everyone’s data. It drew a clear line: targeted surveillance, yes — indiscriminate collection, no.