Costa Rica to ban fossil fuels and become world’s first decarbonised society
New president embraces ‘titanic and beautiful task’ of complete renewable energy transition.
Nations
Pakistan passes historic transgender rights bill
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act allows people to choose their gender and to have that identity recognized on official documents, including national IDs, passports and driver’s licenses.
E.U. plans to spend a quarter of its budget on climate protection
A quarter of the €1.279 trillion budget for 2021 to 2027 will be dedicated to spending designed to combat climate change. That includes funding for renewable energy, efficiency improvements, and adaptation to the effects of climate change.
All 197 Paris Agreement signatories now taking climate action
A policy brief published on Monday by U.K.-based climate research institute the Grantham Institute finds there are now over 1,500 laws and policies in place worldwide, up from only 72 in 1997, with 106 introduced since the Paris Agreement was finalised at the end of 2015.
Australia is investing $379 million to save the Great Barrier Reef
The landmark plan includes funds for improving water quality by reducing pollution from farm fertilizer runoff, and encourage reef restoration by experimenting with laboratory-grown coral that is more durable at higher temperatures.
E.U. to ban bee-killing pesticides
EU countries voted on Friday for a near-total ban on insecticides blamed for killing off bee populations, in what campaigners called a “beacon of hope” for the winged insects.
North and South Korea vow to end the Korean War in historic accord
The leaders of North and South Korea have committed themselves to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and pledged to bring a formal end to the Korean War, 65 years after hostilities ceased.
E.U. Parliament approves new measures to create a circular economy
“By 2025, at least 55% of municipal waste (from households and businesses) should be recycled. The target will rise to 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035.”
The U.K. goes 55 hours without using coal for the first time in history
No coal was used for power generation by stations in the U.K. between 10:25 p.m. in London on Monday until 5:10 a.m. on Thursday.
England plans to ban on plastic straws and cotton buds
The U.K. Government is planning to ban plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-tipped cotton buds in a further acceleration of its war on the waste material.