In a powerful victory for climate campaigners, the Brussels court of appeal ordered Belgium to cut its planet-heating pollution by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. By 2021, Belgium had cut its emissions by just 24%. The court rejected arguments that Belgium’s impact on the climate crisis was limited by its small size.
This three-digit hotline, similar to 911 for emergencies, connects individuals to critical suicide prevention services, giving instant assistance 24/7, free of charge. According to Statistics Canada, 4,500 individuals across the nation die by suicide every year.
Nepal has just become the first South Asian country to recognize a same-sex marriage after it formally recognized the marriage of Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey who wed in 1997.
Minera Panamá will have to close the Cobre Panamá mine after the country’s highest court unanimously ruled that the terms of its contract were unconstitutional. The decision comes amid nationwide protests that blocked roads and shipping routes as Panamanians fought back against expansion of the mining sector due to its damaging environmental impacts.
Investment in new manufacturing capacity for zero-emissions vehicles, batteries, and critical minerals have jumped more than 250%, climbing from $14 billion in the year before Inflation Reduction Act’s passage to $51 billion in the year since its passage, according to the Clean Investment Monitor.
According to HSI, the African elephant population has declined by 96% over the last century, and poachers in Africa kill as many as 25,000 elephants and 1,300 rhinos every year. Poaching is the most significant threat to these species, experts say.
“The EU will finally assume responsibility for its plastic waste by banning its export to non-OECD countries,” said Pernille Weiss, a Danish member of the European parliament. “Once again, we follow our vision that waste is a resource when it is properly managed, but should not in any case be causing harm to the environment or human health.”
The 2-gigawatt (GW) Al Dhafra solar farm is 22 miles (35 km) from Abu Dhabi and features almost 4 million bifacial solar panels. It will power nearly 200,000 homes and eliminate over 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually.
The Dominique barge is designed to provide a net output of 1.5 megawatts year-round, enough to supply nearly 17% of the nation’s entire 78 million-odd kilowatt hour energy consumption. London company Global OTEC plans to begin commissioning the project in 2023.
Commercial fishing will not be permitted in the reserve, but artisanal fishing will be allowed, as long as it is sustainable and does not endanger the whales. Large ships will be required to use designated ocean corridors to avoid disturbing the mammals.
