Indonesia cracks down on imported plastic waste
Faced with an unending stream of unrecyclable waste from wealthy nations, Indonesia has tightened its regulations and has begun to make progress in stemming the plastics flow.
Nations
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.
China to reach peak gasoline demand in 2024
With plug-in cars increasingly displacing gas guzzlers, China is now on track to hit peak gasoline demand in 2024, according to independent analyses from the International Energy Agency and Rystad Energy.
Work begins along California-Oregon border on largest dam removal project in U.S. history
When demolition is completed by the end of next year, more than 400 miles of river will have opened for threatened species of fish and other wildlife. By comparison, the 65 dams removed in the U.S. last year combined to reconnect 430 miles of river.
Taiwan to provide period products in all schools and universities
The Ministry of Education announced that over NT$100 million (US$3.18 million) would be invested in the provision of menstrual care products in all educational institutions and 10 other venues throughout Taiwan.
Ghana ends capital punishment
The West African country currently has 170 men and six women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment. Until now, execution has been the mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana.
Netherlands to return nearly 500 looted objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka
“We’re not only returning objects; we’re also embarking on a period of closer cooperation with Indonesia and Sri Lanka in areas like collection research, presentation, and exchanges between museums,” said Dutch Secretary of State for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti to become the first female top officer in the U.S. Navy
Franchetti, who will be the first woman ever in the joint chief of staffs, marks another first for the Biden administration’s Defense Department, which has now had the first Black secretary of defense and the first female Army secretary.
Number of EV charging points in the U.S. has nearly doubled in three years
In the first quarter of 2020, the U.S. had roughly 80,000 public charging stations nationwide. In Q1 2023, it surpassed 140,000 public stations.
Deforestation fell 26% in Colombian Amazon last year
“This is really dramatic,” conservationist Rodrigo Botero told The Guardian. “It’s the highest reduction in deforestation and forest fires that there has been in two decades.”
U.S. destroys last of its Cold War chemical weapons
After over three decades of effort, the United States has destroyed the last of its chemical weapon stockpile that once consisted of 30,000 tonnes of deadly chemical agents in explosive munitions and storage containers.