Australia sets new climate target in landmark bill
Australia’s parliament has passed legislation enshrining a pledge to slash carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.
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.
China’s CO2 emissions fall by record 8% in second quarter of 2022
China’s emissions have now fallen year-on-year for four consecutive quarters, extending what was already the longest sustained decline in recent history.
World’s first 100% hydrogen-powered trains begin operations in Germany
Hydrogen-powered passenger trains now cover an entire regional rail network in Lower Saxony, Germany — 14 Alstom Coradia iLint trains that have fully retired the diesel locomotives once used on the Cuxhaven-to-Buxtehude lines. Each train pulls oxygen from the air, combines it with hydrogen stored on the roof, and emits only water vapor, traveling roughly 1,000 kilometers between refuels. The regional operator has pledged to never buy another diesel train, citing both climate goals and the cleaner air passengers breathe at small-town platforms. It’s a modest fleet in a single corner of Germany, but it’s the first proof anywhere that diesel regional rail can be fully replaced — a template other countries with long, lightly used routes can now follow.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court strikes down ban on buggery
The Offenses Against the Person Act, imported from England, criminalized “unnatural offenses” and carried a maximum penalty of 10 years with hard labor.
Indonesia announces plan to protect 10% of its seas by 2030, and 30% by 2045
Indonesia’s marine protection plan is one of the most ambitious ocean commitments any nation has made — a two-phase expansion that would eventually shield nearly a million square kilometers of some of Earth’s most biodiverse waters. The country’s eastern seas sit within the Pacific Coral Triangle, home to more reef fish and coral species than anywhere else on the planet. Experts are cheering the target while urging the government to prioritize genuinely effective, community-centered management over coverage alone. If Indonesia gets this right, it could become a model for tropical nations across the Indo-Pacific.
Togo achieves ‘major feat’ of eliminating four neglected tropical diseases
Togo’s elimination of four neglected tropical diseases is a powerful proof of concept for what sustained political will can achieve in global health. These diseases — which still affect roughly 1.7 billion people worldwide — trap communities in cycles of poverty and disability, yet Togo wiped out all four within eleven years. The WHO called it a model for the entire continent, and with 46 countries having now eliminated at least one NTD, momentum is clearly building. Togo shows the world’s 2030 elimination goal is genuinely within reach.
Singapore to repeal colonial-era law against sex between men
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced the repeal of the colonial-era Section 377A of the penal code, under which sex between men is punishable by up to two years in prison.
Sierra Leone passes new laws to boost landowners’ rights
Sierra Leone’s parliament has passed two laws that lawyers say will help boost the rights of rural landowners and women against land grabs by big mining and agribusiness firms.
Indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador wins decades-long battle to protect land
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the 13,583-acre ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest in the country’s south.
U.N. General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right
The resolution, based on a similar text adopted last year by the Human Rights Council, calls upon States, international organizations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all.