California reaches its 33% renewable energy target two years before deadline
The state’s next renewable milestone is at 44% by 2024, a 33% growth in just over five full years.
United States
This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and milestones from the United States — covering policy wins, community-led efforts, scientific advances, and social progress happening across the country. Each entry highlights what’s working and why it matters.
Amazon launches initiative to make all deliveries carbon neutral
The company just published a blog post about the initiative, which it’s calling Shipment Zero. The proposal is scarce on tangible details, but the retail giant did commit to making half its shipments carbon neutral by 2030.
The U.S. Senate passes decade’s biggest public lands package, protecting 1.3 million acres of wilderness
The measure protects 1.3 million acres as wilderness, the nation’s most stringent protection. It permanently withdraws more than 370,000 acres of land from mining around two national parks.
Earth has more tree and leaf coverage now than in 2000, thanks to China and India
According to U.S. NASA, there are now more than 2 million sq miles of extra leaf area per year, compared with the early 2000s — a 5% increase. The greening effect stems mainly from ambitious tree-planting and intensive farming in China and India.
Scientists are using AI to find hotel rooms being used for child sex trafficking
Washington University engineers developed AI that recognizes features of a hotel room from a photo and identify where it may have been taken, offering new leads to fight child trafficking.
Researchers use healthy stem cells for future Type 1 diabetes cure for the first time
For the first time ever, researchers have successfully transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes.
New Jersey will now require LGBTQ history to be taught in schools
Governor Phil Murphy signed a measure that would require all public schools to teach LGBTQ history, making New Jersey only the second state in the U.S. to do so, after California in 2017.
Florida Power & Light plans for 30 million solar panels by 2030
The “30 by 30” expansion will change the dynamics and make Florida a real leader of solar in the world.
Majority of Americans say transgender people should be allowed in military
70% of respondents in the Quinnipiac University poll said transgender people should be allowed to serve, while only 22 percent said they should not.
Scientists report that coral reefs in West Hawaii are now recovering from bleaching
“We surveyed over 14,000 coral colonies at 20 sites along the West Hawaii coast from Kawaihae to Keauhou and were thrilled to see that many of the area’s reefs have stabilized, which is the first step toward recovery.”