Germany returns stolen colonial treasures to Namibia
The decision is part of reparations for a period of colonial rule during which Germany committed a genocide against the Namibian people.
Today (2017 C.E. - 2025 C.E.)
This archive spans the years 2017 through 2025, a period marked by rapid advances in clean energy, medicine, technology, and social equity. It collects documented breakthroughs, policy wins, and scientific achievements from the present era. If you want evidence that progress is real and ongoing, this is where to look.
Lincoln Crowley appointed Australia’s first Indigenous supreme court justice
Lincoln Crowley QC has become the first Indigenous person ever appointed to an Australian superior court, taking his seat on the Supreme Court of Queensland. A Warramunga man who grew up in Charters Towers, Crowley was once told by a school deputy principal that his Aboriginal family were “the type that end up in jail.” His reply, as he later recalled: “You wait and see, mate.” He began his career representing Indigenous clients before rising to crown prosecutor and senior counsel on Australia’s disability royal commission. For every First Nations child watching, the message of his appointment is quietly powerful: the justice system can include them, not just process them — a small but meaningful shift in a country still reckoning with who its laws have served.
Same-sex partners in Croatia can now legally adopt children
Zagreb’s Administrative Court ruled on April 21 that same-sex couples should not face discrimination in state adoption, according to the Rainbow Families Association (RFA).
Marijuana legalization linked to fall in alcohol, tobacco, and pain medication consumption in new study
“Implementation of legalized non-medical cannabis coincided with decreases in alcohol and cigarette use and pain reliever misuse,” the University of Washington researchers reported.
Hawaii startup just launched world’s first ocean-assisted carbon removal plant
Each Heimdal can pull 1,000 tons of carbon out of the ocean per year at just a fraction of the cost of air-capture methods.
Switzerland votes for default organ donations to save more lives in the country
Under this new ‘presumed consent’ model, people who do not wish to become organ donors after death must explicitly say so.
New Zealand passes landmark climate legislation, helping switch to EVs
New Zealand’s sweeping 15-year emissions plan shows what climate legislation can look like when it’s built to last — with near cross-party backing making it harder for future governments to unravel. Central to it is a “scrap and replace” program giving lower- and middle-income families real help trading older vehicles for electric or hybrid ones, tackling the equity problem that typically leaves cleaner cars out of reach. Greener buses, trams, and cycling infrastructure round out the approach, recognizing that fewer car trips matter as much as cleaner ones. It’s a model other countries will be watching closely.
The largest battery recycling facility in Europe begins operations in Norway
The Hydrovolt factory is now in commercial operation and expects to recycle 12,000 tons of depleted batteries a year initially, rising to 70,000 tons by 2025 and 300,000 tons by 2030.
Global population of one-horned rhino soars due to conservation efforts in India
The International Rhino Foundation announced the milestone, reporting that the population now numbers 4,014 individuals—up from just 100 individuals 50 years ago.
Starbucks will now pay for employees who need to travel for abortions
Starbucks says it will pay travel expenses for U.S. employees to access abortion or gender-confirmation procedures if those services aren’t available within 100 miles of a worker’s home.