Since taking power last year, leftist President Gustavo Petro has enacted a slate of new policies aimed at protecting Colombian forests, including paying locals to conserve woodland. The recent gains in Colombia mirror similar advances in the Brazilian Amazon, where leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has cracked down on forest clearing.
Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment that ensures access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care. Ohio became the seventh state where voters decided to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The Canadian federal government has signed its first major nature agreement with a province and First Nations to mutually support protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030. The agreement is meant to protect old growth forests in the B.C., support the recovery of at-risk species, and restore ecosystems.
The new program aims to help students of color, first-generation college students and students from low-income households receive a higher education. After earning an associate degree, the new program will also allow students to receive a bachelor’s degree from the university for about $10,000.
Landowners with oil palm trees in designated production forests will be allowed to continue growing the crops after paying fines, while plantations found in protected forests will have to be turned over to the government for reforestation. Companies that grow oil palms illegally after the Nov. 2 deadline will be subject to legal action.
According to the new policy, police will not be able to use a statement an officer knows is not true over any mass media or in any way that will “shock the conscience.” The policy also requires officers to get permission before using any ruses, along with other use guidelines.
President Macron revealed his government’s plan to present a draft text to France’s highest administrative court by the end of the year, paving the way for constitutional protection of abortion rights by the end of the year.
This funding will also support thousands of local clean energy jobs, help achieve President Biden’s goal of lowering energy costs for all Americans, as well as help Puerto Rico achieve its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. The first installations are slated to begin in Spring 2024.
Hundreds of Indigenous and local community groups, conservation organizations, governments and policymakers gathered to strategize how communities can play a bigger role in African conservation efforts, which are typically dominated by big international NGOs.
Over 176,000 people attended Taiwan’s 21st annual Pride march in the capital city of Taipei, making it the world’s largest Asian LGBTQ+ Pride event in history. The event celebrated two recent LGBTQ+ rights victories in the country: the legalization of gay adoption and the recognition of Taiwanese same-sex spouses who were married in foreign countries.
