Scientists invent device to generate electricity from rain
The City University of Hong Kong researchers say that a single rain droplet can briefly generate 140 volts, enough to briefly power 100 small lightbulbs.
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Women’s rights group eliminates female genital mutilation in Kurdistan’s Garmiyan region
On International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a women’s rights group active in the Kurdistan Region announced that zero cases of GM were reported in the Garmiyan Administration in 2019.
$500M investment means construction to start on Canada’s largest solar farm this year
The project will consist of 1.5 million solar panels that will create 500 jobs and generate about 800 million kWh per year, enough to power more than 100,000 homes.
Finland to offer new fathers as much paid leave as mothers
Finland’s woman-led center-left government plans to give new fathers the same amount of paid time off work as new mothers, nearly doubling paternity leave, it announced on Wednesday.
Borneo locals win a court battle to bar a coal miner from their land
After a two-year court battle, Indonesia’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of a lawsuit that claims the permit for the mining firm should be revoked.
In 2019, more than 99% of Costa Rica’s electricity came from renewables
With a population of less than 5 million, Costa Rica is committed to becoming 100% carbon neutral this year.
Landmark French law will stop unsold goods being thrown away
France is to ban designer clothes and luxury goods companies from destroying unsold or returned items under a wide-ranging anti-waste law passed by parliament.
Germany is turning 62 military bases into wildlife sanctuaries
The German government has announced plans to convert 62 disused military bases just west of the Iron Curtain into nature reserves for eagles, woodpeckers, bats, and beetles.
Minnesota will pay homeowners to make their lawns bee-friendly
A new spending program approved by lawmakers in 2019 called Lawns to Legumes sets aside $900,000 annually to pay homeowners who replace traditional lawns with bee-friendly wildflowers, clover and native grasses.
Santa Cruz decriminalizes psychedelic mushrooms
The City Council of Santa Cruz voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a measure that will make investigation and arrest for “the adult possession, use or cultivation of psychoactive plants and fungi” a low-priority infraction by law enforcement.