Solar accounts for 82% of India’s total power capacity growth in 2022
In 2022, India installed 13 GWac of new solar power capacity, 27% more than it installed in 2021, which was its previous best year ever.
Good News Links
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library celebrates gifting 200 million books
Launched in 1995, the program spans five countries and reportedly gifts over 2.4 million free age-appropriate books each month to children around the world.
California Supreme Court repeals decades of rulings shielding police from lawsuits
State law does not provide “a sweeping immunity for any and all acts police officers may perform within the scope of their employment,” Justice Leondra Kruger said in the 7-0 ruling.
E.U. requires smartphones to have user-replaceable batteries by 2027
For “portable batteries” used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras, consumers must be able to “easily remove and replace them,” reducing costs for consumers and reducing e-waste.
Belize certified malaria-free by WHO
Over the last 3 decades, Belize has achieved a dramatic reduction in its malaria burden – from a peak of about 10 000 cases in 1994 to zero indigenous cases in 2019.
Blue whales return to California at levels not seen since before the whaling industry
The current estimates suggest that as many as 2,000 blue whales travel up from Mexico to Southern California waters every year, a large chunk of a global population that may be topping 25,000.
Estonia’s parliament approves same-sex marriage
It’s the first central European country to do so. It is a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invoked the West’s “moral degeneracy” as one justification for his war against Ukraine.
Spain to get majority of electricity from renewable energy in 2023 for first time ever
Spain will become the first of Europe’s five highest energy-consuming countries to pass this symbolic 50% marker.
Japan expands the definition of rape after years of protest
Japan’s parliament passed legislation to redefine rape as nonconsensual sexual intercourse – removing the provisions regarding use of force – and raise the age of consent from 13 to 16.
Rooftop solar capacity grew nearly 50% worldwide in 2022
Installed rooftop solar grew from 79 gigawatts to 118 gigawatts worldwide last year and is projected to reach 159 gigawatts by the end of this year.