The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and cutlery, as the nation’s government expands its campaign against single-use plastics, which began in 2019 when it banned plastic carrier bags.
Arizona State University (ASU) will lead the Ākoʻakoʻa initiative, drawing on a funding pool of $25 million to research, conserve and restore degraded corals.
The move is the nation’s largest-ever emissions reduction effort and is expected to take the equivalent of 300,000 cars off the road.
Australia’s parliament has passed the country’s most significant emissions reduction legislation in more than a decade. It requires that total emissions from major industrial facilities must come down, not just be offset.
Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, who is of Māori descent, was recently promoted as a cabinet minister. There are now 10 women and 10 male members in the cabinet for the time in the nation’s history.
With the Crimes Amendment Bill, the group of 15 islands located in the South Pacific has rescinded a 1969 law that said men who have sex with men could be jailed for up to five years.
The advisory opinion, spearheaded by youth activists from Vanuatu, could impact thousands of lawsuits filed worldwide against governments for their inaction in addressing the crisis.
The government intends to increase the extent of the Macquarie Island marine park. The island between Tasmania and Antarctica is a vital place for seabirds, penguins, and seals to eat and raise their young.
A new analysis has found that the population size and distributions of 14 mammal, eight bird, two frog, one reptile and one fish species in Australia had sufficiently improved to no longer meet listing criteria.
The penalties for breaking the statute are steep: $500 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second, and $10,000 for any subsequent violations.
