Spain passes landmark gender recognition law
Spain’s new law allows those over the age of 16 to legally change their gender without medical supervision or a judge’s approval.
Europe
This archive covers progress stories and milestones from across Europe, spanning health, climate policy, social equity, and scientific research. From small-nation experiments to E.U.-wide initiatives, these reports highlight what is working and why.
World’s largest four day work week trial deemed a success
An incredible 92 percent of companies said they would continue to have employees work four days.
German man becomes third human to be completely cured of HIV
Like the “Berlin patient” and the “London patient” before him, the “Düsseldorf patient” received treatment for an acute blood disease and, in the process, was cured of HIV infection.
E.U. Parliament votes to effectively ban new combustion engine cars by 2035
Final approval is expected to be given by March, meaning the world’s largest trading bloc will soon officially be on track to almost completely phase out vehicles powered by combustion engines.
The E.U. to invest more than $270 billion in its own “green deal”
The Green Deal Industrial Plan will simplify regulation to help get proposed green projects up and running faster, accelerating access to investment, developing programs to train skilled workers in green industries, and more.
Wind and solar were E.U.’s top electricity source in 2022 for first time ever
Wind and solar together generated 22.3% of the European Union’s electricity in 2022, edging past nuclear and gas to become the bloc’s largest power source for the first time ever. What makes this remarkable is the year it happened — Europe was navigating war-driven gas shortages, a once-in-500-year drought that crippled hydropower, and unexpected nuclear outages. Clean energy quietly absorbed most of the shock, with solar alone climbing 24% and twenty countries setting national solar records. Analysts now expect fossil fuel generation to fall by a record 20% in 2023 as the buildout continues. Europe’s experience offers a hopeful signal to the rest of the world: renewables aren’t just keeping the lights on through a crisis — they’re becoming the backbone of a modern grid.
Finland passes law making it easier for trans people to change their legal gender
The new laws mean transgender people aged 18 and older can legally change their gender by a process of self-declaration, and no longer have to go through an onerous medical and psychiatric approval process first.
U.K. scientists discover method to reduce steelmaking’s CO2 emissions by 90%
The iron and steel industry is a major cause of greenhouse gasses, accounting for 9% of global emissions.
Finland grew its wind power capacity by 75% in 2022
Last year Finland built 427 new turbines with a combined power capacity of 2,430 megawatts. By 2025, wind is projected to cover at least 28% of the country’s power consumption.
Portugal to redirect Cape Verde debt payments to new climate fund
Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, owes 140 million euros to the Portugal. Under the new agreement, Portugal will redirect debt payments owed to a fund that will help the island nation tackle climate change.