France passes sweeping conversion therapy ban
Conversion therapy practitioners can face prison time and fines because “homosexuality and trans identity aren’t sicknesses that can be cured.”
Europe
Malta becomes first E.U. nation to legalize cannabis
Equality Minister, Owen Bonnici, said the “historic” move would stop small-time cannabis users from facing the criminal justice system and would help curb drug trafficking.
IKEA to phase out plastic packaging by 2028
The shift will happen progressively over the coming years, and mainly be focusing on paper as it is both recyclable, renewable, and widely recycled across the world.
U.K. will require all new buildings to have EV charging stations starting in 2022
The government expects the move to lead to 145,000 new charging points each year.
Barcelona’s bus fleet will soon run on biofuel made from sewage sludge
The initiative is part of the Nimbus Project, which aims to encourage a circular economy in the city, starting with green public transportation.
Scotland ends all coal power
Scotland has marked the end of its coal-powered history by demolishing the huge chimney at its last remaining coal plant at Longannet in Fife.
12 international donors pledge $1.5 billion to support protection of the Congo Basin forests
The 500 million acres of forests may be the last significant land-based tropical carbon sink in the world, making the forests vitally important in the global fight against climate change.
Spain approves new law recognizing animals as ‘sentient beings’
Animals will no longer be able to be seized, abandoned, mistreated, or separated from one of their owners, without having their well-being and protection taken into account.
Assisted dying is rapidly becoming legal and accepted – currently in 11 countries and 10 U.S. states
Since 2015, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, the Netherlands, Colombia, Germany, Austria, Portugal, five Australian states, ten American states, and D.C. have legalized assisted dying.
Ukraine to plant one billion trees over the next three years
The country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, made the announcement only a few days after the end of the COP26 climate negotiations.