Half of U.K. universities have committed to divest from fossil fuel
Seventy-eight of the U.K.’s 154 public universities have joined the divestment campaign, either divesting or pledging to divest hundreds of millions from the fossil fuel industry.
2020 C.E.
JetBlue will be carbon neutral on all domestic flights by July 2020
The company said that it will offset up to 17 billion pounds of carbon by investing in projects focused on initiatives like forest conservation and renewable power.
Same-sex marriage now legal in Northern Ireland
From Monday, same-sex couples will be able to register to marry, meaning the first ceremonies will take place in February.
Peru to plant one million trees around Machu Picchu
President Vizcarra said the ambitious target of one million trees is “a commitment from the government, the region, the municipality and all the citizens who want to protect this world wonder.”
Senegal is constructing wind farm that will supply electricity to 2 million people
The Taliba N’Diaye wind farm, West Africa’s largest, will be completed by mid this year and will supply 158MW of clean energy and increase the country’s energy supply by 15%.
The global homicide rate fell by 46% worldwide between 1990 and 2015
Between 1990 and 2015, the number of homicides per 100,000 people fell by 46%, with countries in Oceania experiencing a 22% drop over the same period, and 36% in Asia.
New LED lamp has helped 90% of its dyslexic users to read ‘effortlessly’
The Lexilife team tested the light’s efficiency on 300 people with dyslexia—and 90% of participants said that they could “effortlessly read a text illuminated by the lamp.”
27,000 deaths avoided in the United States by shutting down coal plants
Researchers from the University of California – San Diego found that tens of thousands of deaths had been avoided between 2005 and 2016 by replacing coal plants.
U.S. cancer death rate sees largest-ever single-year drop
From 2016 to 2017, the United States saw its largest-ever single-year drop in overall cancer deaths, a 2.2% plunge spurred in part by a sharp decline in lung cancer deaths, according to a new American Cancer Society report.
Mexico City bans plastic bags
The new law went into effect January 1. By 2021, the same law will ban handing out plastic straws, spoons, coffee capsules and other single-use items.