Papua New Guinea creates two massive new Marine Protected Areas
Together they cover more than 6,200 square miles, tripling the country’s marine area under protection, and are the country’s first to be co-managed by Indigenous communities.
2023 C.E.
Somalia secures $4.5 billion debt relief deal with international creditors
The deal comes as part of a debt forgiveness program —called the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative— overseen by the IMF and the World Bank. As a result of its participation in the program, Somalia’s external debt will fall from 64% of GDP in 2018 to less than 6% of GDP by the end of 2023.
Thailand to legalize same-sex marriage
The Southeast Asian country will become the third Asian nation, after Taiwan and Nepal, to legalize same-sex marriage. A new amendment to its Civil and Commercial Code will change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” The next step will be an amendment to the country’s pension fund law to recognize same-sex couples.
North Africa’s scimitar horned oryx becomes first species ever to be downlisted from extinct in the wild to endangered
The scimitar horned oryx was once widespread across North Africa, but in the 1980’s the population began to plummet – largely due to the antelopes being hunted. In 2000, the species was declared Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN Red List. Now, thanks to a conservation partnership coordinated by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, its fate has been reversed.
Senegal’s capital Dakar is getting 121 electric buses
The new Bus Rapid Transit system is one of the key components of an ambitious strategy for sustainable urban mobility. It will help improve air quality in Dakar and reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, with around 59,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided per year.
E.U. approves German state aid for early closure of coal plants
The European Commission has agreed that Germany should be allowed to pay the energy giant RWE some €2.6 billion in state aid for the early closure of coal power stations. Under German law, no more electricity is to be produced from coal from 2038 onward. However, this new agreement moves the date forward to 2030.
Massachusetts becomes first U.S. state to approve phase-out of natural gas as a source for residential heating
According to Inside Climate News, Massachusetts is the first state to take such a clear step to phase out natural gas, but it likely won’t be the last. At least 11 other states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington — as well as Washington, D.C. — have ongoing regulatory cases that are exploring the future of natural gas.
Japan completes and begins operating world’s largest fusion reactor
The reactor, dubbed JT-60SA, represents the latest testbed for a potentially transformative source of renewable energy harvested from atoms fusing together under immense pressure and incredibly high temperatures — without risking a nuclear meltdown.
U.S. sets policy to seize patents of government-funded drugs if price deemed too high
“We’ll make it clear that when drug companies won’t sell taxpayer funded drugs at reasonable prices, we will be prepared to allow other companies to provide those drugs for less,” White House adviser Lael Brainard said on a press call.
Biden administration forgives another $4.8 billion in student loan debt for 80,300 borrowers
The Biden administration has now cancelled an unprecedented $130 billion in student debt for more than 3.6 million Americans, offering much-needed relief to low-income families across the country.