Good News for Humankind
The world’s latest milestones for climate, justice, peace, health, and more
July 22 – 28 2024 C.E.
Deforestation in Colombia falls to lowest level in 23 years
The amount of forest loss fell from 1,235 sq km in 2022 to 792 sq km in 2023 – a 36% decrease, official figures revealed. Most of the environmental gains were in the Amazon rainforest, where the Colombian government is focusing much of its conservation efforts. The two main successes have been reaching agreements where farmers are paid to protect the land and negotiations with armed groups who are the de facto authority in deforestation hotspots.
China installs more than 100GW of solar in first half of 2024
China remains the world leader on solar. It has already installed over a whopping 100GW of new solar capacity this year, bringing the country’s total solar fleet to over 700GW (almost half of global totals). Total solar generation capacity in China is up 51% year-on-year.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs bill banning “gay or trans panic” defense
Gov. Whitmer signed a slate of 39 bills into law, including H.B. 4718. The legislation, sponsored by bisexual state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, states that in criminal trials, “evidence of the discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of an individual’s actual or perceived sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation is not admissible” for the purposes of demonstrating “reasonable provocation.”
Ecuador river is granted the right to not be polluted in historic court case
An Ecuadorian court has ruled that pollution has violated the rights of the Machángara River, which runs through the capital of Quito. In some parts of Latin America and North America, inhabitants have constitutional rights to a clean environment, but Ecuador is one of the few countries that recognize the right of natural features not to be degraded or polluted.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service collects milestone $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth taxpayers
Last year, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launched a series of initiatives aimed at pursuing high-wealth individuals who have failed to pay their tax debts. The IRS says the campaign is focused on taxpayers with more than $1 million in income and more than $250,000 in recognized tax debt.
Thai tiger numbers swell as prey populations stabilize in western forests
The tiger population density in a series of protected areas in western Thailand has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to new survey data. Thailand is the final stronghold of the Indochinese tiger, the subspecies having been extirpated from neighboring Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam over the past decade due to poaching, habitat loss, and indiscriminate snaring.
Near-extinct Siamese crocodiles make comeback in Cambodia
Cambodia has welcomed 60 baby Siamese crocodiles – a hatching record for the endangered species in this century, conservationists say. They have called it a “real sign of hope”, after more than 20 years of efforts to revive the reptile’s numbers in the remote Cardamom Mountains. The olive green freshwater reptile has a distinct bony crest at the back of its head – by some estimates, it can grow up to 3m or nearly 10ft.
California passes first-in-the-nation law banning forced outings of queer students in state public schools
The SAFETY Act prohibits “parental notification” policies in school districts that require educators to notify parents if their child requests to use pronouns and facilities different from the gender they were assigned at birth. The law, which goes into effect immediately, also protects teachers and administrators from retaliation if they choose not to follow district directives to out queer kids to their parents.
Revolutionary grid-scale wave energy generator deployed in Hawaii
Ocean Energy has deployed its 826-tonne wave energy converter buoy OE-35 at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site off the coast of the island of Oahu ahead of it being hooked up to Hawaii’s electricity grid. With a potential output of 1.25 MW, OE-35 harnesses energy from the waves using a remarkable double-flow air system.
The International Botany Congress votes to remove apartheid slur from plant species names in Africa
In a thoroughly debated session in the recent meeting in Madrid, the vote passed 351 to 205 to rename all current botanical species (over 200) with the species name caffra to affra. “Caffra,” also spelled Kaffer or Keffir, is a derogatory term used by Afrikaans speakers towards black people in southern Africa.
Colombia establishes Chiribiquete National Park (1989 C.E. ???)
Chiribiquete National Park is the largest national park in Colombia and the largest tropical rainforest national park in the world. It covers about 17,000 square miles and hosts important archaeological evidence in the form of rock art. More than 600,000 traces of around 20,000 petroglyphs and pictographs have been discovered in the mountain chain, the oldest of which may date to 20,000 years BP.
Humanity ends net deforestation and transitions into net reforestation (2030 C.E. ???)
Fulfilling their 2021 pledge, the world’s nations begin growing back global forest cover through massive mobilization of conservation and tree planting efforts. The increased tree coverage worldwide proves an immensely potent tool in the fight against climate change and a boon for biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide.
These milestones have been added to the Archive of Human Genius – our database of social change milestones – past, present & future.
