Today (2017 C.E. - 2024 C.E.)

Wind turbines amid clouds

Seven countries now generate 100% of their electricity from renewable energy

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Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7% of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also revealed that a further 40 countries generated at least 50% of the electricity they consumed from renewable energy technologies in 2021 and 2022.

Seven countries now generate 100% of their electricity from renewable energy Read more

"We have always been here. Trans pride." sign on post

Maine becomes trans sanctuary state

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Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed a new law that makes the state a sanctuary state for transgender people, abortion providers, and patients. The new law provides “protections to persons who seek, health care practitioners who provide and those who assist health care practitioners in providing gender-affirming health care services and reproductive health care services” that are legal in Maine.

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Dominica flag

Dominica’s High Court ends the country’s ban on being gay in historic ruling

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The High Court of Dominica, an island nation in the Caribbean, has overturned a colonial-era law banning same-sex relations between consenting adults after a gay man filed a lawsuit claiming the ban was unconstitutional. The ruling stated that the constitution guarantees that a person shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of his right to assemble and freely associate with other persons and that this “must necessarily include the freedom to enter into and maintain intimate relationships without undue intrusion by the State.”

Dominica’s High Court ends the country’s ban on being gay in historic ruling Read more

Mongolian yurts

Mongolia signs landmark climate finance deal for its grasslands

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Mongolia’s government and a coalition of partners have signed a nature finance agreement aimed at protecting 35.6 million acres of the country’s lands and waters, including the world’s last great tract of temperate grassland. The agreement dubbed “Eternal Mongolia” will see a global donor-supported transition fund worth $71 million combined with a government commitment to spend $127 million on conservation over a 15-year period.

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Silhouette of wind turbines at dusk

Wind overtakes fossil fuels as U.K.’s primary source of electricity

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In a historic win for the LGBTQ+ community, Aetna reached a settlement today with a group of plaintiffs alleging medical discrimination in their fertility coverage. The insurance company is paying out $2 million to the members of the class action lawsuit, as well as restructuring how they cover fertility for queer couples moving forward. This marks the a major step toward ending fertility-based medical discrimination for LGBTQ+ couples in the U.S.

Wind overtakes fossil fuels as U.K.’s primary source of electricity Read more

Technicians carrying photovoltaic solar module while installing solar panel system on roof of house

U.S. President Joe Biden announces $7 billion in federal solar power grants

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President Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities. The projects are expected to eventually reduce emissions by the equivalent of 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and save households $350 million annually, according to senior administration officials.

U.S. President Joe Biden announces $7 billion in federal solar power grants Read more

Plastic pollution in the water

Plastic-choked rivers in Ecuador are being cleared with conveyor belts

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Created by the tech start-up Ichthion, the Azure system’s simple design has the capacity to stop and collect around 80 tonnes of plastic per day. The Azure system is a boom device that stretches across the river to stop objects floating on the surface. It extends two feet down into the water, allowing fish and other organisms to move freely below and is placed at an angle allowing the natural water flow to direct all debris into one corner of the riverbank.

Plastic-choked rivers in Ecuador are being cleared with conveyor belts Read more

Creek flowing

‘NATURE’ becomes an official streaming artist to raise millions for conservation

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Through the new “Sounds Right” project, ‘NATURE’ itself is registered as a streaming artist on major music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. This allows the Earth’s audio cameos to bring in money for protecting the environment worldwide. Streaming royalties earned by ‘NATURE’ will be collected by the EarthPercent conservation nonprofit, which hosts the Sounds Right Conservation Fund. The money will go to rights-based projects that focus on the world’s most biodiverse and threatened regions.

‘NATURE’ becomes an official streaming artist to raise millions for conservation Read more

space debris in Earth orbit, dangerous junk orbiting around the blue planet

India aims to achieve debris-free space missions by 2030

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Low Earth orbit is littered with about 30,000 objects larger than a softball and millions smaller than a centimeter. A bombshell study found unexpectedly high amounts of vaporized metals polluting Earth’s stratosphere, which is home to the fragile ozone layer, whose chemical makeup can be altered by satellite material. Another study posted to the preprint server arXiv suggested that debris from burning satellites could be altering our planet’s magnetic field.

India aims to achieve debris-free space missions by 2030 Read more

A Polar bear surrounded by arctic wilderness

Biden limits oil drilling across 13 million acres of Alaskan Arctic

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Future oil and gas drilling will be limited across more than 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the nation’s largest expanse of public land, under a sweeping Biden administration plan aimed at protecting sensitive ecosystems and wildlife. In a separate move, the Department of the Interior has announced that it will block a controversial road crucial to operating a planned copper and zinc mine in northern Alaska, saying it would threaten Indigenous communities and fragment wildlife habitat.

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