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

Hands making hear shape over transgender flag in background

More than 90% of trans people are more satisfied with life after transitioning, massive new study finds

| By | -, Change Milestones

Ninety-four percent of transgender people said that they were either a little or a lot more satisfied with their lives since they transitioned, the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS) by the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) found. The study, which is the latest edition of the influential survey of transgender people, involved 92,329 transgender and nonbinary respondents answering questions about various aspects of their lives from October 19 to December 5, 2022.

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Heat pumps

Nine U.S. states, including California and New York, sign heat pump agreement to clean up air pollution

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Nine U.S. states have inked an agreement to promote climate-friendly heat pump sales. The memorandum of understanding sets a 2030 target for heat pumps to make up 65% of residential heating, cooling, and water heating equipment sales. By 2040, the goal is for heat pumps to account for 90% of the HVAC and water heating market. The states on board with the agreement include: California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.

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Wind turbines amid clouds

Wind power overtakes natural gas in the E.U. for first time ever

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The ⁠European Union saw a record drop in fossil fuel power last year, according to a new analysis by energy think tank Ember. In 2023, coal generation fell by 26%, while gas generation fell by 15%. Along with a record buildout of renewables and a downturn in demand, the decline of fossil fuels led to an unprecedented drop in emissions from generating electricity, which fell by 19%. Now, for the first time, wind power supplies more electricity for Europe than either natural gas or coal.

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Assortment of pills

Novel AI model rapidly determines if an antidepressant will work

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Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) and Radboud UMC researchers have developed an algorithm that, based on patient MRI scans and other data, can determine within a week if a particular antidepressant will, offering faster relief and minimizing often painful and damaging side effects. “This is important news for patients,” said Liesbeth Reneman, Professor of Neuroradiology at Amsterdam UMC. “Normally, it takes six to eight weeks before it is known whether an antidepressant will work.”

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Mangrove forest

Pakistan has expanded mangroves nearly threefold between 1986 and 2020

| By | -, Change Milestones

Around the world, mangrove forests have undergone a decades-long decline that’s just now slowing to a halt. But Pakistan bucks this trend. The country’s mangroves expanded from 48,331 hectares in 1986 to 143,930 hectares in 2020, according to a 2022 analysis of satellite data. Many in Pakistan are looking to mangroves to bolster precious fish stocks and defend against the mounting effects of climate change.

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Woman holding Turkish flags

Women in Turkey win right to keep surnames after marriage

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Women in Turkey can use their own surnames after they marry, now that a rule forcing them to take their husband’s surname has been overturned. Article 187 of the Turkish civil code previously stated that a woman had to take her husband’s surname upon marriage, however she could use her own surname first “with a written application to the marriage officer or later to the civil registry office.” The new decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court came into effect on January 28, following a ruling in April 2023.

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Squirrel monkey

New fund supports Indigenous-led land management in biodiverse area of Bolivia

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The Wildlife Conservation Society launched the new funding mechanism, in collaboration with Bolivia’s Foundation for the Development of the National System of Protected Areas. The new mechanism will channel conservation funds to Indigenous organizations in the Madidi Landscape, one of the most biodiverse terrestrial protected areas in the world. The new fund has so far attracted $650,000 in initial support from the Bezos Earth Fund.

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Depiction of nerve cells

Researchers discover an effective non-opioid treatment for nerve pain

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Many available pain medications aren’t effective in reducing this often-debilitating type of chronic pain. However, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), in collaboration with UT Dallas and the University of Miami, may have advanced the treatment of neuropathic pain by discovering a molecule that reduces mechanical hypersensitivity in mice.

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Woman putting organic waste in the compost bin

France implements compulsory composting

| By | -, Change Milestones

As of January 2024, municipalities in France must now provide residents with ways to sort bio-waste, which includes food scraps, vegetable peels, expired food and garden waste. Households and businesses are required to dispose of organic matter either in a dedicated small bin for home collection or at a municipal collection point. The waste will then be turned into biogas or compost to replace chemical fertilizers.

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