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

Domestic violence victim

U.K. announces groundbreaking ‘Flee Funds’ scheme for domestic abuse survivors

| By | -, Change Milestones

Building on the success of a pilot plan last year, which provided 600 victims with critical funding, the new initiative aims to expand what are now known as “flee funds.” Survivors will each receive a monetary reward of around $3,200, meeting a critical need for people who face financial difficulties in leaving abusive environments.

U.K. announces groundbreaking ‘Flee Funds’ scheme for domestic abuse survivors Read more

River dolphin

11 countries sign global pact to protect endangered river dolphins

| By | -, Change Milestones

Since the 1980s, the combined populations of river dolphin species have plummeted by 73%. With the Global Declaration for River Dolphins, 14 countries are expected to join forces to protect six surviving species. So far, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, and Venezuela have signed the declaration.

11 countries sign global pact to protect endangered river dolphins Read more

Amazon River Rainforest

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell by nearly 50% in 2023 compared to 2022

| By | -, Change Milestones

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged to end deforestation by 2030 when he took office a year ago.
Preliminary data from national space agency Inpe showed 5,153 sq km of the Amazon were cleared in 2023, down from 10,278 sq km in 2022. Rainforest destruction had surged to a 12-year high under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell by nearly 50% in 2023 compared to 2022 Read more

Person happily holding a trans pride flag

Maryland to cover unprecedented number of gender-affirming procedures in “groundbreaking” win

| By | -, Change Milestones

A new law in Maryland requires Medicaid to cover “medically necessary” gender-affirming care for residents — including care well beyond hormones or surgery. The law went into effect on January 1. It requires coverage for “gender-affirming treatment in a nondiscriminatory manner.” Gender-affirming care is considered safe and essential to the well-being of trans people by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and other major U.S. and world health organizations.

Maryland to cover unprecedented number of gender-affirming procedures in “groundbreaking” win Read more

Happy family

Consumption poverty in the U.S. has fallen 27% since 1980

| By | -, Change Milestones

Between 1980 and 2022, consumption poverty fell from 33.8% to 6.0% even though the official poverty rate indicated a drop by only 1.5 percentage points over that same period. According to researchers from the University of Notre Dame, consumption, which measures what families are able to purchase in terms of food, housing, transportation, and other goods and services, offers a better indicator of economic well-being than income, which can fluctuate for reasons unrelated to well-being.

Consumption poverty in the U.S. has fallen 27% since 1980 Read more

Person receiving nasal spray

Novel nasal COVID-19 vaccine offers longer, better immunity than jabs

| By | -, Change Milestones

Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore have developed an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine that enhances the immune system’s response to the virus, providing longer-lasting, greater protection than vaccine injections, even against new and emerging variants. The novel vaccine candidate could mean fewer boosters in future.

Novel nasal COVID-19 vaccine offers longer, better immunity than jabs Read more

Solar farm

Microsoft places massive 12GW solar module order, bolstering U.S. solar supply chain

| By | -, Change Milestones

Building on a previously announced 2.5GW module supply agreement signed in January 2023, Qcells will supply Microsoft with 12GW of solar modules over an 8-year period. Equivalent to powering more than 1.8 million homes annually, the solar modules will be produced in the United States at a fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia.

Microsoft places massive 12GW solar module order, bolstering U.S. solar supply chain Read more

Forest landscape

Forest restoration planned for Colombia’s Farallones de Cali National Park

| By | -, Change Milestones

The $3.7-million project could take several decades because of the severity of the environmental damage done by illegal mining, which has deforested the park and polluted its rivers with mercury. The 485,226-acre national park is an important biological corridor along Colombia’s Pacific coast.

Forest restoration planned for Colombia’s Farallones de Cali National Park Read more

Cancer cells

New protein test can detect 18 early stage cancers, scientists say

| By | -, Change Milestones

The team from U.S. biotech firm Novelna wrote: “At stage I (the earliest cancer stage) and at the specificity of 99%, our panels were able to identify 93% of cancers among males and 84% of cancers among females.” It believes its cheaper, less invasive multi-cancer screening test could be a ‘gamechanger.’

New protein test can detect 18 early stage cancers, scientists say Read more

Start typing and press enter to search