Good News for Humankind

The world’s latest milestones for climate, justice, peace, health, and more

July 15 – 21 2024 C.E.

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​E.U. surpasses 50% renewable power share for first time ever in first half of 2024​

Electricity industry association Eurelectric has released figures showing that 50% of public electricity generation in the E.U. came from renewables for the first time in history earlier this year. The association said Europe was decarbonizing at an unprecedented pace, with just over 50% coming from renewable energy and nearly 75% coming from non-fossil-fuel sources, up from 68% last year.

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​Island states win historic climate case in world oceans court​

Nine small island states have won a historic climate change case at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which ruled that all signatories to a United Nations treaty on marine activities must do more to protect the world’s oceans from climate change. The tribunal found that signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’s responsibilities to prevent marine pollution extend to greenhouse gas emissions, which harm oceans by altering the earth’s atmosphere.

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​U.S. President Biden announces additional $1.2 billion in student debt relief for 35,000 public-sector workers​

President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan debt forgiveness, totaling $1.2 billion for 35,000 public-sector workers including teachers, nurses, and firefighters. The administration has now canceled more federal student loan debt than any prior administration – now totaling more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million Americans.

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​South Korea’s top court upholds the rights of people in same-sex relationships in historic ruling​

The landmark ruling states that benefits from South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service can be claimed by people in same-sex partnerships and that treating same-sex couples differently than heterosexual ones is “an act of discrimination that… violates human dignity and the right to pursue happiness.” South Korea does not recognize same-sex marriage under the law, so the ruling is major progress in extending the protections and rights to same-sex couples.

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​Denmark to pioneer CO2 tax on farms in a global first​

The CO2 tax proposal, first proposed by government-commissioned scientists in February, is part of Denmark’s ambitious ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030. The agriculture sector, which is the country’s greatest producer of CO2 emissions, is the main focus of this project.

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​Denmark completes world’s first ever offshore wind farm (1991 C.E.)​

Vindeby Offshore Wind Farm was the first offshore wind farm in the world, erected in 1991 off the coast of the town of Vindeby on the Danish island of Lolland. It was decommissioned for cost reasons in 2017 after 25 years of useful life.

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​Wind power supplies a majority of E.U.’s electricity for the first time (2041 C.E. ???)​

In the 2020s, the European Union set a target of at least 50% of electricity supplied by wind by 2050. However, due to the accelerating economic viability of renewables and heightened political urgency, it accomplishes this major climate milestone years ahead of schedule.

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These milestones have been added to the ​Archive of Human Genius​ – our database of social change milestones – past, present & future.