Good news for humankind!

From the week of September 18 – 24 2023 C.E.

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#1

India to reserve one-third of parliament’s lower house seats for women

Women account for almost half of India’s 950 million registered voters but make up only 15% of parliament and about 10% of state legislatures, pushing the world’s largest democracy to the bottom of global rankings on gender parity in legislatures.

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#2

Brazil’s top court boosts Indigenous rights in landmark ruling

Six of the 11 justices have ruled in favor of restoring territory to the Xokleng people, from which they were evicted. The ruling sets a precedent for hundreds of Indigenous land claims and is expected to have widespread consequences for Indigenous land rights throughout the country.

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#3

Seventy-plus nations sign historic high seas treaty

The signing of the treaty is a significant step in a global effort to protect the high seas, areas of the ocean beyond national borders. The high seas encompass two-thirds of the world’s oceans, but only about 1% currently have any kind of protected status.

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#4

25 U.S. states agree to quadruple number of heat pumps across the country by 2030

The U.S. Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors securing America’s net-zero future. Members have agreed to collectively reach 20 million climate-friendly heat pump installations across the coalition by 2030, with the aim of ensuring at least 40% of benefits flow to disadvantaged communities.

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#5

Bhutan announces a “milestone achievement” with a 39.5% increase in snow leopard numbers

The global population of snow leopards is declining, but the survey suggests conservation efforts in Bhutan to restore snow leopard habitat and combat poaching are having a positive impact.

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#6

New York City schools commit to nurturing mental health through mindful breathing

Every student in the city will engage in two to five minutes of daily mindfulness, a tactic that has shown positive effects in schools around the world.

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#7

Volvo Cars to cease production of all diesel models in 2024

This milestone follows Volvo’s previous announcement in 2022 to discontinue the development of new internal combustion engines. By selling its stake in Aurobay, the joint venture responsible for its remaining combustion engine assets, Volvo redirected its focus entirely towards electric powertrains.

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#8

Novel “inverse vaccine” reverses autoimmune diseases like MS, diabetes & arthritis

Researchers from the University of Chicago have created a new vaccine that can effectively treat these debilitating diseases in a way that doesn’t require suppressing the entire immune system and thus prevents a variety of negative side effects.

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#9

Norway completes its largest-ever nature restoration project

All traces of human activity since mining began in 1910 were to be removed from Sveagruva and Lunckefjell on Svalbard, with the exception of cultural monuments and buildings from before 1946. It is has been hailed as one of the most extensive environmental projects of all time.

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#10

Germany to surpass 50% renewable power this year

This year, Germany will add at least 9 gigawatts to its 67 gigawatts of solar capacity, with much of the growth driven by rooftop installations. It will also add around 3 gigawatts to its 58 gigawatts of onshore wind.

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Remember

19 Finnish women become the world’s first female parliamentarians (1907 C.E.)

Lucina Hagman, Miina Sillanpää, Anni Huotari, Hilja Pärssinen, Hedvig Gebhard, Ida Aalle-Teljo, Mimmi Kanervo, Eveliina Ala-Kulju, Hilda Käkikoski, Liisi Kivioja, Sandra Lehtinen, Dagmar Neovius, Maria Raunio, Alexandra Gripenberg, Iida Vemmelpuu, Maria Laine, Jenny Upari, and Hilma Räsänen became the world’s first female MPs after the Grand Principality of Finland became the first territory to give women full political rights.

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Imagine

40% of world’s single or lower parliamentary seats are filled by women for first time ever (2040 C.E. ???)

With greater representation of women in the world’s national governments, not only did policies better reflect women’s needs and interests, but governance in general quickly became more peaceful, just, and effective for all.

My new life goal

For years now, I’ve rarely read novels or any sort of fiction. If I’ve read at all, I’ve prioritized non-fiction, especially books that build my knowledge on some useful topic, help me grow as a person, or are otherwise “productive” in some way. Reading has mostly been a tool to better myself and advance my life goals.

Over the last month or so, something has shifted. I’ve let myself read novels again. And I’m loving it.

I could go on about how edifying and “productive” reading fiction really is. Somehow the wisdom that comes through fiction is uniquely potent. And I find fiction stirs my imagination and creativity in ways that non-fiction really hasn’t. New parts of my awareness flicker on and deepen my own writing and perspective on the world.

But most of the growth in it for me has been in simply doing it for the fun of it, no productivity required.

Perhaps a new life goal is starting to come online for me: to care a little less about my life goals, to just enjoy being here, to revel in those little flickers of joy, beauty, and wonder wherever I can find them.

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