North & Central America

Landfill. A lot of plastic garbage. Environmental problems.

Plastic bag bans in the U.S. have already prevented billions of bags from being used

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Over the past several years, U.S. cities and states have passed hundreds of policies restricting the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bags. A new report – copublished by Environment America, U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, and Frontier Group – says these laws have largely succeeded in their goal of reducing plastic bag use. New Jersey’s ban alone has eliminated more than 5.5 billion plastic bags annually.

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Manhattan skyline

New York City plans to wipe out $2 billion in medical debt for 500,000 residents

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The city is working with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that buys medical debt in bulk from hospitals and debt collectors for pennies on the dollar. The group targets the debt of people with low incomes or financial hardships and then forgives the amounts. Under the program, the city will spend $18 million over three years.

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Person receiving shot in the arm

Cancer vaccine with minimal side effects nearing Phase 3 clinical trials

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The vaccine- developed by Dr. Thomas Wagner of U.S.-based Orbis Health Solutions – has already been tested in hundreds of patients with advanced forms of melanoma in Phase 2 clinical trials. The most recent data showed nearly 95% of people given only the vaccine were still alive three years after starting treatment and 64% were still disease-free. Among the most advanced forms of melanoma, disease-free survival after three years for people with stage III disease was 60% in the vaccine-only group, compared to about 39% in the placebo group.

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The White House

Biden administration to forgive $4.9 billion in student debt for 73,600 borrowers

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The Biden administration has now canceled more than $136 billion in student debt for over 3.7 million Americans, according to the White House. Around $1.7 billion of this new aid will go to 29,700 borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. In addition, 43,900 borrowers who have worked in public service for a decade or more will receive $3.2 billion in loan cancellation.

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Artist's concept of a solar power satellite in place

First ever space-to-Earth solar power mission succeeds

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A landmark test of beaming solar power to Earth from a satellite has concluded successfully after a year-long mission. Led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology, the mission completed all three of its primary experiments to test key technology for such an endeavor. They included a new origami-inspired solar panel structure, different cell designs, and a microwave transmitter.

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Person happily holding a trans pride flag

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

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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.

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Happy family

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

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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

Solar farm

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

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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

Cancer cells

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

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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

House in the snow

Leading heat pump manufacturers develop next-generation prototypes to withstand subfreezing weather

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The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that four additional heat pump manufacturers successfully produced heat pump prototypes as part of the Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) Technology Challenge. Launched in 2021, this initiative brings together public and private sector stakeholders to address technical challenges and market barriers to adopting next-generation cold-climate heat pumps—a key clean energy technology that can potentially save households $500 a year or more on their utility bills while also slashing harmful carbon emissions.

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