2024 C.E.

Birds flying at the beach on a sunny day

California gets final approval for nation’s third-largest marine sanctuary

| By | -, Change Milestones

A new 4,543-square-mile area off a gorgeous and ecologically rich stretch of the California coast has achieved federal protection. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was officially designated Friday along 116 miles of the coast in the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is the country’s third-largest marine sanctuary. It is also first designed with the involvement of Indigenous groups and the first in 30 years in California.

California gets final approval for nation’s third-largest marine sanctuary Read more

Good news for wildlife conservation, elephants in Congo national park

Republic of Congo to catalyze investment in high-integrity forests

| By | -, Change Milestones

Conservation authorities in the Republic of Congo have launched a plan to invest in the protection of “high-integrity forests” in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, treating these ecosystems as an asset class. The new initiative aims to fill a funding gap to protect the ROC’s forests by selling high-integrity forest (HIFOR) units, defined as representing “one hectare of healthy, high integrity tropical forest actively conserved within a large landscape for decades.”

Republic of Congo to catalyze investment in high-integrity forests Read more

Indian flag

India eliminates trachoma as a public health problem

| By | -, Change Milestones

The World Health Organization has validated the world’s most populous country as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. India joins Nepal and Myanmar in the WHO South-East Asia Region and 19 other countries globally that have previously achieved this feat. Though trachoma is preventable, blindness from trachoma is extremely difficult to reverse. Trachoma continues to be a public health problem in 39 countries and is responsible for the blindness of about 1.9 million people.

India eliminates trachoma as a public health problem Read more

Metal pipes

U.S. announces 10-year deadline to remove all lead pipes nationwide

| By | -, Change Milestones

President Biden has announced $2.6 billion in funding to replace all lead pipes in the United States as part of a new EPA rule that will require lead pipes to be identified and replaced within 10 years using the new funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The EPA estimates that nine million homes in the U.S. still have lead pipes. “Studies show … communities of color have been the hardest hit,” Mr. Biden said. “One study showed Black children were at least two times more likely to have elevated levels of lead in their blood than children of other racial groups. We have an obligation to make things right.”

U.S. announces 10-year deadline to remove all lead pipes nationwide Read more

Good news for marine protection, photo of ocean with sun shining

Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country

| By | -, Change Milestones

The country’s environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has declared Australia will soon protect more ocean than any other country after the government finalizes a more than 300,000 square kilometer expansion of a sub-Antarctic marine park. Speaking ahead of what was billed as a global nature-positive summit in Sydney, Plibersek confirmed the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve about 4,000 km south-west of Perth would quadruple in size.

Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country Read more

Virus up close, posted to good news for vaccine dissemination

‘Gamechanger’ HIV prevention drug to be made available cheaply in 120 countries

| By | -, Change Milestones

Gilead Sciences says it has signed agreements with six manufacturers to make and sell generic lenacapavir in 120 “high-incidence, resource-limited” countries. Lenacapavir, given as a twice-yearly injection, has shown strong results for HIV prevention. It stopped infection in a trial involving girls and women in South Africa and Uganda, and offered almost complete protection in a second trial that mainly involved men across Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S.

‘Gamechanger’ HIV prevention drug to be made available cheaply in 120 countries Read more

Person happily holding a trans pride flag

European court rules member states must recognize trans people’s names and genders

| By | -, Change Milestones

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that member states must recognize legal documents from other countries that reflect a person’s changed name and gender identity, regardless of the member state’s own laws on changing one’s name and identity. Marie-Hélène Ludwig, senior strategic litigator with the LGBTQ+ rights organization ILGA-Europe, said in a statement, “This judgement will have an immensely positive impact, increasing legal protection for all trans people in the E.U…”

European court rules member states must recognize trans people’s names and genders Read more

World Health Organization approves first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use

| By | -, Change Milestones

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. A global outbreak first emerged in May 2022 which WHO said constituted a public health emergency of international concern – the highest level of alarm under international health law. Africa has seen an unprecedented increase and expansion in mpox cases this year, with transmission mainly centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO said early diagnosis is critical as it enables timely treatment and care, as well as control of the virus. A new test from Abbott Molecular now makes that much more possible.

World Health Organization approves first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use Read more

Scientists in the U.K. developing world’s first vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer

| By | -, Change Milestones

Researchers at the University of Oxford are working on the world’s first ovarian cancer vaccine, aiming to prevent the disease that kills nearly 26,000 women in the European Union every year. The vaccine, called OvarianVax, would train the immune system to recognize and fight back against the earliest stages of ovarian cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer among women which often isn’t detected until a later stage when it’s harder to treat. Cancer Research U.K. will fund the OvarianVax research with up to £600,000 for the effort.

Scientists in the U.K. developing world’s first vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer Read more

Landfill. A lot of plastic garbage. Environmental problems.

Bangladesh implements strong measures to eliminate single-use plastic

| By | -, Change Milestones

Data shows Bangladesh generates around 87,000 tons of single-use plastics annually, of which 96% are directly discarded as garbage. Lack of awareness has led to the collection of plastic waste all over the cities, especially near rivers or lakes, where they mix with water and soil, affecting ecosystems and food chains. The new country’s new government has now decided to implement an existing, but unenforced 2001 law by banning all single-use plastics.

Bangladesh implements strong measures to eliminate single-use plastic Read more

Start typing and press enter to search