According to a recent study, “prescribing” vegetables, and other healthy foods could save billions of dollars and prevent millions of cases of chronic diseases in the U.S.; eight major cities around the world prioritize people over cars; and India’s new healthcare scheme will be a gamechanger for many.
Mali provides free health care to pregnant women and young children; generally relying on volcanic heat, a Swedish company claims it can generate power at lower temperatures, allowing geothermal energy to be produced as widely as wind and solar; and by placing refrigerators in community centers, a British environmental charity makes sure that restaurants and supermarkets can donate excess food while keeping it fresh.
Solar-powered pumps increase agricultural production in Nepal and prevent farmers from migrating for the purpose of finding jobs; as tourism booms in Dublin, My Streets Ireland gives homeless new skills and a source of income; and by storing cell material in a stem cell Noah’s Ark, Norwegian researchers are paving the way to preserving critically endangered animals and providing blueprints for lab-grown meat production.
India approves $1.4 billion in incentives for electric vehicles in an effort to reduce pollution and dependency on fossil fuels; the world’s first ‘minister for future generations’ Sophie Howe has been appointed to represent the unborn citizens of Wales to ensure that present legislation doesn’t compromise the future interests of Welsh citizens; and programs involving prison agriculture allow inmates to farm their own food, improving mental health and reducing rates of recidivism.
Norway’s wealth fund is making sure companies it invests in will no longer be clearing forests for palm oil plantations; after supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles banned single-use plastic bags, Australia’s single-use bag consumption has dropped 80% since July 2018; and new materials are being developed to disrupt our dependence on concrete.
Methane gas captured from garbage will help the Rio de Janeiro reduce its emissions, Norway recycles 97% of all its plastic bottles, and anti-trafficking nonprofit AnnieCannons is training survivors to use their special insight in programming anti-trafficking software.
After Greta Thunberg’s speech in Brussels, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pledges billions of euros to fight climate change; anti-poaching efforts decrease rhino deaths in South Africa; and public data and machine learning help protecting seabirds in South Africa.
Australia’s National Forest Industries Plan will help Australia meet its Paris climate agreement targets by planting one billion trees; removing asphalt from public spaces allows urban dwellers to reconnect with nature, reducing flooding and improving health; and affected by tsunamis, typhoons, and earthquakes, Japan is turning to carmakers such as Nissan and Mitsubishi to show how their electric vehicles can power homes in cases of emergency.
A startup wants to help Ugandan motorbike cabs go green; sharing a border of over 1,850 km, India and Nepal work together in trying to protect species like the Indian rhino, the Bengal tiger and the Asian elephant; and blockhain is helping Ethiopian coffee farmers keep a larger share of the profits.
In a uniquely bipartisan effort, the US Senate passes a bill to enlarge existing national parks and open new ones throughout California, Utah, Montana, and Oregon, a woman is raising tiger worms to help replenish the Earth’s diminishing soil, and the Scottish Council offers paid leave for survivors of domestic violence.
Researchers have found a new membrane that could harvest wave energy, a new mobile app interprets movies into American Sign Language, and Rwanda launches a new initiative in order to find new cooling solutions for food storage and indoor spaces without creating more greenhouse gas emissions.
Within a year, 76% of restaurants recoup their formal food waste reduction investment, thanks to an increase in solar, wind, and hydro power, Eurostat’s data indicates that the EU is on track to meet its 2020 renewable targets, and a new water bottle will dissolve when it is placed in a landfill or find its way into a body of water.
A new study shows that in Latin America, higher inequality leads to more deforestation, with lower inequality resulting in higher forest protections, UK sandwich chain Pret a Manger’s charitable foundation will open a hostel for homeless aiming to empower people affected by homelessness, poverty, and trauma, and in land-scarce Southeast Asia, solar arrays are now being placed on floating installations in lakes, dams, reservoirs, and at sea.
By mandating a minimum refund, Oregon has managed to see bottles returned at a rate of 90%, informal settlers in Tanzania are now able to secure land titles and open up economic opportunities, and a new pill might replace diabetic injections.
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