Thanks to the Montreal Protocol of 1987, the ozone layer will fully heal by 2050; philanthropists and 10 governments pledged $1 billion for newborn and childhood nutrition, access to contraception and key maternity services in poor countries; and thanks to a record number of women running for office, the U.S. hit a few important milestones during the midterm elections.
Members of parliament elected Sahle-Work Zewde to become Ethiopia’s first female head of state; the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to ban common single-use plastics; and researchers found a social media app that connects neighbors in disaster-prone communities across Indonesia, thus saving lives and reducing financial losses.
The Asian Development Bank will devote about $2 billion annually to improving water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions across the Asia-Pacific region; Babban Gona is helping Nigerian farmers find economic opportunity by doubling yields and tripling the income of its members; and in Ethiopia’s new cabinet, women will head defense, trade, transport, labor, culture, science and revenue.
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