A historic number of LGBTQ candidates in the U.S won their elections this year
According to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a record of at least 340 out LGBTQ people won – beating 2020’s record of 336 for the most in US history.
Nations
Israel and Jordan agree to team up to save Jordan River
The agreement, struck at COP27 in Egypt, where world leaders are discussing how to mitigate the climate crisis, marks an important, albeit initial, step in cooperation.
After 14 years of advocacy, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s president signs new Indigenous peoples law
The country’s Indigenous pygmy people are now legally recognized as a distinct people with rights and must consent before the government and industries can exploit their land.
Indonesia seals $20 billion deal with G7 to speed up clean energy transition
Under the partnership, Indonesia will aim to cap its emissions from the power sector by 2030, faster than the initial target of 2037, and to generate 34% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Brazil’s supreme court reactivates $620 million fund to protect the Amazon
Initially launched in 2008 by the Brazilian government, in recent years the Fund has been effectively frozen by the country’s far-right president Jair Bolsanaro.
Indonesia adds sustainability to its timber legality system
In the past, the system was designed only to ensure that all timbers produced in Indonesia were from legal sources, not from illegal deforestation.
Lynx, wild horses and vultures return to eastern Spain in latest rewilding project
Rewilding Europe’s 10th project spans 2.1 million acres in the Iberian highlands east of Madrid, one of the continent’s least populated areas.
France to require all large parking lots to be covered by solar panels
The new provisions are part of French president Macron’s large-scale plan to heavily invest in renewables, which aims to multiply by 10 the amount of solar energy produced in the country.
Cases of blindness and visual impairment in India have declined by roughly 50% since 2010
According to a recent study for estimating the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in the Indian population, more than one fourth of people in India aged 50 years and above are visually impaired.
Jaguar populations in Mexico are rebounding thanks to conservation efforts
In Mexico, the number of jaguars is now growing, increasing to 4,766 animals in 2018 from 4,025 in 2010, a promising sign that conservation strategies are working.