Good News for Humankind 🌏

The world's latest milestones for climate, justice, freedom, peace, health, and more

December 30 2024 C.E.

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#1

​Finland becomes world’s first country to ban cargo ships from dumping wastewater​

Ship sewage discharged into the Baltic Sea contains large amounts of fecal bacteria and solid waste. Moreover, it is nutrient-rich, exacerbating eutrophication and causing toxic algal blooms in the summer months. Passenger ships in Finnish waters have long been prohibited from dumping this sewage into the sea, instead sending it to on-shore wastewater facilities. But now cargo vessels will be held to the same standard. The new law, set to take effect in July, will make Finland the world's first country to implement such comprehensive wastewater regulations.

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#2

​Quebec passes bill that bans gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035​

The ban, which is part of the province's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, will take place in two phases. First, as of Jan. 31, 2034, it will be prohibited to advertise the sale of a light combustion vehicle of the 2035 model year or later, whether it's a new or used vehicle, including hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Then, beginning Dec. 31, 2035, selling and leasing new light combustion vehicles of 2034 model year and earlier will be banned.

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#3

​Doctors hail first breakthrough in asthma and COPD treatment in 50 years​

A trial from King's College London found offering patients a new injection was more effective than the current care of steroid tablets, and cuts the need for further treatment by 30%. The results, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, could be transformative for millions of people with asthma and COPD around the world. Lead investigator Professor Mona Bafadhel said: “This could be a gamechanger for people with asthma and COPD. Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined."

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#4

​Brazil passes law to cap emissions and regulate carbon market​

Brazil will join the short list of countries, which includes China, Mexico, and Kazakhstan, and most E.U. member states, with a nationwide regulated carbon emissions system. The Brazilian government and the law’s proponents in the industrial sector say a regulated market will encourage companies to adopt low-carbon technologies and innovate toward greener production methods. Fines for not complying will be largely rerouted toward Brazil’s national climate change fund and administrative costs, with 5% of the fines destined to compensate Indigenous communities.

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#5

​International court rules against El Salvador in key abortion rights case​

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that El Salvador violated the human rights of a woman who was denied an abortion despite her high-risk pregnancy in 2013. The court has ordered the Central American country to adopt “all necessary regulatory measures” so that doctors are authorized to terminate “pregnancies that pose a risk to the woman’s life and health.” The country has one of the world’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws: the procedure is prohibited under all circumstances, and women can even be charged with aggravated homicide, carrying sentences of 30 to 50 years in prison.

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Remember

​The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea comes into force (1994 C.E.)​

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. It is perhaps the first major international agreement ever to establish laws to respect, protect, preserve, and prevent the dumping of plastics in the marine environment. Its preamble asserts that problems faced by the ocean “are closely interrelated and needed to be considered as a whole.” As of October 2024, 169 sovereign states and the European Union are parties.

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Imagine

​International community achieves “30×30” goal of protecting 30% of world’s oceans by 2030 (2030 C.E. ???)​

After a decades-long effort, more than 30% of the world's oceans are now formally protected in Marine Protection Areas (MPAs) limiting fishing, underwater drilling, and other damaging activities. The protection proves a massive boon to conserving biodiversity, combating climate change, and maintaining critical ecosystem services around the world.

These milestones have been added to the Archive of Human Genius - our database of social change milestones – past, present & future.

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This week's calendar

• ​GET S*** DONE Work Group every weekday at 10:30am-12pm PT (online)
• ​Bellingham Men's Circle on Monday, December 30 from 6-8pm PT (in-person)

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Absurdity is in the eye of the beholder

Hi beautiful people,

The world perhaps more than ever feels completely insane. Humanity is well into the process of radically destabilizing and undermining the Earth systems that keep us alive. We elect, empower, and revere the most ill-intentioned among us. We have healthcare systems that knowingly kill us. We let billionaires buy their fifth megayacht while millions live on the street in squalor and indignity. We continue killing each other in the name of God and peace. The list goes on and on.

It's become quite normal for those of us striving to build a better world to call this state of affairs "absurd."

In these moments, I remind myself that nothing about what actually is can truly be as absurd as it feels. Whatever is has a completely understandable reason for being that way. The absurdity is in my mind. It's my own inability to truly understand or accept the situation. If only I could expand my perspective and fill my heart with more empathy, I could see that the state of affairs makes sense.

That, of course, doesn't mean I have to like it. It doesn't mean it's not self-destructive, unsustainable, or unjust. It doesn't mean I won't do what I can to change it. It just means that I also have an opportunity to deepen into a more all-encompassing perspective. And when I can do that, I not only rid myself of a lot of judgment and suffering, but I see the world more clearly. I better equip myself to relate to it in a healthy, constructive way.

What do you find absurd?

Love,
Peter

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