The good news stories from 2017
These may have fallen off radar
WITH all the natural disasters, terrorist attacks and political controversies that have happened this year, you’d be forgiven for missing the good stuff. Here’s a rundown.
What a year — marred by terrorist attacks, natural disasters and political scandals, you may be hard-pressed to recall anything positive took place at all this year.
So before we say goodbye (and good riddance) to 2017, let’s take a moment to appreciate some of the good news stories that may have fallen off the radar.
China shut down its ivory trade
March 31 marked the beginning of the end of the long-controversial sale of ivory with China, the world’s largest market for it, with the country closing down a large number of its ivory factories and retailers.
Last year, President Xi Jinping said the country would completely phase out the ivory market by the end of the year. China’s large demand for ivory is believed to play a significant role in elephant poaching in Africa, which has led to a drastic decline in their numbers. According to National Geographic, about 30,000 elephants are killed by poachers each year. In 1990, an international ban on ivory trade was put into place, however, until now, China and the US continued to allow domestic sales of ivory.
Renewable energy employs almost 10M people worldwide
If you need proof that the renewable energy sector is booming, here it is: renewables are now responsible for 9.8 million people’s jobs worldwide, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency in May.
Better yet, the number is expected to rise steadily over the next decade according to the general director at Irena, Adnan Z Amin.
“As the scales continue to tip in favour of renewables, we expect that the number of people working in the renewables sector could reach 24 million by 2030, more than offsetting fossil-fuel job losses and becoming a major economic driver around the world,” Mr Amin said.
Currently, the majority of jobs in renewables are located in Asia (62 per cent), with 3.64 million people employed in renewables in China alone.
Also leading the way in renewables employment are Brazil, the United States, India, Japan and Germany.
The UK elected its most diverse parliament in history
This year’s British election made history as the most diverse parliament to date, with an increase in female, LGBT, disabled and ethnic MPs elected, according to the BBC.
Of the 650 MPs elected this year, 45 openly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender — an increase of 40 per cent on the 2015 election. Meanwhile, 52 ethic minorities were voted into parliament, including Preet Gill, the first female Sikh MP, and African-Caribbean nurse Eleanor Smith.
The number of women increased by almost 9 per cent, bringing the gender gap to the smallest it’s ever been. Women now make up 32 per cent of the House of Commons (lower house).
Furthermore, a number of MPs who won seats are registered as disabled, including Marsha de Cordova, who is blind, and Jared O’Mara, who has cerebral palsy hemiparesis.
Tunisia banned violence against women
In a country with one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, Tunisia’s new law banning violence against women was a landmark move. Passed in July and scheduled to come into effect next year, the law will help protect women from not only domestic violence but also harassment and discrimination. According to a 2010 survey by the National Family Office, some 47 per cent of women in the North African country will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.
The legislation will apply to “physical, moral, economic and sexual” forms of abuse and increases penalties for abusers. One particularly controversial clause that enabled rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims will be abolished.
France and Britain’s clean air plan
French and British governments committed to reduce air pollution by announcing they will ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by the year 2040. The European nations hope the move will help them become carbon neutral.
It has been proposed that drivers of diesel vehicles may face levies from 2020, while car-manufacturer Volvo announced it will replace traditional engines with those that are hybrid or electric by 2019.
Pakistan planted 1 billion trees
A region in Pakistan has planted a billion trees over the past two years in an attempt to restore forests that have been destroyed by logging and natural disasters.
The aim of the Billion Tree Tsunami project funded by the Pakistani Government, is to help slow down global warming in the South Asian country.
AIDS/HIV no longer leading cause of death in Africa
According to the most recent statistics from the World Health Organisation, AIDS is no longer the leading cause of death in Africa. AIDS-related deaths have decreased from about 1 million in 2010 to 760,000 in 2015, due to increased education and treatment. Respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia are now the leading cause of death in the region. The number of deaths from malaria has also dropped.
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Kenya introduced toughest plastic bag ban in the world
In August, Kenya joined more that 40 other countries — including China, France and Italy — in imposing a strict ban on plastic bags, with those caught producing, selling or using the bags facing up to four years in jail or fines of $51,000. It is currently the world’s toughest law on plastic bags.
Women allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia
The king of Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree in September that said from June next year women in the Middle Eastern country will be allowed to drive.
Kazakhstan to reintroduce wild tigers
The Republic of Kazakhstan announced that it will be introducing a program to bring Amur tigers back to the region — some 70 years after they became extinct.
CHINA’S PRESIDENT XI JINPING SAID THE COUNTRY WOULD COMPLETELY PHASE OUT THE IVORY MARKET BY THE END OF THE YEAR