Good Governance
What does good governance look like? In this good news section, we share international examples of good governance, from efforts directed at the protection of civil rights to initiatives aimed at the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.
FEMA will begin screening for potential discrimination in disaster aid denial
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a patchy history. Well known for denying assistance to low-income communities, FEMA appears to be cleaning up its act with a new plan to track who is applying for FEMA aid and, more importantly, who is being turned down. Nearly half of all FEMA Read More...
New York City will allow noncitizens to vote in local elections
For long-time residents of the US who have difficulty acquiring citizenship, elections can be a painful reminder of the difficult road to fully establishing oneself in the US. In an unprecedented move to support those seeking citizenship, New York City has approved a bill that would let noncitizens Read More...
Chile legalizes same-sex marriage
After a decade-long legal battle, Chile’s Congress has officially passed a law to legalize same-sex marriage. Passed on Tuesday, the bill is expected to be signed into law soon by President Sebastian Pinera. The road to marriage equality has been long and arduous in the conservative South Read More...
Paris has an Olympic-sized plan to clean up the Seine
If you stroll through Paris on a warm summer day, you’ll likely see groups of sunbathers and picnickers lounging near the Seine, but you probably won’t see anyone swimming. Waste management and pollution issues have made the river too dirty to swim in, but that may change thanks to a new city Read More...
Canada fast-tracks bill to ban conversion therapy
A bill that would ban the practice of conversion therapy in Canada has been unanimously adopted by the House of Commons, fast tracking it for approval by the Senate. Bill C-4 bans the practice of conversion therapy, which is a harmful attempt to change an individual’s sexual or gender Read More...
WHO proposes global treaty to better address future pandemics
Unfortunately, as the climate crisis progresses and humans continue to infringe on wild animal habitats, the risk of another global pandemic is growing. To address this, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has agreed to form an intergovernmental negotiating body to create a legally-binding Read More...
US establishes protected zone for endangered North Atlantic right whales
The North Atlantic right whale is a species of whale that is currently considered critically endangered. Despite having been included in the Endangered Species Act since 1973, experts estimate that the North Atlantic right whale population has dwindled to fewer than 350. To help protect these Read More...
Community and the environment get a boost with NY freeway transformation
Many urban highways from the 1950s and 1960s were deliberately built through neighborhoods primarily occupied by people of color, effectively walling these families off from economic opportunity and disrupting their sense of community. These same roads also increase the risks of air pollution for Read More...
New York City opens the country’s first safe injection site
Harm reduction strategies are gaining traction as a more effective way to quell the ever-growing opioid crisis. These strategies, like making clean needle exchanges available and decriminalizing drug possession, understand that criminalization alone will not reduce drug abuse, nor does it protect Read More...
Department of the Interior moves to change derogatory US land names
We recently wrote about a California ski resort’s choice to change its derogatory name. Now, more sites around the US, specifically federal lands, will also get name changes as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has ordered the department’s Board on Geographic Names to remove derogatory and racist Read More...