On June 22, 2022, a devastating earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people and more than 1,500 injured, according to the country’s state-run media. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 5.9-magnitude earthquake took place at around 1:30 am, local … [Read more...] about Responding to the earthquake in Afghanistan: how can we help?
UN
This is the UN plan to tackle plastic pollution
The Optimist Daily very much likes writing about plastic cleanup in the oceans. So, we were ecstatic when we learned about the beginnings of a treaty on par with the Paris Climate Accords to clean up plastics. The Paris Climate Accords made history as an international effort … [Read more...] about This is the UN plan to tackle plastic pollution
Frankie the Dinosaur urges humanity not to choose extinction
Right before the commencement of the United Nations climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, the UN Development Program posted a video of a special guest speaker: Frankie the Dinosaur. Frankie’s warning was clear: if we don’t work together to dramatically reduce our use of … [Read more...] about Frankie the Dinosaur urges humanity not to choose extinction
UN votes to make a clean and healthy environment a human right
The U.N. Human Rights Council has finally recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental human right, adding it to others─like food, shelter, and freedom from slavery─laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The resolution was first … [Read more...] about UN votes to make a clean and healthy environment a human right
UN reclassifies cannabis as a less dangerous drug
In 1961, The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs classified marijuana as a Schedule IV drug, the most dangerous category. Now, cannabis has been removed from the list per the World Health Organization’s recommendation. The drug’s declassification opens up the door for … [Read more...] about UN reclassifies cannabis as a less dangerous drug