• Overall, the practice of female genital mutilation has been declining over the last three decades. In the 30 countries with nationally representative prevalence data, around 1 in 3 girls aged 15 to 19 today have undergone the practice versus 1 in 2 in the late-1980s. Unicef.
• There’s been a 48% drop in Rubella cases between 2012 and 2020 due to the rubella vaccine. WHO (PDF)
• In the two decades since Portugal decriminalized the personal possession of all drugs, new HIV infections, drug deaths, drug-related crimes, and the prison population all fell sharply. Transform.
• The number of euthanized dogs has hit record low, saving millions of lives. Time.
• In 2021, Indonesia rehabilitated 300,000 ha of peatlands, representing 25% of its four year target. Mongabay.
• In Australia, wind and solar provided five times more power than gas in 2021. Coal is down to 62.8% too. The Age.
• New minimum wage announced for South Africa. Business Tech.
• Federal internet program reaches 10 million households. Axios.
• Texas restaurant workers are eligible for free child care. Eater.
• MIT scientists create a super plastic that’s two times stronger than steel. Fast Company.
• A twist on stem cell transplants could help blood cancer patients. Wired.
• Immunity-boosting breast cancer drug could save thousands, finds UK research. The Guardian.
• Revolutionary ‘bionic’ pacemaker capable of reversing heart failure now set for human trials. Study Finds.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.

• The United States passes bipartisan legislation that will overhaul how workplace sexual assault and harassment claims are handled, eliminating a central source of protection for the perpetrators. The New York Times.
• Pakistan’s new law aims to protect women in workplace. Human Rights Watch.
• Puerto Rico teachers will get a $1K a month salary boost. NBC News.
• 10 states passed laws to protect hospital patients from heavy medical debt. The Wall Street Journal.
• Malaria-preventing bed nets save children’s lives with impacts that can last for decades. Science.
• 2 cancer patients “cured” after promising immunotherapy treatment. Axios.
• Walking again after paralysis: Early study suggests stimulation could jolt spinal cord back to life. STAT.
• Tiny homes, big dreams: How some activists are reimagining shelter for the homeless. NPR.
• Bionic eye implants enable a blind person to see again. Freethink.
• A roadway will charge your electric vehicle while you’re driving. Axios.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.

• These simple green lights could save sharks and turtles from fishing nets. Science.
• How HIV elimination is within Australia’s reach. BBC.
• A Swedish company plans on using crows to pick up cigarette butts. The Hill.
• Crime is down from pre-pandemic levels in San Francisco and other cities. Reason.
• UK ovarian cancer death rate down 17% since 2017, study suggests. The Guardian.
• Chemists turn carbon emissions into a solid — instantly. Anthropocene.
• From the start of the US vaccination campaign through the end of November 2021, Covid-19 vaccines prevented about 1.1 million deaths and 10.3 million hospitalizations in the United States. Vox.
• U.S. economy grew 5.7 percent in 2021, fastest full-year clip since 1984, despite ongoing pandemic. Washington Post.
• Fur seals in New Zealand were hunted close to extinction, but in the century since the sealing industry collapsed, they have recovered to more than 200,000. The Guardian.
• As we enter the Year of the Tiger, WWF looks back on all the progress made in tiger recovery since the last Year of the Tiger in 2010. WWF.
• 2021 was a banner year for solar power in the European Union. All EU states are currently on track to reach their 2030 solar goals, with Latvia and Estonia already meeting their 2030 solar targets, and Poland, Ireland, and Sweden expected to reach them next year. Yale360.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.

• CostPlus Drug Company is selling medications at cost, plus a small markup, allowing Americans to pay a similar price for medications to Europeans. In some cases, medications cost thousands of dollars less than the retail price at pharmacies. TechCrunch.
• World records fewest guinea worm cases in history of eradication campaign. The Carter Center.
• This startup is turning nonrecyclable plastic into building blocks fit for construction. Fast Company.
• Between 1978 and 2016, the median level of lead in the blood of children in the US fell by 95%. Our World in Data.
• Federal agencies are raising minimum wages for government employees to $15 an hour. Axios.
• A Zambian park has reversed the national extinction of black rhinos. Reasons to be Cheerful.
• Conservation efforts are saving humpback whales. Good Good Good.
• UCLA researchers cure HIV in 40% of mice. The Jerusalem Post.
• Swedish startup Molecular Attraction plans to kill mosquitoes in places plagued by malaria by tricking the insects into drinking beetroot “blood” laced with toxins. Freethink.
• Giant pristine coral reef discovered off Tahiti. BBC News.
• Rains bring salmon back to California streams after 25 years. The Guardian.
• Ghostly monkey and slug snake among 224 new species found in Mekong region. The Guardian.
• GM to invest historic $7 billion in 4 facilities across Michigan, creating 4,000 jobs. Detroit Free Press.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.