Points of Progress

How to create affordable housing for more people, and make a whole city a sponge Progress roundup: Copenhagen’s sponge-city strategy protects from floods, and more places in the U.S. adopt social housing to lock in affordability.

When thinking big works. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Where a women’s tax is canceled, and businesswomen’s decisions valued Progress roundup: Malta brings free period products to schools, a study in Kenya and Senegal finds women’s decision-making superior to men’s, and more.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

In California and in Poland, new laws for who belongs where Progress roundup: A $56 million purchase doubles the Yurok tribe’s holdings along the Klamath River, and Shanghai bus riders create new routes.

In the largest land-back deal in California history - note that it took the Yurok Tribe and Western Rivers Conservancy more than 20 years of work, including raising millions from a long list of funders to buy the territory. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Protecting homes from hurricanes, rice crops from heat, and seas from trawling Progress roundup: Science reveals how rice crops can resist heat for better yields and quality, and how building codes work against hurricanes.

In Alabama, hurricane damage prompted voluntary building standards by @ibhs.org and insurance discounts. One key to their success is third-party verification. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Helpful microbes: For cleaning up oil spills and helping crops grow Progress roundup: Science enables Brazil to transform its economy, German researchers to find a microbe that makes detergent, and California to filter PFAS.

A woman transforms agriculture in Brazil, a Chinese woman in school in Germany discovers how an ocean microbe makes its own surfactant that could break down oil spills, and the women running a hotel in Sri Lanka, a country w. low female workforce participation
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Citizen projects tear up pavement for plants, and keep solar panels going China, the largest producer and consumer of seafood, signs a safeguard against illegal fishing. And in Colombia, a program eases adoption of renewables.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

The surprising resilience of a smiling salamander and some old buried seeds Progress roundup: Captive-bred salamander can survive in the wild, and old fynbos seeds will germinate, sowing science’s hope for habitat restoration.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

The benefits of living with bears and letting nature take its course Progress roundup: Antarctica’s newest research base lowers fossil fuel use, a medieval Italian village welcomes its bears, and more.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

How to plant a city tree, and where timber beats steel for buildings Progress roundup: Art world wakes up to South Asian talent, a Stockholm method of planting keeps trees happy, and clean energy tops fossil fuels in the U.S.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

How independence helps caregivers on the job and Indigenous people in Colombia Progress roundup: Philippine island boosts incomes and mangrove forests, Colombia protects isolated tribes, and U.S. home care workers thrive in co-ops.

Two examples of empowerment via autonomy (Bear with me here): In the U.S. a small study found that home health care workers who owned the company reported greater satisfaction (so less turnover). & Greta Garbo, part 2: leaving uncontacted peoples alone in Colombia

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

The right to be a society apart, in Ecuador and South Africa Progress roundup: A startup gets closer to carbon dioxide emissions-free steel, Germany strategizes for pedestrians, and African penguins gain protections.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Grafting for chocolate in Peru, and going after invasive species in New Zealand Progress roundup: Grafting revives cacao trees, reforms in Fiji strengthen democracy, and New Zealand commits to pest eradication on three islands.

Cacao trees can be less productive over time. But a tried-and-true technique – grafting – can rejuvenate a tree and help prevent the deforestation that is practiced when starting a new plantation. #chocolate
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

How to reuse exhaust from jets and store energy in sand Progress roundup: Dallas airport captures jet exhaust for electricity, Finland innovates with heating methods, plus rights rulings in Japan and Kenya.

Innovations from Dallas to Finland - Finland news thanks to @katharinehayhoe.com www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Go with the flow: How to squeeze water from fog, and why to remove a dam Progress roundup: Small dams across the U.S. are being removed for safety, water quality, and wildlife. And a desert in Chile yields water from fog.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

@csmonitor.bsky.social gives you the 180-word version, but also a link to Dr. Rivera's longer article in Nature.

When a ‘thumbs-up’ beats 5 stars, and where paralegals aid women’s land rights Progress roundup: three equity questions on job performance grades, the worthiness of women as landowners, and Indigenous people’s quality of life.

Do you hesitate to give your rideshare 5 ⭐? @larivera.bsky.social‬ explains studies on job evals: A 6-point scale instead of 10 eliminated gender gaps, maybe because a 6-out-of-6 rating is not as associated with perfection, which is more often attributed to men. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

How to recycle a building, and school a president on climate Progress roundup: Chinese scientists develop a method to refresh weak batteries. And in Argentina, a law sends judges and more to climate class.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

The rights of animals and the environment, from Mexico to Nepal Progress roundup: Nepal’s Supreme Court disallowed development in protected areas. And in Mexico, Congress put animal welfare in the constitution.

Where a Supreme Court struck down a pro-development law, and a Congress put animal rights into its constitution (OK, I’ll tell you – it’s Nepal and Mexico)
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Especially in Texas - agrovoltaics on the rise

A quiet recognition of Black soldiers in South Africa, and new rights in Ecuador Progress roundup: School lunch goes nationwide in Canada, overdue honor for Black soldiers in South Africa, and in Ecuador, marine life gain rights

School lunch yields up to a tenfold return on investment for the community, according to the World Food Program. Canada now has a national plan. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Deserts and dollars: Where news gathering, and fossils, need support Progress roundup: EU court says binary choices are discriminatory. And in Colombia, two museums hold mother lode of 10 million-year-old fossil history.

U.S. researchers, starting with @centerforcooperativemedia.org.web.brid.gy - are mapping local news coverage. It's helping some philanthropic funders know what communities to target for support. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

How our actions affect others – from driving more safely to making art Progress roundup: Studies show that Americans are safer partly because of better driving. And Britons are healthier when they pursue arts and culture.

Hang onto this. Americans gave each other a very good year: fewer traffic fatalities, lower homicide rate, less drug use among adolescents. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Income grows in Africa, and solar power soars in Pakistan Progress roundup: Colombian women chose fish farms over coca, Africa made income gains, and solar power is surging in Pakistan.

We count on the balancing power of the courts. In Belgium, a court recognized the harm of colonialism and a crime against humanity: Decades ago, children of Belgian fathers, born to Black mothers in Congo, were abducted and sent to Belgium.
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Jordan in a bind: What to offer Trump instead of taking in Gaza refugees? Jordanian King Abdullah’s meeting with Donald Trump Tuesday was one of the most consequential of his 25-year reign. His mission: to get the U.S. president to walk back his plan to relocate Gaza’s popu...

For a monarch all too accustomed to Middle East crises, King Abdullah's Oval Office meeting with Donald #Trump Tuesday was one of the most pivotal of his 25-year reign.

One challenge: what "concession" to offer the president to make him feel like he got a deal?

www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle...

Bee fences and women taxi drivers to protect people Progress roundup: Taxi companies built by women are improving their safety. And fences made of beehives are keeping farmers safer from elephants.

Puerto Rico is close to a #30x30 goal, by making marine protected areas of 27% of its waters. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

From worst to best: How Poland reduces traffic deaths, and Sri Lanka fixes wetlands Progress roundup: With safety and well-being in mind, Warsaw’s measures halved traffic fatalities. And Sri Lanka’s capital is restoring wetlands.

Warsaw roads have gone some of the deadliest to some of Europe's safest.
www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Children first: Protecting and nurturing, from Colombia to Finland Progress roundup: Children’s rights and needs drove national policy in Colombia and Finland. And for coastal areas, new proof of seabeds as carbon sinks.

Child marriage, which the UN considers a union with a person under 18 and a violation of human rights, is legal in most of the United States. Colombia's legislators banned it late last year. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Belonging and going home: Malaysia embraces diaspora, Brazil reclaims stolen art Progress roundup: Indigenous art goes home to Brazil, rights are granted to children born to Malaysian mothers overseas, and farms help birds migrate.

Birthright citizenship was recently granted to children of Malaysian mothers who had their babies elsewhere and then came home. In some countries, rights passed to offspring are still stronger for fathers. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Why preschool matters in Mexico and bees thrive in Slovenia Progress roundup: Preschool has lasting positive affects for children in Mexico, Slovenia’s affinity for bees aids in their conservation, and more.

Guess where protecting pollinators is part of the national culture? www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...

Growing baby corals in the nursery and corn on steep hillsides Progress roundup: Success for coral raised in the nursery, corn grown on steep hillsides, and a new powder that captures CO2 from the atmosphere.

www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...