Points of Progress
@pointsofprogress.bsky.social
A regular feature of The Christian Science Monitor, collecting news of positive change from sources around the world. Account run by @formerSAHM
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
Innovations from Dallas to Finland - Finland news thanks to @katharinehayhoe.com 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.
csmonitor.com
@csmonitor.bsky.social gives you the 180-word version, but also a link to Dr. Rivera's longer article in Nature.
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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...
csmonitor.com
Puerto Rico is close to a #30x30 goal, by making marine protected areas of 27% of its waters. www.csmonitor.com/World/Points...
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.
csmonitor.com
Warsaw roads have gone some of the deadliest to some of Europe's safest. 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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
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...
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.
csmonitor.com
Guess where protecting pollinators is part of the national culture? 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.
csmonitor.com
