Wildlife given citizenship, planting 10 billion trees, assault weapons banned in Canada

Photo: Stephen Pedersen/Unsplash (CCO)

Today we have articles on the hummingbirds, bees, plants and trees that have been granted citizenship in a suburb in Costa Rica, the scheme in Pakistan that hires construction workers who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 to plant trees, and Justin Trudeau’s move to ban deadly firearms in Canada. 

Bees, plants, hummingbirds and trees given citizenship in Costa Rican suburb

The Mayor granted the species citizenship in a move to ensure that urban planning benefits both wildlife and humans.

Source: The Guardian

Pakistan’s workers made redundant by Coronavirus hired to plant trees

The government has created more than 60,000 jobs by hiring out of work construction workers to plant saplings as part of the country’s ’10 Billion Tree Tsunami Programme’.

Source: Al Jazeera

Assault weapons banned in Canada directly after the country’s deadliest shooting

Justin Trudeau announced an immediate ban on military-grade assault weapons last Friday, following the mass shooting last month which left 22 people dead.

Source: AFO

Paris plans to keep cars off the roads following the end of lockdown

The Mayor Anne Hidalgo has implemented plans to continue to keep cars off the roads by using bike lanes, buses and social distancing to reduce pollution.

Source: City Lab

Australian bank promises to withdraw support for thermal coalmining and fossil fuel industry

Westpac joins other major financial instutitions that will stop backing the fossil fuel industry, and also states it will lend another $3.5 billion to environmental causes over the next three years.

Source: The Guardian

Virtual reality device stimulates feelings of touch

The new device would allow users to have the sensation of touching items in shops or museums, without actually having to go there.

Source: Euro News

China’s Guangdong province announces new laws to stop discrimination against Africans

The anti-discrimination measures aim to reverse the trend of rising reports of racism agains Africans living in China as people use COVID-19 as an excuse to discriminate.

Source: SCMP

Taiwanese women lead the way in the fight against climate change

For over 30 years, the Homemakers United Foundation has been raising awareness in Taiwan on the necessity of taking responsibility for the climate.

Source: SCMP

Medical drones used to help beat the Coronavirus crisis

The drones, which are currently used in Rwanda and Ghana to deliver vital packages to areas with poor road infrastructure, are now being trialled in the UK.

Source: The Conversation

Singing helps to overcome the loneliness of social-distancing

Across the world, people are using song to connect with their neighbours, which feeds the social brain by forming bonds with others to ovecome feelings of isolation and stress.

Source: The Conversation

Read more