Archive of Human Genius

We are building the world’s largest database of social change milestones, from the first fire to today’s good news. Change is not only possible, it has happened consistently throughout human history. Filter by era, country, topic, actor, source, and more.

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  • BP gas station
    2020 C.E. August 7

    BP to cut oil production 40% by 2030 and invest billions into green energy

    BP wants to create a 10-fold increase in annual low carbon investments in the coming decade, to $5 billion a year by 2030, and it says it is working on its promise of net zero-emissions by 2050.


  • Macbook
    2020 C.E. August 7

    Apple has developed a game-changing low-carbon aluminum

    The lightweight metal is chemically the same as the mass-produced version used in products like foil, soda cans, bike frames, and car doors. But it’s made using a different industrial process — one that doesn’t result in the direct release of greenhouse gases.


  • Hospital patient
    2020 C.E. August 6

    Canada grants first legal exemptions for psilocybin use in 50 years

    Four terminally ill cancer patients in Canada have now been approved to use psilocybin to treat end-of-life distress. These patients will be the first to legally use the psychedelic in Canada for almost half a century.


  • Gateway Arch
    2020 C.E. August 6

    Missouri voters approve Medicaid healthcare expansion

    Voters made Missouri the 38th state to approve expanding Medicaid health care coverage to thousands more low-income adults. As many as 250,000 more adults could choose to be covered by government health insurance beginning in July 2021.


  • element digital T CXBZLUvic unsplash
    2020 C.E. August 5

    More than 900,000 new voters enlisted in Côte d’Ivoire

    More than 900,000 eligible voters were enrolled, taking the numbers to 7.5 million before the presidential race. The Electoral Commission revised the 2018 list, estimating that five million Ivorians were not registered.


  • Electric car charging decal
    2020 C.E. August 5

    General Motors partners with EVgo to install 2,700 fast chargers across U.S.

    General Motors is partnering with EVgo, the largest EV charging network in the US, to add 2,700 fast chargers in 40 cities across America over the next 5 years. GM and EVgo will install the stations at grocery stores, retail outlets, entertainment centers and other high-traffic areas.


  • Tick or spider
    2020 C.E. August 5

    Lyme disease vaccine found to be safe and effective in clinical trial

    French company Valneva has developed a vaccine that works by stopping Lyme-causing bacteria in ticks from passing into people’s bloodstreams when the ticks bite.


  • vidar nordli mathisen HGqJq vglc unsplash
    2020 C.E. August 5

    Pittsburgh launches ‘guaranteed income’ program with Jack Dorsey donation

    Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced that his city is now joining 15 other American cities in a program receiving funding from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, in which eligible residents will receive $500 in monthly "guaranteed income." The money used to start the program will come from funds Dorsey gave that is allowing Pittsburgh and 15 other cities to help those who are struggling during the economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.


  • A person holding a bag full of vegetables
    2020 C.E. August 5

    Use of plastic bags in England drops by 95% since 2015

    Use of plastic carrier bags in England has continued to fall – by 59% in the last year alone – since the introduction of the 5p charge. Sales of single-use plastic bags have dropped by 95% in England’s supermarkets since the charge was introduced in October 2015.


  • Vials of blood
    2020 C.E. August 4

    New blood test can detect prostate cancer with unprecedented precision

    A new blood test for prostate cancer is producing a 99% accuracy rating—precision that has never before been achieved for a blood test of this particular kind of cancer. The test can also determine the exact stage and progression of the cancer, reducing the need for invasive biopsies and scans.


  • Father and daughter washing hands
    2020 C.E. September 14

    Two-thirds of Americans believe they have become a better person this year

    The poll of 2,000 Americans looked at the positives changes to come from this challenging time. Results revealed 55% of respondents were embarrassed by some of the things they valued pre-quarantine, and the many months spent at home gave 70% a chance to learn more about themselves.


  • A plastic bottle at the beach
    2020 C.E. September 14

    South Australia becomes first Australian state to ban single-use plastics

    The law, which is expected to come into force in 2021, means that selling, supplying or distributing a “prohibited plastic product” will be illegal. The list of banned items includes plastic straws, cutlery, and drink stirrers, as well as polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, and clamshell containers.


  • Oceanbird
    2020 C.E. September 14

    New design uses huge 80-meter sails to reduce cargo shipping emissions by 90%

    The Oceanbird is capable of transporting up to 7,000 cars at an average speed of 10 knots on a North Atlantic crossing. It's four colossal 80-meter (260-ft) high extendable wing sails promise to reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent.


  • Two elephants in an open field
    2020 C.E. September 11

    Zimbabwe bans coal mining in all national parks

    The new policy reverses an earlier decision to allow two firms to drill and survey for coal in the world-renowned Hwange National Park, home to more than 40,000 elephants and a population of endangered black rhino, as well as leopard and painted dog conservation programs.


  • Ghana University of Environment and Sustainable Development groundbreaking
    2020 C.E. September 11

    Ghanaian government commissions university dedicated to sustainable development

    The University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) is the first university in the nation focused on teaching students about sustainability issues such as climate change and environmental protection.


  • Old Navy store front
    2020 C.E. September 10

    Old Navy and Tory Burch will give employees paid leave to work the polls

    The election is fast approaching, but 58 percent of regular poll workers are over the age of 60, leading to rising concerns over who will fill in for these vulnerable employees during the pandemic.


  • Urban Forest Brisbane
    2020 C.E. September 10

    Greenery-covered high-rise will have more trees than a nearby park

    With over 1,000 trees and 20,000 plants on its exterior, the Urban Forest will boast more trees than a nearby park in Brisbane, Australia. The project is hailed as one of the world's most densely-forested greenery-covered buildings by designer Koichi Takada Architects.


  • Charleston, SC, USA
    2020 C.E. September 10

    Charleston sues 24 fossil fuel companies for costs of surviving climate change

    As Charleston approaches Friday’s third anniversary of Hurricane Irma’s extreme surge and flooding that devastated the city, officials today filed a lawsuit in South Carolina state court to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the costs of adapting to the harmful impacts of climate change.


  • Doris Burke
    2020 C.E. September 10

    Doris Burke will become first woman to call NBA Finals

    Burke has called NBA games for ESPN since Disney first broadcasted Association contests in 2003. Per the AP, Burke became the first woman to become a full-time network NBA game analyst in 2017.


  • Uber driver in a car
    2020 C.E. September 9

    Uber to go 50% electric in 7 European capitals by 2025

    The world’s largest mobility platform pledged to clean up its act in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris in response to the #TrueCostOfUber campaign, which urged it to ditch dirty vehicles and replace them with electric cars.



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