Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • The Return of the Polish Wolf

    Krzysztof Story

    April 08, 2021 |

    Tygodnik Powszechny |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Poland

    Scientists, NGOs, conservationists, and the government worked together to bring the Polish wolf back from the brink of extinction. Methods like GPS tracking and genetic sampling have helped politicians made decisions about how to reduce human-animal conflict and ensure human development didn’t interfere with their habitats. As a result, over the last 50 years the wolf population in Poland has increased 50-fold.

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  • In France, Accents Are Now Protected by Law

    Peter Yeung

    April 02, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: France

    The French National Assembly overwhelmingly passed “the Law to Promote the France of Accents,” which criminalizes discrimination against someone based on their accent. The bill makes linguistic discrimination, or “glottophobia,” an offense punishable by up to three years’ jail time and a fine of up to €45,000 (USD$54,000). Early indications of the law's impact include the normalizing of native accents in national discourse, the appointment of a Prime Minister with a strong accent, and the French national broadcaster FranceInfo’s naming “glottophobia” one of the words of 2020.

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  • Michigan caregivers got a $2 hourly boost in COVID. Should it be permanent?

    Robin Erb

    March 22, 2021 |

    Bridge Michigan |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Michigan

    The Michigan state legislature temporarily boosted the pay of direct caregivers working with seniors and people that have disabilities by $2 an hour in recognition of their essential and sometimes risky services during the coronavirus pandemic. With about half of direct caregivers living at or near poverty, the pay bump was temporarily renewed at the slightly higher rate of $2.25 an hour, but it is set to expire again in September 2021. The governor has proposed making permanent a pay raise of $2 an hour, which helps the caregivers meet their own basic needs a little better.

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  • The human right that benefits nature

    Katarina Zimmer

    March 16, 2021 |

    BBC |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Costa Rica

    A court in Costa Rica decided that a local municipality was illegally polluting a stream and this ruling set the stage for the country to ensure that a clean and healthy environment is a human right. They ingrained this right in their constitution joining about 110 other countries that have constitutionally recognized it. Although the law is not perfect, it has allowed courts to rule that killing endangered green sea turtles is unconstitutional, for example. Costa Rica’s success with this legal pathway could be used in other countries seeking to adopt the right to a healthy environment.

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  • Balancing climate, culture, and community: Fiji's relocation challenge

    Nithin Coca Naomi Mihara Walter Gerard

    March 11, 2021 |

    Devex |

    Multi-Media |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Fiji, Korolevu, Vanua Levu

    After a river in Fiji continued to flood, an entire village relocated uphill 2 kilometers away. About two-thirds of the residents participated in this voluntary relocation, which proved effective when a strong cyclone hit the island. Government policies are making it easier for villages to relocate due to climate change; in fact, four have done so already. Balancing the people’s cultural connection to the land and the need to move can be tricky, but as people continue to be displaced, their responses could help inform other coastal communities around the world.

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  • The Streets Are My Home: Evictions, Homelessness and COVID

    Kolby Webster Arielle Davis

    March 02, 2021 |

    KOSU |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Tulsa, Oklahoma

    Restore Hope Ministries worked to prevent homelessness and evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic by using private donations, foundation grants, and CARES Act funds to provide rental assistance to 1,422 households. Each household received up to several months of rent, totaling $3.5 million in assistance, and targeting populations and neighborhoods most vulnerable to eviction and homelessness. The Tulsa Day Center also pivoted due to the pandemic and sheltered people identified as most vulnerable in place day and night, while working with the city and county to open up and run an overflow shelter.

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  • The EV tax credit can save you thousands — if you're rich enough

    Shannon Osaka

    February 26, 2021 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    A tax credit was supposed to incentive Americans to buy electric vehicles, but testimony from car buyers and research has shown that only people who can afford the full purchase are getting access to the benefit. The tax break gives electric car purchasers a credit on their taxes the following year, but only as much as they owe the government. The purchase could end up costing more than buyers expected, which can be a barrier for people who want to switch to electric.

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  • “Power Companies Get Exactly What They Want”: How Texas Repeatedly Failed to Protect Its Power Grid Against Extreme Weather

    Vianna Davila Jeremy Schwartz Kiah Collier

    February 22, 2021 |

    The Texas Tribune |

    Multi-Media |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Texas

    After winter storms and freezing temperatures in 2011 and 2014 caused power plants in Texas to shut down, the state’s energy regulators failed to adapt the state’s electric grid for future extreme weather events. Experts say the state’s deregulated energy market, failure to weatherize facilities, and a lack of action from lawmakers to update the power grid caused millions of customers to lose power during the deadly 2021 winter storm.

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  • The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed

    Katherine Blunt Russell Gold

    February 19, 2021 |

    Wall Street Journal |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Texas

    By relying on the market to give energy suppliers' incentives to keep the power going during extreme weather events, a historic cold snap in Texas revealed cracks in the state’s free-market energy system, which left millions powerless during the storm. Critics of the state’s system say “the alphabet soup of Texas energy oversight bodies” led to inaction and there was a lack of preparation from plant owners to ensure that they could continue to operate in extreme heat and cold temperatures.

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  • Wales's "One Planet" Policy Is Transforming Rural Life

    Oliver Gordon

    February 12, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Wales, Pembrokeshire

    Wales’ One Planet Development Policy allows people to live a more sustainable lifestyle by using only the resources on the land where they reside. For one family, they get their electricity from their own solar array, heat from firewood, and food from their gardens and livestock. Each year, they must prove that they are using only their “global fair share” of resources. So far, 46 farms have signed on to the program and the lessons learned from the experiment are helping to inform the government’s actions on other policies like housing.

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