A quiet recognition of Black soldiers in South Africa, and new rights in Ecuador
Ecuador’s Constitutional Court ruled that marine ecosystems have rights
The court’s decision expanded a 2008 constitutional provision, then the first of its kind in the world, that granted nature legal rights but thus far had been applied only to terrestrial ecosystems and mangroves.
In 2020, a group of industrial fishers filed a lawsuit alleging that the government’s restriction on an 8-nautical-mile-long zone was unconstitutional. The court rejected this assertion, arguing that the law was necessary to protect the environment and had increased fish populations.
Why We Wrote This
In our progress roundup, recognition for the voiceless: Researchers uncovered the ignored history of South Africa’s World War I Black servicemen, and a court in Ecuador grants legal rights to marine life.
Marine ecosystems have “intrinsic value,” and the government has a constitutional mandate to “build a new form of citizen coexistence, in diversity and harmony with nature,” the judges wrote.
Hugo Echeverria, a lawyer who filed a brief supporting the government, said that others will likely use the decision as precedent to challenge the constitutionality of activities such as oil and gas drilling.
Source: Inside Climate News
Canada no longer lacks a national free school-food program
Legislators have pledged to invest $1 billion (Canadian; U.S.$700 million) over five years. Studies have long shown that students perform better in school with a full stomach. Yet a 2020 report by Canada’s public health agency said that up to 20% of children go to school or bed hungry.
The program aims to serve 400,000 children not already participating in a provincial program and will offer healthy breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. The government estimates that it could save a two-child family up to $800 (Canadian) a year. Funding includes some support for school infrastructure, such as cafeterias, and paid staff.
Other countries have found success with such efforts: In Sweden, children who participated in the school food program earned 3% to 5% more over their lifetimes than those who didn’t. And the World Food Program estimates as much as a tenfold return on investment for communities with school meals.
Sources: Maclean’s, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Policy Magazine, Government of Canada, World Food Program USA
More than 75% of U.K. universities pledged to eliminate fossil fuels from investment portfolios
The pledges come after years of activism by students and staff. Since 2013, the student-run campaign People & Planet has sought to highlight communities worldwide that are most affected by climate change and has pushed schools to end their support of the fossil fuel industry through research, partnerships, and investments. Recently, five universities announced that they will not invest in fossil fuels, bringing the number of participating institutions to 116 out of 149 in the U.K.
In 2023, researchers at Smith College in Massachusetts counted more than 140 higher education institutions that had made divestment commitments, out of thousands, in the United States.
Sources: The Guardian, University of California Press
In a redress of colonialism and apartheid, a new World War I memorial honors Black service members
In Cape Town’s oldest public garden, 1,772 wooden poles are etched with the names of men who have no known graves and whose history was nearly lost.
About a decade ago, researchers discovered records of the Allied service members, who died in noncombat roles from 1914 to 1918. Because they were Black, they were not allowed to carry arms. Instead they transported supplies and built roads and bridges. After the war, racial policies of British colonialism and South Africa’s apartheid era prevented their recognition.
The memorial finally rights a historical wrong, says the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the British organization that built it.
“Those we have come to pay tribute to have gone unacknowledged for too long,” said Britain’s Princess Anne at the opening of the memorial. “We will remember them.”
Source: The Associated Press
Nearly all of Bangladesh has basic electricity
In 30 years, over 100 million Bangladeshis have gained access to at least the lowest tier: the capacity for basic lighting and charging a phone for at least four hours a day. In 1991, fewer than 15% of people in Bangladesh had access.
Half the population has a higher tier of access, or the capacity to power high-load appliances for more than eight hours a day. Most recently, data showed that growth in the country’s electricity demand has come largely from residents trying to cool their homes during increasingly extreme weather.
About 9 in 10 people worldwide have basic access to electricity, with most of the gap in sub-Saharan Africa. The United Nations has set a target to achieve universal access by 2030.
Source: Our World In Data
