Policy Making
Strong public policy leads to more cohesive, resilient, and sustainable societies. In this section, find out about the latest legislations from around the world aimed at making our world a better place.
How e-bikes are transforming New York City
New transportation technologies literally transform cities. Beyond the obvious construction of subways, the innovation of the automobile gave rise to the prevalence of suburbs, industrial areas outside of cities, and the remodeling of American streets. We might soon see a similar change in Read More...
Germany makes renewable energy cheaper for households and businesses
Good news for German consumers shifting to renewable energy—they will no longer have to pay the renewables surcharge on their power bills as of July 1st, 2022. The renewables surcharge was a necessary action that helped fund the country’s shift to renewable power over the past two decades. Read More...
Health data policies need to come into play
As technology's power and influence have grown astonishingly in the past 20 years, no one was prepared for its implications down the line. Data privacy is one of these unforeseen issues, with no real laws and rights currently in place around this topic. We are under the hold of our browsing Read More...
More than money is needed to take down global poverty
According to the World Bank, around 9.2 percent of the global population live in extreme poverty, meaning they survive on less than $1.90 a day. Youths make up two-thirds of this statistic, with women representing the majority in most regions. Solutions to this problem may seem straightforward: Read More...
US cities work together to create network of abortion safe havens
After a draft of a US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade was leaked, people across the country now worry about the future of their ability to access safe abortions. A collective of city and state leaders across the United States are working together to create a facilitative network Read More...
UN experts and analysts plan to reinvigorate the “Great Green Wall”
The African Great Green Wall is a titanic ambition to restore an 8,000 square kilometer expanse across the continent, from Djibouti in the East to Senegal in the West. In the face of increasing desertification from climate change, the initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares (386,000 square Read More...
Indian court rules in favor of “mother nature’s” rights
It’s hard to describe the growth of an environmental movement without an inappropriate natural disaster metaphor: a wave of legislation, laws spreading like wildfire, or a mighty wind of change. None of those feel quite right, but the wave — darn it — for nature’s rights is moving fast and Read More...
US announces $3 billion electric vehicle battery production
We at The Optimist Daily are enormous electric vehicle fans, and we’re not the only ones. Demand for electric vehicles has risen so sharply around the world that manufacturers and supply chains are struggling to keep up. To help things along, state and federal governments are stepping up to Read More...
New Northern Irish law will protect victims of domestic violence
Trigger warning: this piece discusses domestic abuse that some readers may find distressing. New legislation has been put in place in Northern Ireland that will recognize coercive control as a criminal offense. The law came into power in February 2022 under Section 28 of the Domestic Abuse and Read More...
Connecticut expands abortion rights to balance new wave of restrictions
In response to the surge of new measures to restrict abortion access and in some cases imposing criminal penalties on those who perform them, lawmakers in Connecticut approved a bill that would expand the kinds of medical practitioners who can offer abortion services within the state and protect Read More...