A container ship that runs on batteries, and crime fighting for trees

Dominica’s High Court decriminalized same-sex relations

An openly gay, anonymous claimant argued that a Dominican law, though rarely enforced, prevented him “from living and expressing himself freely and in dignity.”

The court cited similar jurisprudence from around the world in its decision, writing that the policy violated principles of personal privacy and freedom of expression enshrined in Dominica’s Constitution.

The decision negates a relic of British colonial rule. Sections 14 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act made consensual homosexual relations punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment and admission to a psychiatric hospital.

While Belize in 2016 was the first country in the region to decriminalize same-sex relations, a 2018 report by Human Rights Watch found prejudice, violence, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people to be common throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. Same-sex relations are still illegal in five countries in the Americas.
Sources: BBC, Human Rights Watch

Urban planners in the U.S. are borrowing innovations from Latin America

While inspiration has often been taken from Europe, advocates now see resonance with metropolises to the south and are adapting their ideas for building strong communities.

At the San Diego-Tijuana border, nonprofits and the University of California, San Diego run the UCSD-Alacrán Community Station, which features a health clinic, school, and plaza for the 1,800 migrants it houses. It functions as a research hub for the university to collaborate with residents. The site, one of four, was inspired by initiatives such as Care Blocks in Bogotá, Colombia, community centers with schooling and services for women, children, and older people.  

Some planners say the Latin American focus on social life could help combat loneliness. For planner James Rojas, a more informal urbanism – such as allowing street vendors – has benefits the north can learn from. “American planning is based on transactions and businesses, law and order,” said Mr. Rojas. “Whereas Latinos are always looking for the social space. They buy a house and turn the front yard into a plaza.”
Source: Bloomberg

Swedish scientists found a new way to identify illegally harvested timber

The method may make it easier for officials to enforce environmental protections. Because of its focus on high-value wood, illegal logging can endanger tree species and cause ecological and economic harm. While laws often require timber importers to declare the harvested trees’ species and place of origin to prove compliance with regulations, these documents can be easily falsified.

In their wood, trees carry chemical markers related to the soil composition, pollution, and climate of their environment. Researchers collected 900 wood samples from 11 countries in Eastern Europe and analyzed their wood tissue using machine learning. They were able to determine the location from which a tree was harvested within a radius of 200 kilometers (124 miles), potentially preventing importers from misrepresenting a tree’s origins.

While the study focused on Eastern Europe, the methods are applicable all over the world. In 2018, between 15% and 30% of the world’s wood was harvested illegally.
Sources: University of Gothenburg, World Wildlife Fund, The Conversation 

More girls are completing secondary education in Ghana

A government policy made high school free in 2017. Families with limited resources often prioritize boys’ education over girls’ and expect girls to tend to household chores. But between 2017 and 2021, the government invested 5.12 billion Ghanaian cedis ($392 million) to eliminate not only fees but also costs such as meals and textbooks.

According to a recent study, the program boosted high school completion rates by 14 percentage points for girls and 14.9 percentage points for all pupils. The study also found that girls enrolled in secondary school at rates that equaled or exceeded boys, although there was no gender parity for completion.  

As more countries adopt free secondary schooling in Africa, researchers have cautioned that financial sustainability and educational quality are important concerns. Yet a 2020 Afrobarometer survey found that 86% of Ghanaians agreed that the policy increased educational opportunities.
Source: The Conversation

The world’s biggest electric container ship will sail weekly between Shanghai and Nanjing

Equipped with a main battery providing 50,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, the Greenwater 01 is expected to slash carbon dioxide emissions by 12.4 metric tons for each 100 nautical miles it sails. The ship can be loaded with additional battery boxes that increase its shipping range, allowing it to make journeys that would otherwise consume 15 metric tons of fuel.

Developed by state-owned company China Ocean Shipping Group (Cosco), the Greenwater 01 is 394 feet long and 78 feet wide, the size of six basketball courts. Last year, Cosco’s first electric container ship set sail from Yangzhou port.

Because lithium ion batteries come with a risk of fires that can be extinguished only with special chemicals, the ship will be inspected after each docking. Shipping accounts for 3% of global carbon emissions each year.
Source: South China Morning Post