This week, there’s a lot of good news to report from around the world, including: a landmark climate justice ruling won by a group of Swiss women in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR); the UK’s gender pay gap has reportedly reached a seven-year low; a clinical trial for streamlined prostate cancer tests has proved just as accurate as the standard, paving the way to cheaper and more widely available diagnoses; Germany has retired 15 coal-fired power plants, moving closer to shelving the use of coal entirely by end of the decade; and lastly, new analysis has revealed that onshore wind and solar could provide enough clean energy to power every home in England two-and-a-half times over, according to a study conducted by Friends of the Earth in partnership with the University of Exeter.
The ruling from the ECHR is the first of its kind on global warming and will influence climate action and litigation around the world, according to campaign group Centre for International Environmental Law. The case was brought by Swiss association KlimaSeniorinnen, who successfully argued that their age and gender made them particularly vulnerable to heatwaves linked to climate change. The court found that Switzerland’s failure to curb emissions had violated the women’s right to family life, a verdict that campaigners have called a human rights victory.
Meanwhile, the gender pay gap in the UK has reached its lowest level in seven years, according to data submitted to the government’s pay gap service. Women still earn an average of 91p for every £1 earned by men, however reforms to improve gender parity in the workplace have been regarded as an important milestone. Additionally, a similar trend has been observed in the US, with a new report suggesting women are now earning 84 cents for every dollar earned by men in the same work.
The results of a clinical trial conducted in 12 countries have indicated that quicker, cheaper scans for prostate cancer are just as accurate as the current three-stage MRI scan tests. The streamlined process is also about 50% cheaper, according to researchers from the University College London and University College London Hospitals. NHS research partner, Prostate Cancer UK, which co-funded the study, says the cheaper and more accurate diagnosis will benefit many more men worldwide.
In Germany, 15 coal-fired power plants have been retired as part of plans to end the use of coal by the end of the decade. The country has also retired seven lignite-fuelled plants that had been delayed as part of measures to preserve natural gas supplies. German economy minister and Green party politician Robert Habeck claimed: “… they [the coal-fired power plants] are now neither necessary nor economical”. Finally, a new study by Friends of the Earth and the University of Exeter has suggested that onshore wind and solar options could generate enough clean energy to power every home in England two-and-a-half times over, by installing turbines and solar PV on just 2.9% of land in England. Notably, the study excluded National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and quality agricultural land, eliminating fears that the use of solar farms threaten food security
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