Washington climate program boosts budget billions 

Last year, voters in Washington state overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to overturn a law designed to raise money and slash pollution. 

That law has lots of benefits and has raised more than $2.5 billion to help fund public transit, electric school buses, solar energy, forest-fire prevention and more.   

Over the next five to eight years, the law is expected to generate another $9 billion in revenue for projects that cut climate pollution, making possible further cuts in climate emissions. Washington’s goal is to zero out climate pollution by 2050.  

Solar expansion across Africa 

Mission 300, a massive operation to get electricity to 300 million people in Africa, is now officially underway. This plan would cut the number of people in Africa without electricity in half by 2030. 

The $40 billion investment would rely heavily on local solar-powered grids. These small-scale solutions will allow rural communities without current connections to centralized electrical grids access to electricity.

Japan aims to slash climate pollution 

Japan announced new, aggressive goals to cut its emissions through 2040.  

The country, which is responsible for almost 3% of the world’s climate pollution, aims to cut those emissions by 60% by 2035, compared to 2013 levels. By 2040, Japan intends to reduce its climate pollution by 73%.

To achieve these goals, Japan is ramping up its renewable and nuclear energy sectors, with a plan to get 50% of the country’s electricity from wind and solar power and another 20% from nuclear energy by 2040.

Arizona sets its sights on water protections 

When it comes to its water supply, for many years, Arizona has been like the Wild West. It had few rules to govern who can use its limited groundwater or how they can access it.  

After years of organizing in rural communities, things are finally starting to change. In the Willcox Basin, near Tucson, where domestic wells have been running dry, the expansion of irrigation has been halted; major water users will now have to conserve, measure and report their use. 

A bipartisan groundwater bill is currently in the works that can benefit rural communities with scarce water resources across the state.