Change is always a constant, necessary for human growth and development. And a change could come in many forms, for example,  personality change; change of an environment, changes to building structures; change in religion, change in education, changes in policies be it in government or in private sectors to mention these few.

 

This post will review a few recent major societal impactful developments that are being implemented in countries like Iceland, Saudi Arabia, and also, in states like Hawaii and California in the USA.

 

1) Saudi Arabia

This monarchy ruled desert-nation, with a booming economy, recently has been the talk on major press networks. And this is mainly because of some of the recent major changes taking place there.

 

Some of these changes are:

a) The country now allows women to drive after imposing a decade-old ban on driving. Saudi Arabia, a country which has been said to be oppressive to women, is the only country in the world that implemented such a ban. Fortunately, the ban is set to be lifted on the 24th of June, 2018.

b) The country has also made major changes with regards to movie theaters. Theaters around the country were banned, since 1983, for the last 35 Years. However, the ban was overturned on the 18th of April, 2018 with a showing of the movie, Black Panther.

 

2) Iceland

The country with the largest portion of the mid-Atlantic ridge (area of divergence occurring in the Atlantic ocean) exposure, above sea level, has implemented a couple of major impactful changes. Two of these important changes are reviewed below

a) One of these changes is with regards to protecting the rights of women in the workplace. The country, in January of 2018, has made it mandatory and has also enforced the rule that no employer of labor should pay women less than their male counterparts. Iceland is the first country to enforce such a law.

b) Another change, but yet to be finalized pending the passage of the bill into law, is the proposal to ban male circumcision until a child is old enough to give his consent. The bill is based on the idea that male circumcision could cause all kinds of severe complications, disfigurations, and even death. The proposed bill, though hailed in some quarters, is expected to draw rebuke from certain religious organizations and communities that support circumcision.

 

 

 

3) California, USA

The most populous state in the USA will not be left out. The state is also making a couple of groundbreaking changes with regards to coffee drinking and climate change.

a) A judge in California has ruled that coffee shops should put a warning label on coffee drinks, indicating the cancerous impact of drinking coffee. The rule was passed because of the cancer-causing chemical, acrylamide, produced during the process of roasting coffee.

b) In another regard, California, in a bid to fight greenhouse gas emission is mandating that all houses built from 2020 should come with solar panel installation. The state is probably the first in the world to instigate such a policy.

If you are interested in this field, please check here how to start a coffee shop with no money.

 

4) Hawaii, USA

This volcanic group of Islands in the central Pacific Ocean has passed a bill that would ban dangerous chemicals, Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, found in popular sunscreens. The bill is expected to take effect on the 1st of January, 2021, pending the governor’s approval. The ban is expected to help protect the coral reefs and marine ecosystem.

 

Please, feel free to comment if you know of any other place(s) that is/are blazing major changes.

 

 

Reference

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-arabia-women-driving-licenses_us_5b1656f6e4b014707d27f8ac

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/05/599847092/black-panther-expected-to-formally-break-saudis-35-year-cinema-ban

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world-first-iceland-makes-illegal-pay-men-women-142324119.html

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/20/health/iceland-circumcision-ban-reaction-intl/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/business/coffee-cancer-warning.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44059865

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/02/607765760/hawaii-approves-bill-banning-sunscreen-believed-to-kill-coral-reefs