Ireland makes basic income for artists permanent

Ireland’s basic income for artists became permanent, there was progress tackling FGM, and Norways polar bears defied expectations, plus more good news

Ireland’s basic income for artists became permanent, there was progress tackling FGM, and Norways polar bears defied expectations, plus more good news

A basic income scheme for artists that launched during the pandemic to kickstart Irish culture was made permanent this week. Offering participants a weekly stipend of €325 (£283), the €25m (£21m) pilot helped more than 2,000 artists, although many more applied. According to an independent study , the scheme generated €100m (£87m) in “social and economic benefits” to Ireland’s economy. Elinor O’Donovan (pictured) is among the artists to have been accepted onto the scheme, which was launched by the Irish government in 2022. “Before I started receiving it, I was working part-time as a receptionist just to be able to afford my rent. I was thinking about moving to a country where I might be able to afford to live a bit cheaper,” she told Positive News. “Now I work full-time as an artist. [The scheme] has given me the flexibility that the job of an artist requires and has allowed me to take risks. I’ve gone into film and I was able to pay other people to work with me on it.” Although limited in scope, it’s the world’s first basic income scheme to be made permanent. Image: Sarah O’Driscoll

A basic income scheme for artists that launched during the pandemic to kickstart Irish culture was made permanent this week.

Offering participants a weekly stipend of €325 (£283), the €25m (£21m) pilot helped more than 2,000 artists, although many more applied. According to an independent study , the scheme generated €100m (£87m) in “social and economic benefits” to Ireland’s economy.

Elinor O’Donovan (pictured) is among the artists to have been accepted onto the scheme, which was launched by the Irish government in 2022.

“Before I started receiving it, I was working part-time as a receptionist just to be able to afford my rent. I was thinking about moving to a country where I might be able to afford to live a bit cheaper,” she told Positive News.

“Now I work full-time as an artist. [The scheme] has given me the flexibility that the job of an artist requires and has allowed me to take risks. I’ve gone into film and I was able to pay other people to work with me on it.”

Although limited in scope, it’s the world’s first basic income scheme to be made permanent.

Progress halting deforestation continues in Colombia, according to new government data, which points to a 25% year-on-year reduction in tree loss. The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies reported that around 36,280 hectares of forest were lost in the first nine months of 2025, compared to 48,500 hectares lost over the same period in 2024. It noted that deforestation had slowed in the Amazon, as well as other regions that have historically struggled with forest loss. Officials pointed to schemes such as the Conservar Paga programme, which provides some 5,000 families with up to $240 (£175) a month to maintain or restore forests on their properties. “The sustained reduction of deforestation in the Amazon is the result of collaboration between the national government and communities, through ecological restoration actions, voluntary conservation agreements, strengthening of sustainable production chains and forest management,” the government said in a statement. Research has shown that one of the most effective ways to reduce deforestation is to put Indigenous communities in charge of the land. The latest Colombian data adds more evidence to support that. Image: Carmel Arquelau

Progress halting deforestation continues in Colombia, according to new government data, which points to a 25% year-on-year reduction in tree loss.

The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies reported that around 36,280 hectares of forest were lost in the first nine months of 2025, compared to 48,500 hectares lost over the same period in 2024.