Reasons for Hope

European Court rules pollution violates right to life in landmark human rights case Read Later The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has issued a landmark ruling, declaring that failure to…

"The court determined that the Italian government’s failure to intervene effectively, despite the pollution being caused by private actors, breached human rights law.

The ruling is expected to set a precedent for environmental cases across Europe..."

How Tearing Down Small Dams Is Helping Restore Northeast Rivers More than 30,000 small dams currently block river tributaries from Maine to Maryland. New initiatives to remove them are aimed at restoring natural flows, improving habitat for aquatic life, and…

"To date, 806 Northeastern dams have come down, with hundreds more in the pipeline. Across the country, 2023 was a watershed year, with a total of 80 dam removals...

They may be small to humans, but to the fish that can’t get past them “they’re just as big as a Klamath River dam,”"

Cooling green roofs seemed like an impossible dream for Brazil's favelas. Not true! Temps soar in Brazil's summer (from December to March). Low-income favelas would benefit from green roofs but there are two problems: Cost. And a typical design that's too heavy for a favela home.

"Construction in favelas can't necessarily bear the weight of all the layers of a conventional green roof.

That's where the bidim comes in. Lightweight and conducive to plant growth — the roofs are hydroponic, no soil is needed — it was the perfect material to make green roofs possible."

Lower-cost sodium-ion batteries are finally having their moment World’s largest battery maker touts second-generation sodium-ion battery.

arstechnica.com/cars/2024/12...

Gov. Evers: “I want Wisconsin to become the first state in America to start auditing insurance companies over denying healthcare claims” Governor’s budget plan cracks down on insurance companies and prescription price gouging, lowers out-of-pocket healthcare costs, aims to reduce appointment wait times and enable Wisconsinites to get…

"If an insurance company is denying Wisconsinites’ claims too often, we’re going to audit them.

The governor also proposes creating an office that, for the first time in state history, would be devoted to helping Wisconsinites hold health insurers accountable."

Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked To decarbonize road transport, the world must move away from petrol and diesel cars and towards electric vehicles and other forms of low-carbon transport.

"As you can see in the chart, global sales peaked in 2018. This is calculated based on data from the International Energy Agency. Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates this peak occurred one year earlier, in 2017."

Bison Ranchers Return Thousands of Animals to Native Lands and Witness Total Rejuvenation of Ecosystem The return of the bison means the return of the prairie, one of the three great grassland ecosystems on the planet.

“Bringing the buffalo back to the land and to our people, helps restore the ecosystem and everything it supports from the animals to the plants to the people. It’s come full circle. That’s how we see it.”

#bison #buffalo #indigenous #goodnews #hope

www.goodnewsnetwork.org/tribal-bison...

Near-extinct Siberian crane is recovering thanks to habitat protection Over the past decade, the population of the critically endangered Siberian crane has increased by nearly 50%, according to the International Crane Foundation. The foundation said the boost in the snow...

“It is a wonderful feeling to have this Critically Endangered species thriving with such a strong comeback from near extinction.”

#environment #nature #goodnews #hope

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Almost extinct Caribbean lizard makes a comeback after island restoration A tiny lizard found only on one tiny Caribbean island has seen a dramatic 1,500% increase in its population, after just a few years of island restoration efforts. In 2018, researchers estimated there ...

"In 2018, researchers estimated there were fewer than 100 individuals of the critically endangered Sombrero ground lizard... Just six years later, there are more than 1,600 of them, a recent survey has found."

#goodnews #conservation #endangeredspecies #hope

news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

World’s smallest otter makes comeback in Nepal after 185 years KATHMANDU — Scientists have for the first time in 185 years confirmed the presence of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal, thrilling conservationists and researchers looking for clues to its existen...

"Scientists have for the first time in 185 years confirmed the presence of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal, thrilling conservationists and researchers looking for clues to its existence here."

#goodnews #conservation #hope

news.mongabay.com/2025/02/worl...

Researchers Defang Deadly Hospital Superbugs Using a Pinch of Turmeric A new study shows a low-cost yet effective way to combat bacterial resistance using curcumin–the natural yellow plant compound in turmeric.

"It can trigger deleterious reactions within these microbes, eventually killing them. They demonstrated that this process reduces the number of antibiotic-resistant strains and renders conventional antibiotics effective again."

#goodnews #medicalnews #hope

www.goodnewsnetwork.org/researchers-...

Vacant school transforms into low-income community center providing resources to thousands Here, community members can find afterschool programs, career development, and health and wellness resources.

"Since it opened [in 2023], the Durfee Innovation Society has provided 3,400 Detroit students with after-school programming, 5,600 with job opportunities, and 13,400 children and families with resources and support."

#detroit #michigan #goodnews #hope

www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/vac...

California builds 'one-of-a-kind' homeless campus: 'Heck of a lot cheaper than letting someone stay unsheltered' The new Safe Stay campus will include 225 cabins, 75 emergency respite beds, health services, job training, and more.

"According to a press release from the county, “conservative estimates” have found that over the course of 15 years, the center will serve 18,000 people."

#california #homelessness #goodnews #hope

www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/cal...

A new life for empty offices: Growing kale and cucumbers In some cities, as many as one in four office spaces are vacant. Some start-ups are giving them a second life – as indoor farms growing crops as varied as kale, cucumber and herbs.

"From Japan to Singapore to Dubai [to Canada], vertical indoor farms – where crops can be grown in climate-controlled environments with hydroponics, aquaponics or aeroponics techniques – have been popping up around the world."

#sustainability #farming #goodnews #hope

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

England’s Largest Bird Sanctuary Grows by 30%: ‘It’s incredible, the place just swarms with birdlife’ Additionally, a lot of age-old practices such as heather burning and moorland draining have been halted to return the reserve to a wild state.

“We are going to achieve an abundance of species and a size that will be unmatched for bird reserves elsewhere. It is going to demonstrate what is possible when it comes to rewilding and protecting birds.”

#england #conservation #goodnews #hope #birding

www.goodnewsnetwork.org/englands-lar...

New York attorney general tells hospitals to continue transgender care after Trump’s executive order New York Attorney General Letitia James is telling hospitals that they would be violating state law if they stop offering gender-affirming care for people under age 19 in response to an executive orde...

"New York Attorney General Letitia James... told hospitals that they would be violating state law if they stop offering gender-affirming care for people under age 19 in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump..."

#trans #transrights #goodnews #hope

apnews.com/article/new-...

New York's largest solar farm is a go with $950 million in funding Greenbacker Renewable Energy has secured $950 million to build what will be New York State's largest solar farm.

"Greenbacker’s Cider project is one of 23 large-scale clean energy developments awarded contracts in December by the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA). New York has set a goal of sourcing 70% of its electricity from clean energy by 2030."

electrek.co/2025/02/03/n...

California builds 'one-of-a-kind' homeless campus: 'Heck of a lot cheaper than letting someone stay unsheltered' The new Safe Stay campus will include 225 cabins, 75 emergency respite beds, health services, job training, and more.

“You can also meet with your case manager, get behavior health services, look for a job, get rehousing services, a place for your dog,” Jaynes added. “It’s really everything you need, not only for your day-to-day life, but to hopefully end your homelessness.”

www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/cal...

A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori The recognition acknowledges the mountain's theft from the Māori after New Zealand was colonized. It fulfills an agreement from the country's government to Indigenous people.

"The mountain's legal rights are intended to uphold its health and wellbeing. They will be employed to stop forced sales, restore its traditional uses and allow conservation work to protect the native wildlife that flourishes there. Public access will remain."

www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...

Two Hundred UK Companies Sign Up for Permanent Four-Day Working Week Including marketing and advertisement; tech, it, and software; and charity groups as well, the companies employ 5,000 people.

“[With] 50% more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives,” Joe Royle, the foundation’s campaign director, told the Guardian.

#goodnews #hope #uk

www.goodnewsnetwork.org/two-hundred-...

I wish we were born into a kinder time.

But we weren't. So we're going to have to build one.

World's First Blood Test For Endometriosis Step Closer Following Trial Success A medical technology company in Australia is aiming for a world-first: it wants to launch a blood test for endometriosis (sometimes called 'endo' for short) within the first half of this year.

"In a recent peer-reviewed trial, its novel test proved 99.7 percent accurate at distinguishing severe cases of endometriosis from patients without the disease but with similar symptoms."

www.sciencealert.com/worlds-first...

Dogs in UK Are First to Be Trained to Sniff Out Bowel Cancer–After Nailing Parkinson’s and COVID Medical Detection Dogs are the first in the UK to be trained to sniff out bowel cancer tumors by smelling urine in groundbreaking 2024 study.

Dogs in UK Are First to Be Trained to Sniff Out Bowel Cancer–After Nailing Parkinson’s and COVID

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/dogs-in-uk-are-first-to-be-trained-to-sniff-out-bowel-cancer-after-nailing-parkinsons-and-covid/ #goodnews

Scientists are tracking global wildlife’s contributions to humanity In October 2020, the hoofbeats of American bison thumped across the prairie of the Rosebud Reservation for the first time in more than a century. Years in the works, the release of 100 bison (Bison bi...

New research assesses in detail the contributions of wildlife to people.

Humanity relies on an array of ecosystem services for well-being and survival, but the provision of these services rely not just on vegetation but also the wild animals that inhabit the ecosystems.

✒️ @john-cannon.bsky.social:

He'll try, but Trump can't stop the clean energy revolution The cost of renewables is plummeting, heat pumps are selling like crazy, and red states are raking in cash from the IRA. There's no stopping the inevitable.

“This is bad for the climate, full stop,” said Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at the Columbia Business School. “That said, this will be yet another wall that never gets built. Fundamental market forces are at play.”

grist.org/economics/he...

Can nonviolent struggle defeat a dictator? This database emphatically says yes The Global Nonviolent Action Database details some 40 cases of mass movements overcoming tyrants through strategic nonviolent campaigns.

"These cases — which include some of the largest nations in the world, spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America — contradict the widespread assumption that a dictator can only be overcome by violence."

wagingnonviolence.org/2025/01/can-...

Supreme Court declines to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuits The Supreme Court is declining to hear an appeal from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change.

"The order allows the city of Honolulu’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies to proceed."

apnews.com/article/supr...

I don't know how to Bluesky very well, tbh. Should I be tagging all my posts with #goodnews?? Should I be tagging them with something else?

Welcoming any tips on how to Do This Platform! Tyty

US middle schoolers build 'solar suitcases' to power 40 Ugandan refugee schools The students are part of We Share Solar’s education initiative, proving that their learning can power real change.

"It’s an initiative led by We Share Solar, a nonprofit that provides science and technology learning projects for students that then go on to benefit other students in low-income areas of the world."

www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/stu...

20,000 people sign up to donate clothes, essentials to LA fire victims through online marketplace A secondhand clothing marketplace based in LA is matching donors to fire victims based on size, gender, and age.

"In the wake of this devastation, Seconds Market decided to use its platform to connect Californians in need with clothing donors from across the country."

www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/la-...