It can be more than a little disheartening to continually read on the news about the world’s poverty, climate crisis, health issues, and social inequality on a daily basis. While there are plenty of issues that always need to be tackled, there are also lots of good things happening that should be celebrated. Here are 75 pieces of good news to lift your spirits at the end of 2019.
#1 Six million people went on strike on one day
The Fridays for Future climate strikes started by Greta Thunberg culminated in a global strike. It was reported that 6 million people hit the streets in cities all across the world to demand action be taken on the current climate crisis. Next time you think individual action does nothing, think about this story.
Soure: The Guardian
#2 The ozone hole will soon be gone
Back in the 90s, the big environmental news was a gaping hole in the ozone layer caused by harmful chemicals from refrigerators and air conditioning units. Since the Montreal Protocol went into effect, whose aim was the phase out these chemicals, the ozone layer has been recovering at around 1-3% every 10 years. The prediction is that by the 2030s, the Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone will have completely healed.
Source: News UN
#3 The last of Denmark’s circus elephants are retiring
Denmark is spending $1.6 million on buying and freeing the last of its circus elephants, allowing them to finally retire. Ramboline, Lara, Djunga, and Jenny will no longer be performing with Cirkus Trapez and are in the care of Animal Protection Denmark.
Source:PBS
#4 The humpback whale is making a comeback
Just a couple of months back, a study of humpback whales off the coast of South America came as a pleasant surprise to scientists. The published researched showed their number has soared from around 500 to around 25,000 in just a few decades. The population was almost wiped out by massive whaling in the 20th century, but since the introduction of strict protection in the 1960s, the whales have come back from the brink of extinction and are thriving.
Source: USA Today
#5 Sustainable fishing laws are helping Chile’s waters and fishermen
Trawling can be detrimental not just to the seabed and habitats of sea animals, but to businesses too. In 2012, the Chilean government banned trawling and put heavy restrictions on fishing too. Since then, the sea-life has been given a chance to recover in protected waters and the country is now in the top 10 seafood producing countries in the world.
Source:America’s Quarterly
#6 Animal cruelty is officially a federal crime in the US
It seems long overdue, but one thing both republicans and democrats can agree on is the proper punishment for animal cruelty, which can now be up to seven years in prison. Whether domestic or wild, the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Tortue Act (PACT) is a huge step in keeping our furry friends safe.
Source: NY Times
#7 California’s new law cuts down on gas-powered vehicles
California’s government will no longer be buying any state vehicles that aren’t electric, with the exception of public safety and emergency vehicles that aren’t readily available in electric designs. In addition, starting next month, the state will also refuse to purchase vehicles from manufacturers who don’t follow California’s clean car standards.
Source: Inside EVs
#8 Major European bank will stop funding oil and coal
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will cease funding fossil fuel projects by the end of 2021. Any companies looking for funding from the bank will to adhere to their stricter, greener energy policies.
Source:CNBC
#9 European Parliament declares a climate emergency
At the end of last month, European Parliament officially declared a climate emergency. As part of the declaration, the EU will be aiming to cut emissions by 55% by 2030 and aim for carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as stay below the 1.5°C (34.7°F) temperature rise.
Source: Europarl
#10 Crowdfunding saved 2000 acres from development
When a 2000 acre area of land went up for sale in BC, Canada, it seemed that the winning bids for the land would go to loggers looking to develop or destroy the area. Residents of the area were concerned, and when they turned to BC Parks Foundation, a group effort was made to raise enough money to buy the land and protect it. Raising $3 million in donations from all over the world, the area is now being turned into a park and wildlife habitat for bears, wolves, goats, as well as important flora.
Source:Ecowatch
#11 300 brands boycotted Black Friday this year
When you buy something, it doesn’t just cost money, but it also costs the environment. That’s why 300 clothing brands boycotted the November 29th Black Fri day sales, urging people to instead only buy what they need. Overconsumerism or just buying for the sake of buying, is a huge contributor to the climate crisis, especially in the lead up to Christmas. People also took to social media, spreading their tales and hashtags of boycotting the day of spending.
Source: BBC
#12 A solar power plant can turn ocean water into drinking water
A farm in Kenya has installed a solar power plant that has the ability to desalinate ocean water and turn it into drinkable water for upto 35,000 people a day. The plant is the very first by company Give Power which is looking to create more across the globe.
Source: Design Boom
#13 After Australian bushfires, people knitted mittens for recovering koalas
Bushfires took hold of much of Australia last month, causing mass destruction to the ecosystem. The much-beloved koala bears of Australia were one of the main victims of the fires, and people were encouraged to send in knitted mittens for their burnt paws. Animal hospitals were inundated with knitted goodies from all over the world and have since asked for a pause in donations.
Source:Good News Network
#14 Thousands slept outside to raise money and awareness for homelessness
On December 8th, The World’s Big Sleep Out took place, seeing hundreds of people turning up in cities such as London, Edinburgh, and New York to sleep outside under the stars. Raising money for the cause and awareness of just what it’s like to sleep outside for one night in winter, celebrities like Will Smith and Dame Helen Mirren joined an estimated 50,000 worldwide.
Source: BBC
#15 Telethon in Denmark raises enough money to plant 1 million trees
Back in September, a Danish TV network hosted a telethon whose focus was entirely on the environment. For every 20 Danish kroner raised, one tree would be planted, and their final amount resulted in an incredible one million trees funded for planting.
Source: The Local
#16 1500 child marriages annuled in Malawi
Thanks to new female Chief Kachindamoto, almost 1500 child marriages have been annuled in Malawi and the girls sent back to school. Working with President Mutharika, the aim is for child marriage to become illegal within the next five years.
Source:Unwomen
#17 Denmark is prescribing ‘culture vitamins’ to help those with depression
Trialling a new experiment in four cities, Denmark is targeting mental health with something called ‘culture vitamins.’ These are group activities such as singing, visiting art galleries, going to concerts, and going for outdoor walks. It’s thought that the sense of community, mental stimulation, and relaxing activities that soothe the senses could make a dramatic improvement on mental health with minimal cost.
Source: We Forum
#18 The rainforest isn’t the only CO2 absorber
Recent studies held among the Rocky Mountains and Greenland have surprised scientists in their findings that glacial rivers can absorb even more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than trees can. Due to their inhospitable conditions, there is little life in glacial rivers which means less organic decay and very little carbon output. Combined with chemical weathering that acts as a sink for carbon dioxide, a peak melting season can see a glacial river absorbing 40 times as much as the Amazon Rainforest.
Source:The Guardian
#19 New Zealand passes ‘zero carbon’ law to lead the fight against climate change
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern says she despairs at the slow pace other countries show in their promises to tackle climate change, and hopes to lead the way with their new bill. The bill passed aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, plant 1 million trees in the next decade, and run on only renewable energy by 2035.
Source: Independent
#20 Teen made promise to clean up ocean and achieves dream at 22
Boyan Slat was 16 when he first witnessed the plastic problem in the oceans, and made a promise to tackle it. By the age of 22, Slat had formed The Ocean Cleanup, a project that is tackling ocean plastic and the Great Pacific Garbage patch. Using a solar-powered floating structure, plastic waste is collected and picked up by boats, some of which can then be sold onto recycling companies. His hope is to reduce the patch by half in five years.
Source: Global Citizen
#21 Italian schools required to teach climate issues
Learning and sharing information about climate change is actually one of the best ways to start altering it and creating solutions. With the disappearing city of Venice, it seems only reasonable that Italy has taken this opportunity to educate its young citizens. Starting in January 2020, students will be required to take 33 hours of climate change and sustainability lessons each year, as well as encouraged to join climate protests.
Source: Good
#22 People are dumpster diving for political reasons
With many people living below the poverty line, it’s no surprise that some turn to dumpsters to salvage what food they can. But a rise in dumpster diving among middle class Americans for anything from food to cosmetics is drawing attention to the unnecessary waste produced by companies nationwide. Calling themselves ‘freegans,’ these people are often able to save tons of waste entering landfills as well as money.
Source: Investing Answers
#23 Millennials are more sustainable when it comes to fashion
Fashion is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, and it seems that millennials are well aware of this. Despite their reputation from many media platforms, millennials are much more conscious about spending their money on sustainable, ethically-produced, or second-hand clothing to reduce the impact on the earth.
Source: Lucy and Yak
#24 Coldplay delays upcoming tour for sustainability solutions
British band Coldplay has paused all upcoming tours until they can find a more sustainable way to hold them. Multiple flights and resources are made up of a band’s tours, and frontman Chris Martin says the band is taking time to come up with not just sustainable alternatives, but a beneficial impact from them too.
Source: BBC
#25 A Davis company is upcycling bugs
At UC Davis, company Biomilitus has figured out a way to reduce food waste, improve agricultural efficiency, and upcycle bugs and their waste, all from the black soldier fly. Using food waste that is usually thrown away, researchers feed the fly larvae then when they are full and fat, extract their oil which can then be used as machine lubricant. Even in death, the bugs’ bodies can be ground into protein powder and fed to local chickens as a more sustainable and cheaper alternative to corn feed. It’s a pretty innovative way to upcycle.
Source:Good Day Sacramento
#26 A social media hashtag that benefits the planet
When Henning Lubbe found the old hashtag #trashtag, he decided to create a new social media challenge and shared it on Reddit. An area used as a dumping ground he passed every day bothered him, so he cleaned up the whole thing, taking a photo before and after and sharing it with the hashtag. It has since spread across social media platforms with others performing similar feats.
Source: The Guardian
#27 South Korea to close 25% of its coal plants in winter
Winter in South Korea is not only bitterly cold but covered in fine dust particles from its coal plants, creating a fog-like atmosphere blanketing the country. Its citizens are fed up, leading to a quarter of coal plants to be shut down in winter. It’s thought that these fine dust emissions will see a 44% reduction in just three months.
Source: The Guardian
#28 Trash-covered beach in India is transformed in 2 years
Versova Beach in Mumbai is unrecognizable just two years later, thanks to the motivation of Afroz Shah. Corralling the efforts of neighbors and friends nearby, Shah transformed a trash-covered beach back into the lagoon it was once in just 21 months. They not only collected over 11 million pounds of garbage, but also cleaned up 52 public toilets, and planted 50 coconut trees, with the aim of adding thousands more.
Source: Global Citizen
#29 New blood test identifies 20 forms of cancer
A new blood test is able to identify 20 different types of cancer, leading to early diagnosis and treatment, which can often be crucial for success. The test can spot changes in genes, which are signs of the cancer developing, and can even pinpoint ovarian and pancreatic cancers, some of the most difficult to identify.
Source: Telegraph
#30 Rome adopts free metro travel for recycling
Since July, Rome has been offering free metro travel to commuters who bring plastic bottles to be recycled. Using an app and a machine, commuters can earn upto 100 minutes of free travel in exchange for 30 bottles.
Source: Reuters
#31 Woman-led documentary breaking taboos about menstruation in India wins Oscar
The Netflix documentary Period. End of Sentence not only challenged stigmas and taboos about menstruation in India, but won Best Documentary Short at the 2019 Oscars. Upon accepting the award, director Rayka Zehtabchi remarked, “I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar!”
Source: Women in the World
#32 ‘Lost city’ in Honduras found to hold ‘extinct’ species
A conservation team that spent three weeks in Honduras’s ‘Lost City’ discovered a whole ecosystem filled with rare, endangered, and previously thought extinct species. Dsicovering 22 species never bever recorded in Honduras, as well as 246 species of butterflies and moths, 30 species of bats, and 57 species of amphibians and reptiles, it’s an important step in the conservation of the area.
Source: Independent
#33 San Fran ‘Cuddle Club’ teams senior people and dogs
When it comes to adopting dogs, the older ones are often the ones left behind, but the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco has created a brilliant new scheme to change that. The ‘Cuddle Club’ is an event held several times a month, where senior citizens can hang out and even adopt older dogs, providing a perfect companion for an older person with similar energy levels and needs.
Source: Today
#34 All graduates in the Philippines have to plant 10 trees
The House of Representative in the Philippines has passed a bill requiring all those finishing elementary, high school, and college to plant 10 trees before they can officially graduate. This could mean at least 175 million new trees planted every year.
Source: CNN Philippines
#35 Netherlands becomes first country without stray dogs
Dogs are a beloved animal for the Dutch, and using a nationwide government-funded program, the country managed to eradicate all stray dogs. Using a CNVR system (collect, neuter, vaccination, return), as well as increasing taxes for store-bought dogs to encourage people to adopt, they have successfully eliminated dogs living on the streets and one in five homes owns a happy dog.
Source: Dutch Review
#36 HIV-related deaths 33% lower worldwide since 2010
A recent report from the UN stated that rates of HIV-related deaths have fallen by 33% since 2010. Around 37.9 million people worldwide currently live with HIV, but more than half of that number has access to antiretroviral therapy.
Source:DW
#37 Indian village changes traditions around baby girls and plants trees
Historically, the birth of a girl in India has been a financial burden on a family, but the village of Pipantri in Rajasthan has changed that. For every baby girl born, a trust is supported by the whole village to relieve the family’s burden, and 111 trees are planted, resulting in 250,000 new trees in just six years.
Source: One Green Planet
#38 Optimistic documentary shows us a sustainable future
Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau has released a new twist on the environmental documentary, by instead focusing on what could happen if we embrace all of the solutions currently at our fingertips. 2040 will fill you with hope and inspiration instead of dread, which Gameau believes is a better way of motivating change in people.
Source: Fast Company
#39 Nanotechnology can break down plastic in the ocean
A new “nano coil” has been created that can be released into the ocean to reduce plastic waste in our seas. The coils create chemical reactions with the plastic that break it down into carbon dioxide and water.
Source: Business Insider