Every day the Good Good Good team collects the best good news in the world and shares it with our community. Here are the highlights for this week!
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The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —
Once on the verge of extinction, gray wolves are making a historic comeback in California
The last gray wolf in California was killed in 1924. Going without a gray wolf for nearly a century, in 2011 a lone wolf crossed into the state from Oregon. And since then, their numbers have been slowly rising.
Now, there are over 40 gray wolves in the state, with a new pack reported just this year. The rise in their numbers is thanks to protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act.
Wolves have a number of environmental benefits and are a key part of a healthy, balanced ecosystem. When 41 wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, for example, there was a cascade of benefits for the surrounding ecosystem — for plants and animals alike.
What’s the nuance? While conservationists are celebrating this news, some farmers and ranchers consider them to be a hassle for their livestock. Still, California has a successful program to reimburse and help farmers and ranchers for losses they experience due to wolves.
In 2023, 428 gigawatts of solar were installed worldwide — more than the previous two years combined
In 2023, solar panel installations shattered previous world records with 428 gigawatts of total capacity installed worldwide. That figure marks a 76% increase over 2022 when 243 GW of solar panels were installed worldwide.
In 2021, the figure was 175 GW — meaning more capacity was installed last year alone than in the previous (also record-breaking) two years combined.
One of the key drivers of this progress is that utility-scale solar remains the cheapest option for new electricity generation in most countries.
And importantly, the countries with the highest carbon emissions are leading the way in installations: the U.S. added 37 GW last year and China added 261 GW.
Other countries are also making notable progress, like Pakistan, which jumped from the 14th- to 5th-largest market for new solar. There, progress has been driven largely by rooftop solar.
Finland is building the world’s largest heat pump to warm 30,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions
Finland’s capital Helsinki is building the world’s largest heat pump to help warm as many as 30,000 homes in the winter. Powered only by renewable energy sources, the heat pump can operate in temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit.
This project is part of the city’s larger effort to become carbon-neutral by 2030, switching a big portion of its energy consumption to a renewable source.
When complete, the heat pump will provide 200 GWh of heat for 30,000 homes in Helsinki annually, roughly saving 26,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
More good climate news:
- A new report found that solar power in U.S. schools has quadrupled in the last decade.
- A threat to environmental and human health, over 100 U.S. cities have now banned gas-powered leaf blowers.
- Scientists have created a new “living plastic” that can self-destruct in just 30 days.
A Nigerian teenager invented a pair of glasses to help visually impaired people
Looking to help the many people in his hometown who are blind or visually impaired, 18-year-old Khalifa Aminu put his penchant for invention to work.
He got to work creating a pair of “sensory glasses” that can help those with visual impairments walk safely and independently — without the use of a cane.
The glasses use “ultrasonic and infrared sensors” to detect when something is coming near the wearer, and then activate an alarm to alert them.
While Aminu’s glasses are still in development (and getting tested and feedback from people in real life who could benefit from them), he’s received interest from the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to learn more.
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The first in over three decades, California’s new marine sanctuary will protect 116 miles of coastline
More than 116 miles of California coastline, along with more than 4,500 square miles of offshore and coastal waters, are being designated as part of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
It’s the third-largest marine sanctuary in the country, and the first to be designated in California in over three decades. It’s also the first “Indigenous-focused” sanctuary, a process that’s been in the works for many years.
The marine sanctuary will be the 17th in the National Marine Sanctuary system and part of the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative supporting local conservation efforts to preserve and restore 30% of the country’s lands and waters.
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More good news for marine ecosystems:
- Researchers are working on combining “grey” and “green” infrastructure systems that provide both coastline protection and growing coral reef habitat.
- Reducing ocean noise protects the environment, saves marine life, and even benefits the shipping industry.
- Ten nations in the western Indian Ocean are creating a network of marine conservation areas to help protect 30% of the oceans by 2030.
In the last few decades, core LGBTQ+ rights have become better protected in dozens of countries
Until the 1990s, no countries protected LGBTQ+ rights beyond allowing same-sex sexual acts — but in the last few decades, the world has made notable progress in the areas of adoption, marriage, gender identity, and more.
In 1992, Estonia became the first country to allow gender marker change without restrictions. In 1995, Canada became the first country to allow joint adoptions — more than 30 countries have done so since.
Later, in 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. And in 2011, Australia became the first country to recognize a non-binary gender on its passports.
While there is still a lot of progress to be made globally in protecting these core rights, it’s important to see (and celebrate) the progress we have made globally.
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Researchers discovered an antibody that offers protection against all variants of COVID-19 and other related viruses
Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin just discovered an antibody that could not only provide protection from all COVID-19 variants — but other related viruses, too.
The antibody, called SC27 works like other antibodies, except for one key difference: it can also recognize differences in the spike proteins on different virus variants, too.
This team of researchers has long been in the fight against COVID-19, and also helped develop the mRNA COVID vaccines — which saved tens of thousands of lives.
Why is this good news? The researchers are hopeful this new research will help them reach their goal of creating a universal vaccine “that can generate antibodies and create an immune response with broad protection to a rapidly mutating virus” — a game-changer for the current and any future pandemic.
The world’s largest wind-powered cargo ship just made its first delivery across the Atlantic Ocean
For the first time in nearly a century, a larg cargo ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean powered almost entirely by the wind.
French startup TransOceanic Wind Transport’s vessel is different from a traditional sailing ship though, taking inspiration from racing sailboats. Its masts are made from lightweight carbon fiber so they can be much taller, holding up larger sails that catch more wind.
A single remote control could control all the sails using a mechanized system, and custom routing software helps the ship best utilize the wind. It has backup diesel-electric engines, which can be used in hybrid mode — but 95% of the time, the ship can just use the sails.
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More good news for cargo shipping:
- Political, economic, and technological stars are aligning to make the stubbornly carbon-intensive cargo shipping industry sustainable.
- The world’s first wind-powered electric ship-charging station just debuted in the Belgian North Sea.
- Normally consuming between 150-400 metric tons of fuel per day, new stationary cylinder sails could reduce that fuel consumption by up to 90%.
Four students created a wildfire-detecting “pinecone” that automatically alerts communities and rescue crews
Moved by the growing threat of intensifying wildfires around the world, a group of four students from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London created a device that functions seamlessly within forests to detect wildfires and rapidly alert communities and rescue crews.
The device, called Pyri, was intentionally modeled after serotinous pinecones, from trees in wildfire-prone areas that drop their seeds when exposed to high temperatures. Pyri works similarly.
When not triggered by a wildfire, the device exists harmlessly within a natural environment, uses minimal metal and prioritizes abundant and non-toxic materials: wax and charcoal.
And it just won the UK National James Dyson Award, giving the team £5,000 to advance their work and develop a fully functioning prototype — and put them in the running for an even larger grand prize.
More good news of the week —
Profits from the UK’s largest community-owned wind farm are being used to plant a million native trees. To help reestablish forested areas, the Western Isles woodland project has already planted 211,000 trees on more than 200 plots of land.
Little Free Library just debuted a map to help locate banned books in areas most impacted by restrictions. As book banning accelerates across the U.S., this map encourages the library boxes to function as a “vital distribution point for these restricted books.”
Colorado gave out over 1,300 rebates for electric vehicle purchases — six times higher than what it expected. The unexpectedly popular Colorado Vehicle Exchange program offers point-of-sales discounts worth $6,000 off of a new plug-in electric vehicle or $4,000 off of a used plug-in electric vehicle.
A new genetic test gives a “platelet score” that can be used to determine a person’s risk level for stroke and heart attack. The test assesses whether a person's platelets are “hyperreactive,” and more prone to abnormal clotting that blocks arteries.
A free school lunch trial in Indonesia has improved child nutrition and student outcomes like attendance and focus. In addition to providing financial relief for families, the program was introduced to address the country’s high rate of stunted growth among children.
The U.S. Interior Department just retained protections for 28 million acres of public lands in Alaska. The department found that opening up any of the land to development could have lasting negative impacts on wildlife, vegetation, and permafrost, as well as Native communities.
A nonprofit in Africa is rewilding an entire herd of 2,000 white rhinos from a controversial breeding farm. The herd represents 12% of the white rhino population alive today, and Africa Parks will relocate them to well-managed parks across the continent.
A Philadelphia program to help first-time home buyers find affordable housing just sold its 100th home. The Turn the Key program essentially gives away city-owned land to developers so they can build 1,000 price-restricted homes for first-time buyers.
Thanks to a new clean-air policy, children in London are walking and biking to school more. Implementation of the city’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone has helped to reduce roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations by 53% in central London — reducing harmful air pollution and asthma.
A study found that “medical clowns” reduce stress and shorten hospital stays for children. Medical clowns are specially trained to work in hospitals and are especially helpful for children hospitalized for pneumonia — one of the leading causes of hospitalization in children.
A new AI device can detect high blood pressure through voice recordings with 84% accuracy. The disease has been dubbed the “silent killer” by the WHO, and it could now be detected just by using the sound of a patient’s voice.
The U.S. Department of Energy is giving Colorado $20 million to support its plan to limit carbon emissions from buildings. The funding will be used to help buildings in marginalized communities, whose owners may be less able to afford carbon-cutting measures like insulation and heat pumps.
Taylor Swift’s post endorsing Kamala Harris resulted in over 337,000 visits to a voter registration website. Swift shared a custom URL that directed people to vote.gov, which helps people register to vote in their respective states.
New technology “lights up” bacteria in wounds to provide better infection prevention. Over 6.5 million Americans experience chronic wounds, which contain bacteria that can lead to severe infection and resulting complications — including amputation — if not detected and removed.
An Oregon county helped 5,477 people become housed in the past year, a 28% increase over the previous year. A significant improvement, the agency tasked with addressing homelessness plans to expand permanent housing services, add shelter capacity, and help even more people in the coming year.
