Happy
The threat feed needs a counterweight. This page tracks long-arc improvements: conservation, public health, energy transition, education, peace.
Conservation wins
Mountain gorilla population now exceeds 1,063 — IUCN downgraded the species from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2018, and the trajectory continues.
Energy transition
Solar capacity is doubling roughly every 3 years. Wholesale solar electricity is now the cheapest source in much of the world.
Disease elimination
Wild polio cases dropped from 350,000 / year in 1988 to fewer than 30 / year in 2024. Type-2 and type-3 wild polio are now eradicated.
Child mortality
Under-5 mortality has more than halved since 2000. ~17,000 fewer child deaths every day.
Reading progress
Global literacy crossed 87% in 2024 — the highest in human history.
Clean cooking
Households without clean cooking fuel fell by 380 million in the last decade, cutting indoor air pollution sharply.
Recent positive news
How Japanese Fish Printing Grew from Documenting Day’s Catch to Acclaimed Artform
From its humble origins as a method of documenting noteworthy catches, for sale or for record setting, the art of fish printing, or “gyotaku” has rapidly become an international fine art phenomenon. As Japanese as a Geisha cutting a sushi roll with a samurai sword, gyotaku is inf
Ecosystem of Pansies Thrives on Soil Contaminated by Lead Mining–Turning it into Clean Organic Compounds
For areas contaminated by lead and zinc mining across Europe, a class of plants known as “metallophytes” are helping enrich nature while diminishing pollution. The Guardian reported on this kind of ecological double speak, where wildflowers seemingly grow in healthy abundance on
What do you do to actively forge human connections?
How do you nurture meaningful human connections in a disconnected world? We want to know The post What do you do to actively forge human connections? appeared first on Positive News.
No Vaccine No Problem: Papua New Guinea Malaria Deaths Fall by 92%
Using only current methods of prevention, testing, and treatment, Papua New Guinea has reduced the rate of malaria deaths from 13 per 100,000 inhabitants to just 1. PNG is responsible for some 90% of all malaria cases in the Western Pacific region. Lucy Dally, the country’s malar
3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics
In mid-May, GNN reported that 3 teens from India had won a major continental science prize for their brilliant use of an ingredient in Indian cuisine as the basis for a microplastic filter. Now, from Geneva comes the announcement that 16-year-olds Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agar
Greenland sheds new light on underwater carbon sink
New research suggests vast underwater seaweed forests could play a much bigger role in slowing climate change The post Greenland sheds new light on underwater carbon sink appeared first on Positive News.
Good News in History, June 1
100 years ago today, the great American television personality Andy Griffith was born in North Carolina. He is fondly remembered today for 9-year productions The Andy Griffith Show, and as the folksy defense attorney Ben Matlock in Matlock. He was also a Tony Award nominee on two
Grieving Mother Finds 3-Carat Gem at Crater of Diamonds State Park After Son and Father Die
A grieving mother discovered a 3.09-carat white gem at Crater of Diamonds State Park, catching a wave of emotional release and hope following a year of personal loss. Keshia Smith planned the trip to Arkansas a year ago, joining her boyfriend and brother on the journey from Penns
Britain’s First Furniture Orchard Grows Chairs Right on the Trees (WATCH)
A British couple has spent 20 years perfecting the practice of sculpting trees to grow into the shapes of ready-made seats designed with living branches. Alice and Gavin Munro began creating the ‘furniture orchard’ on a two-acre English farm in 2006, but the harvesting typically
Incredibly Rare Bongos Caught on Trail Cam in Area They Were Thought to be Extinct
It’s World Bongo Day today, and scientists dedicated to their survival have shared new field camera images that prove these magnificent animals have reappeared in a region where they were thought to be extinct. For more than half a decade, conservationists feared the wild mountai
What went right this week: the good news that matters
New life-changing inventions, a global triumph for renewables, and England’s first Dutch-style ‘cycle street’, plus more The post What went right this week: the good news that matters appeared first on Positive News.
My morning at a sober breakfast rave – and what I got out of it
A new ecstatic dance craze fuses spirituality, physicality and fun. Sarah LaBrecque joined 100 ravers one Sunday morning The post My morning at a sober breakfast rave – and what I got out of it appeared first on Positive News.