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
Shipwrecks from the Age of the Real ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Found–and Filmed–for the First Time
In the real Caribbean, there were once real pirates, and now a team of archaeologists and filmmakers has discovered the first shipwrecks that can help tell the story of the Golden Age of Piracy. Between the 1690s and 1720s, a cast of pirates including illustrious names as Blackbe
Papua New Guinea Sets Up Protected Ocean the Size of UK–Over 77,000 Square Miles
In the legendary Coral Triangle, where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet, 200,000 square kilometers of tropical seas will be off limits to fishing thanks to bold conservation action by Papua New Guinea. The newly-designated Western Manus Marine Protected Area (MPA) will form par
Radical change can lead to a fairer and greener world, says new report
Rising living standards, shorter working hours and a liveable climate are achievable, say the authors of a new study The post Radical change can lead to a fairer and greener world, says new report appeared first on Positive News.
NASA Reveals Details of its ‘Moon Base’ Program to Prepare Humanity for Next Chapter of Exploration
NASA recently announced details of its first three missions of the Moon Base program, a series of landings on the Lunar south pole. Moon Base is the first stage of establishing a semi-permanent human presence on our satellite, and the data gathered during missions I, II, and III
Heartwarming ‘Sock-er’ News: Arsenal Donates Old Football Socks to Sick Horses and Donkeys
Socks are the pinnacle of lousy gifts—used socks so much the worse—but for these horses and donkeys they’re every child’s dream. That’s because these fancy red socks were donated by the players of the recently-crowned-title-winners, Arsenal FC. The footless socks have been used a
Good News in History, June 4
86 years ago today, the British Army completed the “Miracle of Dunkirk” by evacuating 338,226 Allied troops from France via a flotilla of over 800, mostly civilian vessels, including merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, and lifeboats escorted by Royal Navy destro
The best advice that you received as a child
‘Always take time to stop and smell the flowers’ – plus other advice that readers received as kids The post The best advice that you received as a child appeared first on Positive News.
US Nonprofit Again Wipes Out Millions in Hospital Bills–This Time for 97,000 Residents of Connecticut
The nation’s largest buyer of overdue medical debts has yet again relieved the burden of past hospital expenses for thousands of Americans. Having worked with state governments in Arizona and Maine, Undue Medical Debt (UMD) has now eliminated some $6.5 million in unpaid medical b
See Our Two Brightest Planets Form a Triple Alignment with the Moon After Sunset
Three bright planets will conjoin in the June sky early this month before the Moon jumps in on the 16th. The conjunction will feature the two brightest planets from our point of view: Venus, blazing hot and near at hand, and Jupiter, far away but orders of magnitude larger. Array
Critically-Endangered Red Ruffed Lemur Triplets Born at Wild Georgia Theme Park
A Critically-Endangered lemur couple has welcomed triplets into their lives at a zoo and theme park in Valdosta, Georgia. It’s the third year in a row the resident female has given birth at Wild Adventures Theme Park, showing how productive captive breeding programs can be, and h
The schools giving children a say in how they are run
As trust in democracy declines, a project putting pupils’ voices at the heart of school life is proving its worth The post The schools giving children a say in how they are run appeared first on Positive News.
Dutch kids declared the world’s happiest (again). Here’s why
Dutch children are consistently ranked the happiest in the developed world. What is the Netherlands getting right? The post Dutch kids declared the world’s happiest (again). Here’s why appeared first on Positive News.