46 Positive Environmental Success Stories - July 2024
The media has an important role to play in combatting climate doom. Therefore, this monthly news round up of positive environmental and climate change news, is designed to spark joy and show that progress is being made. We pick two positive headlines a day, ranging from renewable energy and preservation to eco-innovation, and arrange the articles according to their publication date. We also include some dates related to nature and wildlife for your calendar.
Environmental and Animal Awareness Days In The Next Month
World Elephant Day (12th August) encourages us all to help conserve and protect elephants from the numerous threats they face.
World Lizard Day (14th August) A day to celebrate the diversity of reptiles. From vibrant chameleons to delicate geckos, this day presents an opportunity to acknowledge their distinctive adaptations and ecological significance.
National Allotments Week (12th — 18th August) Since 2002, the campaign was launched to highlight the significance of allotments in promoting healthier lifestyles, cultivating food, fostering friendships, and strengthening communities.
Positive News Round up — Monday, 1st July
More than 40% of land across nine Amazonian countries is under some form of conservation management. This is significantly higher than the 8% reported in official records. (Mongabay)
A 300 MW/624 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) has been installed in the West Midlands in the United Kingdom. The project, which was scheduled to last 54 days, was completed in just 38 days. The BEES will be connected to National Grid’s Cellarhead substation in the West Midlands and will play a critical role in stabilizing the UK electricity grid. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 2nd July
A decision made by the supreme court means water companies could be sued for damage caused by the dumping of human waste. Sewage, which has long been a problem for British waterways, can be taken to court where United Utilities could be sued by a private company for damage caused by the dumping of human waste. (The Guardian)
Research on carpenter ants provides the first example of a non-human animal severing limbs to curb infections. While it is not the first time wound care has been seen in ants, scientists say their discovery is the first example of a non-human animal carrying out life-saving amputations. The operation is performed to treat leg wounds and prevent the onset or spread of infection. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 3rd July
Martyn Falconer, Wimbledon’s head gardener, said leftovers from the staff coffee machine were composted in its lush gardens. Compost used in the grounds will be peat-free within the next two years, on top of their commitment to reduce emissions and contribute to a “net gain” in wildlife in its operations by 2030. (The Guardian)
Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College in North Mymms, Hertfordshire (UK) have discovered hippos can get airborne. The analysis found hippos get all four feet off the ground at once, up to 15% of the time, when at full pelt. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 4th July
The LEGO Group has announced the launch of its new Supplier Sustainability Programme as a means of reducing carbon emissions throughout its supply chain. Suppliers will be required to provide information on the carbon footprint associated with the products and services purchased by the LEGO Group. They will also set targets for emissions' reductions related to product production by 2026 and further by 2020. 2028. (Edie)
Hi-Tech Tracker Buoys which were washed up are being redeployed to protect turtles from ‘Ghost Nets’. The GPS-tracking buoys will be attached to ghost nets by hooking the buoy to them. So far, Tait has gathered a coalition of Australian mariners, from national park staff, Indigenous rangers, commercial fishermen, and charter boats, who are utilising these buoys. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 5th July
The Green party (UK) have gained 3 seats and held on to their existing one. They were able to take one seat from Labour and two from the Conservatives. (The Guardian)
The most nutritionally beneficial plants for bees have been identified. A study team, led by Sandra Rehan of York University in Canada, examined levels of essential fatty acids, amino acids and other key nutrients in the pollen samples. The research may support conservation efforts and wildflower restoration projects in the future. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 8th July
A ban on new onshore windfarms has been ended by the Labour government (UK). On Monday, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, made an announcement in a speech that she would end the “absurd” ban on new windfarms and stated that decisions should be made at the national level, rather than at the local level. The change will be confirmed when parliament returns on July 18th. (The Guardian)
A solar parking canopy with integrated electric vehicle chargers will be installed by the City of Campbell. The partnership with Paired Power will see a solar canopy, called PairTree, be used to generate electricity and charge the city's Ford F-150 Lightning Pro electric truck. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 9th July
Conservationists warned that it might take a while for wildflower meadows to grow fully on the coast of south-west England. But 18 months later, a vibrant display of blooms has sprung up in north Devon. The idea is to create a network of flower-filled grasslands that stretches from sandy beaches to moorland edges. Eventually, the National Trust intends to plant more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of land in north Devon, marking the organisation's largest-ever wildflower grasslands undertaking. (The Guardian)
In Colombia, deforestation decreased by 36% in one year, which is a record low. This means that 44,262 hectares of forest were saved, according to the Environment Minister Susana Muhamad. The decline occurred between 2022 and 2023, resulting from years of advocacy by Indigenous activists who depend on the Amazon for their housing and livelihood. (Euronews)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 10th July
Water companies will have to give back money they didn't spend on improving their sewers networks to customers under new plans from the government. Plans to double the compensation households receive when their water supply is disrupted and to set up new panels for customers to hold utility firms to account were also revealed by Environment Secretary Steve Reed. (iNews)
Conservationists and archaeologists in Peru unite to save a threatened gecko in Peru. Since 2018, a unique cross-disciplinary conservation initiative has brought together biologists and archaeologists to safeguard the species from extinction. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 11th July
The government has admitted that it was wrong to give planning permission for a new coal mine in Cumbria. They will no longer be fighting the claims. Jamie Peters, Friends of the Earth climate co-ordinator, said: “We're delighted the Government agrees that planning permission for this destructive, polluting, and unnecessary coal mine was unlawfully granted and that it should be quashed.” (ITV News)
Lawyers have stated that the approval of a new oilfield in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been annulled following a significant Supreme Court decision. Leigh Day, which represents the campaigners, said on Thursday that the government department, before the general election, had agreed to concede the case and reverse the approval. (ITV News)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 12th July
The National Trust has celebrated the birth of a baby beaver in Northumberland, the first for more than 400 years, one year after their reintroduction. The trust would like to say that it knows they are all there, but since the animals don't come out for group photographs, it would be no surprise if a young male moved on. (The Guardian)
The federal government has announced $2 billion in grants for builders of fossil fuel vehicles and their suppliers. The funds will be utilised to transform those factories into EV vehicle and parts manufacturing operations, while preserving traditional autoworker positions. The cash was authorized by Congress as a component of the Inflation Reduction Act. (LA Times)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 15th July
According to the ChargeUK analysis, a new public charger was installed every 25 minutes during the spring quarter, as companies scrambled to meet demand. Industry argues that installations are keeping pace with increasing sales of battery vehicles because there are almost 1m electric car chargers in the UK, according to data. The majority (930,000 chargers) were installed in homes and business premises, with 65,000 public chargers currently available. (The Guardian)
Ed Miliband, the Minister for Energy Security and Net-Zero, gave permission to build three new solar farms. They will be situated at Gate Burton Energy Park in Lincolnshire, Sunnica Energy Farm on the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and Mallard Pass Solar Farm situated on both sides of the East Coast Mainline in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Their combined capacity is approximately two-thirds of the 1.9 gigawatts of solar energy installed on rooftops and the ground last year, according to Solar Media. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 16th July
Onshore wind is the focus of a new publicly owned renewable energy developer launched by the Welsh Government. A mix of electricity and hydrogen will be used to decarbonize heating for homes and industry, according to the renewable energy developer. (Edie)
More than 130 companies with total revenues topping $1.10trn are calling on world leaders to act on their pledges to halt nature's devastation and restore ecological systems. The call to action issued by Danone, H&M Group, Unilever, and Nestlé is being conveyed to global leaders ahead of the annual biodiversity gatherings scheduled by the United Nations later this year. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 17th July
In the second quarter of this year, renewable energy sources made up almost half of Great Britain's power generation mix. Renewable energy sources contributed 47% of the power generation mix, with wind power generating 17.2 terawatt-hours (TWh), biomass power generating 6.8 TWh, and hydropower generating 1.1 TWh. (Edie)
A new study shows a steady recovery of tigers in Thailand's Western Forest Complex over the past two decades, according to camera-trapping data. The recovery of the tigers has been mirrored by a simultaneous increase in the numbers of their prey animals, such as sambar deer and types of wild cattle. The authors say that tigers and their prey have recovered because ranger patrols have been strengthened to control poaching and to restore key habitats and water sources. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 18th July
Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, has launched a new initiative called CopenPay to promote sustainable tourism. Tourists who use public transportation or bicycles will get perks like free coffee and admission to museums. (Euro News)
The birth of two cubes in April is helping the animals survive, despite them being considered endangered. The cubs Tochka, female, and Timur, male, explored their enclosure at Cologne Zoo in Germany with their mother, 13-year-old Katinka (AP News)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 19th July
There were 473 gigawatts of renewable power installed last year, up from 308 gigawatts the year before and nearly double the number in 2021. Last year's record-breaking number of renewable power projects led to an astonishing 43 percent share of global electrical power capacity. (Canary Media)
By 2035, President Biden wants to phase out the purchasing and use of single-use plastics across the federal government. The new initiative aims to eliminate single-use plastic packaging by 2027, and in all food service operations by 2035. (LA Times)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 22nd July
A repairs' partnership with Timpson Group allows John Lewis customers to give their favourite leather jacket a new lease of life or have a cushion cover fixed. Items from any brand can be repaired for a fee, starting at £10.95, and some can cost up to £99.95. However, any branded item can be sent. (The Guardian)
Salmon have reached the river Derwent for the first time in 100 years, thanks to the removal of a dam, which is allowing hundreds of salmon to swim up a beloved river once again. Even though pollution decreased, the salmon didn't return until wildlife organisations like Wild Trout and Derbyshire Wild Trust started to remove river obstacles like weirs and dams. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 23rd July
Chester Zoo has welcomed 11 penguin chicks, the most in a single hatching season for more than ten years. According to the keepers, the Humboldt penguin chicks, a breed that Chester Zoo identifies as the most at risk of extinction, are in good health and are well-cared for by their parents. (ITV News)
A mega-array of smaller rotors arranged in a grid would achieve up to 126 MW in North Sea conditions, according to Norway's Wind Catching Systems. The superior energy output is not the only benefit of the Windcatcher design. According to the company, the design boasts greater ease of access for maintenance, simpler scalability, and a longer service life of 50 years, rather than 30 years for large single-turbine units. (New Atlas)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 24th July
The Australian electricity market operator expects 86 GW of rooftop photovoltaics by 2050. (PV Magazine)
The California Public Utilities Commission announced that it intends to establish an initial target of 7.6 gigawatts of offshore wind for the state to procure by 2035. The current goal is to get 25 gigawatts of wind energy online by 2045. (Canary Media)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 25th July
According to a report from the city hall, the levels of harmful air pollutants have significantly decreased since the ultra-low emission zone was expanded to encompass Greater London last year. An analysis of the first six months following the Ulez expansion revealed that total nitrogen oxide emissions from cars across London were 13% lower than anticipated, whereas NOx emissions from vans were 7% lower. The level of particulate pollution from cars in outer London is estimated to be 22% lower than without the expansion. (The Guardian)
Keir Starmer will commit to building enough offshore wind over the next five years to power 20 million homes, using taxpayer money to develop parts of the seabed owned by the crown estate.
Starmer said: “This innovative partnership between Great British Energy and the crown estate is an important step toward our mission for clean energy by 2030, and bringing down energy bills for good.” (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 26th July
Between January and June 2024, 27,000 heat pump installations were done by installers who had been certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. This figure is 45% higher compared to the identical period in the previous year. However, by 2028 Heat pump installations should top 600,000 annually, according to the UK Government. (Edie)
Dogs wearing backpacks are being enlisted to help rewild an urban nature reserve in the East Sussex town of Lewes. In the UK, wolves were known to roam large areas, covering 12 miles (19.31 km) or more each night before they were persecuted to extinction. By doing so, wolves may have accidentally acquired wildflower and grass seeds within their fur, dispersing them across vast distances and aiding in the establishment of new colonies of plants. The Railway Land Wildlife Trust, in Lewes, aims to recreate this ecological benefit by equipping local dogs with seed-filled backpacks to help reseed the landscape. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 29th July
Since a mandatory fee was imposed on shoppers who choose to pick up single-use carrier bags at the checkout, the number of plastic bags washed up on UK beaches has fallen by 80% over a decade. According to the annual litter survey conducted by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), volunteers observed an average of one plastic bag per 100 metres of coastline surveyed last year, compared to an average of five carrier bags per 100 metres in 2014. (The Guardian)
The Inflation Reduction Act is enabling religious institutions, synagogues, and mosques across the country to enjoy the environmental, financial, and reliability advantages of solar energy. (Canary Media)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 30th July
30% of the European Union's electricity is generated by wind turbines and solar panels, according to a report. According to Ember, a climate thinktank, power generation derived from the combustion of coal, oil, and gas experienced a decrease of 17% in the first six months of 2024 compared to the identical period the previous year. (The Guardian)
A contaminated former nuclear weapons production site is set to become the country's largest solar project, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The installation would cover up to 8,000 acres in south-central Washington state and produce enough energy to power 750,000 homes. (Canary Media)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 31st July
The New South Wales government has announced it will remove the shark nets one month early on 31 March, ahead of increased turtle activity in April next year. (The Guardian)
Clearway Energy turned on the 147 MW Rosamond Central Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Kern County, California. (PV Magazine)
