46 Positive Environmental Success Stories — July 2025
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 Lion Day (10th August) A day to honour the kings and queens of the Savannah and how their lives are being impacted by habitat loss and poaching.
National Allotments Week (11th — 17th August) A week dedicated to these small spaces which offer people the chance to grow some of their food and help biodiversity.
World Elephant Day (12th August) The annual, World Elephant Day is an international event that is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants.
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 1st July
Saamis Solar Park is a 325 megawatt renewable energy project that is currently under development on a former industrial site in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. This project will provide the city with clean electricity. (Happy Eco News)
A Kenya marine biodiversity credit program is helping to restore mangroves and livelihoods. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 2nd July
The 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Park, the largest solar plant in the United Kingdom to date, has commenced commercial operations following the completion of construction. At present, the project is capable of exporting 100% of its capacity to the grid, which is more than four times the amount of electricity exported by the next largest operational UK project. (PV Magazine)
Advocacy groups and researchers have expressed their approval of the South African Cabinet's decision to prohibit the importation of Terbufos, a highly toxic pesticide that was implicated in the deaths of six children in a South African township in October 2024. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 3rd July
Switzerland's Federal Council has implemented new legislation that mandates the declaration of the fact that all foods produced by animals that underwent “painful procedures” on the label. (Plant Based News)
Lisbon is the first capital city in Europe to initiate an initiative to combat plastic waste, reduce emissions, and introduce a smart reuse model to the city's restaurants and energetic nightlife. This is done with the assistance of a local deposit and return system and a new citywide reusable cup system. (Euro News)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 4th July
Zapmap's most recent data indicates that the United Kingdom had 82,369 electric vehicle (EV) charging points, with 8,670 of these having been installed since the beginning of the year. (Edie)
The rare purple emperor butterfly has been sighted in the most numerous numbers at a conservation project in West Sussex, and ecologists are optimistic that the species is thriving on a national scale. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 7th July
One percent of investments in offshore wind could bring back millions of hectares of marine life. (Phys)
Butterfly-wing-inspired anti-reflective coatings and recycled solar glass may work together to reduce emissions and improve sustainability in international shipping. (UK Research and Innovation)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 8th July
A reforestation project in Nepal that used the ecological knowledge of local people is now showing signs of success, almost ten years after it was finished. (Mongabay)
Five plant species that are currently on Bangladesh's Red List as critically endangered are being worked to bring back, along with two species that have been declared locally extinct. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 9th July
For over six years, a tidal turbine off the coast of Scotland has run continuously, setting a record that may lead to more funding for marine energy. (Daily Climate)
By storing calcium carbonate in their trunks, certain fig tree species effectively turn themselves (partially) into stone, which helps them sequester CO2 for far longer than usual. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 10th July
A large infrastructure project has been put on hold while a judge inspects the site after a Brazilian federal court blocked the start of planned explosions along the 35-kilometer (22-mile) Pedral do Lourenço rock formation in the Tocantins River. (Mongabay)
In announcing that has been eagerly anticipated by wildlife groups, ministers have declared that shotgun pellets and bullets that contain lead will be prohibited for nearly all applications. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 11th July
An analysis by energy think tank Ember found that solar output in at least 13 countries reached a new monthly high in June, amounting to more than 40 percent of generation in the Netherlands and 35 percent in Greece. (Yale E360)
According to a recent report from the Global Energy Monitor (GEM), China is swiftly expanding its wind and solar energy infrastructure, which now accounts for almost three-quarters of all utility-scale projects being built globally. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 14th July
Ash from thermal power plants is covering a lot of land in Western India, but bamboo is being used to clean it up. (Good News Network)
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have devised a method for utilizing solar panel glass waste as a raw material for cathodes in solid-state lithium metal batteries. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 15th July
Through the new Electric Car Grant, people who buy a new “zero-emission” model will save up to £3,750. (Edie)
To bolster the domestic rare-earth supply chain, Apple is investing $500 million in MP Materials, the only fully integrated rare-earth mining company presently functioning in the United States. (TechCrunch)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 16th July
A recent study found that restoring floodplain wetlands cuts carbon emissions by 39% and brings back important ecosystem functions in just one year, without the usual rise in methane levels that happens when peatlands are restored. (Phys)
A mobile coral spawning system has been successfully tested in the Maldives, with local operators cultivating 10,000 juvenile corals. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 17th July
A new solar mapping tool asserts that rooftop solar capacity in the Philippines has surpassed 1.8 GW, and its creators say it can be used to track unregistered solar rooftop capacity. (PV Magazine)
Great British Energy will contribute £10 million to help community facilities, care facilities, and fire stations install solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, and electric car chargers. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 18th July
After a significant decrease in 2024, the Big Butterfly Count is requesting that volunteers spend 15 minutes in a nearby green space to count the number of butterflies. However, it is anticipated that the number of butterflies will increase once more. (The Guardian)
Alongside the stunning violet beech, the Cedar Tree Climbed by The Beatles is a finalist in the Euro Tree Awards. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 21st July
Two new national marine parks are being established by Greece to meet the established 2030 ocean protection goals early. (Euro News)
Conservationists from Pakistan have taken pictures of two very rare species of small cats. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 22nd July
Singapore has been regreeing since 1960, resulting in nearly 47% of the city being considered a green space; providing numerous benefits to human residents and wildlife. (Mongabay)
Once almost extinct, Amur leopard populations are returning in Far East Asia. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 23rd July
Research commissioned by Amazon from the Centre for Economics and Business Research indicates that the second-hand shopping market in the UK has become a £4.3 billion economy. (Edie)
By the end of 2025, Renault says all of its vehicles will be entirely leather-free. (Plant Based News)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 24th July
Using entirely recyclable materials to support a circular economy, Forest Green Rovers FC has unveiled the first-ever vegan-certified football kit for the 25/26 season. (Plant Based News)
Working toward a 2035 net-zero target, Aldi UK plans to install onsite solar systems to 90 more of its supermarkets by the end of 2026. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 25th July
Massachusetts will cut electricity rates for heat pump owners this winter, offer a significant discount on electricity to owners of heat pumps, and is considering even more drastic cuts to inspire people to abandon fossil-fueled heating. (Canary Media)
In a bid to achieve 24/7 clean energy, Google has invested into ‘CO2 batteries’. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 28th July
Figures from the Romania Photovoltaic Industry Association show Romania added 900 MW to 1 GW of solar over the first six months of 2025. (PV Magazine)
Researchers have found that tropical forests, with healthy populations of seed-dispersing animals, can absorb up to four times more carbon than similar forests with fewer seed-dispersing animals. (Phys)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 29th July
Over the next 25 years, researchers project £170 million of savings for the NHS if 14 million homes replace gas cookers with electric ones. (Edie)
A Glasgow-based startup is turning ocean waste into clever design by repurposing discarded fishing gear into sophisticated, origami-inspired planters. (Positive News)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 30th July
A breakthrough in solar window technology has been made by Danish researchers, who have produced transparent panels that produce electricity while allowing for unobstructed vision. The invention maintained 30% transparency for regular window use while achieving an efficiency of 12.3% in converting sunlight to power, comparable to conventional rooftop solar panels. (Happy Eco News)
The first successful birth of Britain's rarest breeding bird since 2019 has occurred in an English wheat field, where two Montagu's harriers have raised four chicks. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 31st July
To stop the disease from spreading to cattle, Cornwall is starting the first farmer-led initiative to vaccinate badgers against TB. (The Guardian)
A Pittsburgh startup has developed a method for converting food waste into fertilizer that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while converting leftover sandwiches, coffee grounds, and banana peels into plant fertilizer. (Happy Eco News)
