46 Positive Environmental Success Stories — December 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
RSPB Big Schools Bird Watch – (6th January to 13th February) The RSPB Big Schools' Bird Watch is a bird survey that students are encouraged to participate in while attending school. Schools can sign up to get a free information pack from the RSPB, including helpful ID resources and survey sheets.
Squirrel Appreciation Day – (21st January) Squirrel Appreciation Day is celebrated on the 21st of January each year. This day of animal awareness is observed during January, as squirrels may encounter difficulties searching for food.
International Zebra Day – (31st January) We celebrate Zebra Day every January 31st to help people understand the dangers they face, including habitat loss, climate change, and poaching.
Positive News Round up — Monday, 1st December
In October, the UK government's heat pump subsidy program received 4,013 grant applications, which was 4% more than the same month in 2024 and the third-highest month on record. (PV Magazine)
In a ceremony presided over by Vice President Raquel Peña, the Dominican Republic formally launched Cotoperí Solar, the biggest photovoltaic project in Central America and the Caribbean. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 2nd December
At its North West and Midlands Parcel Hubs, Royal Mail has introduced its first fleet of eight electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The vehicles will be used for "middle-mile deliveries between hubs and mail centers" and will run around the clock. (Edie)
According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition's most recent data, France installed 4,445 MW of solar power in the first three quarters of this year. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 3rd December
Reuse and return initiatives could virtually eradicate the 66 million tonnes of plastic packaging pollution that enter the world's environment annually by 2040, according to important new research. (The Guardian)
A £150 million project that could revolutionize how sport addresses climate change has been approved by Oxford United to construct the first all-electric football stadium in the United Kingdom. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 4th December
Old tyres are helping to make roads more durable. (Techxplore)
Scientists create a pineapple waste soil amendment from leftover pineapple peels that increases water retention in sandy desert soils by over 30%. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 5th December
After 175 years, nearly 900 acres of land that border Yosemite National Park are once again under tribal ownership. (Good News Network)
The isolated North Sea oil field of Nini, once a representation of the extraction of fossil fuels, is getting ready to play a new role: storing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide beneath the ocean floor. (The Optimist Daily)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 8th December
According to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the majority of the 28.2 GW of additional power capacity added to the grid during the first nine months of 2025 came from solar capacity, which increased by 21.2 GW. (PV Magazine)
In a single month, the state installed 45,911 solar water pumps as part of the Magel Tyala Solar Pump initiative, setting a new Guinness World Record, according to a state-owned power distribution utility. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 9th December
Food insecurity and climate change can be addressed by people-powered solutions without waiting for government intervention, as demonstrated by the DoorDash for Good strategy. (Happy Eco News)
Every year, four tonnes of tree seeds will be processed at a new seed processing facility in Cheshire, supplying genetic material for millions of climate-adapted trees throughout the United Kingdom. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 10th December
Due to decades of protection, endangered whales are making a rare comeback in Canada. (The Optimist)
The European Union's Modernization Fund has contributed PLN 4.15 billion (£839.3 million) to 183 energy storage projects that have been shortlisted for grants and loans by Poland's National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 11 December
Decommissioned oil refineries are being reclaimed by nature across southeast England and California, with communities campaigning to protect them. (Positive News)
The European Union laid the foundation for one of the continent's most ambitious green energy overhauls when it approved 100 cross-border hydrogen and electrolyzer projects in a broad effort to update its energy infrastructure and lessen dependency on fossil fuels. (The Optimist Daily)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 12 December
According to new research, banana peels may be an underutilized powerhouse when it comes to growing healthier, taller crops, sometimes outperforming synthetic fertilizers. (The Optimist)
Parts of Ohio are being improved to allow better walkability through the city. (Yale Climate Connections)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 15th December
The French government says solar power swept its latest technology-neutral auction; 36 projects totalling 507.7 MW were awarded in the fourth round. (PV Magazine)
The Italian government has approved approximately 710 MW of primarily agrivoltaic projects in Puglia, indicating a push toward utility-scale solar. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 16th December
The North Carolina state university has opened a unique agrivoltaics demo site pairing solar power and sheep grazing. (Canary Media)
Since 2021, Guinea has seen nearly 4,400 hectares (about 10,900 acres) of reforestation in 43 villages thanks to a project led by the Switzerland-based arboRise Foundation, which employs hundreds of women to collect native tree seeds and use low-cost direct seeding techniques. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 17th December
The South Korean government plans to use incentives, legal changes, and industry support to increase heat pump adoption across the country, with the goal of reducing emissions from fossil fuel-dependent heating by the mid-2030s. (PV Magazine)
In the third quarter of 2025, more than 5.3 gigawatts of energy storage had been installed in America. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 18th December
RWE's 1GW Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm, which is expected to generate enough electricity to power one million British homes, has received planning permission. (Edie)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has completed the grid connection of its landmark battery energy storage project, which has a capacity of 7.8 GWh. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 19th December
According to data provided by the National Energy System Operator, there has been a 30% increase in solar energy generation this year, along with other records. (Edie)
Sunken ships are becoming ‘islands of life’ in barren seas. (The Conversation)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 22nd December
Despite previous concerns, the UK auto industry is on track to meet the government's electric vehicle (EV) sales targets for 2025, according to a new Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit report. (Edie)
Solarpro says it is constructing a 450 MW solar power plant in northern Hungary. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 23rd December
Under a new multi-billion-yen subsidy programme that begins in 2026, Japanese companies that use electricity from renewable or nuclear sources will be eligible for CAPEX cost subsidies. (Edie)
Here are the five of the biggest cleantech innovation trends of the year. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 24th December
Korea's Export-Import Bank is investing in a 132 MW solar and 325 MWh battery energy storage project in Guam. (PV Magazine)
For the past 25 years, the Watercress Company has practiced insect-friendly agriculture on its UK farms, eliminating all pesticides while maintaining commercial success. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 25th December
Cities across Europe, Asia, and the Americas are installing green bus shelters with native plants and pollinator gardens, transforming ordinary transit stops into small but thriving ecosystems. (Happy Eco News)
Here is the biggest rewilding project, in France. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 26th December
Neighbourhoods in Arizona, are turning away from cars in a bid to walk more thanks to local improvements. (Optimist Daily)
Scientists discovered the largest known nesting site for the endangered giant South American river turtle, with over 41,000 individuals recorded thanks to a cutting-edge drone study. (Optimist Daily)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 29th December
According to a report by UK consulting firm GlobalData, Poland is on track to reach 59.1 GW of cumulative solar capacity by 2035. (PV Magazine)
Stingless bees from the Amazon are the world's first insects to be granted legal rights. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 30th December
A French ban on the production and sale of cosmetics and most clothing containing polluting and health-threatening "forever chemicals" goes into effect on Thursday, 1 January 2026. (Phys)
For the first time since 2015, young Atlantic salmon have been spotted in three rivers in north-west England, marking a "significant environmental turnaround". (Optimist Daily)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 31st December
South Australia is the first place in the world to ban tiny fish-shaped soy sauce bottles as of September. (Optimist Daily)
New York City is starting to enforce mandatory composting to reduce waste and emissions. (Optimist Daily)
