Good News

Cities worldwide are cutting emissions, greening streets, and adapting to climate threats faster than national governments, according to a new international report.

Matt Simon reports for Grist.

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In Burlington, Vermont, a scrappy amateur soccer team is drawing crowds and taking climate action one game at a time.

Cara Buckley reports for The New York Times.

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A worldwide “Bicycle Mayor” movement is helping cities ditch cars by empowering local cycling champions to push for change from the street up.

Kaja Šeruga reports for Reasons To Be Cheerful.

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Solar panels now double as shade for sheep and a tool for rural energy production in Georgia, where some farmers are balancing land conservation with renewable energy development.

Emily Jones reports for Grist.

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In Burlington, Vermont, a scrappy amateur soccer team is drawing crowds and taking climate action one game at a time.

Cara Buckley reports for The New York Times.

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Music venues, arenas and festivals across the United States are swapping single-use plastic cups for washable, reusable ones in a growing shift away from recycling toward full-scale reuse.

Anna Phillips reports for The Washington Post.

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A 1.3-mile stretch of Jackson Heights was once just traffic and noise — now it's a thriving public park reimagined by the community that needed it most.

Claire Elise Thompson reports for Grist.

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China installed enough solar and wind power between January and May to match the total electricity use of countries like Indonesia or Turkey, even as its clean energy industry faces deep financial strain.

Amy Hawkins reports for The Guardian.

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When Plympton, Massachusetts started charging by the bag for trash, it nearly halved the town’s garbage — and saved thousands of dollars in the process.

Tik Root reports for Grist.

In short:

  • Plympton cut its annual trash output from 640 to 335 tons after shifting from a flat-fee dump sticker to a “pay-as-you-throw” model charging per bag.
  • The new pricing system incentivized recycling and composting, saving the town about $65,000 a year and reducing landfill-related emissions.
  • Nearly half of Massachusetts municipalities now use PAYT, and experts say volume-based pricing drives waste reduction without unfairly burdening small or low-income households.

Key quote:

“We found that demand for waste disposal was really responsive to price. If you raise the price of trash, people are going to find ways to not put as much out at the curb.”

— John Halstead, retired professor of environmental economics at the University of New Hampshire and an author of a study on New Hampshire's pay-as-you-throw model

Why this matters:

Less landfill use means fewer toxics in the air and water, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and more recycled materials in circulation. Plympton’s story shows that smart policy doesn’t have to be punitive or complicated — it just has to make people see the cost of their choices, and let common sense do the rest.

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In the Sierra Nevada foothills, a worker-owned solar company is showing how cooperatives can build better jobs and community resilience — even in a volatile energy market.

Brooke Larsen reports for High Country News.

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A growing global movement led by women is linking environmental harm with gender-based violence and inequality, calling for systemic change beyond traditional climate solutions.

Katie Surma reports for Inside Climate News.

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After moving into an energy-efficient social housing unit in New Westminster, Margaret Wanyoike’s family saw not just lower rent — but better health and clean air too. They're not alone.

Shannon Waters reports for The Narwhal.

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In April, tens of thousands of volunteers worldwide recorded millions of wildlife sightings through apps like iNaturalist, generating vital biodiversity data now being used in environmental research and policymaking.

Kiley Price reports for Inside Climate News.

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Wind turbines are critical for cutting carbon, but they can also kill birds — so scientists are racing to make them safer using paint, artificial intelligence, and better planning strategies.

Adam Welz reports for Yale Environment 360.

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In a historic move, the Yurok Tribe has reclaimed 17,000 acres of ancestral land along Northern California’s Klamath River, marking the state’s largest landback deal.

Anita Hofschneider reports for Grist.

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A volunteer-driven effort to map uncharted areas of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia aims to improve disaster response in a region hit hardest by climate change.

Maddy Crowell reports for Grist.

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Colombia’s environment ministry reported a 33% drop in deforestation during the first quarter of 2025, citing coordinated enforcement efforts and strengthened partnerships with local communities.

Steven Grattan reports for The Associated Press.

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A new study finds that solar arrays in Colorado’s dry grasslands can reduce water stress and boost plant growth during drought years by providing shade and redirecting rainfall.

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill.

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