Good News

Our top 5 good news stories of 2020

Because we could all use a little more cheer.

We can all agree that 2020 was a challenging year.


Good news feels hard to come by lately. And when you work in environmental news, it can seem even more rare.

Yet, the year was not without progress (yes, seriously!). Check out five good news stories from our newsroom that you may have missed below.

1. A Northeast US climate initiative has had a major side benefit—healthier children

Researchers estimate a climate effort in the Northeast U.S. helped the region reduce toxic air pollution and avoid hundreds of asthma and autism cases, preterm births, and low birth weights.

2. Roadmap points Europe toward safer, sustainable chemicals

EU Commission releases ambitious strategy for getting hormone-disrupting chemicals out of food, products, and packaging.

3. Solar power on the rise at US schools

Report finds an 81% increase in K-12 schools using solar power over the last 5 years.

4. Pittsburgh’s Black farmers work to grow a new future

A small group of new farmers have seeded a movement to change the local food industry.

5. Derrick Z. Jackson: A Rhode Island city gets serious about climate justice

In its climate action plan, Providence, Rhode Island, is giving frontline residents' health equal billing with carbon reduction. Other cities should pay attention.


Banner photo: Ebony Lunsford-Evans, owner of FarmerGirlEB in Pittsburgh, helps a customer. (Credit: Brian Cook)

Tornado touching down in rural neighborhood
Credit: NOAA/Unsplash

Are there climate fingerprints in tornado activity?

Parts of the Southern and Northeastern U.S. faced tornado threats this week. Scientists are trying to parse out the climate links in changing tornado activity.
Solar panels & wind turbines against setting sun

Interior bends on solar, but wind energy on public lands remains stalled

Most of the wind farms under consideration by the Biden BLM are no longer in the permitting pipeline.
Melting ice sheets Antarctica

How a melting glacier in Antarctica could affect tens of millions around the globe

A collapse of the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica would sharply accelerate sea-level rise in coastal cities.
Man installing solar panels on a roof

How Pakistan’s people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis

Falling costs and government incentives make solar an attractive option for many, reducing the need for gas.

Solar panels juxtaposed against transmission lines and wind turbines
Credit: kckate16/ BigStock Photo ID: 478351339

The German village running on its own juice

While war in the Middle East sends oil prices soaring and households brace for higher bills, one tiny German village has spent 30 years making itself immune to exactly this kind of shock.
Entrance sign to Yellowstone National Park

After Trump’s Interior secretary transferred thousands of staff to his office, chaos followed, former workers say

The move happened as the agency shed thousands of workers. Critics and ex-employees say the administrative staff driven out were crucial for maintaining operations.
A patient sitting in a hospital bed next to a table with a meal

Offering vegan food as default cuts hospital emissions by 22%

Sodexo UK and Ireland has announced the results of its latest effort to cut foodservice and catering emissions through plant-forward menus.

From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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