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)

Smokestacks emitting smoke against a blue sky

Why Scope 3 emissions are a big deal for Canada

Greenhouse gases released indirectly through business activities, called Scope 3 emissions, can be massive — but Canadian companies don’t report them
A green trash bag holding remains of a melon

The climate solution sitting in America’s trash

Cutting food waste is a huge potential climate win. Why are we ignoring it?
Rainforest with green fronds and orange flowers

Carbon offsets are failing. Can a new plan save the rainforests?

Brazil is set to unveil an ambitious international plan that would provide up to $4 billion a year to countries that protect their tropical forests. Proponents see it as a potential game-changer for forest conservation, but some ecologists and economists are raising concerns.
A view of a Babylonian fortress ruin in Iraq

Cradle of civilisation at risk of erosion in Iraq due to climate change

Iraqi officials are sounding the alarm to save monuments of the cradle of civilisation, with thousands of years of history at risk of disappearing as Iraq's ancient southern cities face erosion because of climate change.
An oil tank with the sunset in the background

Major American LNG exporters habitually break air pollution laws, report finds

With Trump propelling the U.S. LNG industry into a massive expansion, companies are flouting landmark environmental laws.
A pile of trash, including plastic bottles, floating in a water source

Heavy rains and poor waste systems drive microplastics into India’s urban lakes

Researchers warn that India’s urban freshwater bodies are becoming increasingly toxic due to unmanaged plastic waste and intensifying weather patterns.

Hurricane satellite view
Credit: Getty Images For Unsplash+

The dangerous combination that made Melissa a monster hurricane

Hurricane Melissa’s power was undeniable, intensifying faster than most storms on record.
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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