butterfly

Our top 5 good news stories of 2021

It's not all doom and gloom.

As we reflect on the past year, let's remember the good — the people, communities, ideas, and science that are creating a more healthy and sustainable planet.


The environment can be a depressing beat. But here are the top five good news stories from our newsroom over the past year that remind us there is hope.

1. The pesticide ban movement gains momentum

pesticide ban

Cities and counties are increasingly banning toxic pesticides—and some are taking aim at fertilizers.

2. A Listen Into Landscape

good news podcast

A series of audio postcards spotlighting peace, place, and connection to landscape from the perspective of those working in nature.

3. How artificial intelligence can help save us from air pollution

artificial intelligence

Researchers find AI may outperform traditional models, which could give more advance warning of bad air days, and reduce harmful exposures and hospital visits.

4. From butterfly wings to shrimp claws: Mimicking nature on the nanoscale

green chemistry

Innovators look to biomimicry to address sustainability challenges.

5. Planting a million trees in the semi-arid desert to combat climate change

planting trees

Tucson's ambitious tree planting goal aims to improve the health of residents, wildlife, and the watershed.

Have a good news story tip? We want to hear about it, write us at feedback@ehn.org.

Banner photo: Metalmark Butterfly. (Credit: Andreas Kay/flickr)

A yacht anchored in aqua blue water

A climate summit built on contradiction

At COP30 in Belém, climate delegates slept aboard diesel-powered cruise ships and traveled roads carved through newly deforested land, contradictions that unsettled many, including California’s contingent.

Solar panels, wind turbines, and large battery containers for energy storage

North Dakota utility regulators to consider state’s first-ever battery storage sites

For the first time, North Dakota utility regulators are considering proposals for massive battery storage sites that would serve as backstops for renewable energy sources. 
A poster that says All You Need is Meat with a plate of meat in front of it

In Brazil, agribusiness giants hire celebrity influencers to win hearts and minds

Brazil’s biggest meat and agrochemical companies have paid nearly 200 influencers to promote their products in the year leading up to COP30, using pop culture and wellness messaging to deflect attention from their rising emissions and environmental harms.

An aerial view of a coal plant surrounded by fog

Wisconsin coal terminal to close after 50 years as clean energy saps demand

After nearly 50 years of operation, the Midwest Energy Resources coal terminal in Superior will shut down next June as coal shipments continue to decline amid the clean energy transition.

A house completely destroyed by a hurricane

Hurricane Melissa a ‘real-time case study’ of colonialism’s legacies

Hurricane Melissa ravaged rural Jamaica; campaigners at COP30 say the disaster exposes how communities shaped by slavery and colonial extraction now bear the brunt of climate impacts.

a group of young people holding up climate protest signs in the street.
Credit: Leonardo Basso/Unsplash

Thousands march for climate action as COP30 talks enter second week

As the talks continue, some countries are pushing for a detailed “road map” for a global transition away from oil, gas and coal.
prticipants at the entrance to COP 30 pavilion
Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/isostandards/ Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

‘Additional promises mean nothing’: The awkward flaw in the world’s climate talks

World leaders have vowed to fight rising temperatures for years. Many of those pledges fade when the summits end.
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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