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 large truck driving through a flooded street

Are Canadians more afraid of floods — or flood maps?

Canada’s outdated flood maps put people at risk. In Montreal, a battle over updating them highlights a nationwide worry over home values and insurance costs
A herd of cows in a green field looking at the camera

In Denmark, sick cows and a lot of questions

Farmers blame a food additive required by the Danish government to cut methane emissions, but the source is unclear.
A deforested area with green forest behind it

Major Brazilian grain traders quit Amazon conservation pact

Several of Brazil’s largest grain traders are withdrawing from a nearly two-decade-old agreement that restricts soy purchases linked to Amazon deforestation.

A refinery at night in front of a water source

What Trump’s Venezuela strategy means for Black communities

Environmental justice advocates warn that refining Venezuelan oil will concentrate more pollution and cancer risk in majority-Black communities along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.

An illustration of a turtle with plastic in its mouth, surrounded by plastic bottles

Microplastics are undermining the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon

Research reveals microplastics may impair the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, weakening a natural buffer against climate change.
A view of solar panels and wind turbines with mountains in the background

A year of clean energy milestones

Even as the Trump administration rolled back support for renewable energy in the U.S., wind, solar, and electric vehicles made huge strides globally in 2025.

A Greenland glacier receding from a brown and gray valley
Credit: Visit Greenland/Unsplash

Scientists just got some ancient clues about future sea-level rise — and it’s bad news

Rock samples collected from the Greenland ice sheet’s Prudhoe Dome show it completely melted in the past 10,000 years — and could vanish again amid climate change.
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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