The media has an important role to play in combatting climate doom. It’s the media’s job to be truthful and accurate in our reporting, not trying to downplay or greenwash the situation. But it’s also the media’s job to show that there is hope.
After racking up some stories of eco-innovation, green breakthroughs and climate wins in 2022 and 2023, in 2024, we’ve seen the good news keep on coming, as renewable power soars, vulnerable ecosystems gain rights, and climate protocols start to pay dividends.
Here are some of the year’s top positive stories from including the small and local, the silly that made us smile and the enormous and potentially world changing.
December 2024
Can beehives help humans and elephants co-exist? A nine-year study found that elephants in Kenya will avoid beehive fences – a simple structure where live beehives are strung together between posts – as much as 86 per cent of the time.
In societies where populations continue to grow, these findings could offer a powerful nature-based solution to safeguard livelihoods and wildlife habitats alike.
Montana landmark climate ruling: A landmark climate ruling that found a US state was violating residents’ constitutional right to a clean environment has been upheld in another victory for the young plaintiffs.
Last year, Montana’s District Court ruled in favour of the 16 activists, now aged 7 to 23. The judge agreed that the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits – which does not take into account greenhouse gas emissions – is unconstitutional.
State officials pledged to try and overturn the “groundbreaking” decision on appeal. But on Wednesday, justices at Montana’s Supreme Court upheld it 6-1.
Italy’s Po Delta saved: Environmental groups have won a landmark case against a project to drill for offshore gas in Italy’s Po Delta, a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve.
The 500 km2 wetlands located around an hour south of Venice are some of the largest and richest in the Mediterranean.
27 new species discovered in Peru: A total of 27 new species have been uncovered in the “human-dominated” Peruvian rainforest.
Conservation International led the expedition into the Alto Mayo Landscape that discovered these new species. The list includes four mammals, eight fish, three amphibians and 10 butterfly species.
November 2024
Spanish workers get four days “climate leave”: Workers in Spain will be given up to four days of paid leave if they are unable to get to their workplace due to extreme weather.
The law on paid leave protects the rights of workers not to go to work in the event of catastrophes or climate-related weather alerts that could put them in danger.
100-year-old UK estate testing out renewable heating: A 100-year-old estate in London has become the oldest block of social housing in the UK to be fitted with a heat pump network.
Built in 1913, the Edwardian-era estate stands as a grand example that heat pumps can be retrofitted to older buildings without compromising their heritage.
Pacific Ocean coral unharmed by global warming: Scientists have discovered the world’s largest coral in the Solomon Islands. Distinct from a coral reef, which is a collection of coral colonies, this gigantic organism is a network of coral polyps.
It measures 34 metres wide and more than five metres high, making it longer than the world’s biggest mammal, the blue whale. It is so huge that it is visible from space.
October 2024
European countries pledge to protect biodiversity: Six European countries have pledged new money to the world’s foremost biodiversity fund, which gained €200 million yesterday.
Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and the UK announced fresh funding at the UN biodiversity summit, COP16, in Colombia this October.
Joe Biden signs off billions for clean energy projects: Ahead of the American presidential election, outgoing president Joe Biden made clean energy a priority.
The Biden administration is shelling out billions of dollars for clean energy as well as approving major offshore wind projects as officials race to secure major climate initiatives before he leaves office.
From cheap buses to endless bike lanes: Travelling in a greener way is an important consideration for all of us today, and it’s particularly crucial when moving around cities, famous for their traffic and pollution.
A new study has revealed the top five cities in Europe that offer the greenest transport options.
How the UK phased out coal: On September 30, the UK became the first G7 country to abandon coal power.
The final coal-powered plant in Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire was “desynced” from the grid system at 3 pm bringing the UK’s 142-year history of burning coal for electricity to an end.
September 2024
Year’s funniest wildlife photos: A fish chasing an eagle across the sky, polar bear Judo and a tiny flying squirrel doing its best impression of a crime boss. These are just some of the finalists in the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.
This year the competition received a record number of entries – just under 9,000 in total from 98 different countries.
UN pact reaffirms commitment to transition away from fossil fuels: A blueprint for addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges was agreed by the UN General Assembly with climate change one of the headline topics.
It was adopted during the opening of a two-day “Summit of the Future” called by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who thanked world leaders and diplomats for unlocking “the door” to a better future.
Exciting solar breakthrough: Making sure solar energy can be stored is key to taking the renewable to the next level, according to UK think tank Ember.
But – among other challenges – many batteries are made from unsustainable materials and have a tendency to overheat.
In a “very exciting” development, researchers based at the Polytechnic University of Catalunya (UPC) have now tackled both issues with a unique hybrid device.
Chemical-free method for treating seeds: Heat-treated seeds could offer farmers a chemical-free solution for pest control.
Typically, seeds are treated with chemicals to keep them healthy and kill pests, but this does not align with organic farming principles.
“ThermoSeed”, an invention by former researcher Kenneth Alness, offers a sustainable alternative. It uses sharp blasts of steam, which kill pests and preserve the seeds.
August 2024
Solar panels and crops addressing Europe’s energy demand: Deploying solar panels and growing crops on the same land could be a solution to boost renewable electricity in Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, reaching the equivalent of 68% of today’s energy demand in the countries, according to new research.
Combining farming with green energy production could also increase food security and generate additional income for farmers.
Helsinki’s heat pump: The air-to-water heat pump is being installed to help decarbonise the city’s district heating system.
The heat pump can operate in temperatures as low as -20C and will be powered by electricity from renewable sources.
Scientists in Papua New Guinea survey: Cutting edge tech and local knowledge are helping a group of scientists in Papua New Guinea survey the country’s highly biodiverse ocean ecosystems.
They are hoping it will provide the government with data to improve conservation efforts.
Australia’s largest lender to stop financing fossil fuel companies: Australia’s largest lender has announced it will stop financing fossil fuel companies that don’t comply with the Paris Agreement’s climate goals by the end of 2024.
The Commonwealth Bank’s (CBA) move is unusual among other rivals, who have yet to stop supporting coal, oil and gas businesses.
July 2024
Deforestation in Colombia falls: Deforestation in Colombia fell by 36 per cent in a year, marking a new record low.
It’s especially good news the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, one-third of which is in Colombia.
The drop happened between 2022 and 2023 and comes off the back of years of campaigning by Indigenous activists who depend on the Amazon for their homes and livelihood.
Ecuador river granted no pollution right: In an unusual ruling, a court in Ecuador has ruled that pollution has violated the rights of a river that runs through the capital, Quito.
Activists who filed the complaint said the decision is “historic”.
UK lifts onshore wind ban: The UK’s new Labour government has scrapped a de facto ban on onshore wind farms in England, opening up the potential for every UK home to be powered by clean energy.
Turkish teens addressing crop failure: “In Türkiye, we are living the effects of climate change. This region was Mesopotamia, where agriculture and civilisation was born, but now people are struggling with climate change and drought,” says 17-year-old Beyza, a runner-up of The Earth Prize.
Beyza and her team set out to address these issues with Plantzma: an easy-to-use device that leverages plasma to create more resilient crops and enrich irrigation water.
June 2024
The Vatican goes green: Pope Francis has renewables on his mind as he says he wants Vatican City to run on solar power.
To achieve his aim, solar panels will be installed on a Vatican-owned property outside Rome. The power generated could supply all of Vatican City’s energy needs.
US plant gets a boost: One method of making electricity cleanly to address climate change has been quietly advancing and in June it hit a milestone.
A California utility is backing the largest new geothermal power development in the US – 400 megawatts of clean electricity from the Earth’s heat – enough for some 400,000 homes.
Hawaii to curb pollution from transport: Youth climate activists have won a “historic” settlement in Hawaii.
The lawsuit was the world’s first youth-led constitutional climate case seeking to address climate pollution from the transportation sector.
It alleged that the US state violated the constitution by operating a transport system that harmed the climate and infringed upon the children’s right to a clean and healthy environment.
EU approves law that could bring back biodiversity: After months of deliberations, the EU’s Nature Restoration Law has finally been approved.
The first-of-its-kind regulation aims to restore Europe’s damaged ecosystems and boost biodiversity.
Its goal is to restore at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all degraded ecosystems by 2050.
May 2024
Spanish city to use cemeteries to generate renewable power: A city in Spain is starting to use its cemeteries to generate renewable power.
Valencia, on the east coast, aims to install thousands of solar panels in graveyards around the city.
The project has been dubbed RIP – standing for Requiem in Power – and was launched this month with the first photovoltaic panels installed.
Young, green and European: A generation of young Europeans that became activists while still at school is now of age to take up positions in political office.
They have launched campaigns across Europe in order to protect and further climate protection policies amid backlash from right-leaning parties.
How did the Dutch make cycling a national pastime? In the Netherlands, countless initiatives have been devised to make sure that cycling is inclusive, not just for young people who have grown up with it.
And given that 64 per cent of the entire population cycle at least once a week, something is clearly working.
Reward for UK drivers who give up their cars: Drivers in the UK who give up their car next month could save around €150 for their effort and even win a prize.
The initiative comes from Possible, a climate action charity based in London, which is seeking to prise motorists away from their vehicles with its ‘Going Car Free Challenge’ in June.
April 2024
EU votes to ratify law to protect oceans: The European Union has voted in favour of ratifying the High Seas Treaty.
This treaty aims to protect marine life in areas that are outside of countries’ maritime borders including the high seas and the seabed.
The decision is a key step in the process of approving the ratification of the High Seas Treaty.
Biden’s Earth Day pledge: US President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion (€6.6 billion) in federal grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities.
Solar balconies booming in Germany: More than 400,000 plug-in solar systems have been installed in Germany, most of them taking up a seamless spot on people’s balconies.
New data shows at least 50,000 of the PV devices were added in the first quarter of 2024 alone. A boom born from Germany’s “very strong solar culture”, in the words of one expert.
Greece bans bottom trawling: Greece will ban bottom trawling in all of its marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on April 16.
The country also aims to create two large marine parks as part of a €780 million programme to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems.
March 2024
Nigerian women spearheading solar projects: More children die from air pollution – mainly inside the home – in Nigeria than in any other African country. 32-year-old green energy entrepreneur Yetunde Fadeyi made it her life’s calling to end the energy poverty causing such deaths.
After a childhood in Lagos plagued by intermittent electricity, a degree in chemistry and training in solar panel installation, Fadeyi started Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability (REES). The non-profit is dedicated to climate advocacy and providing clean energy to poor communities in rural Nigeria.
Coffee grounds and agricultural contamination: An estimated six million tonnes of used coffee grounds are created annually. Most go to landfill, generating methane and CO2, or are incinerated for energy.
But a new study in the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology suggests that used coffee could hold the key to a pressing environmental problem: agricultural contamination.
Manchester City to install solar panel at training ground: Manchester City is planning a solar project that it believes would make it one of the largest producers of renewable energy in world football.
The Premier League Champions are seeking planning permission from Manchester City Council to install 10,887 solar panels on their training facility and the Joie Stadium.
Governments agree packaging waste law: Belgium, current holder of the rotating EU Council presidency, has forged agreement between governments over new rules to tackle the growing problem of discarded packaging materials, overcoming the European Commission’s concerns over trade diplomacy.
National diplomats have endorsed a new European law on packaging waste, including provisions that would hold overseas producers to EU environmental standards on plastic recycling at the risk of losing market access.
February 2024
EU criminalises ecosystems destruction: The European Union has become the first international body to criminalise the most serious cases of environmental damage that are “comparable to ecocide”.
Ecosystem destruction, including habitat loss and illegal logging, will be punished with tougher penalties and prison sentences under the EU’s updated environmental crime directive.
Cars powered by woodchips: A company in New Zealand is turning discarded woodchips into synthetic graphite that can be used in EV batteries.
CarbonScape makes “biographite” by heating byproducts from the forestry industry using a process called thermo-catalytic graphitisation.
This produces charcoal, which can be catalysed and purified into battery anode-quality graphite.
EU school with clean hydrogen boiler: The public high school of Antonio Meucci in Carpi looks much like any other in Europe: a hub of students eagerly awaiting lunch breaks, professors navigating peaks of motivation and resignation, while janitors run the halls.
But tucked away in a distant corner of the schoolyard, a mysterious fenced structure emerges from the trees. Accessible only to specialised technicians, a panel on the structure hints at its purpose: H2 Hydrogen.
This building contains the first green-hydrogen-powered boiler to heat an EU educational site, and it has zero emissions potential.
Disusded Finnish mine now renewable energy storage: One of Europe’s deepest mines is being transformed into an underground energy store. It will use gravity to retain excess power for when it is needed.
The remote Finnish community of Pyhäjärvi is 450 kilometres north of Helsinki. Its more than 1,400-metre-deep zinc and copper Pyhäsalmi mine was decommissioned but is now being given a new lease of life by Scotland-based company Gravitricity.
January 2024
Inside Amazon’s tallest treehouse: From a classroom in the Amazon’s tallest treehouse, young Peruvians are learning how to defend their rainforest home.
Nestled in the crown of a strangler fig tree, the rangers have a bird’s eye view over the canopy.
It’s an education in itself, says Juan Julio (JJ) Durand, vice president of Junglekeepers – a nonprofit which conserves threatened habitat in the Madre de Dios (Mother of God) region of Peru’s Amazon.
Plastic bag bans in some US states: Single-use plastic bag bans have successfully reduced plastic bag use and associated litter and pollution, a new study has found.
Bans in five US states and cities with a combined population of around 12 million people have cut single-use plastic bag consumption by about 6 billion bags per year, according to the research.
Adopting a ban that’s similar to the policies in these places could eliminate roughly 300 single-use plastic bags per person per year, according to the report.
High Seas Treaty: Chile and Palau have become the first two countries to ratify a landmark UN treaty for the protection of the high seas.
The UN’s High Seas Treaty was adopted last year after almost 20 years of negotiations. More than 80 countries have so far signed it but need to ratify it to be bound by it.
The treaty would become the world’s first international law to mandate the conservation and management of marine life in areas beyond countries’ national jurisdictions.
South Korea bans sale and production of dog meat: South Korea’s parliament has passed a landmark ban on the production and sale of dog meat.
Although only a small minority of people still consume dog meat in South Korea, the ancient practise has been the subject of sharp criticism from foreign media and animal rights advocates. In recent years, the country’s younger generations have joined calls to ban it.
On Tuesday, January 9, parliament heeded their calls.
