A quick summary of the week's top good news stories.
In a week when Scotland introduced its Ecocide Prevention Bill to jail bosses of polluters, and the British government announced its ambitious goal to achieve 95 percent green energy by 2030, Paris unveiled its 'urban forest plan' to cover half the city in tress in order to reduce temperatures, increase flood resilience, and lower carbon emissions, the world also discovered that the Universe is expanding faster than we thought. Meanwhile, in other good news...
Monarch Protections: Environmentalists are celebrating after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its plans to add Monarch butterflies to the threatened species list, giving it extensive protection.
Urine Cancer Test: Scientists have created a first-of-its-kind urine test which they say catches lung cancer early, potentially improving outcomes for the millions of people who will go on to develop the disease. Created by the University of Cambridge, England, the test identifies ‘zombie’ cell proteins in urine. These proteins can be markers of tissue changes that occur long before lung cancer becomes visible through scans or physical symptoms.
Free For Children: The Milwaukee Art Museum will now be free for kids age 12 and under through an anonymous gift of $3.54 million. The gift will enable the museum to establish a endowment that will fund the admission waiver in perpetuity.
Record Breaker: Australia’s national record for the fastest 200-meter sprint has been broken - by a 16-year-old. Teenager Gout Gout ran the length in a mere 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championships in Brisbane, breaking the record set by Peter Norman (20.06 seconds) at the 1968 Olympics.
Shackleton’s Endurance: Thanks to a digital 3D scan created from over 25,000 hi-res images, the legendary Endurance shipwreck can be explored like never before.
Last Chance: Online platforms must begin assessing whether their services expose users to illegal material by 16 March 2025 or face financial punishments as the UK's Online Safety Act begins taking effect. Ofcom, the regulator enforcing the UK's internet safety law, has published its final codes of practice for how firms should deal with illegal online content.
EVangelism: November marked another record-breaking month for EV sales with 1.8 million units sold globally - with China accounting for two thirds of the total - according to a report by EV research-house, Rho Motion. November overtook the previous record set in October 2024 by 100,000. Overall, 15.2 million EVs have been sold globally so far this year, growing by 25 percent year-to-date.
Mass Market EV: Europe needs a cheap vehicle to fire-up the electric revolution and maybe the £14,995 ($19,100) Dacia Spring is it.
Holiday Bonus: Good news for 600 staffers at various independent bookstores across America as they are receiving $500 holiday bonuses from James Patterson, the bestselling novelist who has been awarding independent store employees since 2015. “Booksellers save lives. Period,” Patterson said in a statement.
Christmas No. 1: When Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You topped the Billboard Hot 100 again this year, it became her 19th Hot 100 No. 1. That's the most ever among soloists and just one away from The Beatles’ overall record of 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades (1990s, 2000s, ‘10s and ‘20s).
London's Electric Ferry: Commuters in London will soon have a greener way to travel up and down the Thames with the arrival of the UK’s first all-electric river ferry. The Orbit Clipper will launch in March 2025. The ferry will be able to carry 150 passengers and 100 bikes, and will “provide an accessible, green and fast route across the Thames seven days a week”, said its operator.
Amtrak's New Electric Trains: In the US, Amtrak is practically synonymous with long-distance trains, and it’s about to upgrade and expand its services - and enhancing rider experience, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and generating jobs in the process. The company is debuting NextGen Acela in the spring of 2025: a fleet of 28 high-speed electric trains coming to the Northeast Corridor tracks, the busiest in the nation. The $2.45 billion project is finally coming to fruition after being derailed (figuratively) multiple times.
"Huge Achievement": The happiest country in the world is making a name for itself in ocean preservation as well. The Finnish Parliament has passed legislation that bans cargo ships from discharging wastewater in the country’s coastal waters, holding them to the same standards as passenger ships. “This is a huge achievement. Major environmental victories are rare, but this decision is truly world-class. No other country has enacted such ambitious laws.”
Hospital Heroes: In Sandy Springs, Georgia the fire department is once again spreading some holiday cheer to children who can't be home for the holidays this year. The emergency workers along with Blooper (the Atlanta Braves mascot) and Superman rappelled off the roof of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital, waving to the little patients as they traveled down the side of the building.
Recruitment Award: Tom Cruise has been presented with the US navy's highest civilian award, for "boosting the force's recruitment of pilots" thanks to his performance in Top Gun.
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Today's Articles
Priceless Insight: India's extraordinary 12,000 year old petroglyphs may have been made by an unknown civilization.