Celebrating The Good News
- Editor OGN Daily
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Summary of last week's most important good news stories from around the world.
After another tumultuous week, it's good to know that there's lots of positive stuff happening around the globe as regards conservation, climate, wildlife, medicine and health, and clean energy. Here's a quick synopsis to bring you up to speed.
Conservation & Wildlife
Remarkable Recovery: London's river Thames was declared “biologically dead” 60 years ago but is now one of the world’s cleanest rivers, and last week more good news was announced. Oceanographic reports that the Transforming the Thames coalition has just put together a $5 million mission to restore key habitats across the estuary to protect wildlife.
Przewalski’s Horses: Following up on a successful introduction of 5 mares and 2 stallions from Berlin and Prague, Hungaryis shipping 150 Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan in order to safeguard the animal’s future from disease and inbreeding. So, the future of the world’s last non-domesticated horse species is looking bright.
Virginia's Peatlands: The state's Great Dismal Swamp, once a thriving wetland, is now being revived as an essential carbon sink to help combat climate change. Peatlands, like those in the swamp, cover only 3 percent of the Earth’s surface but store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined - which cover 30 percent of global land area.
Conservation Success: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has announced that breeding pairs of one of England’s rarest birds, the Stone-curlew, have more than doubled since 1985. Partnerships with landowners and farmers have made the difference in protecting this googly-eyed bird, whose nesting sites were disappearing.
Rhinos Return: Uganda used to be home to both the black and northern white species of rhinoceros. But by the early 1980s, native populations were wiped out, reports CNN. Six rhinos were introduced to a former cattle ranch in 2006, and their numbers have since multiplied to fifty - all part of an initiative to bring back the majestic animals to the region.
Health & Wellbeing
Tiny Pacemaker: Scientists have developed the world's smallest pacemaker with tiny hearts in mind. It’s so small that it can be inserted non-invasively via syringe and dissolves when it’s no longer needed. That makes it particularly well-suited for newborns with heart defects, who often only need temporary pacing.
Exemplar: Hailed as “exemplar”, the United Nations just reported that India’s efforts to reduce preventable child deaths have saved millions of lives through strategic investments in its health system - achieving a 70 percent reduction in child mortality among children under five years old.
Dementia Vaccine: A new study led by Stanford Medicine has added powerful evidence to the findings of previous studies showing a link between the shingles vaccine and lower dementia risk - by 20 percent. “This is a landmark finding in brain health and disease prevention.”
Saving Lives: Rats normally have a bed reputation, but a specially trained landmine-detecting African giant pouched rat in Cambodia has set a new world record by uncovering 109 landmines and 15 items of unexploded ordnance.
Medical Debt: In a single transaction with a debt trading company, the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt (formerly RIP Medical Debt) announced it would be paying off $30 billion worth of unpaid medical debt. The sale will benefit an estimated 20 million people, mostly in Texas and Florida, reports NPR.
Climate & Clean Energy
Clean Energy: Just over 40 percent of the world’s electricity was generated by clean energy last year. 40.9 percent, to be precise.
Almost Coal-Free: Finland is almost coal-free four years ahead of schedule. The country has virtually eliminated coal power, dropping to less than 1 percent of its energy mix. The transition has cut Finland's emissions by 5 percent and boosted energy independence by ending reliance on Russian imports.
US Electricity Record: In March 2025, fossil fuels accounted for 49.2 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. The lowest percentage ever. This also means that renewable sources reached all-time highs - accounting for 50.8 percent of U.S. electricity for the first month on record.
Shit Happens: Could sewage be a clean energy of the future? Germany thinks so.
Windy Channel: The UK government has approved plans for a £4bn giant wind farm to be built in the English Channel with dozens of turbines as tall as the Eiffel Tower. "The UK has a boundless supply of wind that cannot be turned on and off at the whims of dictators and petrostates.”
Harnessing the Tide: A tidal farm featuring the world’s most powerful underwater turbines is being built off the coast of Normandy in France.
Winds of Change: Uruguay has revolutionised its energy system, slashing imported oil dependency from 50 percent in 2008 to just 9 percent today while building one of the world's cleanest electricity grids - delivering electricity at one-third the cost of oil generation.
Greenwashing: Companies that make misleading claims about their green credentials face huge fines in the UK, where regulators have been given additional powers. As of last week, the Competition and Markets Authority has the power to hand out fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover.
Taking Stock: A spacecraft is set to launch in order to map the carbon content of tropical forests, which will enable scientists to calculate how much carbon is stored in the forests and measure how levels are changing.
Climate Bootcamp: A Climate Pro Bono Bootcamp - 22/23 April 2025 - is helping lawyers and legal professionals learn how to donate their time and skills to advance climate solutions. Beyond the high-profile climate lawsuits, the climate movement needs other kinds of legal support, like writing contracts, forming a business or nonprofit, or legal defense.
And Finally...
Smart Glass Windows: How many times have you looked out of an aircraft window and wondered which mountain, river or city you were looking at? Well, if the renowned optical systems company Zeiss has its way, your window will one day have info displayed that tells you the answers.
That's it, you are up to date. Why not spread the good news by telling friends and family about OGN Daily?
Today's Articles
Found in Texas: 7,000 year old 'monumental' hunting kit discovered in a cave and may be oldest ever found in North America.
The ZeroE: What the world's first zero-emissions commercial aircraft will look like - and how it will be powered.
Funny Tweets: On the assumption that humour engages your audience better than dry statements, US National Parks are giving it a go.
Conundrum: Why do hummingbirds hum? Scientists unlock the secret and take the “hmm?” out of hummingbirds.