Positive Shifts in 2025: Landmark Suits, Deepest Discoveries, and Soaring Renewables

Are you concerned about the condition of our planet? Like us, as environmentally focused reporters, we frequently experience the feelings associated with climate anxiety, climate doom, and even environmental existential dread.

These terms all refer to the same issue: the adverse emotions like stress, fear, anger, and sorrow that arise when facing the truth about our warming planet. Given the constant reports of destroyed lives and livelihoods due to severe weather events, it becomes difficult to avoid acknowledging the impacts of climate change.

It's simple to experience a sense of helplessness and disappointment. However, numerous experts concur that we can channel these feelings of hopelessness into actions instead.

At Euronews Green, we understand our crucial role in addressing climate despair. It’s essential for us to maintain accuracy and honesty in our coverage without minimizing or glossing over environmental issues. However, we also aim to emphasize that there is always reason for optimism.

For the last three years, we've maintained a record of every environmentally positive story published over the course of each year. Each year, our team produces numerous uplifting articles covering topics such as ecological innovations, sustainable advancements, climatic improvements, and heartening accounts about wildlife and natural habitats.

We aim to sustain our initiatives and maintain the trend of doubling our figures annually, as this undoubtedly indicates positive progress.

As climate activist Tori Tsui puts it, "The wonderful aspect of taking action against climate change is that everybody can play a part, regardless of what form that takes for each individual."

These are this year's leading uplifting tales – from the minor and community-focused to the absurd moments that brought joy, as well as the significant developments with potential global impact.

If you've stumbled upon an uplifting tale we missed, please feel free to contact us at Instagram or X to share your ideas.

Uplifting ecological news from May 2025

Ice-cold waters and scientific discoveries: Explore what researchers uncovered at coral gardens and volcanic hot springs in the Southern Ocean.

Researchers aboard an underwater exploration mission to the South Sandwich Islands close to Antarctica have come back with a wealth of images showcasing never-before-seen sea creatures.

While exploring the island chain, they discovered coral gardens, hydrothermal vents, and numerous potential new species, even delving into the deepest trench of the Southern Ocean.

Indigenous women in India create 'visionary maps' to safeguard their territories against climate change

Indigenous women have conducted surveys and mappings to identify diminishing resources and areas requiring restoration. These efforts led to the creation of so-called dream maps, which depict their villages in an envisioned perfect state. Among these vibrant visualizations, the predominant color is green.

Rediscovery of 'Lost' Gecko Species Thought to Be Extinct in South Africa

Scientists who arrived via helicopter in a hard-to-reach and isolated gorge in South Africa claim to have found a species of gecko that had not been spotted for over three decades and was believed to either be extinct or perhaps never truly existed.

Can community involvement generate genuine backing for renewable energy sources?

The spread of disinformation and anti-renewables rhetoric is hampering Europe’s transition to green energy, often with ambiguous motivations.

However, a fresh strategy that involves local communities in wind and solar initiatives might assist in alleviating public worries.

Uplifting ecological news from April 2025

Within the recently established seal rescue center tending to wounded pups in the Netherlands

The World Heritage Centre can accommodate approximately 70 seals simultaneously and features 12 intensive care units designed for severely injured animals that require recovery in specialized enclosures providing a tranquil setting.

The newly constructed facility, costing upwards of €40 million and funded by local and regional authorities along with various charities, conveys much more than merely the tale of the oceans.

Major decision ought to inspire additional municipalities to prohibit advertisements for fossil fuels.

A prohibition on advertisements for fossil fuels in The Hague has been supported by a Dutch court, marking what activists believe could encourage other municipalities to follow suit with similar measures.

Last September, The Hague made history as the first city globally to enact legislation banning advertisements that endorse fossil fuels, such as gasoline vehicles, air travel, and cruise ships.

Researchers claim they have developed methods to quantify the trillions of dollars in climate-related costs attributed to major fossil fuel companies.

Specialists think this study might strengthen climate legislation and force polluters to bear the costs of their contribution to global warming.

This initiative aims to simplify the process for both individuals and government entities to impose financial responsibility on corporations, similar to how major tobacco companies have faced such accountability.

The Mazhar Botanic Garden serves as a natural solution to alleviate Cairo's severe air pollution problem.

The garden is crucial for safeguarding rare and endangered plant species around the world.

In addition to safeguarding biodiversity, this initiative enhances environmental sustainability through increased carbon dioxide uptake.

The Mazhar Botanic Garden outperforms the Orman Garden in absorbing pollutants, extracting an amount four times greater than what the Orman Garden removes from Greater Cairo.

Researchers produce power from descending water drops

Rain has the potential to be harnessed as a source of clean energy, suggests a team of researchers from Singapore.

Their experiments have successfully produced energy by capturing water droplets as they fall inside a tube. This method might serve as a blueprint for extracting greater quantities of electrical power from rainfall downpours in the days ahead.

Researchers capture video of giant squid alive for the first time.

A century since the giant squid was discovered, researchers have captured footage of a living specimen in its natural habitat for the first time, signifying a significant achievement in the study of the ocean depths.

In March, during a research expedition, a team from the Schmidt Ocean Institute embarked on their journey. Falkor (too) The vessel spotted the evasive organism close to the South Sandwich Islands, within the chilly abysses of the south Atlantic Ocean.

The Spanish zoo is assisting senior creatures to age with dignity.

At the Barcelona Zoo, a 40-year-old African elephant stretches her foot through the metal barrier as a zookeeper softly cleans the bottom of her hoof. This cherished elephant receives her daily "manicure" along with slices of apple.

The therapy is a component of the zoo's specialized elderly care program for aging creatures that can no longer be returned to their natural habitats, reflecting a growing trend among zoos globally to provide lifetime care.

Lego states that the new facility in Vietnam will produce toys with zero emissions.

In April, Lego inaugurated a $1 billion (€906 million) facility in Vietnam. The company claims this plant will produce toys using only clean energy, thereby not contributing additional greenhouse gases that warm the planet.

The manufacturing plant located in the industrial zone of Binh Duong, near Ho Chi Minh City, marks Vietnam’s first facility dedicated to operating solely on renewable energy. According to Lego, this initiative is set to be realized by early 2026.

Globally, over 40% of electricity now comes from clean sources, with Europe taking the lead as a 'solar superpower.'

Last year, over 40 percent of the world's electricity came from low-emission sources, as reported by Ember, a clean-energy research organization. This figure marks a historic high that hasn’t been surpassed since the 1940s, when the overall size of the global power sector was significantly smaller—about one-fiftieth—and hydroelectricity played a major role.

Currently, solar energy is experiencing rapid growth as part of a focused effort to develop a completely clean electrical power system.

Discover the teenage pair who claimed victory at this year's Earth Prize Europe.

The two teenage laureates have been announced as the European recipients of The Earth Prize 2025 due to their revolutionary creation aimed at ensuring access to safe drinking water for everyone.

An 18-year-old named Tomáš Čermák from Czechia and a 19-year-old named Anna Podmanická from Slovakia have created an innovative filtration system dubbed PURA.

They are the first individuals from either Czechia or Slovakia to be awarded the Earth Prize.

Finland is 'ahead of schedule' in phasing out coal.

Today’s shutdown of a coal power plant in Finland has pushed the nation close to completely eliminating coal usage – four years earlier than initially planned.

The power utility firm Helen formally ended operations at its Salmisaari facility in Helsinki on April 1st, reducing coal usage to under 1 percent of Finland’s total energy production.

Uplifting ecological news from March 2025

The Massive Attack concert set a historical record by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 98%.

The concert held last year by the British trip-hop group Massive Attack created historical significance—not because of the performance itself, but due to its impact on the environment.

The ensemble worked alongside climate experts to organize the concert, setting a new world record for the least carbon emissions generated during a musical gathering.

Five traumatized lions from the conflict in Ukraine have found refuge in a permanent home at a UK sanctuary.

After an extensive global initiative, five traumatized lions evacuated from the conflict area in Ukraine have found refuge at a new sanctuary in England.

African male lion named Rori along with three lionesses—Amani, Lira, and Vanda—arrived at the Big Cat Sanctuary in March following a 12-hour trip via road and ferry. They had been relocated from their previous temporary residences at various Belgian zoos and animal sanctuaries.

Renewables stepped up to meet surge in energy demand from rising temperatures in 2024

Temperatures recorded worldwide played a crucial role in the yearly increase of global CO2 emissions by 0.8 percent, totaling 37.8 billion tons.

However, the installation of solar and wind power, along with nuclear energy, electric vehicles, and heat pumps since 2019 has prevented approximately 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, as stated by the IEA. This reduction represents about 7 percent of worldwide emissions.

Further positive developments highlighted in the report show that the growing availability of low-emission energy sources met the majority of the rise in worldwide electricity needs during 2024.

When an enormous iceberg detached itself in Antarctica, scientists present witnessed something remarkable beneath its shadow. Here’s what they discovered.

Large sea spiders, icefish, and octopuses are some of the unexpectedly numerous species that researchers have discovered in an area of ocean previously hidden under ice.

A global team aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor (too) research vessel embarked on an expedition near Antarctica earlier this year to investigate "the interaction between ice and sea." When a unique chance presented itself, they seized it immediately.

On January 13, an iceberg comparable in size to Chicago, dubbed A-84, detached itself from the George VI Ice Shelf, which is one of the large floating glaciers connected to the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet.

Electric vehicles poised to reduce Europe's carbon emissions by 20 million tonnes this year.

One out of every five newly purchased vehicles within the European Union this year will emit no exhaust fumes whatsoever. So, how did we arrive at this point? According to an analysis conducted by advocacy organization Transport & Environment (T&E), the increased adoption of electric automobiles will result in a reduction of approximately 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide across Europe in the current year.

This is comparable to the emissions produced by eight coal-fired power plants and signifies one encouraging development in an industry that has traditionally been challenging to decarbonize.

How a Fish Doorbell in the Netherlands Is Aiding Migration

The 'fish doorbell' season commenced once again on March 3rd, marking its fifth consecutive year. This system features a live feed from a camera, enabling observers to notify the lockkeeper at the Weerdsluis lock when fish are ready to migrate upstream, thus signaling them to open the gate.

Linda Voortman, an Alderman from Utrecht, mentions that every year, the fish doorbell garners great excitement among the citizens of the city and well beyond.

"Indeed, last year saw nearly three million distinct visitors who collectively assisted thousands of fish in passing through the Weerdsluis gates in Utrecht," states Voortman.

Researchers uncover new insights into how sea otters help save underwater forests.

It's widely recognized that sea otters contribute to the abundance of kelp forests by consuming sea urchins, which otherwise feed extensively on these plants. However, researchers were perplexed by the varying effects of otters on kelp populations—especially around island shorelines in Southern California and British Columbia.

Currently, new studies reveal that the extent to which sea otters affect the rate at which kelp forests regenerate relies on the other species they engage with.

Czechia's €1 million dam constructed at no cost by beavers

Earlier this year, a family of beavers gained international attention when they constructed their own dam precisely at the location where officials were planning to build one in Czechia. This unexpected construction ended up saving local taxpayers approximately CZK 30 million (€1.2 million). Although bureaucratic hurdles had previously delayed the official project, the beavers managed to clear them away almost instantly.

These hardworking creatures are making significant contributions throughout Europe, with England endorsing their release into the wild in February. However, how do they determine where to construct their dams?

Uplifting ecological news from February 2025

Researchers in Hawaii are teaching 'appetite-driven' sea fungi to consume plastic waste in the oceans.

In a world dependent on plastics, the long breakdown times pose significant issues. However, researchers at the University of Hawaii have discovered a potential answer: marine fungi.

Scientists at the University of Hawaii (UH) located in Mānoa consider this method as "highly promising and mostly underutilized" for addressing the issue of eliminating plastic pollution from terrestrial areas and aquatic environments alike.

'People aiding people': Arborists are the overlooked champions during outages caused by storm damage.

Referred to as the storm of the century, Storm Eowyn generated unprecedented wind speeds of up to 184 km/h and garnered international attention. It reached its zenith by cutting off power to approximately 750,000 households at one point. The western part of Ireland suffered the most damage from this meteorological event.

Arborists stepped in to assist, removing fallen trees, trunks, and limbs to enable emergency responders from across Europe to join forces with Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in efforts to restore electricity.

Activist aims for 48 consecutive hours of tree-hugging to encourage others to cherish the natural world.

Truphena Muthoni tried to set a new world record with a tree-embracing marathon. The 21-year-old clung to a solitary tree in a public park located in central Nairobi, Kenya, for nearly two days.

The Kenyan shared her desire to establish this connection so that people can better grasp the relationship between nature and improved mental well-being.

Hug-a-tree activism has been employed by environmentalists as a form of protest for nearly 300 years, and interestingly, there are now global competitions dedicated to this hobby.

India has doubled its tiger population within a decade thanks to conservation initiatives.

A study published in early February revealed that India had nearly tripled its tiger population within slightly more than ten years. This achievement was accomplished through measures such as safeguarding tigers against poaching and habitat destruction, guaranteeing an ample food supply for them, mitigating conflicts between humans and wildlife, and improving the quality of life for people residing close to tiger habitats.

During the early 2000s, specialists cautioned that tigers might become extinct shortly. However, in the past 25 years, India’s emblematic creature has experienced an impressive resurgence.

Uplifting ecological news from January 2025

In what way the Arctic tundra is safeguarding seeds for coming generations

Nestled past the Arctic Circle, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault stands tall within a former coalmine, safeguarding seed samples of fruits and vegetables from across the globe.

Last year witnessed the storage of more than 6,297 crop varieties at the facility, marking the greatest influx from gene banks and the largest number of new entries since the vault’s inception. This underscores the growing collaboration in seed preservation efforts.

How the Scotch whiskey sector is unintentionally addressing overfishing

The passion for seas sparked an individual to develop a eco-friendly substitute for Omega-3 supplements meant for both people and aquaculture fish.

Earlier, Omega-3 depended on wild fish, depriving coastal communities of essential nutrition. This approach also addresses an issue within Scotland’s foremost industry.

Typically, whisky distillery waste water finds its way into the sea. However, MiAlgae utilizes these nutrient-abundant residues to produce dried algae powder via an extensive renewable energy-driven fermentation method. Subsequently, this product serves as feed for farm-raised fish and pets.

Tile tossing: The sustainable activity sweeping through the Netherlands

To create a climate-resilient Netherlands, the Dutch have turned tile-whipping into a national sport.

The activity known as "tile whipping" — or 'tegelwippen'— involves locals attempting to clear the maximum number of paving stones from their gardens. This effort aims to transform urban areas into greener, more natural environments. Additionally, this practice helps alleviate strain on drainage infrastructure.

Successful communities get a gold-colored shovel as their award, with honors also bestowed upon the 'shoveler of the month.'

How deaf educators put tricky climate change terms into sign language

The researchers from the University of Edinburgh aimed to make sure that a new generation could participate in discussions about climate change.

This was quite an achievement, but British Sign Language has since broadened its lexicon to encompass terms like greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, and sustainability.

"Stay persistent": At 74, anti-whaling activist Paul Watson keeps up his campaign.

Upon his release from prison and under the supervision of the French government, Paul Watson, who established the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society—a militant organization dedicated to marine conservation efforts—spoke with Euronews Green in early January.

In 1974, Watson started his efforts to protect whales and pointed out that today, very few countries continue whaling, with only Norway, Iceland, and Japan being notable exceptions. He has grown more optimistic about the prospects for these majestic creatures in recent years.

Therefore, Watson ought to be, as stated by Euronews Green reported On numerous observations of the stunning humpback whales made by residents along the UK coastline—likely because humpback whale numbers have significantly rebounded during the last fifty years following the implementation of whaling prohibitions.

Researchers convert waste into batteries capable of powering the electrical grid.

Researchers have found a method to transform formerly discarded industrial waste into an essential component for batteries that might energize our future.

Scientists from America's Northwestern University have discovered redox flow batteries, which utilize a chemical process to transfer energy back and forth through electrolyte fluids.

These solutions could prove incredibly valuable for storing energy at the scale of an electrical grid, aiding in mitigating the fluctuations between low points and high demand periods in wind and solar power generation.

A small British island has become the location of the planet’s most isolated electric vehicle charging station.

St Helena, part of the British Overseas Territories, has set up the globe’s remotest public electric vehicle charger in its capital city, Jamestown.

Supported by the Norwegian firm Easee and the Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru, the trial aims to enhance electric vehicle infrastructure. The expectation is that this improvement will encourage residents of the island to abandon gasoline and diesel cars in favor of adopting EVs instead.

Italy, Albania, and the UAE reach agreement for shared renewable energy initiatives.

The agreement involves three nations collaborating on clean energy, allowing them to exchange wind and solar power across the ocean.

The UAE is contributing its technological knowledge and experience to advance Albania's renewable energy sector. A portion of the power generated through these new technologies will subsequently be transmitted to Italy using an underground cable spanning the Adriatic Sea.

Researcher dismissed for declining to travel receives financial settlement

Adhering to one’s principles ultimately pays off, as demonstrated by Italian climate scientist Dr. Gianluca Grimalda, who lost his job after declining to board an airplane following a research expedition.

To adhere to his principles of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by eschewing air travel and embracing slow travel methods, the researcher gained widespread attention online after sharing his journey at the beginning of 2024.

Grimalda initiated legal action over wrongful termination, and they reached an agreement in January. Out of the severance package, €75,000 will be allocated to support initiatives focused on environmental preservation and combatting climate change.

Sheep as solar partners: How these animals complement photovoltaic systems perfectly

Nicknamed as nature’s premier lawn mowers, U.S. farmers are beginning to recognize the advantages of using sheep at solar panel sites.

Agrivoltaics, known for utilizing land beneath solar panels effectively, has proven beneficial not just for grazing sheep and other animals, but also for cultivating crops and maintaining bee populations.

Euronews Green highlights several European initiatives that have long embraced these practices, with a wide range of advantages as a result.

Dutch court mandates reduction of nitrogen pollution by 2030

A Dutch court ruled that the government was failing to address critically high levels of nitrogen oxide pollution, mostly from farming and transport, in a case brought by Greenpeace.

Nitrogen pollution degrades soils and inadvertently fertilises trees, grasslands and tolerant species, putting them at high risk.

This is a huge win as nitrogen pollution is the third most influential driver of human-caused biodiversity loss after habitat destruction and greenhouse gas emissions.

Oil and gas workers will be helped to find green jobs in the UK

The United Kingdom is assisting oil and gas employees transition into green energy professions by offering them a 'skills passport.' This initiative enables individuals in the fossil fuel sector to make well-informed choices regarding their career paths and futures.

Studies show that approximately 90 percent of fossil fuel workers possess skills applicable to the shift towards clean energy.

The United Kingdom’s government has declared that approximately £4 million (€4.7m) in regional skill investments will assist individuals transitioning into careers in clean energy sectors.

Solar power surpasses coal as Europe sets new energy records

Last year, solar generated more electricity than coal did for European Union nations, signaling a significant turning point in the relentless advancement of renewable energy sources.

The European Union's shift towards electric power has progressed more rapidly than anticipated, with solar-generated renewables accounting for 11 percent of the EU's electrical output in 2024. This achievement surpassed the contribution from the most polluting fossil fuel, coal, which fell beneath 10 percent.

To find additional positive environmental updates from the previous year, visit all of Euronews Green's content. positive environmental stories from 2024.