Good News! 5 Positive Environmental Stories from January
Positive Environmental Stories to Lift Your Spirits.
The news cycle these days can be pretty depressing. Especially when it comes to climate and environmental news. Far too often it's being portrayed as if the fight against climate change is already lost and we are approaching an apocalyptic end 😱
To be fair, a lot of the research and discoveries on how we are damaging the environment are pretty glib.
But it doesn’t have to be this way!
There are incredible people and organizations working hard and doing good to ensure a more sustainable future.
So to add some cheer to your news intake, we’ve started a monthly round-up of good news that may have flown under your radar. Here are some stories from the past month to remind you that we are going to right this environmental ship to save the planet and all its inhabitants.
1. Rare Colobus Monkeys Get National Park to Protect Their Habitat in Tanzania.
After 40 years of research and conservation efforts, the Tanzanian government has created a new national park that will protect the habitat of numerous rare species of plants and wildlife, including the endangered Udzungwa Red Colobus monkey and Verdcourt’s Polyalthia tree. The 26 square mile reserve is only the first step, now conservationists need to come up with a land and wildlife management plan to ensure these species can thrive.
2. European Union Bans Single-Use Plastics.
On January 18, the European Union voted on and confirmed and agreement to introduce restrictions on the use of single-use plastics like cutlery, plates and straws. While the purpose of the agreement is to reduce waste and litter, the new regulation could potential save the E.U. $24.9 billion in environmental damage by 2030. With a major market like the E.U. taking this on, it is not hard to believe other countries will eventually follow suit.
3. Climate Change Education Could Become Mandatory in Connecticut Schools.
Back in 2015, Connecticut adopted new science standards that included climate science as an elective in school curricula. Now the state is looking to take it to the next level, proposing a bill in the state legislature that would make teaching climate science mandatory starting in elementary schools. If the bill is to pass, it would be the first of its kind in the United States, and would be a major step ensuring our environment is left in the well-informed hands of future generations.
4. New Solar Farms Can Also Help Save the Bees.
Expanding the renewable energy sector is always good news, but new research points to even greater ancillary benefits solar farms have for pollinators like bees. Through a U.S. Department of Energy study, researchers determined that the area around solar farms is going unused. By planting native species like wildflowers in these areas will not only help pollinators thrive but also improve the crop yields of nearby agricultural land. That’s a triple-win - more clean energy, more bees, and more food.
5. Clean Tech Jobs are Outpacing Fossil Fuel Employment.
Cities in the U.S. are catching on and realizing clean energy isn’t just a fad. More and more major U.S. cities are embracing clean tech, and as a result they are creating jobs, increasing wages and seeing economic growth. According to the advocacy group E2, clean energy jobs in 18 major U.S. cities considerably out number jobs in the fossil fuels sector. Cities focusing on the transition to renewables is good news, and knowing that getting off fossil fuels isn’t sending employment into a tailspin is even better!
Those are just a few of the good news stories we found this month. Hopefully they have offered a little reprieve from the climate change scare-mongering that inevitably dominates your news feeds.
by Joseph Coppolino
Organic Content Creator & Enviro-fabulist
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