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The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —

Two years after a landmark deal, UN countries reached a hard-fought funding agreement to protect nature, ecosystems, and wildlife

Breaking a year-long deadlock in talks, nations just reached a funding agreement for the billions of dollars needed to protect critical ecosystems around the world.

A breakthrough enabling progress in a “very fragmented and conflicted world,” this new agreement comes two years after the initial landmark deal was reached to protect 30% of the world’s land and seas.

​That “30% by 2030” deal was made to stop the rampant destruction of nature within the decade in order to protect the ecosystems and wildlife that humanity relies on for food, climate regulation, and economic prosperity.

Why is this good news? While a deal is great, it needed a real plan for achieving it to back it up — since one million species are threatened with extinction, unsustainable farming and overconsumption are destroying forests and depleting resources, and more. Experts say action is urgent — and this agreement gets the world closer to action.

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Mardi Gras beads take up to 500 years to decompose, so LSU students designed a biodegradable alternative — and they turn into flowers

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Los Angeles Public Library branches are providing free immigration resources to help residents

The New Americans Initiative is a longstanding, city-funded program at public libraries across Los Angeles, where anyone can meet with an immigration expert by phone or in person — completely free. The program helps people become legal permanent residents, apply for citizenship, renew green cards, and more.

Recently, given the current U.S. presidential administration’s attacks on immigrants and promise of mass deportations, demand for the free service has increased dramatically.

And it’s led the city council to take action to bolster programs like this in support of the city’s estimated 1.4 million residents who are foreign-born. The library is also planning more citizenship classes and workshops for those who may be impacted.

Why is this good news? The U.S. immigration system can be challenging and confusing to navigate, and accessing support can be equally hard to come by. Rather than leaving immigrants to figure it out on their own, programs like this help people navigate the legal system, become citizens, and not live in persistent fear.

They’re also another great reminder of how vital public libraries are to our communities.

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Challenging public perception, a new study found that a large majority of homeless people in California are not illicit drug users

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Electric vehicles made up 64% of all new cars sold in Denmark in January — up from 35% last year

Norway is leading the way among Scandinavian countries for electric vehicle sales — representing 96% of the new car market — thanks in large part to its strong EV policies. Those policies are being adopted by its neighbors and showing progress, too.

In 2024, similar policies and incentives led to electric vehicles making up 51.5% of all new car sales — up from 36.3% in 2023.

And that progress is already appearing to continue in 2025: 64% of new cars sold in January were electric vehicles. That’s up from 35% in January 2024.

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A decommissioned wind turbine was transformed into an eco-friendly tiny home — its design is scalable to ‘2,000 houses a year’

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Solar and battery storage are projected to lead new energy generating capacity in the U.S. this year

In 2025, the U.S. is expected to add 63 gigawatts of new utility-scale, electric-generating capacity. That represents nearly a 30% increase over 2024, which saw the largest capacity installation in a single year since 2002.

Solar and battery storage account for 81% of those total capacity additions — with solar alone representing more than half of the increase.

Last year, a record 30 GW of utility-scale solar was added to the U.S. grid, making up 61% of capacity additions — and that trend is expected to continue this year, with 32.5 GW slated to be added. Texas and California account for almost half of that, while Indiana, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, and New York will add more than 1 GW each.

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For the first time, a river in England has been granted legal rights as a living entity

Two years ago, a district council in England decided to give the River Ouse legal rights — and now, thanks to a newly established charter, it officially has them.

Officially recognized as a living entity, the Universal Declaration of River Rights gives the waterway eight rights, including the right to flow, to be pollution-free, to have native biodiversity, and to undergo regeneration and restoration.

The River Ouse is “an essential part of the region’s ecosystem and cultural heritage,” and this sets an important precedent for enacting similar protections for other rivers, too.

Why is this good news? Currently, the river faces challenges like pollution, climate change, overuse, and development — with this legal recognition, the river’s “voice” will be represented in decisions that impact it. While the first in England, the River Ouse joins a growing movement of regions giving legal rights to nature.

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Featuring a 56-panel ‘solar skin,’ a net-zero tiny home in Japan generates almost double the energy it uses

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NFL star Travis Kelce transformed a $3.3 million mansion into transitional housing for homeless youth

Earlier this year, NFL star Travis Kelce purchased a $3.3 million mansion in Kansas City — it’s not for himself, though. Kelce transformed it into transitional housing for homeless youth.

And now, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has officially donated the house to Foster Love, a nonprofit organization that supports children and young adults navigating the foster care system.

Kelce’s donation will specifically help young people who are unable to secure permanent housing during the “transitional ages” of 18 to 24 — a uniquely challenging time for those who grew up in foster care.

Foster Love said that Kelce also took a multi-pronged approach to his donation, by bundling free housing with mentorship opportunities and educational resources to “give these youth the tools they need to move toward independence” and “break the cycle of homelessness.”

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Virginia lawmakers unanimously passed a bill to educate the public about common menstrual disorders like endometriosis and PCOS

Menstruation-related disorders or conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome are often painful conditions that result in irregular periods, infertility issues, depression, and more.

Around six to 13% of women around the world have PCOS, and more than half of those with the condition remain undiagnosed. Approximately 10% of women globally have endometriosis.

This new bill, which passed unanimously by lawmakers, will educate the public about these menstrual disorders by establishing a women’s menstrual health program that will direct the state’s health department to educate and train hospital staff and providers on the disorders.

Why is this good news? A lack of education, research, and understanding about menstrual disorders leads to late diagnoses — or none at all — that could save a person “years of pain and agony” if they had known earlier. This dedicated initiative will close those knowledge gaps — for those impacted and for healthcare providers.

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A pro surfer partnered with a renewable energy company to recycle decommissioned wind turbine blades into surfboards

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More good news of the week —

​More than 100,000 African seeds were stored in a vault in Norway to preserve crop diversity in case of disaster. Among them are seeds critical to building climate resilience, such as the tree Faidherbia albida, which turns nitrogen into ammonia and nitrates, and Cordia africana, the Sudan teak, a tree renowned for its strength and durability.

​The University of Sussex is launching the U.K.’s first climate justice undergraduate degree. Created in response to a survey that found most 14- to 18-year-olds want more rigorous climate change education, the course will equip students with a blend of expertise in climate politics, activism, and environmental human rights.

​A culinary program gives transgender people in Pakistan professional training, dignity, and hope. Last year, the majority of trans people in Pakistan reported experiencing violence or abuse, and that most reported being denied employment opportunities because of their gender identity.

​Small, submersible drones are being used to protect and attract sea life to artificial reefs. The drones can stay underwater for up to a month, providing continuous data and alerting scientists to any disturbance in protected waters from illegal fishing and encroaching boats.

​Researchers in Austria are transforming textile waste into stronger recycled paper for packaging materials. Austria alone produced about 220,000 tons of textile waste annually, and about 80% is incinerated — a​​ team of researchers created a sustainable solution for this valuable, would-be wasted raw material.

​Researchers in the U.S. are organizing nationwide ‘Stand Up for Science’ rallies to protest attacks on scientists. In his first weeks back in office, the Trump administration has fired thousands of employees, attempted to freeze research disbursements, proposed new policies that would reduce science funding, and more.

​New computer modeling shows that a disastrous Atlantic current shutdown is unlikely this century. A climate change-triggered shutdown of AMOC could wreak havoc with global rain patterns, dramatically cool Europe while warming the rest of the world, and raise sea levels on America’s East Coast — a disaster scenario fictionalized in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”

​Farmers in the U.S. are suing the USDA for removing climate data, which they depend on to grow food, from its website. One tool that was removed allowed farmers to assess their risk level was an interactive map published by the U.S. Forest Service, which combined over 140 different datasets and allowed land managers to see how climate change is expected to impact natural resources throughout the country.

​The Minnesota House rejected a bill that would have banned transgender athletes from competing on girls’ sports teams. The Minnesota High School League has allowed students to participate on teams that best align with their gender identity for 10 years, and opponents of the bill said it would discriminate against trans women and girls and has major enforcement issues.

​A Denver barbershop is helping formerly incarcerated people make a career — and meet their neighbors. R&R Head Labs is built around the idea of helping people regain and sustain their footing as they reintegrate into society, with an understanding of the requirements often placed on people recently released from prison.

​New wind turbine blades in the U.K. will be painted black to help prevent bird deaths. While the country is committed to boosting clean energy sources, it’s also home to large populations of seabirds, and the new trial will build on studies that suggest black blades can reduce bird collisions by 70%.

​Key initiatives in Mexico are working to strengthen paths to citizenship for trans migrants. Between 2012 and 2017, a study estimated that 11,400 asylum applications were filed by LGBTQ individuals, with nearly 4,000 of them seeking asylum due to fear of persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

​A hockey star is about to break the NHL record for most goals scored — and he's using it to raise money for cancer research. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is just ten goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s 894-goal record, and is donating an amount equal to each career total goal for each goal he scores until he breaks it — and encouraging others to donate, too.

​Educators are rolling out a Black History curriculum across New York public schools and doing “everything we can” to protect it. The “Black Studies as the Study of the World,” a curriculum that rolled out in September and is available at all NY public schools, and is expected to test the lines of new bans on programs related to diversity and equity in schools.

​Under new workers’ rights reforms, parents in Britain will be given the right to bereavement leave after a miscarriage. Impacting England, Wales, and Scotland, pregnant people and their partners will be given the right to two weeks of bereavement leave if they have suffered a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks’ gestation.