Every day the Good Good Good team collects the best good news in the world and shares it with our community. Here are the highlights for this week!
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The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —
In a ‘historic breakthrough,’ 59 countries backed voluntary roadmaps to wean the world off of fossil fuels
At the first “Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels” conference held in and hosted by Colombia, governments were asked to develop “roadmaps” for ending the production and use of fossil fuels, which will serve as the foundation for a new initiative to wean the world off coal, oil, and gas.
The roadmaps also go further than the climate plans published under the Paris agreement, which only address domestic greenhouse gas emissions and don’t account for the impacts of fossil fuel exports.
Almost half of the countries that attended produce fossil fuels, and will provide plans for winding down their output. All participants agreed to support poorer countries in developing their roadmaps, reassess fossil fuel subsidies, and more.
Why is this good news? For years, the marquee UN climate conference failed to produce clearly defined goals and action steps to phase out fossil fuels. In just its first year, this new conference achieved historic agreements and breakthroughs to hold countries accountable.
Two college students led a crusade to end herbicide use on their campus. Now they’re doing the same at schools nationwide
Polish fundraiser for childhood cancer patients breaks records with nine-day livestream
On April 17, Polish influencer Piotr Hancke started a livestream to raise money for the Cancer Fighters Foundation, a nonprofit that supports children with cancer.
The stream then stretched into a nine-day event, as Hancke was joined by athletes, musicians, and celebrities from across Poland, with many shaving their heads with Hancke in solidarity.
According to the Guinness World Records, the event more than tripled the previous livestream fundraiser record, raising over $76 million.
A spokesperson for the Cancer Fighters Foundation said, “We're reaching for the stars, reaching for space, to help those who need it most, the innocent children who fight the hardest battles every day.”
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‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay has now helped pass laws to end rape kit backlogs in all 50 U.S. states
On the set of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Mariska Hargitay’s eyes were opened to the pressing realities of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse in the United States.
She started the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 to help make a difference, most notably through its “End The Backlog” campaign. After 16 years of the program, Hargitay announced that Maine became the final state to have enacted at least one pillar of rape kit reform in “a watershed moment.”
Now, all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have some form of rape kit reform in place, to which Hargitay told survivors, “This milestone belongs to you.”
Why is this good news? Rape kits consist of the evidence collected by a professional after the examination of someone who has survived sexual assault, but they often end up in long queues for processing. Hargitay’s foundation estimates there are still 100,000 untested rape kits yet to be discovered across the country — these laws will help change that.
This teacher in Afghanistan tested water fountains every day to protect her girls from poison
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Solar and wind outpace fossil fuels as ‘coal comeback’ is debunked
Although some industry professionals predicted that the ongoing energy crisis would lead to a potential “coal comeback,” a new report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air found the opposite.
In fact, CREA shared that coal-fired generation was flat in March on a global scale, with seaborne coal transport volumes falling 3% globally — a new low since 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As fossil fuel power generation continues to falter, renewables are helping buffer the energy crisis caused by the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Before its closure, the Strait was used for nearly a fifth of global Liquefied Natural Gas transports. But according to the CREA, the solar and wind capacity added in 2025 is enough to offset that loss twice over.
Scientists are testing which tree species combinations best support flourishing, biodiverse forests
Countries around the world have committed to massive tree-planting initiatives, but some of them have been poorly designed and managed. A new research project hopes to make them as effective as possible.
Ecologists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland are building a 22-acre forest of carefully planned plots of varying tree species combinations to test how it affects their growth and the surrounding environmental benefits.
It’s part of the Functional Forests project, which will plant 33,518 saplings from 20 different species in 200 different sections to study various reforestation goals like fire resistance, climate resiliency, attracting wildlife, supporting pollinators, producing food, and more.
Why is this good news? Large forests support biodiversity, prevent erosion, protect water quality, absorb massive amounts of carbon, cool the surrounding environment, and may even boost mental and physical health.
Humans deforest about 25 million acres every year, a pace that isn’t sustainable. To save time, money, and resources, we need to reforest in a way that best supports their flourishing.
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Scientists filmed a whale birth. The surprise: Mom had many helpers.
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The WHO global alliance has delivered 100 million childhood vaccine doses since 2023
In 2023, the World Health Organization and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, launched “The Big Catch-Up” during World Immunization Week. The initiative, which concluded this March, was geared towards vaccinating children aged 1 to 5 years across 36 countries.
The project was largely focused on the world’s poorest countries, with nations in active conflict needing the most urgent care.
Although the final data is still being compiled, “The Big Catch-Up” initiative vaccinated at least 18.3 million children worldwide and protected them against diseases such as diphtheria, polio, and measles. About 12.3 million of those children had never had access to a vaccine before.
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A solar ranch in Tennessee is aiming to prove that grazing cattle under panels is a win-win for the land, farmers, and animals
On a 40-acre farm near Nashville, a pilot project is aiming to prove that cattle-grazing is the next frontier in agrivoltaics, which has so far mostly only involved growing crops or grazing sheep beneath solar panels.
The site has addressed challenges that past solar installations have faced on cattle grazing land. With software upgrades that allow farmers more manual control, the panels shade for the cows, keeping them cooler and requiring less water to drink, and help the soil below retain moisture, too.
If it’s successful, it could help jump-start new projects to meet the rapidly rising energy demands, without adding more carbon emissions, and help ranchers maintain their land and earn a significant amount of money for leasing the land to solar companies.
Why is this good news? The U.S. and the world need to rapidly expand clean energy sources to speed up the clean energy transition. The U.S. has significantly more cows than sheep, and farmland is often ideal for solar farm installation, but it can’t come at the expense of farmers’ livelihoods. This project could be a solution to both.
You may also like: Farms in central Washington boost their yield with solar energy
Mama polar bear adopted a cub in the wild, shocking scientists. Now you can track their journey
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In the last 20 years, poverty in Paraguay has plummeted from over 50% to just 16% in 2025
In just two decades, a third of Paraguay’s population escaped poverty, 300,000 in the last two years alone. In the last 20 years, poverty in the country declined from over 50% to just 16% last year.
Experts credit the government’s focus on productivity and jobs, and labor income growth was the primary driver of poverty reduction in 2025. And while some areas still need more improvement, it’s a notable improvement.
Additionally, social programs in the country have supported human well-being. Paraguay’s “Hambre Cero” (or Zero Hunger) program now feeds over one million children across its public school system, sourcing food from family farmers and small businesses within communities.
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Australian research students came together to save 500 turtles found in a dying lake
A group of students from La Trobe University — a research university in Melbourne — discovered 500 freshwater turtles living in the Imperial Lakes Nature Park.
Two of the species discovered have faced population declines due to habitat loss and water quality issues related to climate change. And these turtles were facing the same: the lakes were on the verge of drying up for the first time in their 130-year history.
The research students put out a nationwide call for emergency funds to save the lakes and turtles, and ultimately, it raised more than $100,000 AUD (roughly $72,406 USD) — enough to help keep the lakes full through the next dry period.
Even better: Before these turtles were discovered and saved, there was very little data available on turtle populations in arid areas. Now, researchers have a much better grasp on the turtles living in the river systems and how to protect and save them.
Consumerism on Mother’s Day has long been criticized, even by its founder. This is the real reason we should be celebrating
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Coffee companies make headway on ‘deforestation-free coffee’ with satellite technology
According to a study in Nature Food, coffee production is responsible for approximately 1% of global agriculture-driven deforestation. To improve sustainability efforts, leading coffee companies are partnering to create the world’s first comprehensive map of global coffee production — completely open to the public.
Using satellite technology, the new initiative will map 1.2 million square kilometers of coffee landscapes across Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda.
Once the data is used to identify areas of forest loss, the companies have pledged to work with local governments to restore natural landscapes and prevent future deforestation.
More good news of the week —
Kacey Musgraves partnered with Depop to sell items from her wardrobe, and all proceeds will support immigrant children. All proceeds from sales will be donated to the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, which protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and state and federal law.
Technology used in a “de-extinction” project will be shared to help with conservation efforts for threatened species. Critics say the “de-extinction” effort is still a huge distraction from “one of the gravest crises on the planet: the accelerating decline and extinction of nature.”
Illinois unveiled a first-in-the-country “green tax credit” for television and film productions that prioritize sustainability. The state saw record-high production spend in 2025 introduced the measure to encourage sustainable filmmaking practices.
Defying the Taliban, FIFA made a landmark amendment to allow the Afghan women’s team to officially play for their country. For nearly five years, Afghanistan’s women soccer players have lived in exile, unable to represent their country’s national team under the Taliban’s ban on women’s sports.
A Toronto man’s HIV was no longer detectable after a bone marrow transplant. He had been living with HIV for 27 years, and if he remains in remission for about two and a half years, he will join 10 people in the world currently considered cured of HIV.
A grassroots initiative is bringing New Zealand’s rare kiwi bird back to the country. Critical ecosystem engineers, before humans arrived in New Zealand, an estimated 12 million kiwi birds roamed the Oceaniac island country — now, only about 70,000 remain.
A U.K. soccer club is building Europe’s first stadium dedicated to women's soccer. The third of its kind in the world, the stadium will bring Brighton & Hove Albion’s Women’s Super League team back to the city, rather than playing about 20 miles away.
A new affordable housing program in Colorado is helping blue-collar workers live closer to where they work. For decades, 75% of the local workforce in Idaho Springs has been forced to commute from out of town.
An anonymous hotline created by Sandy Hook parents has fielded 395,000 tips since first launched in 2014. Early responses to reports of bullying and violent threats have successfully thwarted countless school shootings.
Vietnam removed fences around parks in its capital city, making green spaces more accessible than ever. The move is part of the country’s larger goal to significantly increase park usage in 2026 — and it’s working.
A Canadian First Nation was awarded a huge stake in a planned solar farm in Ontario. Garden River First Nation received a 50% stake in what will be Ontario’s largest solar farm project, making them equal partners and co-owners with Neoen, an international renewable energy company.
England’s new Renters’ Rights Act is now in effect, giving 11 million people more rights. It’s described as the biggest shake-up to renting in the country in more than 30 years and gives more stability and security to those who rent from private landlords.
A Massachusetts farmer converted her cranberry bog into “a living laboratory” for wetland conservation science. The new observatory borders the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, which is full of streams, wildlife, and native forests.
A rural town in North Carolina won seed funding for a new neighborhood powered by geothermal energy. The pilot project will heat and cool homes without fossil fuels, while drastically lowering residents’ energy costs.
On the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, wildlife has fully reclaimed the nuclear wasteland. Although it remains uninhabitable for humans, local populations of wolves, brown bears, lynx, moose, and d
A Texas job training program is giving formerly incarcerated people a fresh start as solar installers. In the inaugural 22-week training, called “Vulnerable to Vibrant,” 50 participants left with an $18/hour paycheck and a certification in solar installation.
After ICE bought a warehouse in their small, conservative town, locals fought back. Roxbury’s Township Council, an elected body of seven people, all Republicans, passed a resolution affirming that it “unequivocally opposes” modifying town warehouses for ICE use.
San Francisco launched a $300,000 pilot program to help home child care centers switch from gas to electric heat-pump water heaters. The initiative could be a model for other communities around the country looking to decarbonize their buildings and provide cleaner, safer air for children.
Experimental therapies are giving scientists hope that survival rates for pancreatic cancer could substantially improve. (Gifted link) The therapies have radically different approaches to treat pancreatic cancer, one of the most stubbornly deadly forms of cancer.
A species thought to have been extinct for thousands of years was “rediscovered” thanks to Indigenous knowledge. Tambrauw elders described a forest glider they had known for generations, and when combined with earlier photographs, led researchers to verify the continued existence of the ring-tailed glider.
Over half of U.S. states are now considering laws allowing balcony solar, which could save residents hundreds annually. In Europe, plug-in solar installations have been legal for more than a decade.
A decades-long fight to shut down the Line 5 pipeline in Michigan won a key legal battle. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the dispute over the aging oil pipeline belongs there, which is seen as a win for tribes, environmentalists, and the state’s attorney general.
A group of bowel cancer patients is still cancer-free nearly three years after a breakthrough medical trial. The novel approach involved giving patients a short course of immunotherapy before surgery, rather than chemotherapy afterward.
To crack down on puppy mills, Colorado passed a new law that banned the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores. The new bill encourages pet stores to host adoptable animals from local animal shelters.
Iceland, Portugal, and Norway all met their 2024 goal to vaccinate 90% of girls under 15 for HPV. Additionally, every country in the EU now has HPV recommendations in place for adolescent girls and boys.
