Good News Worth Celebrating
- Editor OGN Daily
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
Quick summary of all last week's top good news stories.
There was good news from Philadelphia where a child diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that kills half of those affected has been successfully treated with a gene editing therapy. The feat paves the way for curing rare genetic diseases by rewriting faulty DNA soon after children carrying it are born. Doctors say that “the promise of gene therapy that we’ve heard about for decades is coming to fruition, and it’s going to utterly transform the way we approach medicine.” Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, scientists in Australia say we have to rethink the history of evolution after finding the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like creature - pushing back the timeline of terrestrial life on Earth by millions of years. Here's what else we leant last week...
Wildlife & Conservation
Joshua Tree Reprieve: Siding with environmentalists, a federal court struck down an attempt to withhold Endangered Species Act protections from the Joshua tree by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying that it “sidesteps climate science.”
The Aroma of Home: A team of scientists have come up with an innovative approach to help repopulate reefs - through smell. “I think this material is a breakthrough that can hopefully make a big contribution to coral restoration. We are really excited to take this as far as it can go.”
Brontë Country: England has protected the sweeping Pennine landscapes that inspired the Brontë sisters by connecting eight nature sites across 1,274 hectares. As Emily Brontë once wrote: "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."
"Historic" Step: Colombia has formally recognized Indigenous local governments across the Amazon in a precedent-setting decision that both secures Indigenous rights and protects the Amazon rainforest. Not only does the formalization give Indigenous communities land titles, it also grants them self-governing authority - implementing a legal framework that lets them function as official local governments.
Good News For Puffins: Ecologists are celebrating after a court ruled that the UK’s ban on trawling for sandeels in British waters is legal. Sandeels are a vital food source for seabirds.
Marine Conservation: Marine protected areas in the EU must be safeguarded from harmful fishing practices such as bottom trawling, the General Court of the European Union has ruled. The ruling upholds states’ legal duty to ensure that marine protected areas (MPAs) are adequately protected from harmful practices.
North China Leopard: China is implementing a major new project to re-wild the countryside to help protect the endangered North China Leopard. The 10-year initiative will plant 10 million oak trees across various provinces outside Beijing, creating critical wildlife corridors.
Gangs of Elk: Closely related to the North American moose, this enormous semiaquatic deer went extinct in Britain around 2000 to 3000 years ago. These majestic animals are major ecosystem engineers, and plans are afoot to reintroduce them in the UK.
New Climate Narrative
EU Business Leaders: In a “profound shift,” a new analysis has found that companies in the European Union increasingly support climate action, a change analysts said challenges the narrative of businesses viewing green regulations as a threat to their profits. “Recent polling shows that business leaders overwhelmingly support a rapid transition to renewable energy."
The Power of Cities: As Austria’s new coalition government scales back climate action, Vienna, home to 20 percent of the country’s population, has continued to make climate legislation a priority - passing a law to reduce climate pollution to zero by 2040. Vienna’s commitment serves as an important example for other cities, as governments across the world fail to fulfil emissions reduction commitments or have deprioritized climate action, given that 70 percent of global CO2 emissions come from cities. Similarly...
US State Action: State action to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change can make a big difference, even in the absence of a strong federal climate strategy, according to a new study. “Given that there is little expectation the Trump administration will promote a national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change, we think there is significant value in assessing what kind of difference state-led efforts could make.”
Sustainability & Clean Energy
Unlimited Clean Energy: Beneath our feet, there’s a source of clean energy that could theoretically power the planet for 170,000 years. And scientists have just shared the 'Exploration Recipe' for how to find it.
U.S. Renewables: New data shows that renewables accounted for 98 percent of the country’s new electricity capacity in the first quarter of 2025. “Notwithstanding the Trump administration’s anti-renewable energy efforts during its first 100 plus days, the strong growth of solar and wind continues. Latest data and forecasts suggest this will not change in the near-term.”
Recycling Breakthrough: 99 percent of the 113 million tons of textiles produced each year end up in landfills or are incinerated because there is no effective way to separate the fibres for recycling. But that's about to change.
Has China Peaked? For the first time, a surge in China’s renewable energy output has led to a drop in the country’s carbon emissions. The emissions decline marks a major milestone in China’s energy transition, according to an analysis published by Carbon Brief. China is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, but has a goal of reaching peak emissions by 2030 - it's possible that this has now beed achieved.
Exciting Prospect: The Caribbean island of Dominica will shortly be 100 percent powered by hot water.
Global EV Sales: One in four cars sold globally this year will be electric, the International Energy Agency is forecasting, as data showed another record month for EV sales. “In the first three months of 2025, electric car sales were up 35 percent year-on-year. All major markets, and many others, saw new records for first-quarter sales.” However, there remain huge differences in the affordability of EVs around the world.
Solar Roofs: All new homes in England must be fitted with solar panels during construction. Under the plans, house builders will be legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027.
Shipping Emissions: The world's first commercial-scale e-methanol plant has begun operations in Denmark, providing a low-emission fuel for container ships, reports Reuters.
Polish Coal: Coal produces less than half of Poland’s power for first time since 1800s. According to a report by Forum Energii, an energy think tank, electricity produced from coal in April 2025 amounted to 49.4 percent of the total energy mix.
And Finally...
Last Week's Funniest Story: In a definite case of fowl play, a radar image of a speed offender caught in central Switzerland has revealed that the culprit was not only a duck but probably a repeat offender, as a similar-looking duck was captured on camera flying in the same spot at exactly the same speed (52km/h in a 30-km/h zone), on exactly the same date seven years earlier. It was not reported whether the duck paid the fine for the speeding offence in 2018 or what the penalty would be for the "racer duck's" second transgression. There has been speculation about whether the "notorious racer" duck incident was a belated April Fool's joke, but the police inspectorate said it is impossible to manipulate images. Speeding offences are taken very seriously in Switzerland and enormous fines can be levied on drivers (but, apparently, not ducks). You may enjoy finding out about the World's Most Expensive Speeding Ticket
Today's Articles
Ahead of Its Time: 1922 Romanian clown-shoe car pioneered aerodynamics and rivals even the most slippery cars today.
Simple Health Tips: The New York Times asked experts: What is the one health tip you learned in your work that you swear by?