Good News

Our top 5 good news stories of 2020

Because we could all use a little more cheer.

We can all agree that 2020 was a challenging year.


Good news feels hard to come by lately. And when you work in environmental news, it can seem even more rare.

Yet, the year was not without progress (yes, seriously!). Check out five good news stories from our newsroom that you may have missed below.

1. A Northeast US climate initiative has had a major side benefit—healthier children

Researchers estimate a climate effort in the Northeast U.S. helped the region reduce toxic air pollution and avoid hundreds of asthma and autism cases, preterm births, and low birth weights.

2. Roadmap points Europe toward safer, sustainable chemicals

EU Commission releases ambitious strategy for getting hormone-disrupting chemicals out of food, products, and packaging.

3. Solar power on the rise at US schools

Report finds an 81% increase in K-12 schools using solar power over the last 5 years.

4. Pittsburgh’s Black farmers work to grow a new future

A small group of new farmers have seeded a movement to change the local food industry.

5. Derrick Z. Jackson: A Rhode Island city gets serious about climate justice

In its climate action plan, Providence, Rhode Island, is giving frontline residents' health equal billing with carbon reduction. Other cities should pay attention.


Banner photo: Ebony Lunsford-Evans, owner of FarmerGirlEB in Pittsburgh, helps a customer. (Credit: Brian Cook)

A view of a riverbank that has been eroded by high water

Losing ground: Vermont’s struggle against river erosion

River erosion causes the vast majority of the state’s flood damage; the problem is getting worse, while many Vermonters remain in harm’s way.

An illustration of a computer's mother board with zeros and ones floating above it

What if digitalization isn’t the climate fix we imagined?

Going digital is often assumed to be a modern, efficient strategy that will save energy and resources. Thirty years of data from the world’s largest economies suggest the energy needed to power them has so far outweighed the savings.

A view of Greta Thunberg speaking into a microphone

Greta Thunberg arrives at COP31, calls for structural changes to tackle climate crisis

Greta Thunberg has arrived at the U.N. climate meeting in Turkey, emphasizing the need to prioritize people and the planet over profits.
A closeup of a man in a striped shirt holding a blue fishing net on a beach

Revisiting El Bosque, the “success story” of climate displacement

Lessons learned from a rushed resettlement in Mexico underscore what governments owe to climate-displaced communities—not only after homes wash away, but also long before.

Two Black women sitting at a table listening to a presentation

ExxonMobil carbon storage project faces opposition in Texas

Texas now issues permits for companies to store carbon dioxide underground; East Texas residents fear safety risks, and skeptics doubt the climate benefits.

FPSO tanker vessel and Oil Rig platform. Offshore oil and gas industry. Flare is burning with smoke
Credit: Heatray/BigStock Photo ID: 240240058

Why the world is still running on fossil fuels after 30 years of climate talks

Missed opportunities, industry influence, and political maneuvering are behind the lack of progress in slowing global warming.

3D rendering depicting interconnection and electrification based on clean energy

Electrification explained: Clean energy to curb warming

From Electric Vehicles and electric buses on the road, heat pumps warming homes, and solar panels powering appliances, the shift to electrifying technology is already in full swing. But what exactly does "electrification" mean?

From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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