New academic year, same old monthly good news.

Here’s the goal: to make you, specifically you, the reader reading this right now, feel better about the world you live in. We’re trying to lower some of that climate anxiety you might be feeling and give you a nice little pat on the back on this Friday afternoon and tell you not to worry, people are trying, people are working, and very good things are happening everywhere – you just need to look for them.

You can scroll back through the previous year of monthly good news articles if you need a bigger happiness kick at the end – and actually, I encourage it! A lot of great stuff happened over the last year; go learn about it.

For the time being, however, here’s the September round up. Remember, people are good, actually.

• “Uber-rare” American birds land in the UK – some of which have never been seen before
• Rock powder could help to take in CO2 from the air
• 200 white rhinos put up for auction will be released as part of the world’s biggest rewilding project
• The oldest fish in captivity in the world is called Methuselah and she’s really cool
• “Staggering” green energy growth gives hope for the 1.5C target
• New glass type cuts CO2 emissions by almost 50%
• Soon, you’ll be able to sponsor one square kilometre of the ocean to help keep the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue’s waters safe from illegal fishing and plastic pollution
• Tropical butterfly species may be better equipped for rising temperatures
• Some Pacific Ocean corals are becoming more climate resistant
• 3D printing helps 52 children to hear again in Jordan; with hopes to help 250 in 2024
• 40 companies came together to employ 250,000 refugees across Europe
• The UK’s largest water infrastructure project since privatisation is cleaning up the River Thames
• A space-based solar power initiative is underway with the European Space Agency – if solar power generation in space can become affordable, then it’s possible to generate 24/7 solar energy
• Water voles are back in force in the River Ver despite a 90% decrease over the last 50 years
• California is taking on big oil over misleading the public about climate change
• A new research fund is backing Black UK scientists for four years
• A new study states that working from home can cut your work-related carbon footprint by more than half
• Holograms will be replacing live animals in a German circus
• Scientists from Scotland have created a “holy grail” alternative to palm oil
• The UK’s Online Safety Bill is finally set to become law
• A world record is set as a wind turbine generates enough energy in a day to power 170,000 homes!
• Norway has installed the world’s northernmost ground solar panels in its Svalbard archipelago
• 27 new World Heritage Sites have been announced
• Samburu warriors have regenerated Kenya’s wilderness
• Denmark launches the world’s “first green container ship”
• Hollywood writers agree to end five-month strike after an excellent new studio deal
• A study on climate strikes shows that Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future climate strikes led to a third of Swiss citizens to change their habits
• EU prepares to push for “global phase-out” of fossil fuels at COP28
• A French company is revolutionising fashion waste recycling with cutting edge tech (and ROBOTS)
• Some German cities are offering drivers the chance to exchange their driver’s licence for free public transport
• A UK carbon offsetting scheme is tackling the greenwashing problem by having you plant the trees yourself
• Brazilian scientists rediscover a tree thought extinct for nearly 200 years

Are you feeling a bit better now? Go have a treat. Just a little one. Stand outside and look at the sky for a few minutes. Watch a 2000s romcom this weekend. Remember that you’re loved.

I’ll see you next month ✌️

By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant