Welcome back to Monthly Good News! The regularly-scheduled blog post in which I spend an hour rounding up as much recent positive sustainability news as possible and present it to you, the reader, in order to help you feel better about the world around you!

This month is a double feature: March and April all wrapped up into one, so expect the list to be longer than usual, but no less positive.

So grab a drink, relax, and learn about the good going on around the world!

• Folklorists play a crucial role in climate adaptation by preserving cultural traditions
• In a landmark decision, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that government inaction on climate change violates fundamental human rights
• Researchers have created a potential alternative to petroleum-based plastic made from CO2 and biomass
• Hydrogen production could become more sustainable now that scientists have found a way to transform metal waste into a highly efficient catalyst to make hydrogen from water
• French parliament votes in favour of crackdown on ultra fast fashion
• Indonesian religious leaders push for environmental action through Islamic teachings; advocating for environmental guardianship as a religious duty
• US research has found that wind farms might be more land efficient than previously thought
• A California startup has launched new technology that can capture and recycle carbon emissions produced during cement production
• The Biden administration has introduced a new rule that prioritises conservation on US public lands
• Ottawa, Candana, are holding international discussions aiming to forge a global treaty on plastic pollution by year’s end
• Navajo Nation organisations are employing solar energy to bring power to off-grid homes for the first time
• Germany’s national postal carrier, Deutsche Bahn, will no longer be using domestic flights to transport letters, reducing transport-related CO2 emissions by over 80%
• Farmers are revolutionising soil health and carbon storage through fungi
• Green tech gets a $6 billion boost from the Biden administration, aiming to slash emissions in heavy industries
• Germany’s emissions fell by a record 10.1% in 2023
• Over half of European voters think climate action is a priority
• Polluting private jets could face a 400% fuel tax increase under new Biden proposal
• A Spanish solar panel company is providing solar panels with no upfront cost
• In the US, federal limits on toxic “forever chemicals” have been instated, expecting to save thousands of lives
• Staff at a wildlife centre dress up as a mother fox to save an abandoned cub
• Amsterdam demonstrates sustainable forest management
• Clean energy tech slowed down growth of global carbon emissions in 2023
• Community wind turbines and heat pumps could be a win-win against fuel poverty and climate change
• Manchester City is planning to install almost 11,000 solar panels on the roof of its training ground
• Birds linked to Darwin’s theory of evolution reintroduced to Galapagos Islands
• MEPs of the European Parliament back a law aimed at restoring European soil to health
• A French town is making its cemetery a source of solar energy
• Nature-based policies from governments around the world have doubled over the last 12 months
• Scientists have found that coffee grounds might be the solution to agricultural contamination
• For her 90^th birthday, Jane Goodall reflects on hope and youth’s role in environmental activism

Feel better? I hope so!

See you next month for even more good news!

By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant