You know the drill.

February is a rough month to get through. So we gather here at the end of the month, and we read a list of good things that happened in the world recently. Because everything feels a little better when you know that other people care about this as much as you do and they’re also doing something about it.

If you want to feel better about the state of the world, settle in for the list below, or check out March’s Eco Hope StressLess events(including a clothes fixing workshop), which is like getting your Monthly Good News dopamine multiple times across the entirety of March.

• In support of the government’s plans for a transition to net-zero, the UK is withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty, which allows fossil fuel companies to sue governments for profits lost due to climate policies. (Which. It is insane that such a policy existed in the first place.)
• Widespread reforestation efforts in eastern USA have allowed for a “warming hole” where temperatures have plateaued or cooled while the rest of the country increased in heat.
• English hospitals will be adopting “Martha’s Rule” in April 2024, which entitles patients to an emergency second opinion if their condition worsens.
• Of 61 UK organisations that took part in a four-day week trial, 54 are still operating the policy one year on, and 31 have made the change permanent.
• The UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued new guidance to clarify the legal obligations firms have to menopausal workers; it says that menopause symptoms can be considered a disability and “reasonable adjustments” must be made.
• EU emissions nosedived to levels not seen since The Beatles topped the charts.
• The clean energy sector was the main driver of economic growth for China in 2023
• A study by the Norway-based Food System Economics Commission suggests that a shift towards sustainable agriculture could bring up to £7.9tr in economic benefits annually
• The UK government has launched a national rainforest strategy to plant 100,000 native trees in Devon, linking up fractured rainforest habitats in the country.
• England’s hedgerows would stretch almost ten times around the Earth if lined up end to end, according to a new comprehensive map helping to inform the ecology research of these ecosystems
• Somalia, one of the world’s most gender unequal countries, is launching a current affairs show led by women.
• Ireland smashes previous wind power records; up 71% from the same month the year prior

See you next month!

By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant