Civil society encompasses the nonprofits, advocacy groups, community organizations, and grassroots movements that operate outside government and business to advance the public good. This archive collects stories of civil society actors driving measurable progress on issues ranging from human rights and environmental protection to public health and civic participation.
In 2022, firms have announced 61 new CCS projects, bringing the total number of commercial facilities in the pipeline to 196, including 30 currently in operation, 11 under construction, and 153 in development, a Global CCS Institute report found.
By the first half of the 20th century, many of Europe’s mammals had been reduced to just a fraction of historical levels. But many mammal populations have seen a dramatic increase over the last 50 years.
Ocean plastic cleanup just crossed a meaningful line: The Ocean Cleanup has now pulled more than 100,000 kilograms from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, all independently certified as ocean-sourced. The bulk came from “Jenny,” a system deployed in 2021 that swept an area roughly the size of Luxembourg across 45 extractions. Founder Boyan Slat frames it simply — repeat this haul a thousand times, and the patch is gone. The next-generation system is built to collect up to ten times faster, turning an overwhelming problem into a countable one. It’s a reminder that large-scale environmental repair, paired with cutting pollution at the source, is moving from theory into something the ocean can actually feel.
Four species of critically endangered vulture have returned to a park in southern Malawi from which they disappeared more than 20 years ago, due to the reintroduction of cheetahs, lions, and the carcasses they left behind.
In 2005, residents of the area took the unprecedented step of setting aside a 30-hectare Marine Protected Area (MPA). Seventeen years on, the area has made a remarkable recovery.
When American naturalist Dian Fossey moved to Rwanda half a century ago to study mountain gorillas, their numbers were dwindling, down to just 254 individuals, but today they’re up to over 600.
Eastern monarch butterflies covered 35% more ground in the mountain forests of central Mexico this past winter than they did the year before, according to a World Wildlife Fund survey.
Environmentalists say the mix of traditional knowledge from Indigenous elders, hands-on community engagement, and Western science offer a model for improved conservation.
The International Rhino Foundation announced the milestone, reporting that the population now numbers 4,014 individuals—up from just 100 individuals 50 years ago.
In 2007, the first pair of giant anteaters was reintroduced Iberá reserve, a region from which it had gone extinct decades earlier. Today, more than 200 anteaters live free in the reserve.
