China

A Yangtze finless porpoise surfacing in calm brown river water, with green riverbanks visible in the background, for an article about the Yangtze fishing ban

China’s Yangtze River bounces back as fishing ban revives endangered species

By / / Good News For Humankind

Five years into China’s landmark 10-year commercial fishing ban, the Yangtze River is showing remarkable signs of ecological recovery. Critically endangered species like the Yangtze finless porpoise and Yangtze sturgeon are reproducing again, fish biomass across the basin is rising, and dozens of native species have returned. Meanwhile, 300,000 former fishers have been retrained as river guardians. The Yangtze fishing ban is becoming a global model for large-scale freshwater restoration.

An aerial view of an industrial energy storage facility with turbine halls and compression infrastructure set against a green hillside in Hubei province, China, for an article about China compressed air energy storage

China opens world’s largest compressed air energy storage plant

By / / Good News For Humankind

China has switched on the world’s largest compressed air energy storage facility, a 300-megawatt plant in Hubei province that stores 1,500 megawatt-hours of electricity in underground salt caverns. The project is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 109,000 tons per year by displacing coal-fired generation. It proves that large-scale, non-lithium grid storage is commercially viable — and offers a replicable model for countries worldwide looking to make renewable energy reliable around the clock.

A giant panda eating bamboo in a lush green forest, representing the species' recovery through giant panda conservation efforts

Giant pandas downgraded from endangered to vulnerable in historic conservation win

By / / Good News For Humankind

The giant panda is no longer endangered. The IUCN officially downgraded the species from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on its Red List, confirming that decades of conservation work have paid off. Wild panda populations have grown 17 percent over the past decade, surpassing 1,864 individuals in China. Habitat protection, bamboo reforestation, captive breeding programs, and international scientific cooperation all contributed to this historic milestone — offering a blueprint for recovering other species still on the brink.

A compact industrial turbine inside a modern power facility representing supercritical CO2 power generation technology at China's Chaoton One plant in Shandong Province for an article about supercritical CO2 power

China launches world’s first commercial supercritical CO2 power plant

By / / Good News For Humankind

China has completed Chaoton One, the world’s first large-scale commercial power generator using supercritical carbon dioxide instead of steam. Located in Shandong Province, the facility projects a 50 percent increase in net electricity generation and an 85 percent improvement in overall efficiency. The technology works with solar, nuclear, and waste heat sources, making it a versatile tool for decarbonizing thermal power worldwide. China’s milestone is expected to accelerate global investment in this next-generation energy technology.

Milu deer

China’s milu deer achieves stunning population recovery

By / / Good News For Humankind

The world is celebrating a monumental conservation success: the Pere David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus) has made a remarkable recovery from near-extinction. This unique species, often called the “milu” or “elaphure,” was saved through decades of dedicated human effort and international cooperation. The global population has rebounded from a low of just 39 individuals to an estimated 8,200 today. This achievement demonstrates the immense power of conservation science and captive breeding programs.

Aerial view of forest

China has added more than 170 million acres of forest since 1990

By / / Good News For Humankind

A new national inventory confirms China’s massive environmental success, demonstrating a major increase in forest cover roughly equivalent to the size of Texas. This unparalleled reforestation effort has dramatically enhanced the nation’s ability to sequester CO2, boosting its climate mitigation goals. By successfully reversing decades of deforestation and empowering millions of local land stewards, China has proven that large-scale ecological recovery is achievable.

Brain x-rays

Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice under breakthrough treatment

By / / Good News For Humankind

A breakthrough in neurological science is offering major hope against Alzheimer’s disease. An international research team successfully used a single-injection nanotherapy to reverse symptoms in mice. This treatment rapidly clears up to 50% of toxic amyloid proteins by rebooting the brain’s own natural clearance systems. This innovation, developed by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and West China Hospital of Sichuan University, shifts the focus from managing decline to restoring function, accelerating research toward a cure for this devastating disease.

Industrial facility polluting

China commits to an absolute target to cut its emissions for the first time

By / / Good News For Humankind

China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has made a historic policy shift by committing to an absolute reduction in emissions for the first time. President Xi Jinping pledged that China would cut economy-wide emissions by 7-10% below peak levels by 2035. This commitment is driven by a domestic boom in clean energy, with solar and wind capacity now rapidly outpacing electricity demand growth. However, many climate critics argue that this initial 7-10% target is too modest. They point out that China is already on track to meet this goal under current policies, suggesting a far more ambitious cut is technically feasible and necessary to align with global climate targets.

Yangtze River

China removes more than 300 dams along Yangtze River tributary to restore biodiversity

By / / Good news links

China has claimed to dismantle 300 dams and decommission more than 90% of small hydropower stations along the Chishui River since 2020. The move is seen as one of the world’s largest state-led efforts to restore aquatic biodiversity, reversing decades of hydro-infrastructure development that critically endangered native fish species, the South China Morning Post reported. The Yangtze sturgeon, declared extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2022, has now shown signs of recovery.

Air pollution from a coal plant

Global mercury emissions have fallen 70% over last four decades

By / / Good News For Humankind

Gold mining, coal burning, and cement and nonferrous metals production all release several thousand tons of mercury into the atmosphere every year, leading to tens of thousands of deaths worldwide. However, a team of Chinese scientists from schools in Tianjin, Beijing, Tibet, and Nanjing has found that mercury concentrations in the atmosphere have reduced by a staggering 70% since a peak in the year 2000.