Ethiopia

African children

Guinea worm disease on the brink of being eradicated worldwide

By / / Good News For Humankind

The global campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease has achieved a record low, with only 10 human cases reported worldwide in 2025. This historic milestone brings humanity to the brink of wiping out its second-ever human disease. The success is driven by the Carter Center’s grassroots strategy, which relies on water filtration and community education rather than vaccines. Despite challenges with animal infections, key endemic regions like Chad have seen significant reductions, proving that persistent, low-tech interventions can defeat even the most debilitating ancient parasites.

Plant sprouting from the soil

Ethiopia to plant 700 million trees in one day

By / / Good News For Humankind

Ethiopia has launched a record-breaking push to plant 700 million trees in a single day, part of a plan to grow 50 billion by 2026 to fight deforestation, boost livelihoods, and tackle climate change. By early morning, 14.9 million people had already planted 355 million seedlings. The nationwide effort has been championed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2019 as a personal and national priority.

Wind turbines amid clouds

Seven countries now generate 100% of their electricity from renewable energy

By / / Good news links

Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7% of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also revealed that a further 40 countries generated at least 50% of the electricity they consumed from renewable energy technologies in 2021 and 2022.

Meskel Square traffic in Addis Ababa

Ethiopia becomes first country to ban combustion-powered vehicles

By / / Good news links

Ethiopia is to claim the accolade of becoming the first country in the world to ban the importation of all internal combustion engine cars, both new and used. The East African country will adopt an electric-only strategy as it seeks to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel imports and clean the air in its cities. While EV charging infrastructure is limited, Ethiopia does generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, according to the International Energy Agency, with strong solar, hydropower, and wind power projects.