Today (2017 C.E. - 2025 C.E.)

This archive spans one of the most eventful periods in recent history, from 2017 through 2025. Browse more than 4,100 articles documenting scientific breakthroughs, policy wins, social progress, and human ingenuity from the present era. Each story highlights what people and communities around the world are building, solving, and achieving right now.

U.N. building with national flags in foreground

U.N. General Assembly adopts landmark resolution on artificial intelligence

By / / Good news links

The Assembly called on all Member States and stakeholders “to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law or that pose undue risks to the enjoyment of human rights.” The text was “co-sponsored” or backed by more than 120 other Member States. It represents the first time the Assembly has adopted a resolution on regulating the emerging field.

Tall old-growth redwood trees in northern California for an article about Yurok Tribe land return

Yurok Tribe becomes first Native people to co-manage land with the National Park Service

By / / Good News For Humankind

Yurok Tribe land return marks a historic milestone as the tribe reclaims 125 acres of ancestral territory and becomes the first Native nation to formally co-manage land alongside the National Park Service. The agreement returns the parcel known as ‘O Rew, near Orick in Humboldt County, after more than a century of displacement that stripped the Yurok of roughly 90% of their homeland. Ecological restoration is already underway, with thousands of juvenile salmon returning to a rebuilt Prairie Creek. The deal reflects a growing Land Back movement and sets a new precedent for Indigenous stewardship of public lands.

Aerial photography of solar photovoltaic power plants in sunny weather

The world’s largest clean energy plant is now under construction in the Indian state of Gujarat

By / / Good news links

Situated just 12 miles from one of the world’s most dangerous borders separating India and Pakistan, Adani Green Energy Ltd.’s gargantuan new park will cover more than 200 square miles once completed. At a cost of about $20 billion USD, it will likely be the world’s biggest renewable park when it is finished in about five years, and should generate enough clean electricity to power 16 million Indian homes.

German flag in front of building

Renewables provide a majority of energy consumption in Germany for first time ever

By / / Good news links

The share of renewable energy sources in Germany’s total energy consumption grew to 52% in 2023 thanks to the steady expansion of solar and wind power installations in electricity production and an increase in the uptake of renewable heating systems, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has said. Investments in renewable energy jumped markedly, from 22.3 billion euros in 2022 to 36.6 billion euros in the following year.

Old asbestos roof

U.S. bans last type of asbestos still in use

By / / Good news links

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the U.S. will join 50 others nations worldwide enacting a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a carcinogen that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year but is still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads, and other products. The final rule marks a major expansion of EPA regulation under a landmark 2016 law that overhauled regulations governing tens of thousands of toxic chemicals in everyday products, from household cleaners to clothing and furniture.

Mushrooms

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans now think using psilocybin is ‘morally positive,’ in dramatic shift in public opinion

By / / Good news links

Researchers—representing institutions such as the universities of Oxford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Grenada—surveyed 795 people on the issue, asking about supervised use specifically for treatment and for well-being enhancement. Participants, the report says, “rated the individual’s decision as morally positive in both contexts.” The study is of note because although psilocybin “has shown promise both as a treatment for psychiatric conditions and as a means of improving well-being in healthy individuals,” authors wrote.

Car being assembled in factory

Chinese fossil car production plunges amid surging EV demand

By / / Good news links

A Financial Times story reports that the asset value of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle factories has plummeted as legacy carmakers scale back production because of the growing popularity of electric vehicles. China’s 2023 ICE vehicle production is down a staggering 37% from its peak of 17.7 million in 2017, in a major win for climate action.

Milky Way arching over dark desert sagebrush landscape for an article about Oregon Outback dark sky sanctuary

Oregon outback becomes world’s largest dark sky sanctuary at 2.5 million acres

By / / Good News For Humankind

The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary has become the largest dark sky sanctuary on Earth, covering 2.5 million acres of southeastern Oregon’s Lake County after receiving official certification from DarkSky International. The designation protects skies already considered among the darkest in the world, with nearly 1.7 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management under commitments for ongoing monitoring and lighting improvements. Beyond stargazing, the protection matters for wildlife along the Pacific Flyway and species like bighorn sheep and sage grouse that depend on undisturbed terrain. Organizers hope the sanctuary could eventually expand to over 11 million acres.