Good News Links

Good news for public health

Annual jab for HIV protection passes trial hurdle

By / / Good news links

An annual injection designed by California’s Gilead Sciences to guard against HIV has completed an important early safety trial, researchers report in The Lancet medical journal. Lenacapavir stops the virus from replicating inside cells. For the trial, 40 people without HIV were injected into the muscle with lenacapavir, with no major side effects or safety concerns. And after 56 weeks, the medicine was still detectable in their bodies. If future trials go well, it could become the longest-acting form of HIV prevention available.

Monarch butterfly

Eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubles in 2025

By / / Good news links

The population of eastern monarch butterflies – which migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico during the winter – has nearly doubled over the last year, according to a recent report commissioned in Mexico, generating optimism among nature preservationists. The growth in numbers for the orange-and-black butterflies follows years of ongoing conservation efforts – and perhaps provides a sliver of optimism after otherwise discouraging long-term trends for the species.

Human eye up close

Stem cell therapy trial reverses “irreversible” damage to cornea

By / / Good news links

A new study conducted by scientists at Massachusetts Eye and Ear investigated a new treatment that removes stem cells from a patient’s uninjured eye, growing their population in the lab for a few weeks, then surgically transplanting them into the injured eye. The phase 1/2 trial recruited 14 patients to undergo the procedure. By the first checkup at three months, the corneas of seven (50%) of the participants had been completely restored. By the 12-month mark, that number had increased to 11 (79%) patients.

California now has more EV charging ports than gas nozzles

By / / Good news links

California has steadily amassed its EV charging network with both public and private charging ports over the last few years. In 2024, California boasted 178,500 total EV ports compared to around 120,000 estimated gas nozzles, according to the California Energy Commission. The number of accessible chargers across California has nearly doubled since 2022. Since August, the last time these figures were publicly updated, the state has recorded roughly 26,000 additional publicly accessible EV chargers.

Ukraine flag

Norway boosts financial support to Ukraine with €4.3 billion

By / / Good news links

The Norwegian Parliament has agreed to more than double the financial support to Ukraine for 2025 as the United States continues to withdraw its support under the Trump administration. Norway’s state budget for 2025 initially granted €2.98 billion to Ukraine. Today’s increase by 50 billion kroner boosts the total sum for this year €7.24 billion, more than doubling Norway’s contribution. None of the politicians were against helping Ukraine in its defense against aggressor Russia, from the far right to the far left.

Marshall Islands flag

Marshall Islands signs treaty banning nuclear weapons in the South Pacific

By / / Good news links

The Marshall Islands has become the 14th Pacific Islands Forum member state to join the South Pacific’s nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament treaty. The agreement, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga, was opened for signature on 6 August 1985 and entered into force on 11 December 1986. The current member states of the treaty are Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Electric bus

Nearly half of new E.U. city buses were zero-emission in 2024

By / / Good news links

49% of all new E.U. city buses were zero-emission in 2024, making city buses one of the early success stories of the European Green Deal. This growth is due to the faster-than-expected uptake in fuel cell buses, making up 3% of new E.U. city buses in 2024. Battery-electric, however, remains by far the dominant powertrain, with a 46% share. This success is due to both the new European regulation last year sending a clear market signal that the days of diesel buses are numbered and city-level policies such as zero-emission zones and fleet targets.

World’s nations back $200 billion a year plan to protect nature

By / / Good news links

Global negotiators concluded an extended session of the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP16, by agreeing on how they would contribute a massive $200 billion a year by 2030 to protect the world’s ecosystems. The money includes a plan to raise $20 billion in annual conservation financing for developing nations by 2025, with that number rising to $30 billion annually by 2030, and on details of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims at placing 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030.

Holding a cell phone|iPhone

Denmark to ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs

By / / Good news links

The Danish wellbeing commission was set up by the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, in 2023 to investigate growing dissatisfaction among children and young people. Its long-awaited report, published recently, raised the alarm over the digitization of children and young people’s lives and called for a better balance between digital and analog life. Among its 35 recommendations was the need for government legislation banning phones from schools and after-school clubs.

Silhouette of baobob trees

Seeds of 19 African tree species added to Svalbard Global Seed Vault

By / / Good news links

Norway is home to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a vast collection intended to secure the world’s vital genetic heritage against any eventuality. The vault currently holds duplicates of 1.3 million seed samples from nearly every corner of the world. Recently, the World Agroforestry Center deposited new seeds to the vault representing tree species of special value to communities across Africa. The 19 species represented included 13 native to Africa and six others that have found a place in the economies and ecologies of the continent.