Europe

Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuania court recognizes same-sex couple in historic ruling

By / / Good News For Humankind

A Vilnius City District Court has for the first time granted state recognition to a same-sex couple in Lithuania, affirming them as a legal family and enabling them to access social and economic benefits tied to family status. Although Lithuania’s Constitution explicitly bans same-sex marriage and the Civil Code restricts civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples, the court’s decision aligns with a landmark April 17, 2025, ruling by the Constitutional Court. That decision declared these restrictions unconstitutional, calling on Lithuania’s Parliament to enact partnership legislation—and, in the meantime, allowing courts to grant recognition.

Inside Vatican dome

Vatican strikes solar farm deal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral state

By / / Good News For Humankind

Italy has agreed to a Vatican plan to build a solar farm on 1,000 acres near Rome, aiming to make Vatican City the world’s first carbon-neutral state. The Santa Maria Galeria project will generate enough clean energy for the micronation while preserving the land’s agricultural use and minimizing environmental impact. This step marks a significant commitment by the Vatican toward sustainability and climate leadership.

UN building and world flags

World Court says countries are legally obligated to curb emissions and protect climate

By / / Good News For Humankind

A landmark decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands has cleared the way for countries to sue each other over climate change. Campaigners and climate lawyers have called this a “watershed legal moment” and hope the decision will pave the way for compensation from countries that have historically burned the most fossil fuels. The unprecedented case was the brainchild of a group of young law students from low-lying Pacific islands on the frontlines of climate change, who came up with the idea in 2019.

Fishes underwater

Portugal announces a massive new marine protected area

By / / Good News For Humankind

The new marine protected area covers 38,000 square miles surrounding the Gorringe Ridge, home to 850 marine species. The Gorringe Ridge is the tallest seamount—a large submarine volcanic mountain—in Western Europe, and is known for its biodiversity. Among its most famous inhabitants are “soft corals,” or gorgonians, and deep-sea sponges, which call the 1,100 reefs found throughout the ridge home. Portugal has now raised its percentage of total protected territorial waters from 19% to 27%.

Solar farm

Solar was E.U.’s biggest source of power for the first time ever in June 2025

By / / Good News For Humankind

At least 13 E.U. countries saw solar output hit a new monthly high in June, according to an analysis from energy think tank Ember. Solar amounted to more than 40% of generation in the Netherlands and 35% in Greece. Coal generated just 6 percent of electricity, a new monthly low. Fifteen E.U. countries are now coal-free, including Austria, Belgium, and Ireland. Analysts say that the June surge in solar power helped Europe weather a brutal heat wave, which saw temperatures soar upwards of 110 degrees F Analysts say that the June surge in solar power helped Europe weather a brutal heat wave.

Holding a smiling baby

World’s first malaria treatment for newborn babies gets approval

By / / Good News For Humankind

Switzerland’s drug regulator has cleared the way for a new medicine to become available in parts of Africa where the life-threatening disease is endemic. In a late-stage clinical trial, pharmaceutical giant Novartis showed the drug was safe and effective for babies. The lack of specialized treatment – and the fact that babies are not vaccinated until they are around five months old – has left the youngest infants relatively unprotected against malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that kills about 597,000 people per year.

Pride celebration with pride flag in foreground

In landmark ruling, same-sex couples recognized as family by Ukrainian court

By / / Good News For Humankind

Kyiv’s Desniansky District Court has formally recognized a same-sex couple as a family, marking the first legal precedent of its kind in Ukraine, human rights organization Insight LGBTQ has announced. Ukraine does not currently recognize same-sex marriages or partnerships, and this court ruling may serve as a critical legal milestone in expanding rights for LGBTQ families. According to a 2024 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 70% of Ukrainians believe LGBTQ citizens should have equal rights.

Euro bills

Germany to raise minimum wage from €12.82 to €14.60 by 2027

By / / Good News For Humankind

The wage increase will take place in two stages. First, it will be increased from €12.82 per hour to €13.90 at the beginning of 2026. It will then increase again by €0.70 a year later. This means German workers would typically earn close to €2,500, making it the second-highest minimum wage in the European Union after Luxembourg, which mandates a monthly minimum of €2,638.

Irish flags

Ireland shuts down its last coal-fired power plant

By / / Good News For Humankind

Ireland has become the 15th coal-free country in Europe, having ended coal power generation at its 915 MW Moneypoint coal plant in County Clare. Initially commissioned in the mid-1980s by ESB, Moneypoint was intended to help Ireland offset the impact of the oil crises in the 1970s by providing a dependable source of energy. But with Ireland now generating a lot more renewable energy, coal burning is no longer such an urgent need.