Hi all,
TexDem is at the doctor this morning so I’m filling in, again.
While I know there are Good News diaries daily here at DKos I thought I’d cover some things you may not have heard about. Besides, can we really have too much good news these days?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is getting smaller. Once the patch was twice the size of France, since 2021 The Ocean Cleanup Foundation has removed 220.5 tons of plastic and they continue to remove plastic at an accelerated pace. They are not just working in the oceans, The Ocean Cleanup Foundation has worked to help countries invent ways to catch plastic in rivers before it gets to the ocean.
Renewable energy production surpassed coal globally for the first time in the first half of 2025. More than half of the electricity generated was from renewable sources.
New car sales in Norway are close to being 100% electric vehicles. They currently stand at between 95 to 97% and the government is creating some new incentives to reach the 100% mark. Last year Ethiopia, yes, Ethiopia banned the import of combustion engine vehicles and now there are over 115,000 EVs on the roads. The government hopes to hit 500k by 2030 out of the 1.5 million cars in Ethiopia.
The 1.6-megawatt installation, called Project Nexus, was fully completed late August. The $20 million state-funded pilot has turned stretches of the Turlock Irrigation District’s canals into hubs of clean electricity generation in a remote area where cotton, tomatoes, almonds, and hundreds of other crops are grown.
California has completed its first section of solar panels covering the water canals that run through central California to southern California. The first section produces 1.6 megawatts of power and will hopefully be expanded to cover more of the 4000 miles of canals in the state. Covering the canals reduces evaporation and the water keeps the panels cool so they operate more efficiently.
New York now requires all new buildings to be built entirely electric without hookups to fossil fuels.
Gene therapy is curing “incurable diseases.” Sickle cell disease is being cured by using gene therapy to edit a person’s own cells so they produce healthy blood. Trials are showing a 90% success rate.
Global poverty is in decline. Those living on less than $2.15 per day has dropped by over 100 million since 2020 lifting millions into middle class. Better access to banking via mobile apps is what has helped people around the world get access to loans, saving accounts etc…
Charitable contributions were up last year in the U.S. by 3.3% for a total of $592.5 billion.
Happy Friday everyone, have a great weekend.
Bob
