From fossil fuels to vaccines to rape kit reform, this week’s good news list covered a lot of ground.
At a conference in Colombia focused on “Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels,” 59 countries backed voluntary roadmaps to end the production and use of fossil fuels. The plans go beyond climate plans under the Paris agreement because they also account for fossil fuel exports. Almost half of the countries attending produce fossil fuels and will provide plans for winding down output. All participants also agreed to support poorer countries in developing their roadmaps and to reassess fossil fuel subsidies.
In Poland, influencer Piotr Hancke turned an April 17 livestream fundraiser for the Cancer Fighters Foundation into a nine-day event. Guinness World Records said it raised more than $76 million, more than tripling the previous livestream fundraiser record. A spokesperson for the foundation said, “We’re reaching for the stars, reaching for space, to help those who need it most, the innocent children who fight the hardest battles every day.”
A report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air found coal-fired generation was flat globally in March, while seaborne coal transport volumes fell 3 percent to their lowest level since 2021. The group said solar and wind capacity added in 2025 is enough to offset losses linked to the Strait of Hormuz blockade twice over.
In Maryland, ecologists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are building a 22-acre forest as part of the Functional Forests project. The research will plant 33,518 saplings from 20 species across 200 sections to test how different combinations affect growth and goals including fire resistance, climate resiliency, wildlife, pollinators and food production.
The World Health Organization and Gavi said their “Big Catch-Up” initiative delivered at least 18.3 million vaccinations to children aged 1 to 5 years across 36 countries before it wrapped up in March. About 12.3 million of those children had never received a vaccine before. The broader alliance has delivered 100 million childhood vaccine doses since 2023.
In Tennessee, a pilot agrivoltaics project on a 40-acre farm near Nashville is testing cattle grazing under solar panels. The project says software upgrades allow farmers more manual control, while the panels provide shade for cows and help the soil retain moisture. The model is aimed at expanding clean energy without cutting into farmers’ livelihoods.
Paraguay’s poverty rate fell from more than 50 percent two decades ago to 16 percent last year, with 300,000 people leaving poverty in the last two years alone. The country’s “Hambre Cero” program now feeds more than one million children in public schools and sources food from family farmers and small businesses in communities.
In Australia, students from La Trobe University found 500 freshwater turtles in Imperial Lakes Nature Park as the lakes neared drying up for the first time in their 130-year history. Their emergency fundraising appeal brought in more than $100,000 AUD, or about $72,406 USD, enough to help keep the lakes full through the next dry period.
Coffee companies are also working on a public map of global coffee production using satellite technology. The project will map 1.2 million square kilometres of coffee-growing areas across Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda, with the aim of identifying forest loss and helping restore natural areas.
Other developments in the roundup included FIFA changing its rules so the Afghan women’s team can officially play for their country, England’s Renters’ Rights Act coming into effect for 11 million people, and Iceland, Portugal and Norway meeting their 2024 target to vaccinate 90 percent of girls under 15 for HPV.
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