It’s a busy week for good news, from elephants getting more space to roam to new signs that electric vehicles are cleaning up the air.
The first large-scale elephant sanctuary in Europe is receiving its first residents, Julie, the last circus elephant in Portugal, and Kariba, who has been living alone at a Belgian zoo.
The sanctuary is on a former cattle ranch in the Alentejo, east of Lisbon and close to the border with Spain. It is opening to provide a more natural environment for the around 600 animals still living in captivity across Europe, and it will not be open to the public.
It currently covers 28 acres and plans to raise more funds to expand into the 405 hectares available, which could welcome 20 to 30 elephants.
Studies have found reduced life expectancy and increased infant mortality rates among elephants held in captivity, with one study finding African females lived 17 years on average in zoos, compared to 56 years in the wild.
In the United States, more than half of states now cover doulas under Medicaid.
A new review of clinical trials published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that doulas, or those who provide assistance before, during, and shortly after childbirth, greatly lower maternal anxiety and improve postpartum care.
According to the National Health Law Program, 26 states and Washington DC are now actively reimbursing Medicaid coverage of doula care. Before 2020, only Oregon and Minnesota provided that coverage.
UnitedHealthCare also recently announced it would allow coverage of doula care in employer-sponsored programs nationwide, saying that parents, infants, and the healthcare system all benefit from increased access to doulas.
In California, a new study found electric vehicles are already making what it called a “remarkable” difference for cleaner air.
From 2019 to 2023, a national team of scientists measured nitrogen levels across nearly 1,700 ZIP codes in California and found that for every increase of 200 electric vehicles, nitrogen dioxide emissions decreased by 1.1 percent.
The study’s lead author said: “We’re not even fully there in terms of electrifying, but our research shows that California’s transition to electric vehicles is already making measurable differences in the air we breathe.”
A UNESCO report also found that people and wildlife are thriving in protected areas.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization said there are more than 2,260 UNESCO sites across over 13 million square kilometres, supporting the livelihoods of 900 million people.
About a quarter of those sites overlap with Indigenous communities, and wildlife populations within the sites have remained stable despite a 73 percent global decline in monitored species across five decades.
A co-author of the study said: “It’s good news, it shows that these sites are extremely resilient in the face of a changing world.”
In Gaza, Omar Hamad and Ibrahim Massri have opened the Phoenix Library, rebuilding Gaza’s first new public library after raising more than $100,000 and securing a location.
The library includes books donated from around the world, along with 1,000 collected from rubble throughout Gaza.
In Greece, the preventive healthcare program Prolamvano, or “I Prevent,” has grown to include more than six million patients since debuting in 2024 with a focus on early detection and diagnosis.
A senior Greek health official said early testing has already led to the detection of around 200,000 medical cases at an early stage and estimated that cardiovascular screenings alone have helped avert more than 60,000 strokes and heart attacks.
In Illinois, a 1.62 megawatt community solar project has opened on the rooftop of an industrial building in Melrose Park through the state’s Illinois Shines program.
The project is in an Illinois Environmental Justice Community, areas where residents have faced a disproportionate burden of environmental harm due to heavy industry activity, air and water pollution, or underinvestment in infrastructure.
New Jersey has also cut levels of PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” in drinking water by as much as 55 percent over the past eight years, according to new data from Rutgers University.
The state became the first in the country in 2018 to adopt its own drinking water standards for PFAS, years before the federal government started regulating the chemicals in drinking water.
The University of Chicago has expanded its guaranteed free tuition program, offering free tuition to students whose families earn less than $250,000 a year.
It will also cover housing, meals and other fees for families earning less than $125,000 annually. The university said 90 percent of US households would qualify for free tuition under the expanded threshold.
In Massachusetts, Colin Gerner ran the Boston Marathon in honour of his late brother, GJ Gerner, who died from glioblastoma in 2019 at age 30.
As the number two global fundraiser for the race, StacheStrong announced a $1,000,000 five-year grant for glioblastoma research at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Gerner said: “For me, this is one step (or 26.2 miles) closer to flipping the script on brain cancer.”
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