What went right this week: the good news that matters

A treaty to safeguard the world’s high seas has been ratified by the EU, a move that Greenpeace said was “welcome”. 

Amid much fanfare, 115 countries signed up to the UN global ocean treaty in 2023. The legally binding accord seeks to protect 30% of international waters by 2030. Currently, only around 1.2% of the high seas are protected, with the vast majority threatened by overfishing.

States had pledged to ratify the treaty before the UN Ocean Conference next month. However, only 28 nations have done so, well short of the 60 required for it to enter force. The UK is one notable heel dragger.

“It gives us hope to see such a large group of European countries ratifying the global ocean treaty, but it’s still not enough,” said Greenpeace’s Lukas Meus. “More countries must ratify the treaty at the UN Ocean Conference and should also confirm their support for a global moratorium on deep sea mining. Only then could we call this conference a success.”  

Image: Milos Prelevic

Scotland is poised to become the first UK nation to criminalise ecocide – severe and reckless harm to nature – under a new bill published in the Scottish parliament.

The bill would make it a criminal offence to cause “widespread, long-term or irreversible” environmental damage, with potential penalties including up to 20 years in prison for individuals and unlimited fines for companies. The proposed legislation will now be considered by the Scottish parliament. A parliamentary vote could take place as soon as this year.

The bill puts Scotland at the forefront of growing international efforts to use criminal law to deter mass environmental destruction. In 2024, Vanuatu, Samoa, and Fiji formally proposed making ecocide an international crime. EU nations, meanwhile, will have provisions to prosecute for “conduct comparable to ecocide” by 2026.

“This Scottish Bill is a striking example of how national action can drive global change,” said Jojo Mehta, CEO of Stop Ecocide International. “While the ultimate goal is to have ecocide recognised as a serious crime all over the world, national laws play a crucial role in legitimising that goal, building momentum, and providing accountability now.”

Not everyone is convinced. Critics say that definitions within the bill are far too broad and point to existing legislation that already makes it illegal to destroy the environment.

Image: Robert Lukeman

There’s been a dramatic decline in violent crime across the US so far this year, as the murder rate continues its downward trajectory. 

Analysts are urging caution at the data, not least because the year is still young, but stats across the US suggest that violent crime is falling rapidly. The Real-Time Crime Index, an academic project that collects crime data, estimates that the US murder rate is down by more than 20% so far this year. Overall, violent crime is down by around 11%. 

Jeff Asher, who compiles the index, says that 2025 is on track to be the most peaceful since the 1960s. “It’s still early in 2025, but murder is down an enormous amount,” he says. 

Violent crime was falling steadily in the US before the pandemic, when it surged. The latest data suggests that the trend could be back on track. 

Explanations for the decline are legion, with many linking it to the ‘community violence interruption‘ programmes championed by Joe Biden. Others point to efforts made by police forces to rebuild trust after George Floyd was murdered by an officer in Minneapolis, triggering the Black Lives Matter movement.     

Image: Clay Leconey

People in Canada and the UK work more from home than employees elsewhere – with no evidence that it impacts their productivity.    

That’s according to a major study by King’s College London and Stanford, US. It found that Canadians and Brits work an average of 1.9 and 1.8 days per week from home, respectively – way above the global average of 1.3. 

“Workers are using remote work not just for convenience, but as a way to rethink their priorities – whether that’s spending time with family, avoiding long commutes, or living further from expensive city centres,” noted Dr Cevat Giray Aksoy, associate professor of economics at King’s. “We find no strong evidence that remote work comes at the cost of productivity, as many of its sceptics have feared.”

The study – based on a survey of 16,000 full-time, university-educated people spanning 40 nations – said the shift is “forcing businesses, policymakers, and city planners to reimagine everything from office space to transport to regional growth”. 

Previous research into remote working has painted a contradictory picture, with some studies suggesting that it boosts productivity and others claiming the opposite. “It is highly dependent on how well it’s managed,” the International Monetary Fund noted.

Image: Cristian Tarzi

For decades, Australia’s energy grid has been stubbornly coal dependent, but a rapid shift is now underway. 

According to figures from the Australian Energy Market Operator, the country had its greenest quarter in the first three months of 2025, with renewables providing 43% of the nation’s electricity. 

Perhaps most striking was an 85% leap in battery capacity, plus a 16% rise in rooftop solar. Over the same period, gas and coal generation plumbed new lows.

Renewables have flourished in Australia under prime minister Anthony Albanese, who was re-elected in a landslide earlier this month. 

“Australians have just voted overwhelmingly for a renewable future,” said Amanda McKenzie, CEO of Australia’s Climate Council.  “The newly elected Albanese government can seize this mandate and go further and faster in … delivering on commitments to energy and climate.”

Despite the good news, Australia still seems content to fuel emissions elsewhere. Recent data shows that thermal coal exports hit a record high last year.

Image: Dan Freeman

Conservationists have counted a record number of puffins on a remote Welsh island, which appears to be acting as a refuge for a species that is declining globally.

Skomer Island has been billed a “conservation success story” after 43,626 puffins were spotted during an annual count by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. The charity said that an abundance of fish and lack of invasive predators, namely rats, were behind the numbers. 

Globally, the picture is less rosy. Puffin populations are nosediving elsewhere and the species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“Although Skomer Island is a conservation success story for puffins, they are a species under threat,” said the trust’s Leighton Newman. “We must do all we can to continue to protect them.”

Image: James Armes

Twitchers are aflutter after golden eagles were spotted soaring above northern England for the first time in years.

The raptors were hunted to extinction in England during the 19th century, and while they returned in the post-war years, numbers declined again. England’s last golden eagle disappeared in 2015. 

Conservations hope this time will be different, pointing to the success of an eagle reintroduction programme across the border in Scotland.

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP) translocated 28 chicks and 15 juvenile eagles to southern Scotland a decade ago. Tagging data confirms that the raptors spotted in Northumberland are part of that programme, raising hopes that the birds could now recolonise England from the north. 

“Scotland now holds 17 occupied territories of golden eagles – more rapid progress than anyone expected,” said Cat Barlow, CEO of Restoring Upland Nature, which is continuing SSGEP’s work. “With the south Scotland population looking much healthier than it has in centuries … could we see goldies return to the skies of Northumberland on a more permanent basis?”

Image: David Dixon

Four critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas rescued from the illegal wildlife trade have been reintroduced to the wild in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

The female gorillas will provide a critical genetic boost to a small and isolated population of eight gorillas living on Mount Tshiaberimu. It’s the largest-ever eastern lowland gorilla translocation and population reinforcement in Africa.

“This is a huge milestone in efforts to bolster the eastern lowland gorilla population and we are delighted that the gorillas are successfully adapting to the wild,” said Emmanuel De Merode, director of Virunga National Park. 

Image: Devin Murphy/GRACE

Manchester Museum in England has been crowned European museum of the year, with judges praising its contribution to globally significant academic research, as well as its community engagement and social responsibility. 

The museum – owned by the University of Manchester, and displaying works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history – has been at the forefront of efforts to engage with communities and create a more inclusive experience.  

“As a university museum, [Manchester Museum] plays a vital role not only in academic research but also in advancing social responsibility and justice,” said Amina Krvavac, chair of the European museum of the year jury.

“This is reflected in its co-curation approach – an ongoing process involving collaboration with local and diasporic communities to incorporate multiple perspectives into the interpretation and presentation of its collections.” 

Image: Vita Student

Believing that better times lie ahead, even when there’s scant evidence, requires a leap of faith. But such optimism is vital to human survival and progress, suggests a new book.

Penned by Sumit Paul-Choudhury (pictured), former editor-in-chief of New Scientist magazine, The Bright Side was written following his wife’s death from ovarian cancer.

It makes the case for optimism being a driver of positive change and problem solving at a time when global challenges loom large. A glass-half-full outlook, it suggests, was key to Ernest Shackleton and his crew surviving two years of hardship when they got stuck in the Antarctic. 

“There is nothing that says you need to be optimistic about everything at all times, but if you are not optimistic, you will not find solutions,” Paul-Choudhury told Positive News.

Read the full interview here.

Image: Linda Nylind
Main image: Bobby Neptune/GRACE