THE GOOD NEWS SCRAMBLE

News that is making me feel hopeful.

[thegoodnewsscramble]

20 House Republicans Break Ranks to Join Democrats in Passing Pro-Union Bill

"Speaker Johnson wouldn’t bring this bill to the floor, but House Democrats and the Labor Caucus built bipartisan support and used a dischar

[hope-for-the-planet]

70% Drop in Levels of Forever Chemicals Observed in Seabird Eggs Tracks Regulatory Success

These pescatarian birds are directly exposed to PFAS contamination due to the island's position near the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Over fifty years of data show a peak in PFAS (also known as "forever chemicals") content in seabird eggs in the 90s, followed by a decrease as regulations went into effect. The most recent findings show a 70% decrease of most common PFAS.

While continued vigilance a regulation is needed, this data indicates that regulations are working to reduce PFAS concentrations in marine ecosystems.

[sattarehi]

Yes!!!! I did a review of literature on PFASs in human drinking water about half a year ago, and there is a lot of really good progress! Please celebrate this, please don't let this solution be forgotten (at least so quickly) as the ozone layer or acid rain.

We are making genuine progress! Producers are dramatically altering how much they use PFAS and how much gets released in effluent, but also there's a lot better understanding of how to remove PFAS from the environment!

Environmental problems CAN BE SOLVED.

[hope-for-the-planet]

Germany's coal exit quietly progressing, likely completed by 2032 – researcher | Clean Energy Wire

Germany has a standing legal commitment to phase out coal by 2038--but is currently on track to complete the phase out by 2032 based on market factors alone.

[thegoodnewsscramble]

97,000 CT residents to learn part or all of their medical debt has been erased

If you have medical debt, you might receive a letter this week stating it’s been erased. It’s part of a program Connecticut signed up for tw

[thegoodnewsscramble]

China added a Germany-sized electricity grid last year

We’ll often see headlines quoting how many gigawatts of new solar farms or coal plants China is building. But it’s hard to get a meaningful

[thegoodnewsscramble]

On Oregon’s McKenzie River, an unprecedented approach to restoration takes shape - High Country News

On Oregon’s McKenzie River, an unprecedented approach to river restoration is taking shape.

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Mexico cuts workweek, bans after-hours contact, and guarantees no worker will take a pay cut in the most sweeping labor reform in a generati

Mexico amends its constitution to cut the maximum workweek from 48 to 40 hours by 2030 and gives 13.5 million workers the legal right to ign

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to suspend tax breaks offered to data centers

Pritzker, who is widely viewed as having 2028 White House aspirations, is tapping into an issue seen as important to voters.

[thegoodnewsscramble]

China's EV shift cut pollution enough to prevent 262,000 deaths

China's rapid switch to electric vehicles cut urban air pollution enough to prevent an estimated 262,000 premature deaths, new study reports

[darkhorse-javert]

Mangrove forests are healing after decades of human destruction

Swampy mangrove forests are staging a surprise comeback - which is good news for coastal communities and the climate.

[unidentifiablelifeform]

Trawling bans spark recovery for Scotland’s seabeds - Oceanographic

Scientists recorded more than 1,500 species critical to the marine ecosystem, which they say emphasises the need for marine protections

Trawling bans spark recovery for Scotland’s seabeds - Oceanographic

Scientists recorded more than 1,500 species critical to the marine ecosystem, which they say emphasises the need for marine protections

[thegoodnewsscramble]

How do you differentiate between reassurance seeking and just absorbing good news?

Hey anon, sorry I didn't see this, looks like this was submitted in March and I didn't see it til now.

Reassurance seeking never reaches an end. This is one of the hardest things I've had to learn in OCD treatment. Reassurance seeking soothes for like five minutes and then you might feel another spike in anxiety/uncertainty.

Just absorbing is letting it hit you, seeing if it can apply to where you are, how you can help, or just yeah, revelling in some joy, always a good way to spend your time.

The biggest thing I want people reading this blog to remember is this: it's not that bad things are not happening, it's that the bad things are not the whole story. Despair helps no one and is a trap set by people who need you to think nothing can be improved.

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Are you ever planning to do another Pushback Roundup?

Yeah, I probably will. Truthfully, I tend to do them sparingly because I like to wait for stories to play out that I'm keeping my eye on. There are so many random things this administration is throwing at the wall that won't stick, but it takes a while for the spaghetti to truly fall off of the wall. Like his name on the Kennedy Center, like the J6 slush fund, etc. etc.

Also they're a lot of work, I really don't like looking at that guy and spreading his words farther, AND I do try to keep a global focus on this blog. I think it's important for Americans (like myself) to remember that we are not the only country in the world, and others are having their own problems and finding their own solutions, and we can too. Hungary in particular has been really inspiring me lately.

But yeah, a pushback roundup is due soon. Thanks!

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Blossoming among spoil heaps: how 1,000 years of lead mining gave birth to banks of pansies and pennycress

Calaminarian grassland is a rare habitat where plants thrive in soils contaminated by heavy metals. But should these toxic meadows be protec

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Platypus population expands to 20 in Royal National Park: latest survey

Three years after their historic reintroduction to Royal National Park, platypuses are now breeding, dispersing and being spotted by visitor

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Oregon gets its first California condor visit in 122 years

More than a century after California condors disappeared from Oregon, one bird's journey signals progress for the endangered species.

[thegoodnewsscramble]

Britain sets solar record as households take control of energy bills 

Solar Energy UK  28 May 2026  New government figures published today confirm a record year for solar deployment, as households and businesse