Good News #26

Indigenous communities protecting rainforests, Billie Eilish upcycling concert merch, renewables surpass coal, New York's Paseo Park succeeds, and EU investing in renewables in Africa

Photo: Julan Peters Photography, Getty Images

Here’s your weekly roundup of environmental good news stories from around the world. Have a great weekend!

---

Renewables surpass coal for the first time

For the first time in history, renewable energy sources have generated more electricity globally than coal. In the first half of 2025, solar and wind power produced about 5,072 TWh, surpassing coal’s 4,896 TWh, according to Ember’s report. China and India drove much of this growth with record clean energy installations. The milestone signals that the global energy transition is not just possible — it’s accelerating — cutting emissions and reshaping power systems faster than ever.

Learn more

New York’s Paseo Park is a success

In Jackson Heights, Queens, a 1.3-mile stretch of 34th Avenue has been transformed into a “Paseo Park.” What started as an Open Streets initiative during the pandemic has become permanent, thanks to almost US$90 million in city backing. No longer dominated by cars, the street features gardens and play space that’s safe and accessible. There is less air and noise pollution, and with rain gardens and permeable pavers, it’s less prone to flooding. Residents helped lead every step, from multilingual surveys to design visioning. Jackson Heights’ story is showing how urban neighbourhoods can reclaim streets for people and the environment.

Learn more

Empowering Indigenous communities to protect rainforests

In tropical regions, rainforests are being saved thanks to a program by Cool Earth that gives Indigenous communities cash directly — no strings attached — to resist lucrative offers from loggers. With this approach, 2.1 million acres across the Peruvian Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Papua New Guinea have been protected. The model shifts away from market-tied conservation and carbon offsets toward addressing what communities need most: basic income, food security, and access to essentials. By empowering Indigenous communities, they don’t have to choose between survival and conservation.

Learn more

EU is investing €545 million to boost renewables across Africa

The European Commission has announced a €545 million “Team Europe” package to expand renewable energy access across Africa through the Scaling Up Renewables in Africa initiative. The funding will support major grid, wind, solar, and hydro projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Somalia, and more — bringing clean power to millions of people while strengthening regional energy networks. The initiative aims to improve electricity access, create millions of green jobs by 2030, and accelerate Africa’s transition to affordable, sustainable energy.

Learn more

Billie Eilish is upcycling unsold concert t-shirts

Billie Eilish and Universal Music Group’s merch arm, Bravado, have launched a large-scale upcycling program that repurposes 280,000 unwanted concert T-shirts into new merchandise instead of letting them go to landfills. Unusable parts of the garments are shredded and converted into insulation material. By absorbing initial costs, Bravado aims to normalize recycled merch so that prices become competitive — and in doing so, inspire other apparel lines to take this approach. The initiative could shift in how the music industry handles overstock and waste. We’re looking at you, Taylor Swift!

Learn more