Good News #31
UK bans plastic wet wipes, Cape Town to expand electric bus network, Gabon strikes forest conservation deal, IUCN votes to protect ocean's twilight zone, and RRC Polytech earns sustainability award
Here’s your weekly roundup of environmental good news stories from around the world. Enjoy!
UK banning plastic wet wipes to clean up rivers and seas
The UK government has passed legislation to ban the sale and supply of wet wipes containing plastic. The ban is aimed at protecting waterways, reducing microplastic pollution, and tackling sewer blockages known as “fatbergs”— which contribute to 94% of sewer blockages in the UK. A government consultation found that 95% of respondents support the ban. Businesses in England have until spring 2027 to comply; in Wales, the ban comes into effect in December 2026.
New EV bus charging network in Cape Town
Cape Town is expanding its electric bus charging network at the Arrowgate Depot, where 30 high-speed charging stations are powered by solar panels and grid electricity. By December 2025, the facility will expand to 50 charging units, supporting 120 electric buses. These electric buses will reduce annual carbon emissions by about 18,000 tonnes a year —equivalent to removing more than 4,000 private vehicles from the road. Currently, 68 electric buses operate in the city, each carrying up to 65 passengers and travelling up to 240 kilometres per charge.
Gabon strikes a deal to protect rainforest
Gabon has struck a landmark climate-finance deal to protect 34,000 square km of its Congo Basin rainforest. Dubbed “Gabon Infini,” the plan pools $94 million from international donors (including the Global Environment Facility and Bezos Earth Fund) with $86 million in Gabonese government funding over the next 10 years. It uses a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model — tying disbursement of funds to concrete policy outcomes — to establish new national parks, combat elephant poaching, and grow eco-tourism. Nearly 90% of Gabon is covered by rainforest, home to wildlife such as African Forest Elephants and Western Lowland Gorillas. The plan aims to nearly double the proportion of Gabon’s forest under protection — raising it from about 15% to 30%.
IUCN votes to protect the ocean’s twilight zone
At the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabia, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) voted to pass Motion 035, which calls for a precautionary approach to industrial activities in the mesopelagic “twilight” zone of the ocean. This zone, between 200–1,000 m deep, holds a vast amount of biomass (possibly up to 90% of ocean fish) and plays a major role in carbon sequestration: many mesopelagic organisms migrate daily, helping move 2–6 gigatons of CO₂ into the deep ocean. EDF argues that until we better understand these ecosystems, industrial exploitation should be limited — and the resolution helps create space for data-based governance and science-informed policy.
RRC Polytech has earned a gold rating for sustainability
RRC Polytech has earned a Gold rating in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System), marking a major institutional commitment to sustainability across academics, operations, planning, engagement, and innovation. The college has integrated sustainability into course curricula, reduced building energy use, partnered on clean-energy applied research, and established socially responsible procurement policies — all while embedding equity and community sustainability in its mission.
So delightful this. You always brighten my day.