Global Summary – Good News 2022

Although I feel that we have been flooded with summaries of the last year and I missed the deadline by a few days, I have decided that this summary is important and that I should continue to work on writing it anyway. We don’t get to hear much good news in the media and it’s a shame because this year too I came across hundreds of articles about good and interesting news. The content we consume has a great impact on our life experience and we need to make an effort to consume content that will direct us to a positive future.

So without further ado, this is the collection of good news that I have chosen to conclude the year 2022 with:

January

• A research team from Australia has developed a non-toxic, fire extinguishing coating that could save buildings from being engulfed in flames. Inspired by lava, the coating melts when exposed to extreme heat and then gradually forms a flowing, but non-combustible ceramic layer.
  
•  Solar electricity will produce power for nearly half of U.S. electricity generation by the end of 2022, in addition to 17 percent of electricity generation from wind farms.
  
•  IKEA buys 3,200 acres that were damaged by a hurricane in Florida to plant forests.
  
•  Drone helps save the life of a 71-Year-old man who has cardiac arrest while shoveling snow.

February

• Success in mass planting of forests in India, more than half a million acres are covered in new forests. Today about a quarter of India’s area is covered with trees.
  
• Scotland aims to save wild salmon by planting millions of trees along the rivers. They have started to plant trees along the banks that will help keep the water cooler in the hope that this will protect the salmon eggs.
  
• Iceland stops issuing whaling licenses.
  
• 100 nations take action to save oceans from illegal fishing and plastic pollution.

March

• California officials approve plan to crack down on microplastics polluting the ocean.
  
• Solar panels built from waste crops can make energy without direct light.
  
• Carbon-Negative plant opens in Turkey turning algae into bio-jet fuel, feedstocks, supplements, and fertilizers.
  
• Road in London closes for nearly a month to protect migrating toads as they hop to the other side.

April

• Nonprofit organization protects more than a million acres of rainforest all with public donations.
  
• Vancouver couple converts their huge resort property into a Ukrainian refugee home for dozens.
  
• Researchers from Stanford University construct solar panels that harvest energy from the environment during the day and night, avoiding the need for batteries altogether.
  
• Massive new marine parks will now protect and preserve the Australian oceans surrounding Christmas Island and Cocos Islands—home to life found nowhere else on earth.

May

• Cheap gel packs can pull many liters of water from the air even in desert environments.
  
• IKEA will start selling solar panels in some U.S. stores.
  
• A scuba diving team has completed an extraordinary clean-up of Lake Tahoe after a full year of work, pulling up more than 12 tons of submerged trash.
  
• Number of Greater One-Horned Rhinos reaches new high in India reporting that the population now numbers 4,014 individuals—up from just 100 individuals 50 years ago.
  
• Extremely rare pigs that can fight off bears saved from extinction by farmers.
  
• Hundreds of US cities composting their food waste helps farmers and cuts tons of emissions.

June

• A new type of plastic made directly from organic plant waste has been created by scientists. The new material is easy to make and could be used in everything from packaging and textiles to medicine and electronics.
  
• Sustainable wind turbine towers being made of eco-friendly wood.
  
• Urban forests create a birdlife boom in New Zealand cities – even species absent for generations.
  
• World’s first CO2 battery to offer long-duration energy storage has been launched at half the cost.

July

• Delaware will install free solar panels for low-income residents and pay 70% of the cost for moderate-incomes.
  
• Berlin’s derelict airport undergoes transformation to become a sustainable neighborhood.
  
• 158 Tesla mega-batteries will boost Hawaii green energy by 10%, and shut down coal-fired power plant.

August

• California begins covering canals with solar panels to fight drought.
  
• A startup is using recycled plastic to 3D print tiny $25,000 prefabricated homes in LA.
  
• A new detection system could save Sperm whales from ship strikes.
  
• Smart contact lenses that diagnose cancer created by scientists.
  
• New glasses allow deaf people to ‘see’ conversations by turning audio into subtitles.
  
• Solar company covered storage facilities in solar panels—brings power to 1,400 homes.

September

• Ordinary plastic turned into diamonds via laser beam in Germany.
  
• Manuka honey could help to clear deadly bacteria which cause cystic fibrosis.
  
• Company Patagonia gives away its entire worth of $3 Billion to fight climate change.
  
• Australia’s ocean kelp forest is growing at lighting speed–rivaling the mighty amazon for absorbing CO2.
  
• Jet fuel derived from used cooking oil certified airworthy for large-scale production in China.

October

• An American firm called Solar Cycle is transforming broken solar panels from landfill waste into valuable raw materials—perfect for making more solar panels.
  
• First wild Bison in 6,000 years in surprise birth in UK after several were reintroduced to the wild.
  
• In a stunning piece of accounting, solar, wind, and hydroelectric power supply was found to have met 100% of new power installations globally during the first half of the 2022.
  
• Joining the United States and a number of other countries, Australian officials have committed to preserve 30% of the continent’s landmass in a natural state for conservation.

November

• Greek Island replaced its landfill with recycling plant that now reduces waste by 85%.
  
• ‘RobotFalcon’ can disperse flocks of pesky birds to make airplane flights safer.
  
• Endangered Manning River Turtles released into wild after egg rescue during ‘Black Summer’.
  
• Man finds $40,000 diamond ring buried on Florida beach and tracks down the owner.

December

• Fishing skipper saves 31 lives after a boat capsizes in the English Channel.
  
• Swedish firm to unlock the electricity of the sea with largest wave power station in the World.
  
• 30% of Barbados seas to be protected under “Blue Bond” financing that saved the Seychelles.
  
• Car makes record-breaking 621-mile trip on single charge powered by the sun.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the good things that have happened around the world in the past year and that it fills you with hope for the new year. I wish that you surround yourself with positive content and that this year you fill your mind with empowering thoughts.