This week’s good climate news

With so much still to do to slow warming and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, it’s important to fortify ourselves by celebrating wins along the way.

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An aerial shot of the hills in the Iberian Highlands

Getting wild in the Iberian Highlands

Cattle, semi-wild horses and black vultures were reintroduced to Spain as part of a rewilding project, and soon the Iberian lynx will join them. This project aims to make a 2.1 million-acre area more nature-friendly, restore the landscape’s ecosystem and protect old-growth forests.

This area in the Iberian Highlands has seen considerable human population decline as people moved into cities, making it perfect for rewilding. 

An electric car charging on the street

Biden bestows big battery boost

The Biden administration awarded $2.8 billion in grants to 12 states to ramp up electric vehicle battery production. In addition, 20 corporations will receive grants to boost U.S. lithium production and other critical minerals.

The companies who were awarded grants will be required to match all federal money, which means roughly a $9 billion investment in clean energy and good-paying jobs. 

A group of young people picking up trash in a forest

Making a better world is making your mental health better

More than 128,000 young people participated in nature projects across the U.K., and a new report proves the value of nature. After completing the projects, 95% of participants reported increased confidence and 86% said it improved their mental health. 

The projects also made two-thirds of the 11- to 24-year-olds feel as though they could make a positive change in their local communities. 

A regal fritillary butterfly on a flower

Rare butterfly population exploding amid explosions

Rare regal fritillary butterflies found an unusual home at a 17,000-acre National Guard training base in Pennsylvania. Throughout the land — torn-up from artillery fire and other military maneuvers — a rich grassland formed, perfect for the butterflies. 

The butterflies are considered critically imperiled in Pennsylvania, but they are now being reintroduced around the state thanks in part to this base.

A row of wind turbines on a hillside

Record amount of renewables by EU

Since the European Union’s shift away from natural gas, the 27-nation bloc has saved roughly $97 billion. In the past six months, the EU generated a record amount of renewable energy ​​— 24% of electricity came from clean power sources, proving renewables are not only reliable, but likewise cost-effective.

And while energy prices remain high, renewables are a cheaper alternative to fossil fuels and can help in the fight against inflation. 

Let’s take action on climate together