Good News!
Let’s try a different tone.
It feels like every few weeks I post about incredibly difficult topics, which can be frustrating and terrifying depending on the times. But there’s been some positive news developments these past few months and into the new year from butterflies to malaria.
It’s important that we intentionally carve out space for uplifting news and spotlight progress and positivity wherever we can find it. In Nicholas Kristof’s farewell letter to the NYT, he mentioned the lessons he has learned in writing stories these past few decades: “But just because journalists cover planes that crash, not those that land, doesn’t mean that all flights are crashing.”
This year I’m hoping to find more stories where the plane lands.
So, let’s get into it:
On Malaria
One of the top medical innovations of 2021 had to be the malaria vaccine. In October of last year, the first vaccine to effectively target a parasite was approved by The WHO. From what I can tell, it is still undergoing financial and distribution decisions and has already been proven to be feasible to deliver (during a pandemic!) and even children who are not sleeping under bed nets are benefitting from the new vaccine. You can read all about it here.
On Butterflies
Butterflies had an amazing year in 2021. The Western monarch population saw a significant increase in migration—in 2020, California counted fewer than 2,000 monarchs. Last year, there were more than 100,000. While these monarchs are still on the brink of extinction, this huge count is promising. I really love butterflies so this was so sweet to hear!
Western monarch populations grew over 100-fold in 2021. Why? | PBS
California has 50 times more monarch butterflies than last year — a puzzling blip in their path to extinction | Buisness Insider
Monarch butterflies may be thriving after years of decline. Is it a comeback? | The Guardian
An Update on Substance Abuse
If you have been following the newest health epidemic as of late, you are more than familiar with how addictions to opioids/fentanyl/meth have crippled many communities. But finding stories about recovery have been rare. That is until recently. Consider This by NPR, covered a new study that has shown three out of four people who experience addiction eventually recover, if they get the care they need.
On the Environment
Any win is a win no matter how small. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done when it comes to the climate crisis and sustainability. Here’s a few stepping stones:
“Undocumented workers are cleaning up our climate disasters. A new bill would protect them.” Congresswoman Jayapal introduced the Climate Resilence Workforce Act, given that the disaster recovery workforce lacks the kind of job stability, health care benefits, and labor protections that government employees receive. You can read more about the bill here.
Biden Administration Cancels Mining Leases Near Wilderness Area | The leases, reinstated during the Trump years, would have allowed a Chilean mining conglomerate to dig for copper and nickel near the Boundary Waters wilderness in Minnesota.
523 acres of land will be returnted to Indegenous communities in Lost Coast in Mendocino County, California.
The Biden-Harris administration launched a coalition of States and Local Governments to Strengthen Building Performance Standards. This is reportedly, “a first-of-its-kind partnership between 33 state and local governments dedicated to delivering cleaner, healthier, and more affordable buildings.”
Connecticut is changing the game when it comes to supporting electric vehicle charging. Learn about their comphrensive program and investments here.
On the CDC & Gun Violence
For the first in CDC history, the current Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, has determined that gun violence is a public health crisis. This is a game-changer. Rather than trying to solve this issue via “gun reform” and political theatre, scientists and health professionals will study the root causes of why so many people are dying from guns— not just mass shootings and homicides, but all the ways people die by guns. I am excited about what this interdisciplinary approach to creating solutions will bring. Learn more here or listen below.
cover image by https://unsplash.com/@monaeendra