Over the last year I have been collecting positive news items, narratives and stories about the future, listed below. These stories and opportunities may or may not be genuine positive news, are random rather than following any specific research methodology, yet they are seeds for conversation about what consitutes a positive vision of the future, and what solutions we might genuinely be able to find to respond to anthropogenic environmental change. Many of these stories link to the discussions and explorations that took place during the Performing the Future project.
New developments in renewable energy
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/05/groundbreaking-spinning-wind-turbine-wins-uk-dyson-award
New National Parks created in Chile
http://www.landscapethejournal.org/Tompkins-Conservation
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/30/can-the-worlds-largest-rewilding-project-restore-patagonias-beauty
Cuban experiments with agro-agriculture, using a Campesino e Campesino approach between farmers and scientists
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/future_tense/2012/04/agro_ecology_lessons_from_cuba_on_agriculture_food_and_climate_change_.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_fb_top&via=gdpr-consent
Huge wind farm off the coast of Merseyside, as part of the development of windfarms in the Irish sea, off the North West coast of England, but how do they impact the coastline?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/17/mersey-wind-turbines-liverpool-uk-wind-technology
Chilean fishermen protecting marine life, the much loved Chilean Locos, through a marine protection area, although on a recent trip to Chile I discovered there is quite a large black market in locos
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-41271358
A video showing a narrative of good news for finding solutions for climate change
https://www.climaterealityproject.org/video/good-news
Tesla’s solar power batteries being used to bring back power after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and in Hawaii
https://grist.org/article/tesla-and-solar-groups-put-puerto-rico-back-on-the-grid/
https://grist.org/climate-energy/welcome-to-paradise-batteries-now-included/
Working towards an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary
https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/antarctic?source=em&subsource=20171030ocem01&utm_source=gpeace&utm_medium=em&utm_campaign=20171030ocem01
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/antarctica-krill-fishing-industry-marine-protected-zone-greenpeace-whales-seals-penguins-a8439311.html
Committing to renewable energy and banning fossil fuels
https://grist.org/briefly/st-louis-just-became-the-biggest-midwestern-city-to-commit-to-clean-energy/
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/costa-rica-fossil-fuels-ban-president-carlos-alvarado-climate-change-global-warming-a8344541.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/church-of-england-climate-change-investment-withdraw-paris-agreement-fossil-fuels-a8437781.html
Using food production to create resilient communities after Hurricane Maria
https://grist.org/article/hurricane-maria-crushed-puerto-rico-farms-this-activist-wants-to-grow-resilience-through-food/
Protecting Uluru
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41827203
Alternative technology options to pesticides
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/14/miniature-robots-could-cut-pesticide-use-on-farms-in-future
George Monbiot’s call to arms for a world where growth is not necessary
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/22/black-friday-consumption-killing-planet-growth
Building a forum for urban forests and green infrastructure
http://iflaonline.org/event/first-world-forum-on-urban-forests/
Support to help people transform their own local community spaces
https://www.growwilduk.com/community-projects
The transformation of an ex-coal mine into the wonderful National Forest in the UK
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/08/people-seem-happier-how-planting-trees-changed-lives-in-a-former-coal-community
Glow in the dark plants being used as street lights, reducing energy and light pollution
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/glowing-plants-streetlamps-lamps-replacement-new-invention-a8113191.html
Renewables taking over from coal in the UK
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/28/renewables-power-coal-2017-uk-figures
Planting trees to reduce flooding in the Lake District after storm Desmond
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/14/country-diary-bannisdale-cumbria-fells-planting-river-mint
Inventions and attempts to respond to the plastic crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/02/is-there-life-after-plastic-the-new-inventions-promising-a-cleaner-world
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ocean-plastic-cleanup-machine-great-pacific-garbage-patch-launch-boyan-slat-a8317226.html
http://www.ift.org/Knowledge-Center/Read-IFT-Publications/Science-Reports/Scientific-Status-Summaries/Editorial/Food-Packaging-and-Its-Environmental-Impact.aspx
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/16/scientists-accidentally-create-mutant-enzyme-that-eats-plastic-bottles
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/the-brazilian-villagers-turning-plastic-pollution-into-profit
Systems for dealing with housing crisis, transforming cities, green cities and gentrification issues in urban environments
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/01/portland-anti-gentrification-housing-scheme-right-return
http://transformativecities.org/atlas-of-utopias/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/britains-most-notorious-estate-broadwater-6220321
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/17/sun-terraces-and-lawns-dutch-residents-transform-parking-spaces
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jun/15/green-streets-way-to-go-weatherwatch-pollution
Environmentally engaged art
http://theharrisonstudio.net
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2018/may/18/i-was-feeling-at-one-with-the-cosmos-then-the-first-plastic-bottle-washed-up
http://www.cultureandclimatechange.co.uk
https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/17/to-the-ends-of-the-earth-art-and-environment
http://www.minuteworks.co.uk/2016/04/13/gaia-project/
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jul/09/fifty-billboards-an-art-project-hopes-to-provoke-debate-across-america
Protecting the Amazon
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/amazon-rainforest-colombia-protect-deforestation-environment-logging-supreme-court-legal-rights-a8292671.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/colombia-rainforest-national-park-world-heritage-site-serrania-del-chiribiquete-a8428371.html
Protecting coral reefs
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coral-reef-genetically-engineered-climate-change-great-barrier-global-warming-a8318756.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/belize-barrier-reef-coral-unesco-endangered-a8420566.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coral-oasis-reefs-climate-change-global-warming-pacific-caribbean-fishing-a8404901.html
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/topher-white-engineer-rainforests-explorer-festival/
Making technology more sustainable
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/apple-iphone-aluminum-breakthrough-latest-update-product-rio-tinto-alcoa-metal-a8345686.html
UK marine conservation projects
http://www.lancswt.org.uk/living-seas/marine-conservation-zones
Insurance to help resiliance to climate change
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/14/global-insurance-plan-aims-to-defuse-potential-climate-damage-bombshell
How plants look after each other
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/plants-underground-communication-chemical-messages-neighbours-stress-corn-a8332716.html
Fungus and moss creating sustainability
https://grist.org/living/mushroom-burial-suit-turns-dead-bodies-into-clean-compost/
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jul/05/magic-mushrooms-how-fungus-could-help-rebuild-derelict-cleveland
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/21/moss-may-prove-cheap-city-pollution-monitor-study-finds
Rights of Nature
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/should-trees-have-standing-9780199736072?cc=gb&lang=en&#
Can we think positively about polarised politics and thinking?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/30/politicians-admitting-wrong-brexit-trump
Role of blockchain in creating sustainability
https://www.nextnature.net/2018/05/blockchain-changing-agriculture-industry/
Recycling
https://www.terracycle.co.uk/en-GB/brigades
Kurdish ecological revolution
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-latest-planting-trees-internationalist-commune-bashar-al-assad-isis-middle-east-a8437646.html
Return of extinct animals
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/28/return-of-the-bison-herd-makes-surprising-comeback-on-dutch-coast
Indigenous knowledge
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/indigenous-women-climate-change-first-voice
This page will continue to be updated…