Most Americans find following the news very depressing. According to the Pew Research Center, only 7% of people surveyed say the news makes them feel happy or empowered, compared with about four in 10 who say the news makes them angry or sad. report.
But 2025 wasn't all doom and gloom. In particular, there have been positive developments in the science and climate sector, which show that progress is still possible, even if it doesn't always make the headlines.
Here are seven good news stories you may have missed this year.
Antarctic ozone hole is shrinking
The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk to its fifth largest size in more than three decades, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The reduction was made possible by rules on “ozone-depleting” substances set out in the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental treaty designed to protect the ozone layer. A weaker polar vortex, a low-pressure system of cold air, also contributed to the decline.
The ozone layer acts as a global shield against harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. A weakened ozone layer can increase the incidence of skin cancer, cataracts and significantly affect crop yields.
“Since peaking around 2000, levels of ozone-depleting substances in the Antarctic stratosphere have fallen by about a third compared to pre-ozone hole levels,” said Steven Montzka is a senior scientist at NOAA's Global Monitoring Laboratory.
Progress in finding a cure for HIV
Researchers from Melbourne approaching to treat HIV after scientists discovered a way to force the virus, which can hide in white blood cells, to come out of hiding, according to a June report paper published in the journal Nature Communications.
The new discovery could help the estimated 40.8 million people living with HIV. according to to the most recent data from the World Health Organization. For many, the disease is treatable, with nearly eight in ten people worldwide receiving antiretroviral therapy as treatment. Life expectancy rates have also improved significantly. However, HIV remains incurable due to the virus's high mutation rate and ability to infect immune cells.
Researchers used mRNA technology to encapsulate HIV in a “fat blister” that instructs cells to show the presence of the virus. “We hope that this new nanoparticle design could provide a new route to treating HIV,” said Dr. Paula Sevaal, a Doherty Institute postdoctoral fellow and first co-author of the paper. said Guardian.
More than 33 million people have died from HIV, although the number of deaths per year has fallen sharply since the 2004 peak.
Medical progress is only one of many steps before an official cure is found. Sevaal warned that many discoveries do not reach the clinical trial stage. However, she said: “In terms of specifically the HIV treatment area, we've never seen anything as good as what we're seeing in terms of how well we can detect this virus.”
“So from that perspective, we're really hopeful that we'll be able to see this type of response in animals as well, and that we'll eventually be able to do the same thing in humans.”
The International Court of Justice makes a landmark decision on climate change
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the main judicial organ of the UN. stated that countries have an obligation to provide a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” under international human rights law.
In its landmark July ruling, which described climate change as an “urgent and existential threat,” the court found that countries have a legal responsibility to address climate change.
“This opinion is not just about what countries will have to do in the future,” Nikki Reisch, director of climate and energy programs at the Center for International Environmental Law, previously told TIME. “This is about the past, present and future of climate action, and, crucially, it is about recognizing that we cannot solve this growing climate crisis without confronting its roots, that past emissions matter, and that the losses and damage already incurred must be acknowledged and addressed.”
The court called on countries to engage in global cooperation to combat climate change and said states must regulate private actors who might interfere with such commitments.
Green sea turtles are no longer endangered
Green sea turtles have returned from critically endangered status, with their population increasing by almost 30% since the 70s, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). announced in October.
More than four decades after the species was first listed as endangered, the largest hard-shelled sea turtle has been downgraded to “least concern” conservation status, meaning it is “widespread and abundant.”
For years, green sea turtles have been sought after for their meat, eggs and even shells due to the wildlife trade. But even as some populations continue to face threats, conservation efforts, particularly on Ascension Island in Brazil, Mexico and Hawaii, have proven fruitful.
“Conservation efforts are focused on protecting nesting females and their eggs on beaches, expanding community initiatives to reduce unsustainable harvesting of turtles and their eggs for human consumption, reducing trade, and the use of turtle exclusion devices and other measures to reduce the accidental capture of turtles in fishing gear,” IUCN said. Climate change remains a major threat to sea turtle homes, especially in Australia, home to the world's largest marine nesting ground.
“The ongoing global recovery of the green turtle is a dramatic example of what coordinated global conservation over decades can achieve to stabilize and even restore populations of long-lived marine species,” said Roderick Mast, co-chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission's sea turtle specialist group. “Sea turtles cannot survive without healthy oceans and shores, and neither can humans. Continued conservation efforts are key to ensuring a lasting recovery.”
Researcher finds a way to help children with rare brain cancer
A doctor working at the Institute of Cancer Research in London has discovered a way to treat cancerous tumors in children under one year of age.
The discovery was made by Dr. Matt Clark, who discovered that existing drugs could help treat high-grade gliomas. tumor type found in the brain or spinal cord and can spread quickly—in children under one year of age.
“Being able to identify a group of tumors that previously, unfortunately, had an incurable prognosis, and now we can find treatments that can really make a difference and ensure the survival of these children, is a huge step forward,” Clark said BBC.
This breakthrough means doctors will no longer have to rely on chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which can be especially harmful to young children, to treat this particular type of cancer.
“We're already making steps forward in the right direction,” Clark said. “Hopefully we can continue to build on this in the coming years.”
Renewable energy will grow faster than fossil fuels
The world is rapidly moving towards using predominantly renewable energy sources.
A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) says renewable energy will grow at a faster rate than other energy sources over the next decade, making the transition to this form of energy “inevitable.”
Separate study on energy Amber think tank found that renewables accounted for 34.3% of global electricity production in the first half of 2025, while coal accounted for 33.1%. This was the first time that renewable energy surpassed coal.
The sector's growth comes despite US President Donald Trump's calls for increased domestic oil and gas production and his rollback federal funding for renewable energy projects.
Discovery of the Egyptian cultural treasury
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which houses more than 100,000 artifacts including the tomb of King Tutankhamun, officially opened to the public in November this year.
117 acres The cultural treasury, located just 1.2 miles from the Pyramids of Giza, is home to thousands of years of history, ranging from the ancient Egyptian civilization to the end of the Greco-Roman period.
Egypt hopes the opening of the “world's largest archaeological museum” will boost the country's tourism sector with displays such as the complete contents of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, the young ruler who became widely known after the 1922 discovery of his nearly intact ancient tomb, remarkable given the widespread looting of others. This is the first time the entire collection has been exhibited together since its opening.
