'Flying' ferries and conservation wins: Positive environmental stories from 2026

Euronews · Feb 17, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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With powerful nations rolling back climate protections and temperatures soaring ever closer to dangerous thresholds, it's hard not to feel worried about the state of the planet. As green journalists, climate anxiety, climate doom and even environmental existential dread are a daily presence. These terms all describe the negative feelings, such as stress, fear, anger and grief, that confront us when the reality of a warming Earth hits home. With almost daily stories of destruction and loss of life due to extreme weather, it’s impossible to escape the impacts of climate change. Rather than being paralysed by helplessness, though, experts suggest that we channel these feelings into action. At Euronews Green, we know we play a key role in combatting climate doom. While it’s our job to be truthful and accurate in our reporting and not downplay or greenwash the realities, we also want to remind you that there is always hope. This is why, for the past four years, we’ve kept a roundup of positive environmental news. Every year we cover hundreds of good news stories, from eco-innovations and green breakthroughs to climate wins and feel-good reports on nature. Here are this year's top positive stories so far - including the small and local, the silly that made us smile - and the enormous and potentially world-changing. If you came across a great, positive story that we haven't covered, please reach out to us on Instagram or X to share your ideas. Positive environmental stories from February 2026 Quiet, comfortable and low emissions: How this ‘flying’ ferry is transforming Stockholm’s waterways In late 2024, commuters in Stockholm gained a novel way to cross the Swedish capital: a ‘flying’ electric ferry. Just over a year later and the project has been declared a resounding success by the Swedish Transport Administration following an evaluation of its pilot route. Return of Sardinia’s griffon vultures hailed as one of Italy’s greatest conservation success stories Sardinia's griffon vultures were on the brink of extinction at the beginning of 2010. The population of the birds had been plummeting due to indirect poisoning, including from pesticides and chemicals ingested by animals they fed on. But today, the Italian island is home to more than 500 individuals, making it one of Italy’s most impressive conservation success stories. An ‘Uber on rails’: French company adapts vans to train tracks to revive abandoned networks France has thousands of kilometres of disused railway tracks which are too costly to renovate for heavy, modern trains. But one startup has devised an alternative solution to put them back into use. Instead of relaunching trains, the project by engineering firm SICEF will see hybrid vans called Ferromobiles using the lines. Portugal tops EU leaderboard as over 80% of electricity in January came from renewables According to the Portuguese Association for Renewable Energies (APREN), a staggering 80.7 per cent of the country's electricity generated in January 2026 came from renewable energy. It marks the best record in nine months, since Portugal suffered a mass blackout that triggered nationwide chaos, and bumps the country up to second in Europe overall. Non-EU Norway came first, with 96.3 per cent renewable electricity production last month, while Denmark dropped to third place with 78.8 per cent. ‘Hot sand for a cooler climate’: Has Finland finally found a solution to industrial heat emissions? Finland is harnessing the unexpected power of sand to decarbonise industrial heat – a major “blind spot” in global emissions. Industrial heat production is one of the largest and hardest-to-solve sources of carbon emissions, accounting for around one fifth of the world’s total energy consumption. Are air fryers secretly improving indoor air quality? Air fryers often use less electricity compared to conventional ovens, meaning they’re a great way to keep energy bills low in the face of spiralling costs. Now, new research says air fryers may be better for indoor air quality too - with one key condition. Positive environmental stories from January 2026 ‘Off the fossil fuel rollercoaster’: 10 European countries pledge €9.5bn for North Sea wind projects Almost a dozen countries have rallied together to get off the “fossil fuel rollercoaster” and transform the wind energy sector. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK have signed the Hamburg Declaration – a landmark commitment to deliver 100GW of joint offshore wind projects across shared North Sea waters by 2050. This is enough electricity to power around 143 million homes. Can a ‘sustainable’ fungicide save France’s vineyards from climate-driven disease? Winemakers have been offered a glimmer of hope after France banned fungicides heavily relied on to protect their harvest from mildew and mould. Sean Smith, CEO of Eden Research, a tech company based in the UK, has come up with a “viable and sustainable” alternative to copper-pesticides. Solar and wind overtake fossil fuels in the EU for the first time Wind and solar generated more EU electricity than fossil fuels for the first time in 2025, marking a “major milestone” in the transition to clean power. ‘Historic’ High Seas Treaty comes into force The much anticipated High Seas Treaty has come into force, marking a “historic milestone” for global ocean conservation. Covering almost half of the planet’s surface, the High Seas lie beyond national borders and form part of the global commons. Until now, there was no legal framework dedicated to protecting biodiversity in these international waters and ensuring the benefits of their resources were shared fairly among nations. We’ve neglected the power of carbon-sucking fungi. Meet the scientist determined to change that An “invisible” key to tackling the climate crisis has taken centre stage after evolutionary biologist Dr Toby Kiers was named the winner of the 2026 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. The Laureate, which is often touted as the ‘Nobel Prize’ for the climate, recognises “outstanding” scientific work in environmental science, health and energy that benefits humanity. It comes with a $250,000 (around €215,000) cash prize. How the oceans’ coral reefs could be a secret weapon to tackle food insecurity around the world Coral reefs could become a crucial part of the pathway to help fight global hunger and improve nutrition around the world. New research from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) says that rebuilding coral fish stocks and managing them at a “sustainable level” is still feasible and may be a solution to tackling malnutrition. In some places, this could be achieved in as little as six years. A rare whale is having an encouraging season for births One of the world's rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction. The North Atlantic right whale's population numbers an estimated 384 animals and is slowly rising after several years of decline. France’s ban on ‘forever chemicals’ comes into force. Here’s what will change France’s ban on "forever chemicals" came into force on 1 January following mounting concern over the adverse health impacts of these persistent pollutants. The landmark bill was passed on 20 February 2025, with more than 140,000 citizens calling on their MPs to support the ban.