We're fixing the ozone!

And other pieces of positive climate news.

With everything going on climate-wise, it’s ridiculously easy to get discouraged. I was recently thinking back to the 2019 Climate March in Montreal, and how excited my friends and I were to be experiencing such a surge within mainstream global interests in protecting the climate. That sort of zest for climate activism now seems confined to interest groups and specific online spaces as our climate situation appears bleaker.

In an effort to curb that ever-creeping environmental anxiety, I’ve collected small bits of positive climate and sustainability news.

1.     Healing the Ozone Layer

If I had to speculate, I’d say that learning about the hole in the ozone layer as a child probably greatly influenced my passion for environmental activism later in life. If you told my 8-year-old self that we’ve already made great progress on healing it, I would’ve jumped for joy.

According to Scientific American, the 1987 environmental agreement titled the Montreal Protocol is to credit. By phasing out production of chemicals harming the ozone layer (chlorofluorocarbons), scientists predict midlatitude recovery as early as 2040 – and worldwide by 2066!

This piece of news isn’t super recent, but still worth mentioning since we’re seeing continuous improvement every year. It’s also worth noting that supporting policies and political representatives that advocate for these kinds of agreements are integral to structured, effective change.

2.     Indigenous Land Protections

Restoring Indigenous land rights and supporting conservation efforts are at the heart of climate action in North America. The recent NWT: Our Land for the Future agreement signed in July 2025 is an Indigenous-led partnership between the Canadian federal government, 20+ Indigenous governments, and numerous environmental organizations.

The agreement states that $300mil in government funding and $75mil from philanthropic organizations will go towards the protection and stewardship of nearly 380,000 square kilometers of land in the Northwest Territories. What’s great about this agreement is that the funding will be given directly to various Indigenous governments within various regions of the protected lands, to develop conservation programs that fit the needs of their area and community.

The Narwhal’s article on this achievement also mentioned the agreement is also expected to create jobs and increase cultural programming. Personally, it’s heartwarming to see real effort (and money!) from the government on both ecological conservation and increasing Indigenous land stewardship. Of course, there’s always more that can be done, but this is an important step in Land Back movements.

3.     Students Change Climate Law

I recently came across this article in The New York Times sharing how a class of Pacific Islander law students set out to reshape global climate law. They explore the ways that human rights law and climate law intersect and argue that they should not be treated as two separate bodies of law.

What started as an extracurricular assignment turned into a case for climate accountability being presented at the International Court of Justice advisory. Isn’t that inspiring? The ICJ advisory did rule in their favour, agreeing that international law applies to climate change cases, and countries that cause environmental harm via emissions can be held legally accountable for their actions.

This interpretation of climate law can now be applied worldwide in countless different scenarios: for example, we now have a framework by which fossil fuel companies can be held financially responsible, or be used as a baseline in developing impactful climate policies within nations. It’s stories like this that reignite my passion for environmental law, and I’d definitely recommend giving the article a read.

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I hope this was an enjoyable read and perhaps provided some motivation to act in any way available to us. The intersection of climate justice and policymaking are personal interests of mine, and I think it’s important to remember that not every climate change-related news story has to be negative! Thanks to the dedication of so many individuals and organizations, we’re seeing real progress. After all, collective action is the driving force of progress.