unearthing the good news

Greetings, Poetry People. 2026 is what you might call a Challenging Year so far, and some of the worst headlines are getting buried under other terrible headlines (that also require our attention. Watch this to understand again how Renee became a "legitimate target" and steel yourself for what we--specifically 99% of us--have to give up to make change).

But I'm actually here on this Friday, traditionally Climate Friday at mjlu, to make sure that I dig up some good news for you during the week when the Administration of Greed & Destruction is doing their worst for the environment.  Let's clap back at the following headlines:

"Trump Withdraws U.S. from Major Global Climate Agreements
On January 7, 2026, the Trump administration released a memo. It ordered the country to pull out of 66 international organizations. This includes key climate bodies like the UNFCCC (a multinational treaty) and the IPCC (the UN scientific group that reviews climate research).

“I (Pres. Trump) have considered the Secretary of State’s report and, after deliberating with my Cabinet, have determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to the organizations listed in section 2 of this memorandum.”"


"Under Trump, U.S. Adds Fuel to a Heating Planet
By pulling the United States out of the main international climate treaty, seizing Venezuelan crude oil and using government power to resuscitate the domestic coal industry while choking off clean energy, the Trump administration is not just ignoring climate change, it is likely making the problem worse."

"U.S. carbon pollution rose last year. Experts blame a cold winter, natural gas prices and data centers.
Whereas U.S. emissions fell in prior years, the country spewed 2.4% more heat-trapping gases from fossil fuels in 2025 than in the year before, according to new research."


So what could there possibly be to hang on to, to celebrate? Try these nuggets:

"Over a quarter of all vehicle sales around the world are now EVs!
“Plug-in cars have been comprising more than half of all sales in China and just under a third in Europe in recent months. EVs have had a sales share of more than 20% in recent months in Turkey, Thailand, and Vietnam...If you think the EV revolution is losing speed, it’s probably just a sign that your own domestic market is getting left behind.”
EVs aren’t a perfect solution, of course...However, EVs today are already much, much better than fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. Unless every watt of power you use to charge the EV comes from coal, EVs produce much lower emissions and require far less mining for resources than regular internal combustion engines. And the more the grid decarbonizes, the greater the benefits."


"5 of Our Top Legal Wins From 2025 - EARTHJUSTICE

The onslaught of environmental attacks from polluting industries and their allies in the Trump administration is not slowing down – but neither is the pace of our litigation.
1. Protecting Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument
5. Protecting the Gulf of Mexico from Offshore Drilling
*Bonus Win: In Settlement of Greenwashing Lawsuit, Tyson Agrees to Stop Making Climate Claims"

"Offshore wind developer prevails in U.S. court 
A federal judge ruled Monday that work on a major offshore wind farm for Rhode Island and Connecticut can resume, handing the industry at least a temporary victory as President Trump seeks to shut it down."

It's not easy to find sources of good climate news, but I'll repeat and add to some of my go-to sources:

What If We Get It Right? with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson  https://ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/

Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe  https://www.talkingclimate.ca/

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/

https://one5c.com/ for practical tips and encouragement

And then I came across this, for those of us suffering debilitating climate (or other "public") grief:

“Unthinkable resource hub.”
"From Unthinkable, a “nonprofit tackling the mental health crisis within the climate crisis,” this rich library of resources offers – among many other things – personalized help for individuals who want to move through distress into focused action."

And now, the poetry part of our program today: the Poets.org Treehouse Climate Poem Prizewinner for 2025.

A dead whale can feed an entire ecosystem
Rachel Dillon

but in this poem nothing dies.

Alone in the poem, I make myself
brave. No—I show brave
to my body, take both to the ocean.

Come hurricane, come rip current,
come toxic algal bloom.

In March, I drift past the estuary
to watch an eight-foot dolphin
lap the Mill River

like a cat pacing a bathtub,
sick and disoriented.

Biologists will unspool her empty intestines,
weigh her gray cerebellum.
She swam a great distance to die

alone. I’m sorry—I lied. I can’t control
what lives or dies. I need a place

to stow my brain. To hold
each moment close as a sand flea
caught in my knuckle hairs.

Please, someone—
tell me a poem can coax

oil from a sea bird’s throat.
Tell me what to do
with my hands—my hands—

what can my hands do now?

Thanks to our host Jan at bookseed studio for bringing us all the inspiring MLKJr goodness today, and

make sure you walk out of somewhere into the shared light of action at 2pm on Tuesday.