Climate Positive News - June 2026

This month's collection of climate positive news stories highlight French winemakers plans to combat climate change, the revival of coastal mangrove forests, and the European country that has become a renewable electricity powerhouse.

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1. Rare butterfly population increases by 90 times

The population of a rare butterfly species has increased by more than 90 times in Kent over two decades, according to a conservation charity. There were fewer than 50 Duke of Burgundy butterflies in 2005, but this rose to nearly 600 last year.

Dr Dan Hoare, director of nature recovery at Butterfly Conservation, said, "Individual species are the building blocks of ecosystems. Those butterflies have a role in pollination. For us, this is a really symbolic story. "You can recover even really restricted species if you get the process right."

Find out more on the BBC website.

2. Prize-winning invention tackling the microplastics emergency

Ayra Satheesh has been crowned the European winner for the 2026 Earth Prize for her work on tackling microplastics. Satheesh received the accolade for her project Eco Purge, a biodegradable plastic that breaks down safely while releasing catalysts that help remove other existing microplastics from the environment.

Find out more on the Euronews website.

3. Mangrove forests are healing after decades of human destruction

For decades, the world's coastal mangrove forests, which protect millions of people from storms - and soak up vast amounts of planet-warming gases -  had been declining rapidly as they were cleared for fish farms and housing.

But a new study shows that since 2010 the world has been gaining more mangroves than it has been losing - driven by stronger legal protections and increased public awareness of their importance, sparked by disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Find out more on the BBC website.

4. French winemakers plant trees in bid to counter climate change

Winemakers across France are experimenting with the ancient practice of "vitiforestry" – growing trees alongside vines – to tackle the modern issue of climate change, and many are impressed with the results. As the world faces increasingly unpredictable weather, trees can help protect vines from spring frosts and provide shade during heatwaves.

Find out more on the Euronews website. 

5. Lithuania’s renewable electricity transformation

At a recent conference in the European Parliament, Lithuania was praised for having the fastest renewable electricity transformation in the EU over the past four years, helping it become the first in Europe to achieve “complete independence from Russian fossil fuels”.

By 2028, under the current Government Programme, the country aims to have domestic electricity consumption powered by 100 per cent renewable power, with the aim of becoming a net exporter of electricity powered primarily by renewable energy.

Find out more on the Euronews website.

6. London pupils rebuild broken toys to cut waste

Schoolchildren across London are being taught how to take apart and rebuild broken toys and household items in a project designed to cut waste and get them thinking about climate change.

The Broken Umbrella Challenge was being run by the firm Science Owl during London Climate Action Week. Founder Dr Renee Tonkin set up the project after learning that about 28 million toys are thrown away in the UK each year, a figure from the North London Waste Authority.

Find out more on the BBC website.

By Eveline Vouillemin ©