The Good News
The EHD dashboards show what's broken. This page shows what we've fixed.
Every issue here was once a crisis on par with anything in the Global, Ontario, or Toronto dashboards — until people, science, and policy came together and turned it around. These 20 stories are proof that the direction can change.
20Success stories tracked
7Fully resolved
50+Years of combined progress
6Categories covered
How we score recovery
The same transparent scale, flipped toward hope.
Recovery: Fully Resolved ≥85 Major Progress 60–84 Turning the Corner <60
1987 – presentMajor Recovery
The Ozone Layer Is Healing
On track for full recovery by the 2060s
Recovery 88/100Atmosphere
1990 – presentMajor Recovery
Acid Rain Has Been Sharply Reduced
U.S. SO₂ emissions down over 90% since 1990
Recovery 78/100Atmosphere
1970s – 2021Fully Resolved
Leaded Gasoline Has Been Eliminated Worldwide
Every country on Earth has banned leaded gasoline
Recovery 95/100Atmosphere
1952 – presentMajor Recovery
London's Killer Smog Is a Thing of the Past
The 1952 Great Smog killed thousands in days — it couldn't happen now
Recovery 82/100Atmosphere
2016 – presentTurning the Corner
The World Agreed to Phase Down Super-Pollutant HFCs
The Kigali Amendment could avoid up to 0.5°C of warming by 2100
Recovery 55/100Atmosphere
1969 – presentMajor Recovery
The River That Caught Fire Now Supports Fish Again
Cuyahoga River water quality has improved dramatically since 1969
Recovery 85/100Water
1957 – presentFully Resolved
The Thames Went From Biologically Dead to Full of Life
The Thames is now home to seals, seahorses, and over 100 fish species
Recovery 90/100Water
1972 – presentMajor Progress
The Great Lakes Are Recovering From Decades of Pollution
Phosphorus loading targets met in several Great Lakes basins
Recovery 68/100Water
1986 – presentMajor Recovery
The Rhine Brought Salmon Back After a Catastrophic Spill
Salmon returned to the Rhine within a generation of the Sandoz disaster
Recovery 80/100Water
1980s – presentMajor Recovery
Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover
Forest cover grew from ~26% to over 50% of the country
Recovery 83/100Land
1980 – presentMajor Progress
Thousands of Toxic Sites Have Been Cleaned Up
Over 450 U.S. Superfund sites fully cleaned up and delisted
Recovery 60/100Land
1972 – presentMajor Recovery
Banning DDT Let Ecosystems Recover
Eggshell-thinning in birds of prey has reversed since the DDT ban
Recovery 87/100Land
1963 – presentFully Resolved
The Bald Eagle Came Back From the Brink
From ~417 nesting pairs in 1963 to over 300,000 eagles today
Recovery 96/100Biodiversity
1987 – presentMajor Progress
The California Condor Was Saved From Extinction
From 27 birds in captivity to over 500 alive today, most flying free
Recovery 65/100Biodiversity
1966 – presentMajor Recovery
Humpback Whales Have Rebounded After Near-Extinction
Some populations have recovered over 90% toward pre-whaling numbers
Recovery 84/100Biodiversity
1911 – presentTurning the Corner
Southern Sea Otters Are Slowly Repopulating the Coast
From near-extinction (fewer than 50) to roughly 3,000 today
Recovery 58/100Biodiversity
1995 – presentMajor Recovery
Wolves Are Back in Yellowstone
From 0 wolves in the park to a stable population reshaping the ecosystem
Recovery 79/100Biodiversity
1970s – presentMajor Recovery
Childhood Lead Poisoning Has Plummeted
Average U.S. childhood blood lead levels down over 90% since the 1970s
Recovery 81/100Human Health
1986 – presentFully Resolved
Guinea Worm Disease Is Nearly Eradicated
From 3.5 million cases a year to fewer than 15 in 2023
Recovery 99/100Human Health
2010 – presentMajor Progress
Solar and Wind Power Became the Cheapest Electricity in History
Solar costs have fallen roughly 90% since 2010
Recovery 62/100Resources