It’s always time to look on the bright side! ☀️ Following air quality news can often be a bummer, so we think it’s important to keep on top of the good news too. All over the world, amazing projects and incredible campaigns help raise awareness of the issues and push for clean air for everyone.

To help combat the wintry weather and January blues we’ve picked three smog-beating stories to put you back on cloud nine. Ready to wave goodbye to the negative news cycle? 👋

1) Beijing hits 2017 air quality target.

Much of the pollution news that reaches us from China’s capital tends to focus on the bad, but did you know that the latest reports say reduction measures are on track? According to targets set out under the 2013 clean-up plan, the yearly average concentrations of harmful particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (more often named PM2.5) have dropped by 35.6% since 2012.

2) Eyes in the sky keep track of pollution.

In October last year, the European Space Agency launched a new high-tech satellite to keep track of global air pollutants—and the first images are bringing the issue into focus. The Sentinel-5P provides a resolution up to six times better than its predecessors, meaning sources of harmful emissions will soon have nowhere to hide.

3) Diesel’s days are numbered.

Cities around the world are making pledges to ban diesel cars from entering central urban areas by 2030 at the latest. Paris, Copenhagen and Oxford released a joint announcement last October, arguing that the phase out of diesel was necessary to improve air quality. On top of that, national governments, including France and the UK, have declared their intention to ban diesel sales completely by 2040. Reports suggest that UK sales are already falling.

Want to make your own good news story? Now you can know what you breathe wherever you are thanks to Flow, the smart air quality tracker from Plume Labs. Protect yourself and your loved ones from air pollution by pre-ordering Flow today!

Any air quality success stories you think we should know about? Let us know via email!