Climate Action
What is Climate Action? Climate Action is humanity's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our planet's resilience against climate change. From adaptation to mitigation, at The Optimist Daily you will learn about the most recent positive news stories and solutions targeting climate change and other environmental issues.
Flow batteries could help with renewable energy storage
The generation of renewable energy from sources like wind and solar is one thing, but there are many other factors to consider when delivering renewable energy to consumers. A big one is the issue of storage. One Oregon startup, ESS Tech Inc. is fixing this problem with its flow Read More...
OnePower: bringing minigrids and power to Lesotho
A key aspect of helping the developing world is not only ensuring that they have sufficient power and infrastructure to run key facilities like schools and hospitals. It is also important to ensure that their energy infrastructure is resilient and, hopefully, runs on renewable energy. This is Read More...
How a century-old cargo schooner is bringing back emissions-free shipping
The shipping industry is responsible for 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions — putting about 940 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Before 1960, however, when containerization started to take off, cargo schooners were transporting goods around the world Read More...
Dam! Europe removes record number of river barriers in 2021
In 2021, Spain began a movement to remove dams from the country’s rivers to restore fish migration routes and boost biodiversity across the nation. They successfully took down 108 barriers and inspired other European countries to do the same. “Our efforts to expand dam removals across Europe Read More...
The pursuit of nocturnal solar technology is growing
Last month, we wrote a story on solar cells developed by Stanford University that could draw a small amount of power at night, when most would think solar panels would be useless. The endeavor to create solar panels that can draw additional power at night is growing. Now, a collaboration of Read More...
This invention extends strawberry shelf life
About a third of our food goes to waste — that’s problematic not only because those bites could instead go toward feeding people in need but also because food waste is responsible for about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. A lot of that food ends up as waste because we fail to Read More...
“Blue Corridors”: using science and animal instinct to save fish populations
We’ve all marveled at the intrepid salmon swimming against the current, up waterfalls, and avoiding predators to return to its native spawning grounds, or at least we’ve all seen it on a nature show. This behavior is called philopatry, an animal’s tendency to return to its area of birth, and Read More...
The Local Infrastructure Hub: helping US cities get infrastructure funding
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill was signed into law six months ago and has the potential to transform the United States in essential ways that address climate change and wealth inequality. Before that happens, though, states and cities need to submit persuasive aid applications. To sift Read More...
MIT system uses machine-learning to reduce traffic and car emissions
As if idling in a line of cars at a red light forever wasn’t bothersome enough, vehicles emit greenhouse gasses while they’re stopped in traffic. Not only that, exposure to excess vehicle emissions while idling in traffic can be a major health risk. What if drivers could time their trips Read More...
New Zealand passes landmark climate legislation, helping switch to EVs
New Zealand has one of the highest per capita carbon emissions rates in the world, but it still has a strong reputation for environmentally responsible behavior. In the spirit of the latter, it plans to help with the former and has just passed landmark legislation that may set a standard for other Read More...