Environment
Need some good news about the environment? The Optimist Daily is your go-to herald of positive environmental news, highlighting eco-friendly solutions and scientific progress around climate action, circularity, conservation, and more. Learn about everything eco in our Environment section.
This Indonesian museum is made out of plastic pollution
The problem of plastic pollution is largely perpetuated by a lack of education and awareness about what actually contributes to this worldwide issue, and what we, the people, can do to help. To bring plastic pollution to the forefront of the minds of the public, activists in Indonesia have Read More...
What is COP26 and why does it matter?
Leaders from around the world are preparing for COP26, and we at The Optimist Daily are gearing up to report on the latest climate action surrounding the conference, but today we’re here to share some basic details on what COP26 is and what outcomes it hopes to achieve in terms of curbing global Read More...
Farmers are more amenable to regionally-sensitive bee protection efforts
Farmers are inherently dependent on pollinators for successful crop yields, yet getting them to adopt bee-friendly practices is more challenging in some areas than others. A new study from University of Oregon researchers found that farmers are more likely to invest in bee-friendly practices if Read More...
German plant will be world’s largest synthetic kerosene producer
Synthetic kerosene is made by using water and electricity to produce hydrogen, which is then combined with carbon dioxide to make crude oil, which is then refined into jet fuel. A new plant in Germany plans to be the largest synthetic kerosene producer in the world, using water and electricity from Read More...
The Carbon Literacy Project turns climate knowledge into action
Carbon literacy training is essential for making climate information accessible to everyone. This is the focus of the Carbon Literacy Project. Founded in Manchester a decade ago, it has trained more than 21,000 people from distinct communities, schools, and workplaces with a one-day training course Read More...
Nobel Prize in physics awarded to climate research pioneers
Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi have spent the last 60 years decoding complex physical systems to predict how climate change is impacting our world. Now, their work has been rewarded with the Nobel Prize in physics. Manabe and Hasselmann, who are 90 and 89 years old, Read More...
Struggling with climate anxiety? Climate scientists have some tips
As the effects of climate change become more apparent in our day to day lives, increasing numbers of people are experiencing climate anxiety, and the issue is rampant among the planet’s youngest generations. A recent survey of 10,000 young people found that three quarters think the future of the Read More...
Cornwall hospital turns disposable masks into litter-pickers
Disposable surgical masks are a prevalent problem worldwide due to the pandemic. The issue is that we need them to keep ourselves and each other safe, but there is no denying the massive quantity of litter that their constant use produces. The Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro is doing its best Read More...
Lidar allows researchers to tell how fat a bear really isーfrom a distance
Last week we celebrated the launch of Fat Bear Week 2021. You can check out the lineup of chunky contestants here, but today, we’re looking at some of the science behind these giant creatures. Researchers working in Brooks River in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve are using state of the Read More...
French railway company is recycling abandoned trains into new ones
After 40 years of neglect, hundreds of abandoned trains in France are getting a new lease of life. That’s thanks to an initiative from railway company SNCF, which aims to recycle and reuse old trains to manufacture new ones. The company has already kicked off the project in Rouen, in northern Read More...