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.
Bird missing for 170 years rediscovered in Indonesian rainforest
More than 170 years after it was first reported around 1850, one of Indonesia’s most elusive birds has recently been rediscovered on the island of Borneo, to the excitement of conservationists and ornithologists. The black-browed babbler, featuring deep scarlet eyes, gray legs, and black, gray, Read More...
This lamp uses ultraviolet light to sanitize public spaces in minutes
Back in January, we wrote about a new 20,000 square meter outdoor light installation from the Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde that is meant to make outdoor agriculture even more sustainable while dually turning crop fields into a work of art. Today, we bring you the latest design from Studio Read More...
Pollution-eating, electricity-breathing bacteria may save our water
It’s no secret that humans have had an enormous impact on the world’s water supply. If we look at lakes, rivers, or shores that humans live near, chances are we will find a significant quantity of litter scattered in the area. According to Clean Water Action, these water pollutants have Read More...
Sigh of relief: UK will not use bee-harming pesticide after all
Earlier this year, the British government reversed a ban on a bee-harming pesticide called neonicotinoid in order to kill off virus-transmitted aphids that threatened the UK’s sugar beet fields. Environmentalists were obviously not pleased with the reversal of the ban as the government had broken Read More...
Volvo joins the movement to go all-electric by 2030
The car industry has recognized the inevitability of an all-electric future for vehicles. With Jaguar and GM’s recent announcements about their combustion-engine-free futures, it seems like only a matter of time before every company is outpacing gas-powered production with EV models. The latest Read More...
These floating islands will form a “parkipelago” in Copenhagen’s harbor
The Optimist Daily is always curious about the latest ideas in urban development and design. In 2021, we're expecting to see the completion of an exciting new project in the Danish capital in which a series of small artificial floating islands are being built and installed together within the Read More...
Can hydropower help clean up commercial ammonia production?
Ammonia is a colorless, noxious gas that is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is used for a number of different things from producing dyes to treating wastewater, but it’s most common industrial use in the production of fertilizer. Although useful, the production of ammonia is anything Read More...
An increasing number of brands are adding carbon labels to their products
While most supermarket food packages have nutritional labels that help consumers make informed decisions about the food they buy, it’s rare to find similar information about the environmental footprint that these products carry. That, however, may soon change as an increasing number of companies Read More...
Scientists discover ‘giant luminous shark’ off New Zealand coast
The ability for living organisms to produce visible light through a chemical reaction is known as bioluminescence, and it’s one of the most spectacular phenomenons found in nature. Bioluminescence has been observed in a wide range of marine life such as jellyfish and algae, but recently, marine Read More...
These garbage-collecting sea bins will use AI to monitor pollution data
In 2013, surfer duo Peter Ceglinski and Andrew Turton developed a device, called Seabin, that could clean waterways on its own. A few years later, the duo had a slightly different vision — to live in a world where there’s no need for its product. "Our ultimate goal is pretty simple: It's a Read More...