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.
Cher calls for zoo to release gorilla after 30 years of captivity in a mall
Recently, we shared a story about Cher’s successful campaign to free Kaavan, “the world’s loneliest elephant," from a life of misery in a controversial Pakistani zoo. Now, the singer is determined to save Bua Noi, a lonely gorilla that has spent almost all her life behind bars at a shopping Read More...
Santa Barbara replaces derogatory street name with beautiful alternative
We often report on bills, laws, and leaders making forward progress around the world, but often these nationwide changes start with small local initiatives. One such example this week is from Santa Barbara, California where residents said goodbye to a symbol of racism and oppression in their Read More...
54 global cities on track to meet climate targets from the Paris agreement
Just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris climate agreement, a new study by the C40 cities network has some great news. A total of 54 of the world’s leading cities are on track to meet targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris agreement, which is crucial for Read More...
This two-person solar electric car has a range of 1,000 miles
Personal transportation is about to take a giant leap into the future now that US startup Aptera unveiled a three-wheeled solar electric car with a range of up to 1,000 miles on a full battery. Although the car can be fully charged via a charging cord, it won’t need that when drivers are out on Read More...
Scientists discover what could be an entirely new species of whale
While searching for a rare whale species off the coast of Mexico, a group of scientists says they have instead spotted what they believe is an entirely new species of the marine mammal. Three beaked whales were spotted breaching the water surface near the remote San Benito Islands by researchers Read More...
Scientists create first-ever map of every coral reef in the Caribbean
If we want to protect our precious coral reefs from the effects of the climate crisis, then we need to know the exact locations where protective regulations and restoration efforts should be aimed. That’s why scientists have developed the first-ever map that visualizes every single coral reef in Read More...
Jack Dorsey donates $15 million to fund more guaranteed income pilots
Back in July, we wrote about the founding of a coalition called Mayors for Guaranteed Income, which was started by Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. The group’s purpose is to start piloting guaranteed income programs in cities as a way to support people who are struggling during the economic crisis Read More...
Animal park welcomes birth of critically endangered Sumatran orangutan
To maximize the odds of survival for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan species, a special program was set up at the Pairi Daiza animal park in Belgium to help stimulate the birth of new Sumatran orangutans. The program works by studying the DNA of orangutans that already live in the park Read More...
This app helps people keep their communities free of litter
Clean-ups might make public spaces a little bit neater but they’re far from actually solving the problem of litter in the long-run. The Litterati app wants to change that by giving people a platform to upload information about the litter they collect outside and share it online. Now, you might Read More...
World’s first ‘reef credit’ system lets companies help save coral reefs
When companies aren’t able to slash the emissions they produce, oftentimes they’ll purchase carbon offsets to fund programs that are directly removing carbon emissions, such as reforestation projects. Funding such programs help tackle the problem of atmosphere-heating emissions, but it Read More...