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.
Bee populations are on the rise in these US states
Maine has some of the healthiest bee colonies in the US. Believe it or not, bee populations in the state have actually increased 72 percent since 2018. While bees are still a threatened species, this research by the United States Department of Agriculture is good news for the efficacy of bee-saving Read More...
Thai national park sends trash back to those who leave it behind
What do you do with litterbugs who fail to pick up their garbage? Well, you pack it up and mail it to their doorstep! At least that’s what the popular Khao Yai National Park near Bangkok, Thailand, plans to do to prevent visitors from leaving behind their trash. The new initiative was announced Read More...
Pumping cold water from the depths could prevent coral bleaching
Rising ocean temperatures as a result of global warming are one of the main reasons behind coral bleaching - a process that pushes away the symbiotic algae living within their tissue, causing these unique marine invertebrates to turn white. In a bid to come to their rescue, scientists are Read More...
How drones and AI can restore degraded ecosystems
Over the last several centuries, humans have felled around 2 billion hectares of forest, leaving behind an area of degraded land comparable to the size of Australia. To restore these ecosystems that are essential in our fight against global warming, we need urgent reforestation efforts that go Read More...
The Mayflower: Robotic vessel will cross Atlantic to gather ocean data
Robotic ships are the latest trend in ocean exploration. In August, we wrote about an automated 12-meter boat that successfully completed a 22-day-long mission to map an area of the seafloor in the Atlantic—without a crew. Today, we bring you news about another robotic vessel that is getting Read More...
Meet Luke and Joshua, the teens who saved bees in Virginia
With bee populations threatened by habitat loss, a pair of 14-year-olds in Virginia decided to take matters into their own hand with their own project to save local bumblebees. To kick off the project, the teenagers identified two existing public spaces in the town that could be used as a Read More...
Rare pink dolphin are back in Hong Kong as lockdown halts ferry traffic
From multiple successful turtle hatchings around the world to decreasing rates of rhino poaching in South Africa, coronavirus lockdowns have been a blessing to many species of wildlife. More recently, scientists have discovered that diminished human activity has also benefited the elusive pink Read More...
European investment managers unite in push for net-zero carbon economy
The European Union aims to achieve an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. And as it becomes ever more prominent that reaching this target would require a tremendous collective effort, different layers of society are increasingly stepping forward to do their part. More recently, Read More...
Letters from kids inspires LEGO to phase out plastic packaging
Back in August, we wrote about LEGO’s groundbreaking braille bricks, which were designed to help people who are blind or visually impaired become familiar with the braille alphabet. Today, we have more good news from LEGO. The Danish toymaker announced plans to ditch plastic packaging for its Read More...
This startup wants to stop hurricanes in their tracks. Is it possible?
It seems like an outlandish idea, but a Norwegian startup called OceanTherm believes it can prevent catastrophes by stopping hurricanes as they develop. Hurricanes are more violent than ever, and a big part of that is rising ocean temperatures: just a one-degree rise in surface temperature can Read More...