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.
When it comes to climate change convincing, storytelling may beat facts
The world’s temperature has risen 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 and the amount of carbon in our atmosphere in parts per million is higher than any other recorded point in our planet’s history. We know the facts of climate change and we know the consequences, so why are some governments and Read More...
New study details the surprisingly social behavior of Gray reef sharks
Yesterday, we shared a story about how animals also engage in the practice of social distancing in order to mitigate the spread of disease. Today, we have quite a different story about the surprisingly social behavior of gray reef sharks. Apparently, a new study has found that these sharks form Read More...
Mapping the Ocean: Robot boat completes 22-day-mission without crew
The more we know about the Earth’s oceans, the more we can do to protect them. But we still know relatively little. As of June, only 19 percent of the ocean floor had been mapped out, meaning we still have a whopping 81 percent of the ocean to survey and map. Fortunately, scientists are finding Read More...
Well Done: The foundation plugging abandoned oil wells in Montana
Montana may be known for its stunning grass plains, but what most people don’t know is that there are many unplugged oil wells across the state’s farmlands that leak thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gasses such as methane each year. They can also leach toxins into groundwater and surface Read More...
Scientists are turning to stem cells to revive Malaysia’s extinct rhinos
Last year marked a tragedy for the world’s rhino populations as Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino Iman died after years of failed breeding attempts, bringing the endangered species one step closer to extinction. But not all hope is lost as scientists are now trying to use tissues and cells from Read More...
This text-message-based platform is helping solve hunger in America
Considering that a whopping 40 percent of food in America becomes waste, it seems outright ridiculous that restaurants commonly throw out excess food. Recognizing the severity of the issues of waste and food insecurity in America, a group of out-of-the-box thinkers known as Not Impossible Read More...
Climate Action Project empowers students to find climate solutions
Educating children about climate change is important, but teaching about the degradation of our planet without completely overwhelming kids with fear for the future is no easy task. As we at The Optimist Daily know, addressing crises with tangible solutions is an empowering way to approach some of Read More...
It could be possible to stop locust swarms using their own scent
A single locust is just bigger than a paper clip. But when these solitary critters attract others into a growing swarm, billions of locusts wind up flying together, forming a moving carpet that can block out the sun and strip the landscape of plants and crops. Giant swarms like this have Read More...
Coating seeds with microbes boosts plants’ carbon capture abilities
We need to capture more carbon from the atmosphere to slow climate change. While carbon capture technology is a possibility, one startup in Australia believes we can capture more carbon by planting seeds that are coated in microbial fungi and bacteria, which improve the plant’s carbon-capturing Read More...
Rare butterfly species experiences successful reintroduction into the wild
Declared extinct in Britain in 1979 before being reintroduced from European populations nearly 40 years ago, the large blue butterfly has recently experienced the most substantial reintroduction into the wild. After five years of preparing the landscape for the species, 1,100 larvae of the large Read More...