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.
Asthma rates plummet in Kentucky as coal plants shut down
Air pollution has long been linked to health issues, especially asthma. Coal-fired power plants are a definitive source of air pollution. But it’s been difficult for scientists to attribute respiratory problems of people living near coal specifically to those coal plants because a host of other Read More...
Amsterdam is ditching our broken economic system for the doughnut model
This is one of those stories that you might look back to in a few years and remember as the starting point of a huge change in our world’s history. When we first covered this story years ago, it was already showing tons of promise. So, what are we talking about here? In 2018, we shared a story Read More...
This 1,000 year old cherry tree is a testament to nature’s resilience
Each spring, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the town of Miharu, Japan to see a cherry tree known as the Takizakura. Although COVID-19 means that few visitors will lay eyes on it this year, the 1,000 year old cherry tree continues to bloom as a testament to the power and resilience of Read More...
Oakland Slow Streets project makes social distancing easier
If you live in a heavily populated area, maintaining social distancing practices while taking walks around the neighborhood can be a challenge and require weaving around people and across streets. Oakland, California is helping residents get outside by closing 74 miles of streets in the city for Read More...
White-tailed eagles return to southern England after 240-year hiatus
For centuries, there's been an eagle-shaped hole in the skies over England where the majestic white-tailed eagle once soared. The enormous raptor — its wingspan stretches nearly eight feet — was hunted to extinction in the region and near extinction in surrounding areas some 240 years ago. But Read More...
The dramatic drop in carbon emissions due to coronavirus, quantified
We’ve written quite a bit about the pollution-free skies being seen all around the world, but we have yet to quantify what that means for the environmental record over the course of the year—until now. According to data commissioned by the Guardian, global carbon emissions from the fossil Read More...
Wild animals in Yosemite are thriving as people stay indoors
Yosemite National Park has been closed since March 20th to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but in the absence of flocks of tourists, wildlife is thriving and animal populations are reclaiming the park’s empty spaces. 4.6 million tourists visited Yosemite valley in 2019, but now, only 100 to Read More...
NASA wants you to play this video game to help preserve coral reefs
Video gaming is a common pass time activity among many people confined to their homes due to the coronavirus lockdown. In a bid to make something useful out of this trend, NASA has recently developed an app that enables video-gamers and citizen scientists to help identify and classify the world’s Read More...
New photos of baby clouded leopards will surely get you a smile this morning
For all you big cat lovers on the Internet, we have a little something for you. In both Miami and Washington DC, zoos have announced the successful birthing of rare baby clouded leopards and cheetahs—and the photos are incredibly adorable. Both cheetahs and clouded leopards are considered Read More...
Some of the world’s most polluted cities are breathing fresh air once again
The screenshots began to circulate on Delhi WhatsApp groups last week, captioned with varying expressions of disbelief. Having checked the air quality index, something of a sadistic morning ritual among residents of India’s capital, most could not believe their eyes. Gone was the familiar Read More...