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.
Costa Rica pledges to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050
Costa Rica may be one of the top nations when it comes to climate action, but that's not stopping the Central American nation from upping their game. Recently, Costa Rica laid out a long-term plan to achieve zero emissions by 2050 in an attempt to help decarbonize the world economy and curb global Read More...
These machines transform discarded sea food waste into bioplastics
A quartet of designers have developed a series of machines that turn seafood waste into a biodegradable and recyclable bioplastic. What the machines do is they transform the shells of crustaceans into a paper-like material that could act as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. Each one Read More...
Why badgers and otters are staging a comeback in Britain
When policymakers come together and create conservation laws that are well-thought-out, it’s amazing what it can do in the real world. Just take a look at Britain where badgers, otters, and other furry carnivores are staging a spectacular comeback after the government clamped down on hunting and Read More...
Five strategies for removing massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that warding off catastrophic global warming requires actively removing 100 billion to 1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by midcentury. Planting billions of trees is one way of doing this, but there are Read More...
Norway to pay Indonesia for cutting emissions and reducing deforestation
In 2010 Norway signed a $1 billion deal with Indonesia which aimed to reward the developing country for efforts that reduce deforestation, improve forest preservation, and cut carbon emissions. Home to the world’s third largest tropical forest, Indonesia is also the biggest producer of palm oil, Read More...
Here’s what you can do to help save bugs from extinction
To put things bluntly, without bugs, we wouldn’t be around. That’s why a recent report outlining the drastic decline in insect life around the world is so worrying. According to the best data available, the total mass of insects is falling at a rate that suggests they could vanish within a Read More...
This island is introducing the strictest plastic ban the world has ever seen
The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu currently boasts some of the strictest laws when it comes to plastic waste. In July, the island voted to ban single-use plastic bags, drinking straws and styrofoam containers in a dramatic attempt to stem the flow of trash from the country’s coasts into the Read More...
Farmers could soon replace polluting fertilizer with special microbes
Of the hundred-million-plus tons of fertilizer sprayed onto farm fields each year, much of it eventually ends up polluting the air or flowing into water, where it can cause toxic algae blooms like the green slime seen in Florida. One startup is helping farmers begin to replace standard chemical Read More...
Recycling small fragments of glass is now possible thanks to new process
Unlike plastics, glass can be recycled many times over—making it a much more sustainable material. The only issues are the recycling process is generally limited to large pieces that can be easily sorted by color. When glass is shattered into small fragments, they tend to simply be discarded by Read More...
Tortoise believed extinct for 100 years rediscovered on remote Galapagos island
A species of giant tortoises believed to have been extinct for more than a century has been rediscovered on the Galapagos Island of Fernandina. The discovered reptile is an adult female, suspected to be more than 100 years old. The species is unique to the Fernandina Island, one of the many dozen Read More...