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.
Sails make a comeback as shipping tries to go green
As the shipping industry faces pressure to cut climate-altering greenhouse gases, one answer is blowing in the wind. European and U.S. tech companies, including one backed by aeroplane maker Airbus, are pitching futuristic sails to help cargo ships harness the free and endless supply of wind Read More...
Grasslands more reliable carbon sink than trees
Forests have long served as a critical carbon sink, consuming about a quarter of the carbon dioxide pollution produced by humans worldwide. But decades of fire suppression, warming temperatures and drought have increased wildfire risks — turning California’s forests from carbon sinks to carbon Read More...
Madrid reduces traffic by 32 percent after banning cars in the city center
Madrid has taken the initiative of banning cars from entering a two square mile area in the city’s downtown to bring down air pollution. The strategy is an attempt to lower the city’s nitrogen dioxide levels that are believed to be the cause of roughly 3,000 premature deaths per year. The ban Read More...
World Bank to invest $200 billion to tackle climate change
As the all-important United Nations climate talks kick off in Katowice, Poland this week, the World Bank Group announced Monday that it will significantly ramp up its investments to fight climate change, and it is urging the wider global community to do so as well. It will double its current 5-year Read More...
Prescribed burning not as damaging as previously thought
New research by the University of Liverpool has found that prescribed burning, a controversial technique where fires are intentionally used to manage vegetation, is not as damaging to peat growth as previously thought if carried out on a sensible rotation, and can produce several positive Read More...
Breathtaking dolphin stampede captured in slow-motion video
Large pods of dolphins occasionally race and leap alongside boats in what's referred to by some as stampeding behavior. Photographer Ashala Taylor captured this breathtaking phenomenon in slow-motion last week while on a voyage off Avila Beach in Central Read More...
Spruce forests could help offset global warming
Apart from breathing life into the winter holiday season, spruce trees could help offset global warming. Researchers claim that compounds called terpenes, found in the needles of these evergreen trees, form particles that actually help cooling down the climate. The particles interact with moisture Read More...
Remarkable initiative to save declining bee populations
A scientist has designed a plan to reverse the collapse in bee populations in such a way that it would also bring substantial financial gains. The blueprint involves devoting a quarter of cropland to flowering economic crops such as spices, oil seeds, medicinal and forage plants. This is a Read More...
Australia uses 80 percent less plastic bags since supermarket ban
Two giant Australian supermarket chains have managed to slash down plastic bag consumption by 80 percent in the country. Since their remarkable decision to ban single-use plastic bags earlier this year, the supermarkets prevented an estimated 1.5 billion bags being introduced into the environment. Read More...
Climate change in seven charts and what to do to help save the planet
The world will face unprecedented environmental damage if countries fail to act on keeping global warming below 1.5C. Having a good understanding of the climate issues at stake and the impact of human activity on our planet’s health is vital to help prevent an environmental catastrophe. Here are Read More...