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.
Germany’s environment minister unveils country’s strategy to end plastic waste
Germany’s officials have put forth an impressive five-point strategy to curb plastic pollution not only in their country but also around the world. The plan involves cutting down excess plastic products, making packaging and other products more environment-friendly, recycling more, and reducing Read More...
The unbelievably simple way to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half
If we all swapped beef burgers and bacon sandwiches for vegetarian alternatives most of the week, we could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than half. So say the scientists behind a new study published in Nature, who predicted that in 2050, sticking to a plant-based diet, with just one portion Read More...
This computer model can monitor groundwater levels in real-time
A reservoir in Finland pumps water from the underground that is so pure it doesn’t require any treatment to make it potable. The natural reservoir is vast enough to serve as the prime water source for as many as 150,000 people. In order to prevent its over-exploitation, scientists have developed Read More...
These waterless hi-tech toilets could be the answer to urban Africa’s waste problems
About 23 percent of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to toilets while 31 percent with toilets use one’s that aren’t connected to a formal sanitation system. This means that more than half the people in sub-Saharan Africa live without proper sanitation – that’s about Read More...
PETA has a suggestion for a village named Wool
It began, PETA says, as a playful attempt to draw attention to animal cruelty in the wool industry: The animal rights group sent a letter asking the English village of Wool to change its name to Vegan Wool. But the letter from the British branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Read More...
IUCN lists 15 new sites as world’s best protected areas
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has admitted 15 new natural sites to the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas – the first global standard recognizing best practice in protected Read More...
Animal welfare lawyers say New York's 'loneliest elephant' is a person
A 47-year-old Asian elephant named Happy has lived in isolation at the Bronx Zoo for the past 12 years. A team of lawyers is now fighting for Happy’s freedom, saying she’s a legal person who’s been falsely Read More...
Climate solutions: is it feasible to remove enough CO2 from the air?
Is there still time to avoid runaway climate change? To a large degree, the answer depends on the feasibility of “negative emissions” — techniques or technologies that suck CO2 out of the air. In the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), all scenarios for Read More...
One woman's fight to save rainforest
There is only one place in the world where orangutan, rhinos, elephants, and tigers still co-exist in the wild. Environmental activist Farwiza Farhan is fighting to protect this last wilderness, Sumatra's Leuser Read More...
France has unveiled plans to ban “imported deforestation”
The French government is set to alter its import policies in an effort to end worldwide deforestation. The new national strategy will focus on curbing imports of unsustainable products such as soybean, palm oil, and cocoa, which are directly or indirectly tied to forest degradation. The country Read More...