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.
These 10 cities are the most prepared for the future
Officials around the world are gathering all types of data — on traffic, pollution levels, and energy use — to make their cities safer, healthier, and more efficient. The definition of a smart city has recently broadened to include environmental Read More...
Huge carbon sink in minerals: New avenue for offsetting rising greenhouse gases
Soil holds more than three times the carbon found in the atmosphere, yet its potential in reducing atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and mitigating global Read More...
We could save oceans from plastic waste by focusing on these 10 rivers
Every year, millions of metric tons of plastic debris winds up in our oceans, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. A recent study found that up to 95 percent of that plastic waste enters oceans through 10 different rivers around the world. This is an alarming prospect, but also a promising one as Read More...
Planting trees could mop up ten years’ worth of greenhouse gases
Only statistical numbskulls would call it good news, but 2017 is set to be slightly less warm than the record-breaking 2016. Instead, it will merely be one of the three warmest years on record, and the hottest ever without an El Niño to Read More...
New catalyst unlocks industrial chemicals for making plastics from biomass
While most of us are keeping our eye on the transition to electric and self-driving cars and delight in how “green” the future will be, the industrial world continues to crank out billions of tons of Read More...
This has to be the world’s most-environmentally friendly chicken farm
Mass-producing farms, even those that have moved on from cages, produce extremely cheap eggs at a heavy cost to the environment and the welfare of the animals laying them. The organic and free-range varieties, where farmers prioritize the welfare of the chickens, often sell at a higher price—but Read More...
‘For us, the land is sacred’: the defenders of the world’s forests
Of the many thousands of participants at the Bonn climate conference which begins on 6 November, there will arguably be none who come with as much hope, courage and anger as the busload of indigenous leaders who have been criss-crossing Europe over the past two Read More...
The big stories behind small seeds: this man wants to save them all
The modern farm-to-table movement has renewed interest in heirloom fruits and vegetables. But long before the trend, John Coykendall has been on a mission to preserve rare heirloom seeds and document their Read More...
How the private sector is putting the Paris climate target in reach
Achieving the climate goals set in place during the Paris agreement will require more than just government. To reduce the threat of climate change, the private sector has to continue to get involved. The good thing is that the figures so far are promising, with at least one trillion dollars having Read More...
Volunteers collect acorns to restore oak groves lost in Wine Country fires
Next to vineyards, Wine Country’s most treasured sight may be its oak trees, the stately green giants that brightened the hills and valleys of the grape-growing region, at least until last month’s devastating wildfires swept through. As residents look to rebuild burned homes and communities Read More...