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.
New ballot initiative could increase California farm animal welfare standards
California already has some of the most rigorous laws in the country regarding farm animal welfare, but the state’s rules surrounding pigs, chickens and cows could get even stricter. On Tuesday, the Humane Society of the United States introduced a ballot Read More...
Potential carbon capture game changer nears completion
On a small lot between Houston and the Gulf Coast, in an industrial zone packed with petrochemical factories and gas pipelines, a little-known company is finalizing construction of a demonstration Read More...
A new estimate of biodiversity on Earth
Anyone who has studied biology, watched a nature documentary, or, for that matter, simply enjoyed time in the outdoors, has likely been amazed by the variety of plant and animal life on our planet. To date, Read More...
How soil microbes fight climate change
Around the globe, 2016 has been a dusty year. Just this month, massive dust storms enveloped Guazhou County in China, engulfing five-story Read More...
Brazilian court blocks attempt to open parts of the Amazon to mining companies
Brazilian environmental activists achieved a major victory when a court blocked an attempt by president Temer to open up swaths of the Amazon rainforest to mining companies. The court said the president went beyond his authority and that only the Brazilian Congress could make such a decision. The Read More...
States powering ahead on climate targets despite federal inaction, report shows
Australian states and territories are powering ahead, developing policies that will meet the federal government’s internationally agreed greenhouse gas emission targets, with South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania leading the race. Despite Read More...
How plants fight back against predators
Plants don't have the luxury of being able to run, swim, or fly away when confronted with a predator. Instead, they've developed a repertoire of defense mechanisms for warding off threats while staying rooted to the Read More...
Los Angeles is painting streets white to reduce urban warming
Global warming is worsening heat waves that torture cities. In Louisville, Kentucky, the government is looking into large scale tree planting as a way to cut down on heat buildup. In the meantime, Los Angeles is using another tool against urban warming. The city is painting some of its streets Read More...
Brazil to revise Amazon mining decree after criticism
Responding to overwhelming criticism from politicians and activists Brazil government ministers told journalists the government would revise a decree that opened up a vast mineral reserve in the Amazon rainforest to mining. Mining and Energy Read More...
The outsized role of soil microbes for carbon sequestration
Many complexities of the carbon sequestration process remain poorly understood, despite years of research and the significant impact of this process on global climate. Now, three scientists have proposed a new approach to better understand the Read More...