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.
Carbon capture technology may finally take off via the corn industry
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is widely believed to be necessary to save the climate, but the technology is still in a fledgling state, with relatively few large-scale installations around the world. But fitting corn-ethanol refineries with carbon-storing technologies would be a Read More...
Unwanted gadgets are polluting the world. Here’s how to recycle them properly
While we're continuously coming up with new technologies, we still haven’t figured out what to do with the outdated stuff. Every time we’re buying new gadgets, we’re left with unwanted ones that often end up in the trash--with serious consequences for the environment. Tossing your electronics Read More...
Graphene used to make stronger, greener concrete
Graphene, the "wonder material" composed of a one-atom-thick sheet of linked carbon atoms, is the world's strongest manmade material. Now, scientists have used it to create a new type of concrete that is much stronger, water-resistant and eco-friendly than what we're used Read More...
What you can do to help the world cut down on plastic
Around Europe, there’s been a recent crackdown on plastics. These efforts are a positive sign that our relationship with plastic is changing, but it’s still not enough. According to the Ocean Conservancy, five countries in Asia are still dumping more plastic into the ocean than the rest of the Read More...
World's first ocean plastic-cleaning machine set to tackle Pacific Garbage Patch
Pioneering effort to collect debris that kills wildlife about to begin after teenager made his dream come Read More...
Earth Day 2018 around the world in pictures
Students make a sand sculpture on the Earth Day on the banks of the river Yamuna in Allahabad, Read More...
Climate change: Michael Bloomberg offers $4.5m for Paris deal
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he will pay $4.5m to cover the lapsed US financial commitment to the Paris climate Read More...
Hawaii may soon become the first U.S. state to ban coral-damaging sunscreen
On the island of Maui alone it’s estimated that 55 gallons of sunscreen are dumped into the water every day. No sunscreen is best for reefs, but some types of sunscreen have ingredients that are worse than others and that can cause coral bleaching. Now environmentalist groups and lawmakers are Read More...
Single-use plastics to be banned from music festivals in the UK by 2021
If you’ve ever been to a musical festival, you’ll know about the massive amount of plastic litter that accumulates as the festival goes on. In an effort to combat unnecessary waste, 60 independent British music festivals have committed to banning single-use plastic from their sites by 2021. Read More...
Wind farms less harmful to seabirds than first thought
Wind farms are far less harmful to birds that first thought, the biggest ever study has shown because seabirds actively change their flight path to avoid them. Researchers used radar and video to monitor seabirds flying near the Vattenfall’s Thanet offshore wind farm in the English Channel Read More...