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 Zealand government says will not issue new oil, gas exploration permits
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that her government would not grant any new permits for offshore oil and gas Read More...
Colombia takes 'unprecedented' step to stop farms gobbling forests
Indigenous communities that depend on Colombia’s Amazon rainforest for their survival will have more say over their ancestral lands, as Colombia adds 8 million hectares to its protected areas in an effort to stem forest loss. The new measures announced by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Read More...
Weatherwatch: overheating cities take steps to cool down
Light-coloured roads and rooftop gardens are planning measures being employed to combat rising urban Read More...
A grass-roots movement for healthy soil spreads among farmers
In American farm country, a grass-roots movement is spreading, a movement to keep more roots in the soil. (Not just grass roots, of course; roots of all kinds.) Its goal: Promoting healthy soil that's full of Read More...
Massive source of ‘missing’ nitrogen could revolutionize climate change projections
'This runs counter the centuries-long paradigm that has laid the foundation for the environmental sciences,' say researchers behind Read More...
Britain wants to completely eradicate illegal ivory trade with stricter ban
The UK is in the process of creating one of the toughest bans on ivory in the world. No matter how old the ivory is or in what form it’s been made into, the new legislation would prohibit the sale of nearly all items that contain ivory in a bid to restrict the illegal ivory trade, tackle poaching Read More...
Vikings cleared the forests, now Iceland is bringing them back
Before the first settlers arrived, forests covered up to 40 percent of what is now barren Iceland. Reforestation has been challenging, but progress is being Read More...
This yellow buoy is saving whales on the Atlantic coast
Shipping vessels are killing whales on the Atlantic coast at an unprecedented rate. To try and put an end to this, researchers placed a buoy containing a sophisticated hydrophone that eavesdrops on whales and records the sounds they make. The buoy also transmits data in almost real time, which not Read More...
How the fight against plastics is finally gaining momentum
It seems we're finally waking up to the reality that we must completely stop using plastics if we want to solve the plastic problem. France has completely banned plastic utensils, the UK is cracking on single-use carrier bags and disposable coffee cups, and plastic straws are being targeted by a Read More...
These eco-friendly water bottles could help divert plastic from the oceans
Humans have dumped so much trash in the ocean between California and Hawaii that this area–known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch–is now three times the size of France. But it’s far from the only part of the ocean that has been overwhelmed with detritus. According to Cyrill Gutsch, founder Read More...