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.
A scientist working on plants that fight climate change just won a $3 million prize
Plant scientist Joanne Chory has $3 million more than she did last week. Chory was awarded one of the prestigious 2018 Breakthrough Prizes in life sciences, an award given out annually to scientists by Silicon Valley tycoons including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Facebook creator Mark Read More...
Welcome to 'the cleanest village in India'
It bills itself as the "God's Own Garden," and this tribal village tucked in India's remote northeast is unlike any other in the country. Mawlynnong is free from what plagues so much of rural and urban India: litter, burning garbage and open Read More...
The founder of Patagonia just dropped the mic on Congress
We are currently seeing the largest reversal of national monument protections in U.S history. No one is happy with this, and nobody has flaunted their disapproval more vehemently in public than the sustainable clothing brand Patagonia. Take a look here at this scathing letter that Patagonia Read More...
Taxing people based on their energy footprint could help curb climate change
The wealthy enjoy the luxury of being able to easily travel around the world, import fine goods, and purchase whatever else they might desire. Such a lifestyle requires much capital, and more importantly, much energy consumption. Rarely do we think about how badly the lifestyles of those within the Read More...
India unveils anti-smog cannon in fight against Delhi pollution
India has unveiled a new weapon against air pollution – an “anti-smog gun” which authorities hope will clear the skies above New Delhi but which environmentalists say amounts to a band-aid solution. The cannon’s Indian manufacturers say the fine Read More...
How one man is fighting to save the world's last living root bridges
If you travel through the forests of Meghalaya, Northern India, you may come across something extraordinary: bridges made from the living branches and roots of rubber trees. These often century-old structures have been tended and shaped to Read More...
Meet the African women fighting against poachers in Zimbabwe
The members of Africa’s anti-poaching frontline are not your typical game rangers. They’re abused and disadvantaged mothers and daughters that are being honed into a squad of sharpshooters to save wildlife in the Zambezi valley. This project may sound extreme, but it’s working to empower Read More...
How the aviation industry is lowering its carbon footprint
Imagine how much cleaner the air would be if 3 million cars were taken off the roads in your city. A hint: Banning just half of Beijing’s 3.3 million cars before the 2008 Olympics cleared its skyline within a few Read More...
Billionaire Peter Thiel helped fund plans to build the world's first floating city
Nearly a decade ago, billionaire Peter Thiel cofounded a nonprofit called Seasteading Institute, and contributed seed funding toward what could become the world's first floating city. By 2020, the Institute aims to build a dozen floating Read More...
The World Bank will stop financing oil and gas exploration in 2019
The World Bank has announced its plan to discontinue its financing of upstream oil and gas projects in 2019. The bank, which provides loans to developing countries to foster economic growth, stated it will no longer offer financial support for oil and gas exploration, citing a need to change in Read More...