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.
India defies somber climate projections and has begun leaving the coal age
In climate projections India, already the third-largest carbon emitter in the world, is going to deploy coal-fired power plants on a massive scale as the country needs more electricity to feed a fast growing economy. However, the reality on the ground is different. In the last two years, coal Read More...
‘Indigenous peoples are the best guardians of world's biodiversity’
Today is the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, numbering an estimated 370 million in 90 countries and speaking roughly 7,000 languages. To mark it, the Guardian interviews Kankanaey Igorot woman Victoria Tauli-Corpuz about the UN’s Read More...
EU court asked to speed up case against Poland over logging in ancient forest
The European Union's executive arm has asked the European Court of Justice to speed up a case against Poland over logging in its ancient forest, which has continued despite an order by the bloc's top court to stop immediately, an official said. The Court told Poland 10 days ago to halt the Read More...
Maybe we should not fight forest fires and let nature take its course
Biologists insist that wildfires have a necessary place in the evolution of nature. They argue that the century-old practice of suppressing wildfires has been nothing less than a calamity and are calling for a new approach that basically involves letting backcountry fires burn across millions of Read More...
Katerra makes buildings with sustainable wood that are earth quake resistant
Building with sustainable wood is becoming more and more popular and technology is making it stronger than ever. It is also very efficient as components and parts can easily be assembled on site. See here how one of the pioneers of wood construction, Katerra, is shaking up the building industry Read More...
This is why the fish want electric boats
Researchers have found that noise pollution from sonar—sound wave—navigation systems may be disrupting whales’ vital abilities to hear and migrate. Now a new report shows that noise from motorboats changes the behavior of fish. These reports illustrate how the marine environment would benefit Read More...
Shoe boxes are redesigned for environmental sustainability
Viupax wastes significantly less cardboard and occupies a smaller volume than traditional shoe boxes. Viupax—a shoe box that creator Andreas Kioroglou, founder of design studio Matadog Design, hopes will help save the planet—uses 20 to 57% less material than traditional cardboard shoe Read More...
Insuring nature, ensuring resilience
Today, I want to talk about two topics. First, and this is likely what you’d expect to hear from me, I want to discuss nature-based solutions: How can we invest in nature, our best and biggest asset, to boost resilience to severe weather and other climate impacts — and protect nature at Read More...
Research: Biochar reduces air pollution, saves health costs
Producing “biochar” is a 2,000 year-old practice that converts agricultural waste into a soil enhancer that can hold carbon, boost food security, and increase soil biodiversity, and discourage deforestation. The process creates a fine-grained, highly porous charcoal that helps soils retain Read More...
U.K. takes leadership on ocean plastics with ban on microbeads
Globally we are buying a million plastic bottles a minute. 91 percent of these bottles are not recycled, and much of that ultimately ends up in the oceans, breaks down into small pieces, is consumed by fish that we eat. It’s an environmental and health disaster. The good news is that awareness is Read More...