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 ahead of schedule in fight against global warming
Here’s another example that global warming solutions are emerging everywhere. India, the world’s fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter, has said that it expects to meet its carbon reduction goals earlier than expected. India’s outgoing climate chief said the country could meet its 2030 Read More...
The port that fuels L.A.'s economy and fouls its air gets a pollution-reduction team
Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday announced the appointment of an advisory panel tasked with reducing air pollution from the Port of Los Angeles by expanding the use of zero-emissions technology. The 10-member Sustainable Freight Advisory Board, made up of representatives from Read More...
Reforestation could help mitigate global warming
Planting new forests could contribute more to the mitigation of climate change than previously thought, according to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. Land use changes strongly affect the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere and the land. Read More...
Redwood trees are a powerful weapon against global warming
A new study shows that California’s ancient towering redwood forests remove and store more atmospheric carbon per acre than any other forests on the planet. Redwood trees store 2,600 metric tons of carbon per hectare. That’s more than twice the 1,000 metric tons estimated for ancient conifer Read More...
Solving problems: India aims to plant 50 million trees… in a day
India is a country of big numbers. In a not so distant future, India will surpass China as the world’s most populous nation. But here’s another record: The government of the state of Uttar Pradesh aims to plant 50 million trees in one day. It has recruited more than 800,000 people for the job Read More...
New Zealand beach bought by crowdfunding is given to public
A pristine beach in New Zealand bought through a crowdfunding campaign has been handed to its new owners - the public. Nearly 40,000 people donated almost NZ$2.3m (£1.3m, $1.7m) to buy the Awaroa beach in the Abel Tasman National Park, on the South Island. Campaigners snubbed a businessman Read More...
These Lego-style homes can withstand earthquakes and cost under $5,000 to build
When earthquakes hit, they can devastate entire cities. And rebuilding destroyed buildings costs a lot labor, time, and money. Renowned architect Anupama Kundoo may have a solution — for homeowners, at least. The Indian architect, who is known for designing low-income Read More...
San Francisco leads US environmental policy with Styrofoam ban
Americans throw away 25 billion polystyrene to-go cups every year. These cups end up in landfills where they continue to pollute the environment for hundreds of years. Now San Francisco is taking the lead for a better environmental policy with a city-wide ban on the use of Styrofoam cups and Read More...
UK rejects farmers’ request for emergency use of banned bee-harming pesticides
This is the kind of news we can’t get enough of. We know that bees as pollinators play a critical role in our food supply. We also know that chemical pesticides are a major cause of the widespread dying of bees. Nevertheless, farmers in the U.K. requested to use a banned pesticide to fight a Read More...
Why climate change is an education issue
According to a recent Pew study, seven out of 10 Americans classified as political independents were not very concerned that climate change would hurt them. Worse still, Yale University researchers recently found that 40 percent of adults worldwide have never even heard of climate change. In some Read More...