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.
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...
We can solve environmental crises: That hole in the ozone layer is almost fixed
Here’s proof that the world can solve environmental crises: The once gaping hole in the Ozone layer is well on its way to making a full recovery, according to a new study. The ozone hole used to be the biggest problem facing the whole planet. Without the ozone's protection, the sun's ultraviolet Read More...
Sustainable road building: Pig manure can replace asphalt
Roads are made of asphalt, an environmentally polluting petroleum product. Researchers have been looking for a low-cost, sustainable replacement. Now they have found that pig manure is rich in oils very similar to petroleum, at a grade too low to make gasoline but suited for asphalt. The group Read More...
Floating solar produces clean energy and saves water
The Southwest of the U.S. is dealing with a multi-year drought. Many man-made drinking water reservoirs are at all-time lows, and they continue to deplete as vast quantities of water are lost to evaporation. What if the same scorching sun that causes so much of this water loss were harnessed for Read More...
Climate change: UK to set bold emissions target
A world-leading climate change target up to the early 2030s is set to be confirmed by the British government. Ministers are expected to announce that the UK will cut carbon emissions by 57% by 2032, from 1990 levels. The announcement will help reassure the investors needed to overhaul the UK's Read More...
Committing to recycling the “non-recyclable”
Waste items most commonly known to be recyclable include glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastics like water bottles or milk jugs. Many opportunities to capture and divert potentially valuable materials from the landfill are missed. Examples of these missed opportunities include industrial waste, Read More...
Clean, renewable energy can save 6.5 million lives each year
Global warming is seen as a top global threat that drives investments in clean, renewable energy. However, it’s a threat that is many years or even decades away. The most important reason to convert to clean energy is that every day in the world almost 18,000 people die as a result of air Read More...
Scientists call for urgent action to save the world's coral reefs
As the largest international gathering of coral reef experts comes to a close, scientists have sent a letter to Australian officials calling for action to save the world's reefs, which are being rapidly damaged. The letter was sent Saturday to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull imploring Read More...