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.
'Spinning sail' could make cargo ships a whole lot greener
International shipping runs largely on highly polluting “bunker” fuel, which is why the industry is under increased pressure to play its part in tackling climate change by reducing emissions. Drawing on a type of “spinning sail” invented almost a century ago, ships could reduce their fuel Read More...
5 cities leading the charge on climate action
For centuries, cities have been at the heart of the arts and culture, thriving businesses and innovative ideas. More than 90 percent of urban areas are coastal, which means that most cities on the planet are extremely vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis as sea levels rise, polar ice Read More...
China’s coal consumption declines despite increasing energy consumption
New figures published by China’s National Burea of Statistics show that while the country’s total energy consumption increased by 1.4% in 2016, the country’s coal consumption declined by 4.7%. Following China’s use of coal and the country’s corresponding carbon dioxide emission levels has Read More...
Microbes measure ecological restoration success
The success of ecological restoration projects around the world could be boosted using a potential new tool that monitors soil microbes. Published in the journal Molecular Ecology, University of Adelaide researchers have shown how the community of bacteria present in the soil of land that had been Read More...
Solutionary Rail: Turning America’s railroads into a climate solution
To this editor, who was born in The Netherlands where it was recently announced that the railways are completely powered by wind energy, the image above doesn’t look very innovative. And, yet, electrified railroads powered by renewable energy can make a big positive environmental solution to the Read More...
Can organic cotton become as mainstream as organic food?
Organic cotton textiles register no more than a footnote in the world’s cotton production, but Vishal Naithani wants to change that. His company, Sustained Organic Living in Edina, selects certified organic cotton grown in India with non-GMO seeds. The products are made using only fair trade Read More...
Barcelona to begin banning old cars in 2019, Munich plans diesel ban
In response to worsening air pollution problems in many of Europe’s largest cities, Barcelona (Spain) and Munich (Germany) have been moved to action. In Barcelona’s case, voluntarily, and in Munich’s case, as the result of a court order. To be more specific, Barcelona will begin banning cars Read More...
Anti-fracking protesters take government to court in Lancashire
The government will go to court this week to defend test drilling at a fracking site in Lancashire as it comes under pressure to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to cover the cost of policing anti-fracking protests. The high court in Manchester will hear two cases on Wednesday that pit Sajid Read More...
Stockholm’s mayor is taking on climate change
Karin Wanngård, the mayor of Stockholm, rides an electric bike to work each morning — at least when it is not snowing too heavily. She also wears second-hand clothing — a trendy move in Stockholm, she says — and eats less meat than she used to. It is all part of her contribution to meeting Read More...
House passes bill to ban fracking in Maryland
The Maryland House of Delegates passed a milestone fracking ban bill Friday with unprecedented bipartisan support. House Bill 1325, which passed by a vote of 97 to 40, would ban hydraulic fracturing Read More...