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.
Cow gas smells like success for organic farmer
In a land famous for cutting-edge agricultural technology, one Israeli farmer gets his sustainable ecological solutions not from a computer – he doesn’t own one – but from the backside of his cows. That’s right: We’re talking about methane, the odiferous, Read More...
Climate-smart agriculture: Building resilience to climate change
The current El Niño weather phenomenon has brought devastating drought to parts of Ethiopia, showing the urgent need for farming to adapt to new weather patterns. With global populations expanding rapidly, it has been estimated that agricultural production will have to rise by as much as 70% by Read More...
'Climate change has put focus on necessity of renewable energy', India minister says
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on Sunday said climate change has put the focus on the necessity of renewable energy and this is also being used as an opportunity to help the transition to a cleaner and greener world. Speaking after inaugurating World Utility Summit (WUS), during ELECRAMA 2016 - Read More...
Study finds plankton are the key to carbon sequestration
An international team of scientists has begun to illuminate how the ocean plucks carbon from the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming, and shuttles it to the bottom of the sea. The new study, published in the journal Nature, establishes the important role of plankton networks in Read More...
Sweden to go carbon neutral by 2045
Seven out of eight parliamentary parties back proposal for rapid greenhouse gas emissions cuts, boosted by Paris agreement By Megan Darby Sweden is aiming to neutralise its greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The Scandinavian country will cut territorial emissions at least 85% from 1990 levels and Read More...
This suit made of mushroom spores helps decompose bodies sustainably
With the rise of electric cars, sustainable architecture, eco-friendly diets, composting, and countless other options, forging a sustainable life is often as easy as it is trendy. Now, it's even easy after death, thanks to a bodysuit made from a decidedly old-school material: mushrooms. The Read More...
Commercial airlines get their first global emissions standard
Commercial airlines can no longer fly without thinking about the skies they’re polluting. Officials from 23 countries have agreed to set the first international carbon dioxide emissions standard for commercial aircraft with tougher guidelines for new airplane models to meet in 2020. New aircrafts Read More...
Natural geoengineering: A techno-fix to remove CO2 from the atmosphere we can all like
To solve the challenges of climate change, some techno-optimists advocate technological fixes, known as climate geoengineering—from spraying sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect more solar energy back into space, to fertilizing the ocean with pulverized iron to stimulate blooms of Read More...
Newly grown rainforests boost carbon capture
Protecting ancient rainforests is a good thing to help save the environment and to fight global warming. But when it comes to capturing carbon from the atmosphere, newly grown rainforests can absorb 11 times as much as old-growth forests, a new study shows. In order to maximize access to sunlight, Read More...
Study shows reforestation helps prevent flooding
Native woodlands in uplands reduce the effects of flooding. This is proven by recent scientific research such as the Pontbren Project, by Bangor University in Wales. They examined the management of upland sites by a group of farmers. It established that soil under mixed native trees absorbs water Read More...