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.
Could artificial trees be part of the climate change solution?
In the fight against climate change, trees are an ally. They suck in carbon dioxide, reducing the harmful greenhouse gases. But there’s a problem: we’re asking them to work overtime. Trees can’t absorb enough of the carbon dioxide humanity is throwing at them unless we turn every inch of Read More...
How giant icebergs could be fighting climate change
Latest News Save for later Saved Subscribe Scientists study the impact of iceberg meltwater on the carbon-sequestering phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean. All else being equal, global warming means more giant icebergs breaking off Antarctica and sliding into the ocean. But, as these massive hunks Read More...
Here's how technology is helping to tackle the world's waste crisis
The amount of waste created by humans, the emissions that come with it and the price of disposing it are rising at an alarming, unsustainable rate, but new advanced technology offers an array of solutions to turning waste into something useful. One of such examples is US-based Ener-Core which has Read More...
95% of expert economists agree: Cutting carbon makes sense
Citi Group isn't the only one to say that fighting climate change is cheaper than doing nothing. The excellent Climate Consensus blog over at The Guardian just reported on some interesting research based on a survey of expert climate economists. Of those economists who had actually engaged Read More...
Counting elephants: The largest wildlife census ever conducted
The Great Elephant Census, funded by Microsoft billionaire Paul G. Allen, began in February 2014 and is beginning to deliver results. Ninety researchers from various organizations have joined aerial teams flying survey transects in 18 elephant range countries. Preliminary results reveal both good Read More...
Using technology to keep carbon emissions in check
The Paris agreement to curb climate change calls for a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels and the greenhouse gasses they emit, especially carbon dioxide. Switching to renewable energy helps but that won't happen fast enough to keep temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. That's why Read More...
Russia could go 100% renewable in 15 years
Russia could go 100% renewable by 2030, and cut their energy costs by 20%, say researchers. A study found that the cheapest option for Russia and Central Asia in the long term is to go renewable, based on the abundance of resources in the continent. The researchers, from Lappeenranta University of Read More...
In the Maine woods, a towering giant could help save chesnuts
Thanks to Nat King Cole, it's hard not think of chestnuts without conjuring an image of them "roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose." But these days, you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone roasting American chestnuts over an open fire. The trees and the nuts have all but Read More...
San Diego vows to move entirely to renewable energy in 20 years
Following the landmark climate deal reached in Paris this past week, San Diego, the eighth-largest city in the U.S, has committed to transitioning to 100% renewable energy. The legally binding pledge commits the city to complete its transition and cut its greenhouse gas emission in half by 2035. Read More...
How climate activists and businesses are starting to join forces
Long-time activist Shana Rappaport spent two weeks in Paris at the UN Climate Summit, mostly talking with activists and NGOs. "The perspectives I collected, although varied, were unified by a common message: Our ability to avert the worst impacts of climate change depends in large part on a Read More...