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.
On the bright side, this is the year humanity started taking climate change seriously
It could very well be that 2015 will go down in history as the year humanity understood the perils of climate change and stood up to its imminent effects. This isn’t a statement based upon false optimism but rather one based upon the results of the world’s response to the climate emergency. Read More...
Eating bugs could save the planet. But can we stomach it?
Swapping cows for crickets would be a boon for the planet. But can environmentalists convince consumers to embrace insects as food? Between global warming’s rising tides and scorching droughts, industrial pollution, and a population predicted to reach 9 billion within the next few decades, Read More...
Court blocks the use of a pesticide over concerns about its effect on honey bees
It was a big day for beekeepers in the United States yesterday. After years of worrying about declining bee colonies, the appeals court blocked the use of a pesticide that is highly toxic to bees, as studies have shown. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) neglected these studies before Read More...
Solar energy is poised for yet another record year
The U.S. solar industry is on course for a new growth record in 2015, according to a new report that finds that solar photovoltaic installations now exceed 20 gigawatts in capacity and could surpass an unprecedented 7 gigawatts this year alone across all segments. A gigawatt is equivalent to 1 Read More...
People love renewable energy, so why don't politicians get it?
Robin Hood: one of Britain’s best-loved folk heroes. He speaks to our national love of subverting the rules. Fighting against institutional injustice, he protected the most vulnerable from the predatory practices of a corrupt establishment. Nottingham city council’s new not-for-profit energy Read More...
Climate benefits from electric car equals $425, study says
A new study places a dollar-based price tag on the environmental benefits of electric vehicles in terms of avoided greenhouse gas pollution, and the answer may surprise both clean-car enthusiasts and skeptics. In the western United States, where electricity is generated from a relatively clean mix Read More...
Smart, green cities could save the world $22 trillion, study shows
Every day, some 200,000 people move into cities across the globe. It doesn't seem that anything will halt or slow the trend of urbanization. To keep cities sustainable, it's essential for urban planners to adopt smart solutions to put cities on a greener, low-carbon path. That is not only possible, Read More...
Artificial 'plants' could fuel the future
Imagine creating artificial plants that make gasoline and natural gas using only sunlight. And imagine using those fuels to heat our homes or run our cars without adding any greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. By combining nanoscience and biology, researchers led by scientists at University of Read More...
Low emission biogas also produces fertilizer
TORONTO, CANADA A Canadian chemical engineer has devised a product that transforms the waste generated by biogas production into fertilizer. Andrew White says his SulfaCHAR system eliminates chemical waste from the biogas process, while increasing renewable gas plants' profitability and stopping Read More...
The best way to measure a household's resilience? Ask those who live there
The concept of “resilience” is taking development and humanitarian sectors by storm. Huge amounts of finance are being channelled into “resilience-building” activities, aimed at supporting people and communities to deal more effectively with climate extremes, financial Read More...