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.
Apple recovered one ton of gold by recycling iPhones last year
Apple’s eco-friendly efforts paid off as the tech-giant reclaimed nearly one metric ton of gold by recycling its own products in 2015. At current prices, that’s equivalent to around $40 million worth of gold. As well as the gold, the company recovered three tons of silver, and over 1,300 tons Read More...
Indonesia bans new oil palm and mining concessions
Palm oil impacts a major part of your life—from the soap you use to the cookies you eat. The problem is that in many places ancient rainforests are cleared to make way for plantations to produce palm oil. Environmental organizations have been campaigning to end this deforestation. Now Indonesia, Read More...
UN climate chief: Here’s why Paris climate deal will work
Do you expect all nations to sign the Paris agreement on 22 April? We have about 130 countries that confirmed to come to New York, and the number grows every day. About half of them will be represented by their head of state or government. The Paris agreement will be open for signature during an Read More...
The Amazon rainforest might be home to more animals than previously thought, Stanford scientists show
By tapping the expertise of indigenous hunters, researchers found that conventional surveying techniques underestimate animal populations and miss species in the remote Amazon. Producing an accurate count is important for planning conservation efforts. Wikimedia Commons The lowland tapir is a Read More...
Reducing carbon emissions through ‘climate-smart’ farming
‘Climate-smart’ soil management in agriculture could play an important role in climate change reduction. Much of the earth’s carbon is locked in soil, and by using certain irrigation and fertilizer methods, this storage function can be maximized. Climate-smart farming holds a best-scenario Read More...
Edible cutlery company wants us to eat our way out of plastic pollution
Plastic waste covers our oceans and landfill. The past 70 years of plastic waste have resulted in pollution so ubiquitous scientists say it’s a marker of a new geological epoch, the manmade Anthropocene. Plastic cutlery is a contributor to this enormous problem – estimates suggest the Read More...
Forget bubble wrap, the future of packaging is marine algae
Buying goods online has made shopping incredibly convenient, but it’s also created one of the biggest pollution problems of our time: Packaging. Each day millions of packages filled with bubble wrap and other plastic protection are shipped out everyday only to be thrown away upon arrival, so a Read More...
Youth sue US government over climate change
A lawsuit filed by a group of youth against the US government over climate change can go forward, as a judge ruling in Oregon dismissed motions of the federal government and oil companies. Nonprofit ‘Our Children’s Trust has filed petitions and lawsuits in every US state, alleging the Read More...
Number of tigers in the wild rises for first time in over 100 years
For the first time in more than a century, the number of tigers in the wild has risen, with some 3,890 counted in the latest global census. The tally marks a turnaround from the last worldwide estimate in 2010, when the number of tigers in the wild hit an all-time low of about 3,200, according to Read More...
Myanmar can flourish by sowing seeds of agricultural prosperity
On 30 March, Htin Kyaw, a long-time adviser and ally of Aung San Suu Kyi – whose National League for Democracy party achieved a historic victory in recent elections – became the first elected civilian to hold office in Myanmar since the army took over in 1962. The NLD won the democratic Read More...