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.
Electric cars make cities cooler
Electric cars are cool in more than one way. Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered that electric cars emit 20 percent less heat than conventional cars. This will mitigate the so-called “urban heat island effect,” meaning that cities are warmer than the surrounding areas. Read More...
First US city moves against the car; will pay drivers to use public transit
Many cities in the world are battling congestion problems with charging drivers more money to enter the city at peak travel times. Since ten years, London charges $18 to enter the city on most weekdays. Studies show reduced traffic, pollution, and fewer traffic deaths. In the US—the empire of Read More...
Sunlight and bacteria remove drugs and chemical pollutants from drinking water
Drinking water supplies around the world often contain trace amounts of pharmaceuticals and synthetic compounds that may be harmful to human health. Man-made wastewater treatment plants are not able to remove these residues. But nature can, as experiments with artificially constructed wetlands Read More...
First sign of success in climate change battle
This news is from Friday, but we want to make sure you got it because it’s very important and good. CO2 levels have been rising together with economic growth for decades causing the climate change that threatens society. However, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2014—for Read More...
Algae species protects corals in our ocean’s warmest waters
Coral is a magnificent, fragile creature that can be killed of by water warming just a few degrees. While many corals react to warming water differently, researchers have just discovered a type of algae from the Persian Gulf that protects corals from warming water. Scientists wondered why Persian Read More...
Non-binding climate agreements work best
Policymakers around the world are working out the logistics for the next climate change agreement. Given the international political disparity a binding agreement may be out of reach. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Non-binding climate agreements, like the Kyoto Protocol, have turned out Read More...
Baking soda balls capture carbon
Current carbon capturing technologies use harsh chemicals to keep carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere, it’s a lesser of two evils scenario. A new carbon capturing technique might change the way we capture carbon and make it a sustainable option for offsetting emissions. Researchers Read More...
Planting trees is the best way to fight climate change
Ask someone what the best way to fight climate change in the future will be and they might mention smog-eating buildings, or burying large amounts of captured greenhouse gases. A new study from Oxford University says that planting trees, and improving soil conditions are actually the best ways to Read More...
Branson calls on businesses to eliminate emissions
Richard Branson, the overtly vocal leader of his Virgin enterprise, has called on the world’s businesses to remove the strain of carbon emissions from the global economy. Branson’s goals are ambitious and exceed those targeted by the G8, the group of 8 richest nations in the world, to reduce Read More...
Obama will reward states that exceed climate change goals
President Obama announced a $4 billion fund that will encourage states to go beyond the climate change goals set in place by the Environmental Protection Agency. Obama’s measure is expected to face harsh opposition from the GOP controlled senate. Along with the $4 billion fund is a tax credit Read More...