Oceans
From tackling marine plastic pollution to coral reef restoration, learn about humanity’s latest efforts to protect ocean habitats and marine wildlife.
California’s plan to tackle the problem of microplastics
It’s time to face the facts: teeny tiny microplastics are everywhere and despite their size, they’ve become a prodigious problem. Not only are they in our bodies, they plague the ocean and its biodiversity and are even floating through the air. Checking microplastics The state of California Read More...
What tiny water samples teach us about huge creatures
Environmental DNA (eDNA) has been a recent gold mine in research. We recently reported on how eDNA was captured from the air in a world first and how scientists were able to use this technique to distinguish zoo animals from it. This incredible tool can help ecologists study animal behavior and Read More...
Europe’s first biorefinery uses algae to make jet biofuel
The global aviation industry is responsible for more than 2 percent of human-produced carbon dioxide emissions. To put a dent in that statistic, scientists have been actively searching for cost-effective and eco-friendly aviation fuels derived from natural resources. In recent years, microalgae Read More...
Offshore wind farms might reverse climate change effects and help sea life
As the demand for renewable energy gets higher and higher, offshore wind turbines will inevitably move further and further away from the shore. Fortunately, floating turbine technology will help facilitate this shift—but now, for the first time ever, areas of the UK continental shelf that are Read More...
This system takes CO2 from the air by taking it from the sea
The world over, researchers and scientists are looking for effective and economical ways to pull CO2 out of the air to mitigate the effects of climate change. There are many promising solutions out there, but the amount of CO2 that needs to be withdrawn is substantial and the process of pulling it Read More...
This is the UN plan to tackle plastic pollution
The Optimist Daily very much likes writing about plastic cleanup in the oceans. So, we were ecstatic when we learned about the beginnings of a treaty on par with the Paris Climate Accords to clean up plastics. The Paris Climate Accords made history as an international effort of 192 countries to Read More...
Beer giant phases out plastic rings for eco-friendly alternative
We’ve all seen the dismal photos of distressed wildlife trapped in various single-use plastic, or worse, strangled by those infamous plastic rings that come with many six-packs of beer. Well, major beverage company Molson Coors has decided to take action, announcing last week that the Read More...
Automated and eco-friendly! “Green” water taxi launches in Amsterdam
In 2020, The Optimist Daily wrote about a fully automated water cab in development by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions. In October 2021, prototype models of the Roboat were launched and are now navigating Amsterdam’s Read More...
Study shows female elephant seals have built-in GPS
Most of the year pregnant female elephant seals are journeying 10,000 kilometers for 240 days across the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. This trek is not only long and has to be perfectly timed so the mothers can give birth within five days of their arrival to the breeding beaches at Año Nuevo Read More...
These wind-powered offshore chargers could change shipping
Wind energy is a major part of our energy future. As the technology develops it opens up new possibilities in different areas of our economies. The biggest CO2 emitter for offshore wind farms is the diesel boats that drive out for maintenance on the turbines. Scottish firm Oasis Marine Power Read More...