Politics
Having a difficult time finding positive news about national and global politics? Search no further! From public policy to positive leadership to democracy efforts, find the latest good news stories in the world of politics at The Optimist Daily.
City of Aspen, Colorado, tries transportation alternatives
In order to reduce congestion, the city of Aspen, Colorado, is employing a city mobility lab to study traffic patterns and trial an app called Miles to encourage less driving. The goal is to try to decrease the number of cars coming into the town each day by Read More...
These apps are trying to get more people out to the polls
The numbers show that voter turnout in the U.S. was way down in 2016 compared to previous elections. As we head into the 2018 midterms, a few social canvassing apps are finding ways to locate and activate new voters in order to increase voter turnout. Have a look at the apps Read More...
This political theorist believes crypto-voting can purify democracy
According to political theorist Santiago Siri, we’ve traded in the original liberating potential of the Internet for sterile corporate serfdom. Our time spent online retweeting and upvoting and clicking on emojis serves mainly to help unaccountable corporations like Facebook, Google, and Twitter Read More...
Monsanto found guilty in Roundup weedkiller cancer trial
Once it was scientifically-proven that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s weedkiller Roundup, causes cancer, a school groundskeeper from California took Monsanto to court. Lee Johnson was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, following years of mixing and using the weedkiller at his job site Read More...
A political focus on the quality of life creates the happiest places on Earth
The biggest predictors of happiness are tolerance, equality, and healthy life expectancy. Governments can support these qualities when they shift their focus from economic development to promoting quality of life. That’s why Denmark, Costa Rica, and Singapore are the happiest places in the world. Read More...
The recent elections in Sierra Leone were powered by blockchain technology
Not one candidate in the recent elections in Sierra Leone was able to secure the required 55% of votes needed to to become president. But that’s not the only remarkable thing to happen during the West African country’s elections. In Sierra Leone’s Western District, the most populous in the Read More...
A crowdfunding campaign has raised money to buy an abandoned castle in France
Here’s another reason to love crowdfunding: Thousands of internet users have banded together to collectively buy an abandoned castle in France. Each internet user paid at least 50 euros to raise the 500,000 euros needed to buy it with the hopes of getting it restored. The castle dates back to the Read More...
Europe wants carmakers to cut emissions by nearly a third by 2030
Under a new proposal from the European Commission, emissions from fleets of new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles will have to be 30 percent lower in 2030 compared to 2021. The proposal may sound good, but it means that European car makers can continue to produce high-end Read More...
Portuguese children to crowdfund European climate change case
Portuguese schoolchildren from the area struck by the country’s worst forest fires are seeking crowdfunding to sue 47 European countries, alleging that the states’ failure to tackle climate change threatens their right to Read More...
States powering ahead on climate targets despite federal inaction, report shows
Australian states and territories are powering ahead, developing policies that will meet the federal government’s internationally agreed greenhouse gas emission targets, with South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania leading the race. Despite Read More...