China to ban single-use plastic bags and food containers by the end of 2020
As plastic pollution becomes ever more ubiquitous each year, China - one of the biggest contributors to the problem - is set to introduce a ban on all non-degradable plastic bags and single-use straws in its major cities. By the end of the year, the country is expected to ban the production and Read More...
Keep your household out of the US-China trade war and stop buying new stuff
The so-called trade war taking place between the US and China will cost the average US household an estimated $460 by the end of the year, according to economists. But it doesn’t have to. Sure, some of the costs that will come from new US tariffs on Chinese-made goods may be unavoidable, but you Read More...
A zoo in Berlin just witnessed the rare birth of panda twins
If you’re a panda lover (who isn’t?), then we have some fantastic news for you. This week, a panda by the name of Meng Meng gave birth to not one, but two panda cubs in a zoo in Berlin—marking the first time one of these rare mammals has given birth in Germany. Pandas are notoriously Read More...
Solar power generation now cheaper than grid electricity across China
25 years ago China had no solar panels whatsoever, and some experts thought it would take decades before the costs of solar generation would be the same as electricity from the grid. Now the country is leading the global renewable transition. Recently, thanks to a combination of technological Read More...
China is now building the world’s largest waste-to-energy plant
On the outskirts of the city of Shenzhen in China, a mammoth structure is being constructed. But this is not just another giant building in China. Instead, it’s set to be the largest waste-to-energy plant the world has ever seen. With a population of 20 million people, the city produces a lot Read More...
China has graveyards of unused dockless bikes. This man has a plan for them
When the dockless bike sharing concept started becoming trendy in metropolitan cities, many Chinese startups bet big on the idea, flooding cities all over the world with dockless bikes. Unfortunately for these startups, the bikes weren’t a big success, and they vanished as quickly from cities as Read More...
Researchers have photographed a giant albino panda for the first time
The photo you see above is not of a plump polar bear that has wondered way too far from its home. No, the image you see is of an all-white, albino giant panda—believed to be the first of his (or her) kind known to human researchers. The image, taken by the reserve's motion-activated cameras in Read More...
Scientists created a biological glue that stops post-traumatic bleeding rapidly
When someone gets a severe injury, the injury itself might not even be what's causing them the most harm—it could likely be the post-traumatic bleeding. In fact, uncontrolled post-traumatic bleeding is the leading cause of potentially preventable death among trauma patients, according to the Read More...
China is creating a panda refuge three times the size of Yellowstone
If you love giant pandas (who doesn’t?), then you’ll be happy to hear this bit of news: the Chinese government is on the verge of creating an expanded panda refuge that will span 10,476 square miles. That’s nearly triple the size of Yellowstone. The proposed Giant Panda National Read More...
China’s huge electric bus fleet is paying off, both socially and environmentally
Making transportation greener has been a central theme to today's Optimist Daily. We've had a story on cargo ships, another on planes, and now another about electric busses. According to research, electric buses alone will save an astounding 270,000 barrels of diesel demand in 2019 – every single Read More...