New York’s climate superfund act: making polluters pay for a warming world
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a move to address the escalating costs of climate change, New York passed the Climate Change Superfund Act, becoming the second state in the nation to hold major fossil fuel companies financially accountable for their contribution to the climate crisis. Read More...
Big Oil to pay for climate change damages in Vermont
Vermont became the first state in the United States to enact legislation mandating fossil fuel companies to pay for climate change-related losses. This unprecedented legislation comes after a string of disastrous weather disasters, including severe floods last summer, that wreaked havoc on the Read More...
New Zealand plans to charge cattle burps to cut emissions
Cow and sheep burps are huge emitters of methane — which is over 80 times more efficient than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. But while livestock is the main contributor to the agriculture sector’s emissions, they are often excluded from emissions trading plans. Soon, that will no Read More...
Finally! A stylish, sustainable sneaker that doesn’t break the bank
Sneakers are one of the most versatile and popular types of footwear, so it’s no wonder the global athletic footwear market is estimated to exceed $95 billion by 2025. Unfortunately, most sneakers are made from non-recyclable materials, manufactured with environmentally harmful chemicals, and Read More...
Here’s how we can make buildings that capture and store CO2
If we are to successfully reverse the effects of climate change, then we must thoughtfully construct buildings that soak up carbon dioxide rather than produce it. But in order for that to happen, the building trade needs to redirect its focus. So much of the focus of "green buildings" is on Read More...
Key ingredient in cat litter could help reduce methane emissions
In recent years, carbon capture technologies have started playing an increasingly important role in our global quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Now, researchers at MIT have started working on solving another problem — removing methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 80 Read More...
These biodegradable straws are made out of methane by bacteria
Greenhouse gas emissions and marine plastic pollution are two of the most pressing environmental challenges the world faces at the moment. A California-based startup aims to tackle both issues simultaneously. Biotech company Newlight, has figured out a way to use a certain strain of microbes to Read More...
New technology enables power plants to “reuse” emissions
Power plants give off vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, but a new technology could help curb these devastating effects by harnessing exhaust to generate even more power. According to research published this month in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering, the technology is not Read More...
Methane-loving microbes may help reduce emissions from melting permafrost
As the climate warms up, polar ice and glaciers aren’t the only things at risk melting. Permafrost — the frozen layer of soil that underlies the Arctic tundra — is beginning to thaw as well, with scientists concerned that this will release huge amounts of greenhouse gases stored there. But Read More...