Responding to the earthquake in Afghanistan: how can we help?
On June 22, 2022, a devastating earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people and more than 1,500 injured, according to the country’s state-run media. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 5.9-magnitude earthquake took place at around 1:30 am, local time, and was 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...
Frankie the Dinosaur urges humanity not to choose extinction
Right before the commencement of the United Nations climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, the UN Development Program posted a video of a special guest speaker: Frankie the Dinosaur. Frankie’s warning was clear: if we don’t work together to dramatically reduce our use of fossil fuels, Read More...
UN votes to make a clean and healthy environment a human right
The U.N. Human Rights Council has finally recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental human right, adding it to others─like food, shelter, and freedom from slavery─laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The resolution was first discussed in the Read More...
UN reclassifies cannabis as a less dangerous drug
In 1961, The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs classified marijuana as a Schedule IV drug, the most dangerous category. Now, cannabis has been removed from the list per the World Health Organization’s recommendation. The drug’s declassification opens up the door for more research Read More...
65 country leaders pledge to reverse destruction of nature
Leaders from 65 countries recently came together to make a renewed commitment to putting nature on the path to recovery. As reported in Deutsche Welle, the commitments include eliminating plastic leakage to the oceans by 2050 and incentivizing banks and businesses to value the natural Read More...
UK will start using bacteria to extract precious metals from e-waste
According to a recent report by the UN, the world dumps at least $10bn worth of gold, platinum, and other precious metals in a growing mountain of e-waste each year. The problem is further exacerbated by the release of toxic compounds into the atmosphere associated with inappropriate and unsafe Read More...
Pakistan meets UN goal on climate action, 10 years ahead of schedule
Pakistan is ranked as one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations - a position that has pushed the country to implement an incredible number of green initiatives in recent years, all in a bid to make it more resilient in the face of climate change. Now, Pakistan has turned its green Read More...
When users play this virtual game, millions of real trees are planted
Since its launch in 2016, over half a billion people have used Ant Forest to convert lower-carbon activities such as using public transport into real trees. The game is helping China lead the way in re-greening the planet and is serving as a model for tree-planting schemes elsewhere. It's the Read More...
This dietary supplement cuts methane emission from cows by 26%
At the Optimist Daily, we are strong advocates of a meat-free diet, especially since the production of livestock is the greatest contributor of greenhouse gasses in America. With that said, beef production is showing no signs of stopping any time soon, so we’re open to solutions that minimize the Read More...