Climate Action
What is Climate Action? Climate Action is humanity's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our planet's resilience against climate change. From adaptation to mitigation, at The Optimist Daily you will learn about the most recent positive news stories and solutions targeting climate change and other environmental issues.
Even in deserts, this system can generate water and electricity
The extreme heat of the world’s deserts makes maintaining a water supply and a steady supply of electricity difficult. At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written about optimizing solar panels with agricultural systems before. However, this experimental hybrid system from King Abdullah University of Read More...
Amsterdam plans to build its first wooden neighborhood in centuries
When it comes to sustainable urban development, Amsterdam stands out as a metropolis ready to integrate a variety of strategies to make the city more livable and eco-friendly: from underwater bike garages to energy-sharing, floating villages. Now, the city is planning to build an entire 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...
Oslo ahead in reaching no-emission travel by 2030
A new study by a coalition of non-governmental organizations called the Clean Cities Campaign analyzed 36 European cities to see if they are on track to achieving pollution-free mobility before 2030. The coalition looked at factors such as road safety for pedestrians, access to climate-friendly Read More...
This Kenyan community regrew its forest
At The Optimist Daily, we love stories fighting deforestation or spurring reforestation. Forests are our friends. They host myriad wildlife, foster ecological diversity, consume carbon dioxide, and breathe out oxygen. They also do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to reducing floods. In Read More...
8 things to keep in mind for sustainably sourced spices
When it comes to what we put in our pantries, many of us are already thinking: organic, ethical, fair trade, and sustainable. However, one type of ingredient that may slip our minds is spices! We spice our foods with flavors from all around the world, so it’s important to consider how they’re Read More...
Germany plans to be 100 percent renewable by 2035
Sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar are important for countries as well as the planet. They improve efficiency, can reduce weather-related blackouts, and they also help a country’s independence by allowing it to rely on itself for energy. Germany announced Monday that its goal Read More...
This bacteria "eats" carbon emissions and makes useful chemicals
Scientists at LanzaTech in Illinois have engineered some exciting new bacteria that actually transform carbon dioxide into ethanol and isopropanol, compounds used in paint remover and hand sanitizer. Michael Köpke and his colleagues went on a hunt for strains of the ethanol-producing bacterium, Read More...
This startup uses electrochemistry to capture carbon
A tricky part of carbon capture technology is the energy required to pull it off. Many critics, while agreeing on the need to pull carbon dioxide out of the air, say that existing technologies might produce more emissions than they remove. Now, startups are getting creative to optimize carbon Read More...
This cheeky browser helps you pursue climate action
As the urgency to take action against climate change becomes more apparent in our day-to-day lives, an increasing number of people — especially younger generations — are experiencing feelings of eco-anxiety. These overwhelming feelings are only exacerbated by recurrent news headlines about Read More...