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.
New battery biodegrades after a month in soil
E-waste is one of the most rapidly growing and toxic waste streams in the world today, but scientists at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have come up with a partial solution by creating biodegradable batteries that can actually be buried in soil once they’ve reached the Read More...
New technology uses seawater to remove carbon from the atmosphere
The ocean absorbs about a third of the CO2 that humans create when burning fossil fuels. While that’s good news for the air, capturing so much extra carbon dioxide makes ocean waters more acidic, harming marine life. Enter Ebb Carbon, a startup that wants to reinforce the ocean’s ability to Read More...
Major music labels come together to sign the Music Climate Pact
Major players in the music industry have joined forces to combat the climate crisis by committing to the Music Climate Pact. Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group as well as independent labels like the Beggars and Secretly groups of labels, Warp, Ninja Tune, and Read More...
New York City bans the use of fuel-burning systems in new construction
Following in the footsteps of green cities like San Francisco, New York City voted last week to pass a bill that will ban fuel-burning systems, like stoves and heaters, from all new construction. A huge source of emissions and indoor air pollution, gas stoves are being replaced with electric models Read More...
Watch conservationists release a million baby turtles into the wild
Earlier this week, conservationists released hundreds of thousands of baby turtles into a river at the Amazon border separating Bolivia and Brazil — all in an attempt to preserve the endangered species. Amazon River turtles have faced an increasing number of threats in recent years. Most of Read More...
Meet Ella Lambert, the 21-year-old student fighting period poverty
Ella Lambert, a 21-year-old student in the UK, knows what it’s like to be limited because of her period. “I’ve always struggled with period pain, like absolutely atrocious period pain which would mean that I’d have to miss out on school and cancel plans last minute,” she says. Her Read More...
AI system can predict lightning strikes
Lightning is one of the leading causes of destructive wildfires, but its notoriously difficult-to-predict nature means that firefighters and residents rarely have an accurate prediction about where and when lightning may strike. Researchers from the University of Washington hope to use AI to better Read More...
These 17 “super trees” make cities vastly more livable
Creating more green space in urban areas is a highly effective way to lower temperatures and improve health outcomes during heat waves, but when it comes to tree planting in cities, not all trees are created equal. Research from Rice University finds that 17 “super trees” are most powerful in Read More...
Prefab home design weaves sustainability and affordability together
In a quiet residential neighborhood in Brant County, Ontario, lies a home that outperforms neighboring houses not only in sustainable design, but also in affordability. Boasting Passive House standards — a highly energy-efficient building standard — the new house is an experiment for Habitat Read More...
Drones help scientists gather winter climate data from Gulf Stream
Collecting weather data along the Gulf Stream in severe winter conditions is a challenge, to say the least, for traditional ships with human crews. To make the process easier and more efficient, Saildrone, headquartered in Alameda, California, manufactures surface vehicles that use renewable Read More...