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.
Germany plans to put 15 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2030
Making electric cars the dominant vehicles on the road is key to curbing planet-warming emissions and protecting the climate. In a bid to reach that goal, an increasing number of countries and cities across the world have pledged to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by the end of the decade. Now, Read More...
A secondhand gift-giving guide for a more sustainable holiday
Do you want to make the holiday season more sustainable this year by practicing less consumerism, but are unsure of how to navigate giving pre-loved gifts with grace? A survey by online secondhand marketplace Vinted revealed that one in six people are dedicated to giving repurposed presents this Read More...
Jelly ice cubes are a zero waste solution for cold storage
What if we could ship refrigerated goods without the use of ice or traditional ice packs? This is the vision of UC Davis researchers who recently developed a new type of ice cube which does not melt and is compostable and anti-microbial. The new cubes, called “jelly ice cubes” contain mostly Read More...
Portugal becomes fourth EU country to shut down all coal power plants
Back in 2016, Belgium made history by becoming the first EU country to break ties with coal. Last year, Austria and Sweden followed suit, as the world is increasingly pushing for the wide adoption of more sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar. Now, we’re happy to announce the good Read More...
All new homes in England will be fitted with EV charging points
Electric vehicles are a greener alternative to traditional petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles, however, a major deterrent for drivers who are considering switching to electric is the lack of EV-charging points, meaning that drivers are plagued with “range anxiety,” or are, in other words, Read More...
Popcorn may be the next sustainable building material
Popcorn is more than just a tasty snack to munch on while at the movies—it may soon be widely used as a natural and eco-friendly alternative to man made home insulation. Scientists at Göttingen University in Germany have discovered that popcorn insulation boards had “excellent thermal Read More...
Ukraine plans to plant one billion trees over the next three years
Back in 2019, Swiss scientists conducted a study that concluded that the most effective way to combat climate change is to plant a trillion trees. According to the study’s calculations, planting at least one trillion trees could sequester nearly 830 billion tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide Read More...
Italian garden installation shows us how much CO2 trees store
Trees are the lungs of our planet—we know that trees are needed because they sequester dangerous CO2 emissions, but do we really know how much we depend on them to clean the air we breathe? We don’t see trees and plants absorbing emissions as we trek through the forest or sit in our gardens, so Read More...
The EU proposes law that bans major products linked to deforestation
Last week, the European Commission proposed new legislation to ban the import of many key commodities if companies cannot definitively prove that their products aren’t linked to deforestation. Otherwise, these companies can expect to receive a hefty fine. The commodities under investigation Read More...
US allocates $6.6 million to Midwest Tribes for EV network
The US Department of Energy has approved $6.6 million in funding to create an electric vehicle charging network for Native American Tribes in the Midwest. Awarded to Native Sun Community Power Development and Standing Rock Renewable Energy Power Authority, the funding will be used to purchase Read More...