Today’s Solutions: December 16, 2025

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.

How DNA in the air could help

How DNA in the air could help track life on Earth

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the lush forests of northern Belize, surrounded by hibiscus blooms, kingfishers overhead, and the busy trails of leaf-cutter ants below, biodiversity scientist Elizabeth Clare reflects on a question as profound as it is urgent: how do we measure all of Read More...

The surprising power of pengui

The surprising power of penguin poop: how guano-made clouds may help cool the planet

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the chilly heart of Antarctica, a bunch of tuxedoed waddlers may be doing more for the planet than most of us in puffer coats. A new study has found that penguins, already champions of charm, are also unlikely champions of the climate—thanks to their Read More...

Why using your dishwasher is t

Why using your dishwasher is the laziest way to help the planet

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Doing your part for the environment often feels like more work — biking instead of driving, composting scraps, giving up fast fashion. But what if we told you that one of the easiest ways to go green... is to do less? Enter: the dishwasher. Yes, that Read More...

Is gardening the most underrat

Is gardening the most underrated workout? The mind-body benefits of one hour in the garden

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Why pay for produce and a gym membership when your backyard (or a community garden) offers both? Gardening might just be the most efficient way to take care of your body, your mind, and the planet—all in one go. Sure, you could hop on a stair machine or Read More...

Solar panels to become standar

Solar panels to become standard on new homes in England by 2027 under net zero push

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a major boost to the UK’s net zero goals, the government confirmed that nearly all new homes in England will be built with solar panels by 2027. Under the new policy, housebuilders will be legally required to install rooftop solar as standard during Read More...

How Boise, Idaho is heating hu

How Boise, Idaho is heating hundreds of buildings with clean geothermal energy

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In Boise, Idaho, being in hot water is a good thing — especially when it comes to how the city keeps warm. Home to hundreds of natural hot springs, Boise has tapped into the geothermal potential beneath its feet, creating the largest municipally operated Read More...

Is No Mow May helping bees or

Is No Mow May helping bees or just overgrown hype? Here’s what the experts say

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Letting your lawn grow wild in May to help bees and other pollinators? That’s the pitch behind No Mow May, a conservation campaign that has bloomed on social media and in neighborhoods across North America. The idea is simple: stop mowing for one month so Read More...

Scientific societies take char

Scientific societies take charge as U.S. climate report faces political uncertainty

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When leadership falters, science finds a way forward. That’s the message from two of America’s most prominent scientific societies, which have pledged to carry on critical climate research after the Trump administration sidelined the team behind the Read More...

Wildlife returns to Eaton Fire

Wildlife returns to Eaton Fire burn area, offering a symbol of hope and resilience

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Four months after the Eaton Fire ravaged parts of the Angeles National Forest and destroyed homes and businesses in Altadena, California, life is slowly and surely returning. Behind the blackened remains of scorched neighborhoods, the hillsides are once again Read More...

Kenya on track for universal e

Kenya on track for universal electricity access by 2030, powered by clean energy and community reach

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a decade, Kenya has more than doubled its electricity access rate — rising from just 37 percent in 2013 to 79 percent in 2023 — and it's not stopping there. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest Energy Policy Review, the country Read More...