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.
Earthworms: a natural solution to farms’ wastewater
Royal Dairy in Royal City, Washington has a problem that's common to dairy farms. The hundreds of millions of gallons of water used by their dairy and beef cows eventually become wastewater carrying animal waste, nitrates, and other harmful chemicals into the groundwater which people could one day Read More...
This climate action tool shows where we are on our path to net zero
While the world has set big targets for tackling climate change, keeping track of progress is quite difficult — especially with so many factors involved. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a tool that could quantify the impact of various climate actions and clearly show how we’re doing on Read More...
Spain responds to the cost of living crisis by making train journeys free of charge
As the cost of living continues to climb ever higher, some governments are taking their time as they draw up and execute plans that will help support their citizens. Spain’s governing bodies, on the other hand, are charging full steam ahead to relieve their people of at least some financial Read More...
Oregon project lets farmers test drive electric tractors
American drivers have plenty of options when it comes to electric cars, but what about farmers? The electrification of the agricultural industry is a lucrative and relatively untapped market. However, first, the technology needs to be sold to farmers, many of whom are hesitant about the Read More...
10 eco-friendly kitchen appliances to make your home greener
A healthy kitchen goes beyond just eating green. On top of an eco-friendly diet, having planet-friendly appliances in the heart of your home can go a long way in making your household more sustainable. Although repairing existing items is a great first choice, if you do have an appliance in need of Read More...
In a world-first Brazil rules that Paris Agreement is a Human Rights treaty
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change adopted by 196 Parties at COP21. The overarching goal is to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius, and ideally keep it only to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In a world-first, the supreme court of Brazil has declared that the Read More...
Eating less meat could help oceans and waterways by reducing nitrogen
It’s difficult for us to consider the long-term, downriver consequences of the simplest of our actions. It isn’t because we’re indifferent; it’s because there are several complicated results to everything we do. Take eating too much meat. When our bodies have more protein than they need, Read More...
How aspirin and crop resilience go hand in hand
Did you know that plants have been making aspirin for millions of years? And humans have been using it as far back as Neanderthal times for self-medication? The pain medication can be found in trees and sunflowers alike in an unprocessed form called salicylic acid, created in response to when a Read More...
UK scientists plan to use contraceptives to curb invasive gray squirrels
In the late 19th century, gray squirrels were introduced to the United Kingdom from the United States. Since then, the gray squirrel population has exploded in the UK to the detriment of the county’s woodlands. These squirrels strip the bark of trees to get at the sap beneath, and British forests Read More...
Largest number of fin whales seen feeding together in over 50 years
Fin whales are the second-largest in the world, growing up to 85 feet (26 m) long and 160,000 pounds (72.3 metric tons). In 1976, the numbers of these magnificent giants in the Antarctic were dangerously low, caused by human commercial hunting practices. This caused a ban on commercial whaling to Read More...