Today’s Solutions: January 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.

Home in Italy with solar panels

Italy’s generous subsidies are driving a wave of green home upgrades

Homes account for 11.5 percent of Italy’s greenhouse gas emissions, but fortunately, the country’s green “superbonus” scheme is encouraging record numbers of residents to make sustainable upgrades to their homes and businesses. Under the program, the Italian government will pay an Read More...

Close up manatee portrait underwater

US Fish & Wildlife Service approves unprecedented move to save manatees

In Florida, near Cape Canaveral, wildlife conservationists are getting desperate to save the wild manatee population, which has been dying at alarming rates. More than 1,000 manatees have perished in 2021. The primary cause of death is pollution, which has brought the seagrasses in the Indian River Read More...

Pink and blue energy mix

Researchers make huge leap in fusion reactor technology

In a historic first, a fusion reactor has exceeded the energy efficiency of fossil fuels! The reaction yielded 1.3 megajoules of energy, a higher amount than the input of fuel it took to power the reactor. The group of physicists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory responsible for this Read More...

a woman models a cardigan showcasing visible mending

Meet the knitwear designer teaching this waste-reducing knitwear trend

Scotland-based knitwear designer Flora Collingwood-Norris is on a mission to teach people how to mend their clothes in the name of using fewer resources and avoiding waste. The fashion industry is pretty wasteful, so why fan the flame by purchasing more clothes to replace torn or damaged Read More...

Captain of Commercial Fishing Ship Working with Sea Maps Surrounded by Monitors and Screens

Game of Trawls: How AI-equipped fishing nets could help reduce by-catch

While a very popular practice in the fishing industry, bottom trawling has long been criticized for its huge negative impact on marine ecosystems. A new device from researchers in France, however, could finally help make the method more eco-friendly. What is bottom trawling and why is it bad for Read More...

Man and dog trek 8,000 km to h

Man and dog trek 8,000 km to help rewild Scottish Highlands

A Scotland native and his dog recently completed an 8,000-kilometer fundraising walk across Canada, all while wearing a kilt. After a nine-month odyssey, the tenacious pair finally reached Canada’s most easterly point, Cape Spear in Newfoundland, on Sunday. Michael Yellowlees and his faithful Read More...

Father and daughter plant a tree together

Every Welsh household gets a free tree to help tackle climate emergency

The Welsh government has come up with a £2 million scheme to help tackle the climate emergency that will give a tree to every household in the country. This adds up to approximately 1.3 million newly planted trees. People can choose tree species that are native to their region, but if they Read More...

A variety of artificial Christmas trees

Extend the life of your artificial Christmas tree with these tips and tricks

While we may not all agree on whether an artificial tree is more sustainable than chopping down a real evergreen tree this Christmas, what we can agree upon is that if you already have an artificial Christmas tree, you shouldn’t let it go to waste. Greenpeace says an artificial Christmas tree Read More...

young salmon

This new biodegradable plastic is made of a surprising substance

The world’s plastic pollution problem is one that scientists and eco-warriors are scrambling to solve. Humans have latched on to this environmentally unfriendly material since its invention, and now that we’ve fostered a reliance on it, replacing it or getting rid of it completely has proven Read More...

British countryside

Landowner pact promises to boost rewilding efforts across the UK

Some of the UK’s biggest landowners have decided to come together to restore peat bogs, woodlands, rivers, and other natural habitats that need rewilding on their land. The National Trust, National Parks England, and Duchy of Cornwall are just a few of the organizations that have pledged to Read More...