Environment
Need some good news about the environment? The Optimist Daily is your go-to herald of positive environmental news, highlighting eco-friendly solutions and scientific progress around climate action, circularity, conservation, and more. Learn about everything eco in our Environment section.
Spain formally recognizes animals as sentient beings
Spain joins nations like the UK and Brussels in passing an animal welfare law that recognizes animals as sentient beings, meaning that the country will no longer consider pets and wild animals as “objects." Spain’s Congress of Deputies passed the new legislation, which received majority 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...
Pittsburgh will become a dark sky city in 2022
Anyone who lives in a big city knows that stars are a rare sight due to light pollution, but that may soon change in one American metropolis. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has announced that it will become a dark sky city in 2022, joining others like Tucson and Sedona in Arizona, and Fulda in Germany in Read More...
The secrets behind the ferocity of fungi exposed
Armillaria ostoyae is one of the toughest tree-killing fungi on the planet. It assembles with black tentacle-like structures called rhizomorphs, which leach onto trees and suck out their nutrients. The reason the fungi is so hard to kill has previously baffled scientists, with farmers hacking Read More...
So what is the relationship between climate change and tornadoes?
Following devastating tornadoes in the United States this week, many are wondering, are these events fuelled by climate change? While wildfires and extreme rainfall have direct links to a changing climate, things are a bit more complex with tornadoes. Although the weather has a direct impact on Read More...
Resilient North Atlantic right whale gives birth while entangled in fishing gear
It’s no secret that improperly discarded fishing gear is one of the biggest threats to the lives of many aquatic creatures. Fortunately, a mother North Atlantic right whale, a species that is critically endangered, was miraculously able to give birth to a calf even while chronically entangled in Read More...
This is how solar parks could be used to boost pollinator numbers
While solar parks are an integral part of our green energy transition, they are sometimes the subject of controversy over claims that they are an eyesore, spoil productive land, and harm nature. However, a new study has found that, if managed properly, solar parks can actually help provide habitats Read More...