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.
Mysterious plant finally named 50 years after discovery
New plants are given scientific names based on which family they fit into, or which plants they share physical characteristics in. Generally Latin-based, these plant names are used internationally to identify flora, but sometimes this naming process isn’t so simple. A new plant with bright orange Read More...
UN votes to make a clean and healthy environment a human right
The U.N. Human Rights Council has finally recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental human right, adding it to others─like food, shelter, and freedom from slavery─laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The resolution was first discussed in the Read More...
Arabian leopard cub could help save the species from extinction
The Arabian leopard has roamed the Arabian Peninsula for more than 500,000 years, but due to habitat loss and human conflict, the species’ population has been pushed to the brink of extinction, with only about 200 animals now remaining in the wild. The birth of a recent cub, however, brings new Read More...
This Indonesian museum is made out of plastic pollution
The problem of plastic pollution is largely perpetuated by a lack of education and awareness about what actually contributes to this worldwide issue, and what we, the people, can do to help. To bring plastic pollution to the forefront of the minds of the public, activists in Indonesia have Read More...
What is COP26 and why does it matter?
Leaders from around the world are preparing for COP26, and we at The Optimist Daily are gearing up to report on the latest climate action surrounding the conference, but today we’re here to share some basic details on what COP26 is and what outcomes it hopes to achieve in terms of curbing global Read More...
Farmers are more amenable to regionally-sensitive bee protection efforts
Farmers are inherently dependent on pollinators for successful crop yields, yet getting them to adopt bee-friendly practices is more challenging in some areas than others. A new study from University of Oregon researchers found that farmers are more likely to invest in bee-friendly practices if Read More...
German plant will be world’s largest synthetic kerosene producer
Synthetic kerosene is made by using water and electricity to produce hydrogen, which is then combined with carbon dioxide to make crude oil, which is then refined into jet fuel. A new plant in Germany plans to be the largest synthetic kerosene producer in the world, using water and electricity from Read More...
The Carbon Literacy Project turns climate knowledge into action
Carbon literacy training is essential for making climate information accessible to everyone. This is the focus of the Carbon Literacy Project. Founded in Manchester a decade ago, it has trained more than 21,000 people from distinct communities, schools, and workplaces with a one-day training course Read More...
Nobel Prize in physics awarded to climate research pioneers
Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi have spent the last 60 years decoding complex physical systems to predict how climate change is impacting our world. Now, their work has been rewarded with the Nobel Prize in physics. Manabe and Hasselmann, who are 90 and 89 years old, Read More...
Struggling with climate anxiety? Climate scientists have some tips
As the effects of climate change become more apparent in our day to day lives, increasing numbers of people are experiencing climate anxiety, and the issue is rampant among the planet’s youngest generations. A recent survey of 10,000 young people found that three quarters think the future of the Read More...