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.
EU announces new climate action legislation
To reach their goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the EU has released a draft of new climate change legislation to further cut emissions. The new legislation, which must still be approved by the EU’s 27 member states and parliament, proposes laws such as increasing taxes on jet fuel and Read More...
This board game encourages collaborative climate change solutions
We all want to build a more sustainable future for our world, but addressing climate change often means coming up with creative solutions to complex issues. This is the thinking behind the new climate action board game: Solutions. Created by Canadian board game publisher Big Talk Inc, Solutions Read More...
Venice bans cruise ships to protect delicate canals and local ecosystems
Venice is an incredibly popular tourism destination, but in recent years, criticism from locals and environmentalists has prompted calls for the end of cruise lines in the city. Yesterday, the city officially banned large ships in its waters. According to Italian Culture Minister Dario Read More...
Scientists observe coral and algae phenomenon for the first time
Coral and algae have a very special relationship. Coral provides algae with shelter while algae give coral energy and its signature colors. Despite the critical nature of this relationship, scientists had never witnessed the moment in which coral cells envelop single-cell algae. That is until Read More...
How tiny solar-powered cameras solved a snail survival mystery
When the invasive carnivorous rosy wolf snail was introduced to Tahiti decades ago, it all but decimated many other populations of native snails. One species that managed to survive is the Partula hyalina snail, but researchers weren’t sure what made that species different. To unlock the Read More...
How this NGO helps clean up Cambodian kitchens and curb deforestation
The Dutch development organization Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV) has been on a mission to promote safe, clean cooking methods in Cambodia since 2015. The effort has proven difficult, as traditional charcoal and wood stoves are ingrained in Cambodian culture, and many believe that food Read More...
This toilet turns South Korean students’ poop into cryptocurrency
We live in a world driven by consumerism. So, it’s fitting that Cho Jae-weon, an urban and environmental engineering professor and researcher at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), has invented a toilet that turns what’s been literally consumed into green energy, Read More...
Report: Renewable energy transition would save 317,500 US lives
The US has a new set goal of boosting renewable energy production to reach 80 percent of energy needs by the end of the decade. While this is great news for the planet, it turns out it's also great news for human health. A new study conducted by researchers from Harvard University, Georgia Read More...
True green fashion means just using less
Clothing rental and exchange companies certainly have their time and place; for example, if you need a dress for a special occasion or if your kids are growing out of their clothes faster than you can buy new ones. However, a new study published in Environmental Research Letters reminds us that Read More...
Montreal’s eco-grazing program raises the “baa” in urban agriculture
We at The Optimist Daily have written quite a lot about the importance of green space and urban farming… so why not add urban livestock for eco-grazing, too? Inspired by a similar project in France, professional sheepherders in the French-Canadian city of Montreal made a deal with officials Read More...