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.
These sleek autonomous sailboats help scientists understand climate change
Monitoring the health of our oceans is key for understanding how climate change affects our planet — which, in turn, is crucial for devising comprehensive action plans to help us mitigate this growing challenge. In a bid to support our efforts of tackling global warming, California-based Read More...
Reintroduction of wolves reduces vehicle deer collisions in Michigan
Anyone who has gone on a road trip is familiar with the sight of roadkill on the side of the highway, but in some areas, this problem is more pronounced than others. For example, deer were being killed regularly along the roads in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but that all changed when the state Read More...
This homegrown hive will help Irish black bee populations bounce back
According to the National Biodiversity Center, over 30 percent of Irish bee species are facing extinction, and more than half of the country’s bees have experienced a significant decline since 1980. Why are Irish bee populations taking a dive? On top of habitat loss and climate change, native Read More...
Not so fast: Scientists find Galápagos tortoise previously thought extinct
Good news from the Galápagos Islands! Conservationists have confirmed that a giant tortoise found on the archipelago belongs to a species scientists thought went extinct more than 100 years ago. The female tortoise was discovered during a 2019 expedition to Fernandina Island. To prove the link, Read More...
The Big Cat Sanctuary welcomes birth of rare black jaguar cub
In exciting news for conservationists and cat lovers alike, The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England has welcomed a new rare black female jaguar cub. Born on April 6, the cub has a rare black coloration gene that only occurs in 10 percent of the wild jaguar population. The cub was born to Read More...
This zoo exhibit is spreading the word on palm oil sustainability
Zoos offer an opportunity for everyone to witness the magic of wild animals, but unfortunately, many of the animals we see at the zoo are highly threatened in their natural habitats. One zoo trying to enhance the environmental reach of its programs is the Denver Zoo, which uses its adorable sloths Read More...
Giant wild otter seen in the Bermejo River for first time in over a century
The Bermejo River flows through Impenetrable National Park in Argentina’s Chaco province. The secluded region had a special and surprising visitor last week in the form of a wild giant river otter. The otter, which was believed to be extinct in the country because of hunting and habitat loss, Read More...
Dutch court orders Shell to slash CO2 emissions
In a landmark ruling for the environment, a Dutch court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell to significantly reduce its emissions. In a judgement delivered by a district court in The Hague this week, the oil company must cut its CO2 emissions by 45 percent of 2019 levels by 2030. The case was Read More...
Kenya is conducting it’s first nation-wide wild animal census
Throughout the pandemic, Kenya has experienced an elephant baby boom with over 200 calves born over the last year. Although the lack of tourists has been beneficial for some animal populations, the lack of funding from visitors has also hindered conservation efforts. To better protect wild animals, Read More...
Angelina Jolie covers herself in bees to raise awareness about pollinators
Although bees and other pollinators are essential for propagating more than 75 percent of food crops, there is still not enough awareness about the extinction risk that these insects are currently facing as a result of human activities. In a bid to bring this urgent issue under the spotlight, on Read More...