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.
Update: Holland's fish doorbell is a worldwide hit!
A couple of months ago, we wrote about a remarkable online “fish doorbell” or visdeurbel that allows spawning fish to swim through the canals of Utrecht in the Netherlands unobstructed by the Weerdsluis lock. The system is comprised of an internet-connected underwater camera located next to Read More...
Italian carmaker Fiat to transition its fleet to all-electric starting 2025
With major automakers such as General Motors, Volkswagen, Jaguar, and Volvo pledging to shift their cars to all-electric over the next decade, there should be little doubt left that the electric vehicle revolution is in full swing. Now, Fiat is looking to make the same pledge, with the Italian Read More...
Developers permanently pull the plug on Keystone XL pipeline
After a 13-year environmental battle, the Keystone XL pipeline has finally been canceled for good. After the permit for the project was revoked by the federal government in January, Calgary-based TC Energy, the sponsor of the project, announced this week that the project has been Read More...
Gabon passes measures to protect its sharks and rays on World Ocean Day
On World Ocean Day this past Tuesday, the government of Gabon passed significant measures to regulate and protect the country’s sharks and rays. Gabon’s waters are home to a variety of shark and ray species such as the open ocean whale shark and the giant manta ray. This wide diversity makes Read More...
New species discovery: Meet New Guinea’s “chocolate frog”
Here at The Optimist Daily, we are always happy to come across news of new species discoveries, especially those that bring to light the fascinating beauty of Mother Nature. With that said, today, we’d like to introduce to you a recently discovered animal that’s both cute and has an oddly Read More...
NovoLoop uses circularity to address the plastic crisis
When Miranda Wang visited the Serangoon landfill in Indonesia, she realized the true scope of plastic pollution and the devastating toll it takes on the environment and the residents of developing countries that receive millions of pounds of dumped plastic waste from other countries each year. Read More...
This sleek, pollutant-free electric vehicle purifies the air as it drives
From futuristic bus shelters to algae-filled curtains, designers around the world have found endlessly creative ways to improve air quality in cities. Now, a team from Heatherwick Studio has designed a sustainable solution that takes tackling air pollution to a whole new level: an autonomous car Read More...
UK potato giant commits to all regenerative practices by 2030
Regenerative agriculture has the potential to meet our world’s future food needs while also serving as a huge carbon sink, but the additional upfront costs make some farmers wary of adopting these sustainable practices. Now, major agricultural company McCain has committed to implementing Read More...
With limited cemetery space, tree burials are gaining popularity
Many people expect to be buried after their passing, but what happens when cities begin to run out of burial space? Cemetery space is an increasingly hot commodity in many places around the world, but rather than limiting plot leases to 15 years like Singapore and other regions (after which the Read More...
Scientists develop innovative process that extracts lithium out of seawater
While most electronics, including autonomous vehicles, power themselves with batteries made of lithium, the growing demand for this element is expected to exhaust our planet’s land-based reserves by 2080. Future shortages could cause battery prices to skyrocket and hinder the growth of electric Read More...