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.
Leonardo DiCaprio and conservationists launch Galápagos rewilding project
The Galápagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador, are one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, but deforestation, loss of plants and animals, and invasive species have taken a toll on the region. Fortunately, a new conservation initiative spearheaded by Leonardo Read More...
After 300 years of absence, this giant bird may finally return to Ireland
We have good news for bird watchers and folklorists in Ireland, where a pair of cranes have been spotted nesting on a rewetted peat bog in the country’s Midlands for the first time in centuries. The giant bird, which is a popular motif in Irish folklore and was a common pet during medieval Read More...
This long-lost river could provide modern day climate solutions
Today, the area of the Gulf of Mexico known as the Trinity River Paleovalley is submerged underwater, but 20,000 years ago, when ice covered immense areas of the planet, sea levels were significantly lower, meaning the valley was not underwater, but rather a lively coastline through which the Read More...
Sustainable and beautiful "tulip turbines" pop up just in time for spring
Here at The Optimist Daily, we are big fans of wind energy as a renewable and sustainable source of power—but that’s not to say that it doesn’t come with a few downfalls. Wind energy requires wind turbines to convert kinetic energy into electricity. These turbines generate noise pollution, Read More...
Major firms sign ambitious deal to cut plastic waste in the Pacific
Every year, more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste in Australia end up in landfills or the environment, contributing to an already toxic plastic soup that’s threatening marine ecosystems all across the world. In the coming years, that number is expected to decrease significantly thanks to a Read More...
Endangered red wolves give birth to 12 healthy pups at North Carolina Zoo
Red wolves are one of the most critically endangered animals in the world with their population numbering less than 20 in the wild — all in eastern North Carolina. That’s why it's great news that as many as three litters of American red wolves were recently born at the North Carolina Zoo. The Read More...
How green facades can help cities mitigate the effects of climate change
According to C40 Cities, more than 970 cities worldwide are expected to experience average summertime temperature highs of 35˚C (95°F) this year. This trend, exacerbated by climate change, will negatively affect all aspects of day-to-day life including working, socializing, and traveling. Well Read More...
Fiber optics enable scientists to accurately track changes in ice sheets
Monitoring temperatures of huge masses of ice is key to understanding how climate change affects our planet. So far, scientists have been performing such monitoring by fitting sensors to cables that are fed down a hole, but such devices can only offer readings of the environment at certain Read More...
Art installation displays the consequences of climate change in NYC
American artist and activist Maya Lin’s newest work, erected in New York City’s Madison Square Park, is a compelling and provocative piece called Ghost Forest. The public installation, comprised of 49 Atlantic cedar trees that have perished due to rising sea levels and saltwater inundation, was Read More...
This dairy farm turns its manure into biodegradable pots and packaging
There’s a lot circulating in the news about how maintaining livestock for meat production and other byproducts are not sustainable. In fact, the amount of land, water, and resources it takes, not to mention carbon emissions it releases into the atmosphere, make this industry one of the major Read More...