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.
An intimate look at the last of Africa’s big tusker elephants
Like living relics from a bygone era, the last of Africa’s big tusker elephants roam in a vast, remote wilderness in Kenya. These majestic animals have massive tusks that nearly reach the floor of the earth, with an individual tusk weighing as much as 130lbs. Africa’s big tusker elephants are Read More...
Bernie Sanders Campaign to offset all its emissions during presidential race
The field of Democrats running in the 2020 presidential election features a number of candidates who place climate change as a top priority. To stand out from the crowd, Sen. Bernie Sanders has announced his presidential campaign will become the first in the 2020 race to promise to offset the Read More...
Starbucks on a mission to replace its cups with compostable ones
After pledging last year to phase out plastic straws from all of its locations by 2020, Starbucks announced plans this week to test recyclable and compostable cups. The coffee chain aims to “double the recycled content, recyclability and compostability, and reusability” of its cups and Read More...
South Korea to shift all commercial vehicles to run on fuel cell energy by 2035
When it comes to air pollution, South Korea is one of the Asian countries that suffer the most. The country’s government is eager to change that, which is why it has set out a bold plan of shifting all of its commercial vehicles – including trucks and construction machinery – to run on fuel Read More...
These 6 places are way ahead of the Green New Deal in decarbonizing buildings
One of the elements of the Green New Deal resolution that has caused the most consternation among critics on the right is its aspiration toward “upgrading all existing buildings in the United States,” along with building new buildings to the highest energy standards. Senate leader Mitch Read More...
Hawaii could become first state in the US to impose a state-wide ban on plastics
Compared to other states in the US, for some time, the state of Hawaii has long been spearheading the fight against the global environmental crisis. The Aloha State has already mandated 100 percent renewable energy use and approved an upcoming prohibition on sunscreen ingredients that harm Read More...
1.4 million people took part in the school climate strike last Friday
Last Friday, the biggest climate protest the world has ever seen took place in 128 countries around the world. Just how big was the protest? According to environmental campaigners, the climate strike attracted more than 1.4 million young people around the world. With that many young people taking Read More...
World Bank has pledged $22.5 billion to help Africa prepare for climate change
Africa is the continent most vulnerable to the threats brought on by climate change, which means that, in order to survive, most of its countries need to prepare themselves for the inevitable changes that will occur. In Malawi we're already seeing the consequences that come about when countries Read More...
Subsidies for biofuel from palm oil have been banned in the EU
Palm oil and other biofuels from agricultural crops were initially heralded as the main tool by which the EU could decarbonize road transport and were given generous subsidies over a decade ago. Now we look at palm oil very differently as increasing evidence shows that biofuels from agricultural Read More...
Everything you need to know about the upcoming spring equinox
On Wednesday, March 20, both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will experience an equal amount of daylight. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of spring, with daylight hours continuing to lengthen until the summer solstice in June. For those south of the Read More...