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.
New research is motivating Australia to plant a billion new trees by 2050
After new research uncovered that tree-planting worldwide could make a substantial dent in the world’s net greenhouse gas emissions, the Australian government has come forth with a plan to plant a billion new trees. The tree-planting project, which will run until 2050, will eventually remove 18 Read More...
Planting more trees could phase out a decade of human carbon emissions
Planting trees is definitely one of the most enjoyable ways to reduce our global carbon footprint. Apart from that, a new study has found that replenishing the world’s tree coverage on a grand scale would suck enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to cancel out a decade of human emissions. Read More...
These cute robotic vessels can collect debris from rivers
IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, has designed a remote-controlled boat that clears trash from water. Modeled after one of its bath toys (the SMÅKRYP to be exact), the boat is equipped with technology that can collect and store any debris it comes across in the water. Obviously, this is publicity Read More...
Teens across Europe are ditching school on Fridays to protest climate inaction
Generation Z, the group that came after Millennials, is often labeled as smartphone-obsessed youth that only care about themselves. If that’s the case, how can anyone explain the youth-led protests taking place across Europe that are urging politicians to act on climate change? Each Friday, teens Read More...
This floating rubbish bin is capturing plenty of plastic in Perth
Frustrated by the increasing amount of plastic floating in the surrounding waters, two surf-loving Aussies created a buoyant rubbish bin that sucks litter and debris out of the ocean. The device is about the size of a regular rubbish bin and acts as a vacuum cleaner in the sea, being able to trap Read More...
The recovery of these 9 beleaguered animals proves that conservation works
Conservation works. Sure, there’s a lot of grim news in the world when it come to wildlife, but that doesn’t mean the collective effort of humans can’t help declining populations from recovering. Just take the Humpback whale, for example. Before a hunting moratorium was introduced in 1966, Read More...
More measures taken by regional authorities to keep Mount Everest clean
Every year, thousands of tourists climb Mount Everest and abandon tents, leftover camping meals, fuel cans, and even human waste, turning the world’s once pristine peak into the world’s highest rubbish dump. In an effort to combat the littering issue, both Nepalese and Chinese authorities have Read More...
How the people of Bavaria are uniting to save bees, bugs, and birds
We are constantly berated with alarming reports that forecast a gloomy future for our planet, giving us two options for how we can react. Either we become paralyzed and give up, or we unite together in the face of adversity to enact change. The Bavarians of southern Germany chose the second option Read More...
New York City to create a special agency focused on managing climate change
With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal spearheading the most dramatic shift in American climate politics in decades, New York City is preparing to vote on a bill that would create an agency with the sole focus of managing climate change. The legislation proposes the creation of a new Read More...
America's ski industry has united to fight climate change and save the snow
Skiing is among the most preferred winter sports in the United States and also a major economic driver in the country’s mountainous regions. Skiing, however, is dependent on a stable climate, and the warming conditions created by climate change are putting the industry's future on a slippery Read More...