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.
World’s first honey bee vaccine to save the pollinators from dying
Scientists developed world’s first insect vaccine to help honey bees fight bacterial disease, one of the major threats that the pollinators face. The vaccine is administered through an edible sugar patty that’s suspended in the hive for the queen to consume over seven to 10 Read More...
Norway to become first country to ban palm oil in the fight to save rainforests
Norway is set to become the first country to put an end to its palm oil consumption as soon as 2020. The parliamentary decision has been welcomed as a victory in the fight against the palm oil industry which is one of the major contributors to catastrophic deforestation and wipe-out of natural Read More...
Sails make a comeback as shipping tries to go green
As the shipping industry faces pressure to cut climate-altering greenhouse gases, one answer is blowing in the wind. European and U.S. tech companies, including one backed by aeroplane maker Airbus, are pitching futuristic sails to help cargo ships harness the free and endless supply of wind Read More...
Grasslands more reliable carbon sink than trees
Forests have long served as a critical carbon sink, consuming about a quarter of the carbon dioxide pollution produced by humans worldwide. But decades of fire suppression, warming temperatures and drought have increased wildfire risks — turning California’s forests from carbon sinks to carbon Read More...
Madrid reduces traffic by 32 percent after banning cars in the city center
Madrid has taken the initiative of banning cars from entering a two square mile area in the city’s downtown to bring down air pollution. The strategy is an attempt to lower the city’s nitrogen dioxide levels that are believed to be the cause of roughly 3,000 premature deaths per year. The ban Read More...
World Bank to invest $200 billion to tackle climate change
As the all-important United Nations climate talks kick off in Katowice, Poland this week, the World Bank Group announced Monday that it will significantly ramp up its investments to fight climate change, and it is urging the wider global community to do so as well. It will double its current 5-year Read More...
Prescribed burning not as damaging as previously thought
New research by the University of Liverpool has found that prescribed burning, a controversial technique where fires are intentionally used to manage vegetation, is not as damaging to peat growth as previously thought if carried out on a sensible rotation, and can produce several positive Read More...
Breathtaking dolphin stampede captured in slow-motion video
Large pods of dolphins occasionally race and leap alongside boats in what's referred to by some as stampeding behavior. Photographer Ashala Taylor captured this breathtaking phenomenon in slow-motion last week while on a voyage off Avila Beach in Central Read More...
Spruce forests could help offset global warming
Apart from breathing life into the winter holiday season, spruce trees could help offset global warming. Researchers claim that compounds called terpenes, found in the needles of these evergreen trees, form particles that actually help cooling down the climate. The particles interact with moisture Read More...
Remarkable initiative to save declining bee populations
A scientist has designed a plan to reverse the collapse in bee populations in such a way that it would also bring substantial financial gains. The blueprint involves devoting a quarter of cropland to flowering economic crops such as spices, oil seeds, medicinal and forage plants. This is a Read More...