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.
Puerto Rico planting 750,000 trees to defend land from natural disasters
It has been a year since one of the most devastating and deadly natural disasters of the U.S. struck Puerto Rico. This video shows how the island is taking steps to defend itself against future Read More...
Fewer biofuels, more green space: climate action researcher calls for urgent shift
Growing and harvesting bioenergy crops—corn for ethanol or trees to fuel power plants, for example—is a poor use of land, which is a precious resource in the fight against climate change, says a University of Michigan researcher. Untampered green areas like forests and grasslands naturally Read More...
If you need one more reason not to rake the leaves on your lawn…
They fall from trees and we call them leaves. That's actually a good name: we need to leave these gifts of nature because they fertilize the soil. This piece of research is not so surprising. And guess what, if you let leaves do what they are supposed to do, you make a major contribution to Read More...
Swiss company opens a third plant capturing carbon dioxide from the air
Reducing CO2 emissions is a major objective for countries and industries. In the meantime, more and more efforts are undertaken to use technology to capture carbon dioxide from the air in an additional effort to mitigate the rise of global temperatures through “negative emissions”. Climeworks, Read More...
Scientist discovers hidden mountain rainforest in Africa using Google Earth
In 2018, it may be hard to believe that there are still parts of the world that lie undiscovered. But one intrepid conservation scientist has shown that with a little patience, it’s possible to utilize some of the most easily accessible modern technology to explore the Read More...
This bus cleans up the air as it drives around
Air pollution is major cause of disease and death in cities. Clean electric cars will be the ultimate solution. In the meantime, the a of Southampton has introduced a diesel bus that is fitted with a specially designed filter that removes ultra-fine particles from the air and traps them as the bus Read More...
This eco-friendly wooden laptop is designed to curb e-waste
The innovators at iameco (“I Am Eco”) have created a new sustainable laptop to accompany their lineup of eco-friendly tech, including a desktop model and computer accessories. The Dublin group took a look at computers on the market and became frustrated with the e-waste, the earth-damaging Read More...
California defies Trump, requires car makers to stick to emission standards
President Trump likes to undo much of the environmental regulations set by the Obama administration. But he finds California as a formidable opponent in his way. California surpassed Britain to become the fifth largest economy in the world. State regulators have now voted to require that automakers Read More...
Large stretches of coral reefs can be rehabilitated
Even after being severely damaged by blast fishing and coral mining, coral reefs can be rehabilitated over large scales using a relatively inexpensive technique, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis, in partnership with Mars Symbioscience. For the study, published this Read More...
Adoption of green stormwater infrastructure rises after floods
Residents and property owners are more likely to adopt some green stormwater infrastructure practices if they have experienced flooding or erosion on their property or in their neighborhoods, according to new research from the University of Vermont. With the number of extreme precipitation events Read More...