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.
If you want to save on carbon emissions, travel by cargo ship
Many people are concerned about the carbon footprint of their air travel. A round-trip trans-Atlantic flight can easily gobble up a ton of carbon dioxide per passenger—about half the annual emissions an individual should aim for if we’re to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. If you are Read More...
Collecting bottles: is Norway presenting the solution to the plastic crisis?
Norway has a successful deposit-return scheme for plastic bottles and cans. Its success is unarguable – 97 percent of all plastic drink bottles in Norway are recycled, 92 percent to such a high standard that they are turned back into drink bottles. Some of the material has been recycled more than Read More...
Ireland as the world's first country plans to sell all its fossil fuel shares
The Republic of Ireland will become the world’s first country to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of Read More...
In this county, all the bees are treated like queens
While farmers throughout the West have plowed up the ground where alkali bees nest in order to grow crops, farmers in Walla Walla County in Washington State have welcomed the alkali bee with open arms. In fact, if you’re driving in Walla Walla County, you might come across a sign that tells you Read More...
This is how serious China is taking their “war on pollution”
President XI Jinping is taking China’s “war on pollution” to another level. Central government inspectors started re-examining thousands of violations uncovered during the nationwide environmental audit last year and found that many of the problems had yet to be properly resolved. As a Read More...
The majority of krill companies are putting an end to fishing in the Antarctic
Krill may be at the bottom of the food chain, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Just the opposite. Krill are precisely important because whales, penguins, seals, and squid all rely on the tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans for food. Plus they remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. Read More...
Despite the war, tens of thousands of trees are being planted in northern Syria
In northern Syria, widespread deforestation is only one tool used by successive generations of the Assad dynasty to press the Kurdish people. The area now seems impossibly arid, but it used to be green and living. In a bid to restore the region’s fertility and stability, a movement is underway to Read More...
The Netherlands may soon pass the world’s toughest climate policy
Seven parties in the Netherlands have come forth with a radical climate policy. The policy requires the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49 percent by 2030 and 95 percent by 2050. The climate policy also requires that all energy must be carbon-neutral by 2050. Plus, the fourth Thursday Read More...
There are a few things environmentalists actually do agree on
Fights over renewable standards and nuclear power can be vicious. Here's a list of things that climate hawks share broad areas of Read More...
A lawsuit in Colorado could force oil companies to pay for climate change
Across the U.S., nine cities and counties have filed lawsuits against fossil fuel companies with the goal to make the oil majors liable for the greenhouse gases produced from their products. If successful, the suits would put energy companies on the hook for billions of dollars in damages to pay Read More...