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.
Legally recognizing rivers as living entities can help save precious waterways
The river Ethiope in Nigeria is precious for local communities, but sadly, it has been abused due to industrial contamination, oil spill, and other sources of pollution. Although efforts to clean up the river have been going on for years, the river just can’t seem to get ahead. But now, maybe her Read More...
Urban heat: can white roofs help cool world’s warming cities?
It has long been known that installing white roofs helps reduce heat buildup in cities. But new research indicates that making surfaces more light-reflecting can have a significant impact on lowering extreme temperatures – not just in cities, but in rural areas as Read More...
Protecting tigers could be beneficial for their prey
Protecting one of Asia's most formidable apex predators may not seem like the most obvious way to help another species that might be on its dinner menu, but that is precisely what Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is doing in Sumatra's Kerinci Seblat National Park, the second-largest national Read More...
Children’s climate change lawsuit to continue after US government loses appeal
By a 3-0 vote, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected the government’s bid to halt a lawsuit by young people claiming that President Donald Trump and his administration are violating their constitutional rights by ignoring the harms caused by climate change. The twenty-one Read More...
UK carbon emissions levels same as in 1890
I've written before about UK carbon emissions falling to Victorian-era levels, but it's a story so good that it's worth repeating. Because Carbon Brief—the folks who prompted these headlines last time—just updated their data for 2017, and it turns out that CO2 emissions fell a further 2.6 Read More...
How this French brand makes the most sustainable sneakers in the world
How do you make the most sustainable shoes? The ecologically minded French sneaker brand Veja recently revealed how they make their ethical kicks, and the entire process is mesmerizing. Instead of using cheap plastics, every component of their sneakers is obtained from a sustainable source, whether Read More...
How solving economic inequality can help solve climate change
Of all the issues that face our society, climate change and inequality are two of the most pressing. They also happen to be two issues that can be solved simultaneously. According to new research, the risk of missing emissions targets increases dramatically under economic scenarios that emphasizes Read More...
A federal court wants to see proof that Monsanto’s pesticides are safe
While Monsanto claims the chemicals used in their pesticides are safe, many researchers have been saying for years that the weedkilling chemical glyphosate is linked to cancer. This week, a federal court hearing in San Francisco will turn a public spotlight on to the science surrounding the safety Read More...
Localizing the system of clothing production can make fashion more sustainable
Today’s fashion isn’t sustainable. That is why a movement wants to create a circular system of clothing—from agriculture to product and back again—within 250 miles of where you live. This means localizing clothing production and using natural fibers to make clothes instead of oils. From Read More...
Huge "horizontal skyscraper" rises in China
China boasts more than its fair share of impressive engineering feats, including the world's second-tallest skyscraper and the highest bridge. We can soon add highest skybridge to the list too, courtesy of Moshe Safdie's Raffles City Chongqing project, which is currently under construction in Read More...