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.
China is building 30 ‘sponge cities’ to soak up floodwater and prevent disaster
The Chinese government is building water-absorbent projects in 30 cities as part of its "sponge city initiative." To date, the cities have received more than $12 billion for Read More...
Turn your food scraps into clean gas for your stove with this home biodigester
Turning food scraps into compost is a great idea, but what if you could turn them into clean cooking gas that you can use in your kitchen? An Israeli company has come up with a home biodigester system that converts kitchen scraps into fuel and fertilizer. All you have to do is simply throw your Read More...
Europe wants carmakers to cut emissions by nearly a third by 2030
Under a new proposal from the European Commission, emissions from fleets of new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles will have to be 30 percent lower in 2030 compared to 2021. The proposal may sound good, but it means that European car makers can continue to produce high-end Read More...
Ecological restoration success higher with natural measures than active measures
Ecological restoration success is higher for natural regeneration than for active restoration in tropical forests. Restoration of deforested and degraded forest areas can be accomplished through a wide range of activities. At one end of the Read More...
California wants to store carbon in the soil
To produce a bumper crop of tomatoes, or lettuce, a farmer hopes for enough sunshine and rain. But those are not the only critical Read More...
Let bee-friendly bulbs transform your spring
It’s bulb-planting time. Fill every container, plant every spare inch of soil so that when spring comes everyone will be pleased (even the hard-hearted are softened by the sheer exuberance that bulbs bring on a grey Read More...
These 10 cities are the most prepared for the future
Officials around the world are gathering all types of data — on traffic, pollution levels, and energy use — to make their cities safer, healthier, and more efficient. The definition of a smart city has recently broadened to include environmental Read More...
Huge carbon sink in minerals: New avenue for offsetting rising greenhouse gases
Soil holds more than three times the carbon found in the atmosphere, yet its potential in reducing atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and mitigating global Read More...
We could save oceans from plastic waste by focusing on these 10 rivers
Every year, millions of metric tons of plastic debris winds up in our oceans, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. A recent study found that up to 95 percent of that plastic waste enters oceans through 10 different rivers around the world. This is an alarming prospect, but also a promising one as Read More...
Planting trees could mop up ten years’ worth of greenhouse gases
Only statistical numbskulls would call it good news, but 2017 is set to be slightly less warm than the record-breaking 2016. Instead, it will merely be one of the three warmest years on record, and the hottest ever without an El Niño to Read More...