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 expands high-speed rail network to fight air pollution and climate change
China is investing 500 million dollars to increase its high-speed railway coverage with 18,650 miles in the next four years. It’s a huge expansion, the equivalent of driving from New York to Los Angeles more than six times. The upgrade of the public transportation system will connect 80 percent Read More...
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fall to lowest level in 25 years
According to new figures of the U.S. government carbon dioxide emissions in the country have fallen to their lowest level since 1991. The report shows a 20-percent decline in coal-powered electricity generation during the first half of 2016 compared to 2015. By contrast, natural gas power rose 8 Read More...
To fight poverty, hunger and climate change, green agriculture must go global
How can we transform the way crops are grown on hundreds of millions of farms, from the largest plantations to the tiniest smallholder plots? The Paris Climate Agreement went into force on November 4, less than a year after 190 governments signed the landmark, legally binding international treaty. Read More...
Businesses no longer have an excuse not to disclose their climate risks
It is vitally important for investors to understand the risks that climate change may pose to the businesses they have invested in – and the opportunities in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. It’s not an easy task. Climate change may be one of the world’s best-modeled processes in Read More...
Top 6 U.S. cities for living a green lifestyle
Living a green lifestyle means managing your waste, recycling efficiently, making environmentally-friendly transportation choices, buying local and organic goods, utilizing alternative forms of energy and reducing your overall carbon footprint. Going green becomes easier when you’re Read More...
Plastic or real? Which Christmas tree is the most environmentally friendly option
Is it more sustainable to buy a natural tree every year from a local store, or pick up an artificial one that requires very little maintenance and can be used over and over? The answer lies in the specific tree you opt for. Producing and shipping fake trees across the world causes emissions, Read More...
Healthy buildings make you smarter—and sleep better, research shows
We are familiar with the sick building syndrome. So it shouldn’t surprise us that it works the other way around as well: People working in green buildings think better in the office and sleep better when they get home. Improved light, ventilation and heat control can boost workers’ productivity Read More...
The developing world can make a lot of money with toilets
Many people in developing countries don’t have access to toilets connected to sewer systems. That’s a problem from a sanitation perspective. It’s also an enormous opportunity. Human “waste” provides an economic opportunity as well. Pee and poo can be turned into energy and new Read More...
The future of agriculture is drip irrigation
Irrigation is terrible for the planet, requiring great quantities of water while increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Drip irrigation, a farming practice that provides a plant with whatever it needs at just the right time, provides an excellent solution. Through plastic ‘drip lines’ that lie Read More...
China is implementing ban on ivory trade, closing factories
In a move that conservationists are calling the “single greatest measure” in the fight to save elephants from poaching, China is finally getting set to close its ivory carving factories. China has the world’s largest market for ivory. Now the government is closing down commercial sales for Read More...