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.
U.S. cities and states lead on climate change
The wind turbines that rise out of the cornfields here reminded me on a recent drive of one postelection truth, even in the red state of Iowa. As President-elect Donald J. Trump considers whether to break the United States commitment to the Paris climate accord, the rise of clean energy across the Read More...
Why land rights for indigenous peoples could be the answer to climate change
I’ve spent a lot of time with indigenous peoples in remote places. So when I argue that the best way – or at least the cheapest way – to stop climate change is to grant land rights to indigenous communities, you might suspect I’m not coming from an entirely objective Read More...
More people bicycling than driving in Copenhagen now
Those of us who try to keep abreast of urban planning and clean transportation news are familiar with the benefits of bicycling in terms of pure air, livability, quieter streets and homes, space and resource efficiency, a stable climate, and public life. We’re also aware that some places are Read More...
Can fig trees regrow lost rainforests?
“By themselves the figs could build a forest,” ecologist EJH Corner wrote almost a century ago. Now a fascinating book, Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers: the secret history and redemptive future of fig trees (titled Ladders to Heaven in the UK), delves anew into this tropical species’ Read More...
Small farms are just as important as big agriculture in the fight against climate change
Just four days before the US elections, the Paris Agreement officially became international law after receiving formal sign-off from 55 countries that contribute 55% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. This landmark deal marked a pivotal moment in the fight against climate change, particularly Read More...
California's Jerry Brown finds himself at forefront of climate-change battle
One strange effect of Donald Trump’s election to the presidency has been to vault California Gov. Jerry Brown, one of America’s most fervent climate warriors and a failed presidential candidate himself, to national leadership on what he calls “the existential threat of our time.” As Trump Read More...
Patagonia will donate 100% of its global Black Friday profits to the environment
While most businesses look towards Black Friday as a chance to maximize profits, Patagonia has pledged to give 100% of its global proceeds from stores to grassroots environmental organizations fighting every day to protect our air, water, and soil. Along with their massive donation, Patagonia will Read More...
Unleashing trees in the battle against climate change
In discussions around climate change and natural resources, one widely mentioned oversimplification is that "cutting trees is bad for the environment." While true that global forest loss has environmental implications, sustainably managed working forests can provide impressive climate benefits in Read More...
Degrowth? Economics focused on human and ecological wellbeing
Would it be possible to shift from an economy focused on the ever-growing use of material resources to an economy focused on the growth of human and ecological wellbeing? Around the globe there are inspiring initiatives to “re-localize” the economy and nurture grassroots cooperation. At the Read More...
Plants to the rescue, absorbing more CO2 in response to climate change
Humans and animals produce carbon dioxide; plants and trees absorb it. Climate change is the result of the fact that we have disturbed that delicate balance with an explosive growth in the use of fossil fuels. For decades, we’ve been pumping billions of tons of harmful greenhouse gases into the Read More...