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.
New device helps protect endangered whales from crashing into ships
North Atlantic right whale populations used to thrive in the ocean. As of 2021, though, approximately 300 right whales remain in the wild, a steep drop from 480 right whales counted in 2011. Reasons for the decline of the right whale population include entanglement in fishing nets, habitat loss, Read More...
Scientists discover world’s largest plant off Australian coast
General Sherman is the largest tree in the world. It’s a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park standing at 275 feet, nearly the length of a football field. It turns out, though, that General Sherman isn’t the biggest plant on earth. Scientists have discovered a patch of seagrass off the Read More...
Chicago Connected gave internet to 64,000 children in need
When the Pandemic hit and students went home for school, many lower-income families were disadvantaged due to a lack of reliable internet. In Chicago, many students in lower-income neighborhoods couldn’t get their work done, so the city decided to take action. In March 2020, the city started Read More...
G7 countries plan to stop fossil fuel development overseas
Environmental and energy ministers from the world’s largest economies agreed to stop funding any overseas fossil fuel development by the end of 2022. This will cut off investment in high carbon pollution programs that threaten the world from meeting its climate targets. The G7 countries Read More...
Finally! A stylish, sustainable sneaker that doesn’t break the bank
Sneakers are one of the most versatile and popular types of footwear, so it’s no wonder the global athletic footwear market is estimated to exceed $95 billion by 2025. Unfortunately, most sneakers are made from non-recyclable materials, manufactured with environmentally harmful chemicals, and Read More...
Wildlife Conservation Society builds massive database of Amazonian wildlife
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists have been working on an enormous project: building an extensive database of the wide array of wildlife in the sprawling Amazon Basin. For this study, an international team of 147 scientists hailing from 122 research institutions and nature Read More...
Marine biologists come up with effective low-tech solution to bycatch
Bycatch, which is the accidental capture of non-target species such as dolphins, marine turtles, and seabirds, is a pervasive problem in the fishing industry. Thousands of whales, dolphins, and porpoises drown from getting entangled in nets and lobster potlines every year. The problem is that Read More...
Watchdogs zero in on greenwashing financial institutions
Individuals and companies around the world are looking to invest with their conscience and only support eco-friendly enterprises. Many fund managers noticed the rise in popularity of funds in line with ecological, social, and governance (ESG) principles and embellished how green they Read More...
Greenwashing: The Conscientious Consumers Conundrum
“You have to hold yourself accountable for your actions, and that’s how we’re going to protect the Earth.” – Julia Butterfly Hill By Arielle Tiangco I have to admit, there was a time when I would shamelessly spend all my disposable income, from pouring smoothies at my part-time job, Read More...
AI exposes coral reefs “singing”
Coral reefs are essential to ocean ecosystems, providing food and homes to all sorts of organisms. Learning as much as possible about these living creatures is important to protect all the life in the vast seas. A team from the University of Exeter is doing just that, creating an algorithm to Read More...