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.
India slaps levy on new car sales in fight against pollution and congestion
The Indian government has introduced an additional ‘green’ tax on car sales to help the country combat its notoriously high levels of air pollution and congestion. New passenger vehicles will have a sales levy of up to 4 percent. The government wants to use the money to get older highly Read More...
2015 was record-breaking year for investment in renewable energy
A record $367 billion was invested in renewable energy around the world last year, according to a new report published today by Clean Energy Canada. That’s more than a third of a trillion dollars (USD) and a 7 percent increase on 2014. Whereas the oil price crash had everyone expecting renewable Read More...
Meet the world's largest floating solar-energy farm
The 23,000 solar panels to be installed in the outskirts of London will become Europe’s – and momentarily, the world’s – largest floating solar-energy farm. But despite its spectacle, only few people will be able to actually see it. That’s because the solar panels will literally be Read More...
Australian first: Newstead aims to run on 100% renewable energy within five years
The quiet Victorian town of Newstead – population approaching 500 – has a big ambition: to source all its electricity needs without burning any fossil fuels at all. Within five years, it wants all of its power to come from renewable energy sources. Newstead is not unique in that goal. Read More...
Norway set to double carbon tax on its oil industry to combat climate change
Norway has been an example of how nation must fight against climate change, and now in one of the most radical climate programs yet by an oil-producing nation, the Norweigan government has proposed doubling carbon tax on its North Sea oil industry. By doubling the tax, Norway wants to continue Read More...
Here's how to make the transition to 100% renewable energy
The question no longer is whether we can make a transition to 100% renewable energy, but how we're going to achieve this. Richard Heinberg, of the Post Carbon Institute, and David Fridley, staff scientist of the energy analysis program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have worked on a Read More...
Where should we stash carbon? Look down
All the while we’ve been strategizing to reduce the carbon flowing into the air, the ground beneath our feet is in dire need of it. Soil just may be the perfect carbon sink, Professor Peter Byck of Arizona State University told attendees of the GreenBiz 16 event, underway in Phoenix this week. Read More...
German city bans coffee pods on environmental grounds
The use of single-serving coffee makers has been on the rise in Western Europe, where pod machine sales outpace drip coffee makers. But they're not very good for the environment. These portion packs cause unnecessary resource consumption and waste generation, and often contain toxic aluminum. And Read More...
Soil Carbon Cowboys are here to make the soil healthy
Ranching is a rare occupation. Rarer still are the ranchers pioneering new ways to graze cattle, transforming their ranches and farms into vibrant ecosystems, producing black ink for their bank accounts and giving their incredibly robust animals a great life. These new grazing methods have many Read More...
Natural soil treatment could help trees resist deadly disease
Chalara ash dieback could kill millions of ash trees in the U.K. Experts fear it could have the same devastating impact on the country’s woodlands and landscape as Dutch elm disease in the 1970s. But now, a study by tree and shrub care company Bartlett Tree Experts found that while a third of the Read More...