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.
Chinese scientists have decoded 'panda language'
Scientists in China say they have deciphered the meaning of 13 different giant panda vocalisations. During a five-year study of panda "language" at a conservation centre in the southwestern Sichuan province scientists found giant pandas communicate using specific sounds to indicate when they are Read More...
How cockroaches could save lives
Cockroaches are often associated with dirty kitchens and grimy bathrooms - scuttling away as soon as you enter the room and turn on the light. But pest controllers aren't the only people interested in them - these insects are inspiring research into antibiotics, robots and mechanical limbs, writes Read More...
Making green fuels, no fossils required
Using solar or wind power to produce carbon-based fuels, which are commonly called fossil fuels, might seem like a self-defeating approach to making a greener world. But when the starting material is carbon dioxide, which can be dragged out of the air, the approach is as green as it gets. The Read More...
Renewables key in race against climate change clock
Any plausible game plan for capping the rise of Earth's surface temperature depends on replacing fossil fuels with energy sources that generate little or no carbon pollution. That means renewables, especially solar and wind, both of which face fewer constraints to growth than more established clean Read More...
California universities launch experiment to go carbon-neutral 'at scale'
What does it look like when a university decides to walk the walk as well as talk the talk on climate change? The University of California system – which encompasses 10 university campuses and two national scientific research laboratories – is about to find out. Two years ago, Janet Napolitano, Read More...
New legal move to prevent Japan from whale hunting in Antarctic
Environmental campaigners in Australia have mounted a fresh attempt to prevent Japan from killing hundreds of whales in the Antarctic this winter, as officials in Tokyo indicated they would ignore an international ban on the country’s “scientific” expeditions imposed last year. Read More...
Norway gets greener with hybrid-ship plans
Norway is on a roll lately. Last week, the Scandinavian country announced it would ban cars entirely from the city center of Oslo, and now it's announcing plans to build a fleet of plug-in hybrid ships to service its marine industries. Marine shipping is a major global pollutant. In fact, one large Read More...
New York City is now home to 1 million new trees
New York City has just finished planting 1 million new trees within an eight-year time frame. The MillionTreesNYC campaign was launched eight years ago by former Mayor Bloomberg and Bette Midler. The singer and actress runs the nonprofit New York Restoration Project, which helps revitalize Read More...
The world's first commercial carbon capture plant will turn pollution into cash
If we can efficiently capture CO2 from the air, that would solve a lot of problems. By next summer, the world's first commercial plant that captures carbon dioxide directly from air will begin operation in Switzerland. A handful of other startups are working on similar technology, but Climeworks AG Read More...
3D printed coral reefs in Monaco help preserve and save marine biodiversity
In sad yet un-surprising news earlier this month, scientists confirmed that the third-ever global bleaching of coral reefs is under way, and that it could be the biggest coral die-off in history. Those beautiful, multicolor calcium carbonate structures that line our ocean floors don’t just Read More...