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.
Pope Francis and the case for climate change optimism
These days, climate change momentum is everywhere. It’s in U.S. politics, as the Clean Power Plan promises to significantly curb U.S. emissions by 2030. It’s in the clean energy industry, as a solar and wind boom couldn’t possibly arrive at a more opportune time. It’s in the international Read More...
New technology to capture, convert carbon dioxide
Novel molecular structures are a first step toward economical carbon capture at a wide scale. A viable technology for economical carbon capture would be a huge step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The intricate, highly porous structure of covalent organic frameworks makes them uniquely suited Read More...
Rescuing ancient seeds from a war-torn city
One of the world’s most important seed banks has left Syria, and it won’t be returning. Aleppo, Syria, has as good a claim as any to the title of “world’s oldest city.” It is certainly among the longest to be continuously inhabited. There are hints that nomads camped Read More...
Farms harvest cuts in carbon dioxide via soil
Fourth-generation rancher Loren Poncia calls himself a soil geek, and California wants to pay him for it. “If the soil is healthier, everything is better: the grass, the cows and the pocketbook,” said the rancher, gesturing toward the yellow perennial grasses streaked with green that cover Read More...
New Patagonia film "Jumbo Wild" aims to keep British Columbia wilderness wild
The brand joins the 24-year fight to save the iconic Jumbo Valley from resort development with a full-length documentary. Earlier this summer, Patagonia was using film to raise awareness and drive action to help remove four dams along the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest, in order to restore Read More...
How a legal revolution could fight global warming
For years, Dutch lawyer Roger Cox argued that only law could save humanity from a climate crisis. He even wrote a book about it: Revolution Justified. It was an intriguing concept but few believed it would succeed. Then in June, in a historic verdict, a Netherlands court ordered the government to Read More...
Food waste cafes and urban orchards: five ways people are building a new economy
A new economy is coming into play. No longer wielded as a weapon to legitimise austerity, this is an economy where the community and the environment, not the corporate shareholder, benefits. Related: Free Money Day: what happens when you give money to strangers? Beneath its ruthless, Read More...
Urban farming hits the roof
Arugula in Austin. Mint in Miami. Rhubarb in Rio. While some of the press about the rise of urban farming suggests that it’s merely the province of artisanal-minded hipsters, the truth is that done correctly and at scale, it can be a smart, sustainable, and ultimately profitable use of Read More...
Los Angeles and Beijing team up to fight climate change
Last year, US president Obama and China's president Xi Jinping set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gases over the next decade. Now, also mayors from both nations started collaborating in the fight against climate change, starting with an agreement between two of the world's most polluted Read More...
How modern agriculture can save the gorillas of Virunga
Intensifying agriculture and urbanization is the best way to save what wild places remain For the villager, who asks to be identified only as Bernadette, life is a running battle. On tiny plots of corn, millet and sweet potatoes next to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Read More...