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.
Scotland to ban GM crop growing
Scotland is to ban the growing of genetically modified crops, the country's rural affairs secretary has announced. Richard Lochhead said the Scottish government was not prepared to "gamble" with the future of Scotland's £14bn food and drink sector. He is to request that Scotland be excluded Read More...
Nigeria's Wecyclers, the Lagos-based recycling start-up, wins $55,000 from Steve Case Foundation
Wecyclers, a start-up that helps low-income communities exchange their recyclable waste for cash and other rewards, has won $55,000 from a foundation run by AOL co-founder Steve Case. The young company won the award at the #PitchForLagos event during Lagos Start-Up week event where it was was up Read More...
California Air Resources Board Head: All New Cars Should Be Zero-Emission In 2030
Among U.S. states, California is by far the most enthusiastic when it comes to electric cars. And that's largely due to regulations overseen by the state's Air Resources Board. But Mary Nichols--the chair of this agency since 2007--isn't satisfied with having just a few electric cars on California Read More...
Tesla bucks industry in seeking tougher emissions rules
A Tesla executive said the company’s goal is to create a mass market for electric vehicles, “where 100% of the transportation in the U.S. and the world is electric.” Above, a sedan is charged in Germany. A Tesla executive said the company’s goal is to create a mass market for electric Read More...
Climate change dream scenario: A power plant with negative emissions
The giant coal power station at Drax in Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, with its 12 cooling towers, is one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. It sends some 23 million tonnes of carbon dioxide up its stacks each year while supplying up to a tenth of the UK’s power. But that Read More...
The Soil Story: how to take carbon out of the atmosphere and put it back in the ground
The Soil Story, created by Kiss the Ground, is a five-minute film that shares the importance of healthy soil for a healthy planet. Learn how we can "sequester"(store) carbon from our atmosphere, where it is harmful, and pull it back into the earth, where it belongs, through regenerative Read More...
This web game shows you why self-driving cars are better
You've probably heard that self-driving cars are safer than their human-guided equivalents (as a general rule, at least). But what if you have a hard time wrapping your head around how that concept works in practice? Never fear: developers Mark Backler and Peter Cardwell-Gardner have posted a web Read More...
Transport giant UPS invests in renewable fuels for its fleet
The international shipping company UPS plans to buy up to 46 million gallons of renewable diesel fuel during the next three years, to be able to replace 12 percent of the fossil fuels the company currently uses. UPS plans to get these fuels from three producers, and they are made from several Read More...
Researchers successfully growing bacteria producing ethylene, most important plastic ingredient
Imagine bacteria eating sunlight, and using this "energy" to produce the natural plant gas ethylene, the most important ingredient of plastic and polyester. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are succesfully growing these bacteria. It would be a great step forward for Read More...
Canada adopts higher standards to cut air pollution from vehicles
Transportation is a big source of air pollution in Canada, as well as the source of about 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions. Tightening regulations is important since 25% of cars are causing 90% of the air pollution that we breathe. Canada has now passed new emission standards, starting with the Read More...