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.
By 2018, Dutch rail will be fully powered by wind
The Netherlands, a nation that’s been keen on harnessing the power of the wind since pretty much forever, has announced that in an effort to slash transport-related carbon emissions, its entire electric train network — all 1,800 miles of it — will run on energy produced at European wind Read More...
Climate change will bring greater biodiversity to world seas
Tropical marine animals that currently thrive in warm habitats around the equator will have to spread north and south to avoid extinction as global sea temperatures rise, a study has found. Scientists at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), alongside international partners, modelled Read More...
Could diesel made from air help tackle climate change?
Making diesel out of thin air sounds like something from science fiction. But small companies in Germany and Canada are doing precisely this - capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and finding ways to sell it. German company Sunfire produced its first batches of so-called e-diesel in April. Federal Read More...
How to capture and convert CO2 from a smokestack in a single step
Using a novel catalyst, a single chemical assembly (UiO-66-P-BF2) could capture CO2 and also transform it and hydrogen into formic acid (HCOOH) via a two-step (yellow arrows) reaction (credit: Ye and Johnson/ACS Catalysis) University of Pittsburgh researchers have invented (in computations) a Read More...
Ants could be super pest controllers, as efficient and more cheaply than chemicals
As global population rises and finite resources dwindle, farmers need new, more sustainable ways to control pests. Now, ecologists have found a safe, sustainable and cost-effective new pest control. But rather than a high-tech compound or genetic technology, it's a tiny, low-tech organism: the Read More...
Samsung introduces electric bike with 100-kilometer battery
A new e-bike battery pack that can power an e-bike for 100 kilometers on a single charge was recently unveiled by Samsung SDI — with the new offering being showcased on August 26th at Eurobike 2015 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The new offering is a 500 watt-hour (Wh) battery pack, designed to Read More...
Europe to discuss deep-sea trawling ban to protect biodiversity
After fishing of the orange roughy, a deepwater fish, started, populations collapsed within 15 years (Image: Kim Westerskov/Getty) In an autumnal ritual as unvarying as migrating geese, European Union officials head back to Brussels next week – to fight over fish. But this time they might Read More...
BEEcosystem creators looking to create a buzz about bees
The BEEcosystem has been designed to be modular so that more hives can be added as the colony grows Honeybees play a crucial role in pollinating crops, but colonies are in trouble. Earlier this year, the Bee Informed Partnership reported a 23.1 percent loss of US managed honeybee colonies in the Read More...
New Orleans launches resilience roadmap to tackle climate and social challenges
As well as focusing on climate-related catastrophes, the 41-step resilience strategy addresses social issues such as poverty, racial inequality and crime Wednesday 26 August 2015 05.26 EDT Last modified on Wednesday 26 August 2015 05.27 EDT In the week that marks the 10th anniversary of Read More...
This Danish power plant will poetically inform residents of how much carbon they’re using
In less than a decade, Copenhagen expects to become the first carbon-neutral city on the planet. There are plenty of reminders around the Danish capital to will the locals towards achieving a zero-carbon future by 2025: a 20-turbine wind farm, half of its population zipping around in bikes (and an Read More...