Politics
Having a difficult time finding positive news about national and global politics? Search no further! From public policy to positive leadership to democracy efforts, find the latest good news stories in the world of politics at The Optimist Daily.
Green parties are the big winners of the European Parliament elections
For the past several months, we’ve seen waves of protesters young and old take to the streets of Europe to urge politicians to act on the climate crisis. With the European Green parties posting their best-ever results in the European Parliament elections, it seems the protests were simply a Read More...
Taiwan was once known as ‘Garbage Island’. Now it’s a model of recycling success
In the ’80s and ’90s, Taiwan had one of the world’s worst urban waste problems. Its landfills overflowed and mountains of rubbish clogged street corners, earning it the unflattering moniker “Garbage Island.” Fed up with the accumulation of waste, people across the country demanded action. Read More...
A carbon tax is going into effect next week in South Africa
In a bid to drive down emissions and spur the transition to clean energy in South Africa, the country has joined a list of about 40 countries worldwide to adopt a carbon-pricing program. The first phase of the carbon tax will run until December 2022 and will go into effect next. Under the Read More...
Much needed US recycling bill could reduce waste and save billions
Recycling is collapsing in the US because of inconsistent and confusing labels on bins. The public confusion causes people to throw millions of tons of 'garbage' in recycling bins throughout the country, which is crippling the economics of recycling. In a landmark move, a national recycling Read More...
Human composting is officially legal in Washington State
A few weeks ago, we wrote about a bill in Washington state that wants to add an eco-friendly alternative to cremation or burial: human composting. Well, now that bill has been officially signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. Traditional burial requires wood and steal and means leaking Read More...
Amsterdam city council to have all its catered events meat-free
The Dutch capital wants to set an example to other cities around the world by taking meat off of their menus. Amsterdam’s city council has recently announced plans to serve vegetarian food as standard at all catered events in its buildings from next year onward. Meetings in the Dutch capital will Read More...
How Africa is leading the world when it comes to banning plastic bags
Tanzania is moving into the second phase of the country’s anti-plastic initiative, which means both locals and tourists will no longer be able to make use of plastic bags. But will banning plastic actually help the country rid itself of plastic waste? To find an answer to this question, all we Read More...
Taiwan just became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage
Although many countries across the world have legalized same-sex marriage over the last decade, no country in Asia has done it yet. That is, until now. Last Friday, thousands of marriage-equality advocates celebrated in the pouring rain outside Taiwan’s legislature as it voted to become the first Read More...
Philadelphia soda sales plunge after tax on sugary drinks
Public health advocates in the US have long advised for a tax on sodas as a means to discourage people from indulging in sugary drinks, possibly helping curb obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related conditions. Philadelphia introduced such a tax – 1.5 cents per ounce – in 2017, and now, Read More...
180 countries agree to legally-binding framework to limit trade of plastic waste
If you live in the so-called Western world, chances are some of the plastic waste you have produced has been shipped off to private waste-handling companies in the developing world. That’s a problem, mainly because these companies can’t handle the millions of tons of plastic waste that get sent Read More...