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.
Want to buy an EV? Make a plan first
As you can probably tell by now, The Optimist Daily is a big fan of electric vehicles. EV’s offer a practical way to lower our personal carbon emissions and hold promise for additional benefits in the near future, such as powering our homes in an emergency. It also feels like EV's have finally Read More...
How do solar panels break? And how do we fix them?
At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, teams of scientists and researchers spend large parts of their day jumping on, twisting, smashing, and generally coming up with various ways of breaking solar panels. It’s not malice, it’s not incompetence. It's not Read More...
Administration unveils plan to fix bias in home appraisal industry
Three weeks ago, The Optimist Daily wrote a piece about Congress' aims to fix bias and inequality in the home appraisal industry. This is a much-needed change to a systemic problem that has furthered the wealth gap over years and kept families from building intergenerational wealth. On Read More...
World Happiness Report shines a light in dark times
The past few years have been incredibly challenging for the world, though it turns out we’re doing better than you might think! According to an international research project, levels of social support and benevolence actually increased in this difficult time. This year is the 10th Read More...
How AI helped Togo's poorest citizens
Back in 2020, we ran a story about a humanitarian project in Togo organized by the non-profit GiveDirectly, UC Berkeley, and Togo’s Ministry of Digital Economy. Its aim: use AI to deliver humanitarian aid in the form of money to the poorest populations in the country. Now some of the results Read More...
3 ways senior health rights improved post-Pandemic
The pandemic has been especially hard on the elderly population. Being in a high at-risk group meant that many older individuals could have no visitors and had their interactions hugely restricted even when living in the same home. This combined with staff shortages in hospices meant the levels of Read More...
In win for Earth, new S.E.C. rules would require climate disclosures
On Monday, the top financial regulator of the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), announced new regulations that would require disclosures from public corporations about their climate risks and carbon footprints. This marks a huge step towards acknowledging the reality and Read More...
House passes bill promoting hair tolerance
Free expression is not just something we value at The Optimist Daily, it is an inalienable right. One big way in which we all express ourselves is through our individual hairstyles. Last week, Congress passed a bill that forbids discrimination based on hair. The discrimination Black Hair Read More...
Nepal opens its first bird sanctuary in a win for endangered species
Good news for endangered bird species around the world as Nepal has just opened the first official bird sanctuary in the country.The protected area is home to about a dozen bird species, including the great hornbill and the Indian spotted eagle. These bird species are globally threatened. In a bid Read More...
How the US’s $13.6 billion aid package will help Ukraine
On Tuesday of last week, President Joe Biden signed a substantial spending bill that will provide $13.6 billion of financial support to Ukraine’s military and humanitarian aid as it resists and fights Russia’s invasion. Originally, the money allotted for the legislation sat at $10 billion, Read More...