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.
Supporting beavers and our ecosystems
At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written a great deal about the benefits beavers bring to their environment and the importance of restoring their populations in certain areas. Beavers are often vilified in certain communities for the same reason they’re such iconic North American creatures: they Read More...
Some tips to spot false posts about the Russia-Ukraine conflict
It’s hard to discern what to believe and what to question, what with fake news and improved deep fake videos. Misinformation has been commonly used as a propagandistic tactic to distract, confuse, and redirect public opinion by many countries throughout history. In World War Two, the Germans Read More...
To save money and gas, driving slower helps
Many of us take the speed limits on the side of the road as, well, more of a suggestion than a hard line never to cross. Whether on the highway or in midtown, many of us feel we’re losing time or just plain bored if we’re not in the fast lane. Gas prices are rising, though, and even when we Read More...
How city infrastructure is aiding Ukrainians in resisting Russia
A recent article in Bloomberg CityLab by Shlomo Angel, professor of city planning and former Captain of the Israeli Defense Forces, elaborates on how Ukraine could endure the war now that the fight has been brought to its cities. He emphasizes the incredible difficulty an invading army faces when Read More...
Biodiversity means respecting animals' agency
Depending on where you live, there can be a great deal of concern about the local animals, wandering into the road or eating your garbage. For conservationists, there’s a concern for the animals themselves. Conservationists and wildlife managers these days are looking for new ways to protect wild Read More...
Honduras puts a stop to open-pit mining
What is open-pit mining? Open-pit mining is one of the most common and also most harmful methods of extracting minerals from the Earth. Many countries and organizations are trying to do away with this practice because it involves enormous displacement of soil and causes a great deal of damage to Read More...
China pledges to build large solar and wind farms in Gobi Desert
China is, by far, the biggest consumer of coal power in the world. While at the moment its energy consumption is 70 percent coal-based — other industrialized nations average around 30 percent, the United States being 25 percent — China apparently sees the value in switching to renewable Read More...
Once a French coal-mining zone, now a green tourism hub
Once upon a time, Nord-Pas-de-Calais supplied half of France’s coal. This region in the north of the country is distinguished by the giant pyramid-like black cones of slag which are a result of three centuries of environmental and economic hardship. Now, when you get close to the slag cones, Read More...
UK cracks down on greenwashing
As is so often and tragically the case, commerce can adapt more quickly than policy. We’re seeing this right now in what’s known as greenwashing. This is where companies label their products as “eco-friendly,” “greener,” or “sustainable” to appeal to environmentally conscious Read More...
The New Symbiosis: Living with Wildlife
“We’re animals. We’re born like every other mammal and we live our whole lives around disguised animal thoughts.” - Barbara Kingsolver By Oliver Kammeyer Human society developed an idea over time that it is separate from nature, that we exist apart from it, or in spite of it. Perhaps it Read More...