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.
US makes at-home Covid-19 tests free to all Americans
With the rise of a potentially-concerning new Covid-19 variant, omicron, and colder months ahead, the US is ramping up health measures to prevent another surge in cases this winter. The White House has recently announced that it will make all at-home rapid tests free. Under the new rules, Read More...
New Zealand is first nation to protect drug checking services by law
In a world-first, last week New Zealand’s government approved legislation made to protect drug checking, a service that saves lives by chemically testing illicit drugs to scan them for dangerous contaminants. The legislation is expected to pass into law as soon as next week. “We’re the Read More...
Rwanda’s mountain gorillas represent a successful conservation story
Following years of poaching and habitat destruction, the population of mountain gorillas in Rwanda once numbered under 260 individuals. Now, Rwandan gorillas represent a rare conservation success and a key economic engine for the East African country, reports CBS. "One of, if not the top source, Read More...
Germany plans to put 15 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2030
Making electric cars the dominant vehicles on the road is key to curbing planet-warming emissions and protecting the climate. In a bid to reach that goal, an increasing number of countries and cities across the world have pledged to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by the end of the decade. Now, Read More...
WHO proposes global treaty to better address future pandemics
Unfortunately, as the climate crisis progresses and humans continue to infringe on wild animal habitats, the risk of another global pandemic is growing. To address this, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has agreed to form an intergovernmental negotiating body to create a legally-binding Read More...
US establishes protected zone for endangered North Atlantic right whales
The North Atlantic right whale is a species of whale that is currently considered critically endangered. Despite having been included in the Endangered Species Act since 1973, experts estimate that the North Atlantic right whale population has dwindled to fewer than 350. To help protect these Read More...
Community and the environment get a boost with NY freeway transformation
Many urban highways from the 1950s and 1960s were deliberately built through neighborhoods primarily occupied by people of color, effectively walling these families off from economic opportunity and disrupting their sense of community. These same roads also increase the risks of air pollution for Read More...
New York City opens the country’s first safe injection site
Harm reduction strategies are gaining traction as a more effective way to quell the ever-growing opioid crisis. These strategies, like making clean needle exchanges available and decriminalizing drug possession, understand that criminalization alone will not reduce drug abuse, nor does it protect Read More...
30 White rhinos make record journey to Akagera national park
White rhinos are classified as near threatened, with numbers dropping due to poaching. In a bid to improve the outlook for the species, 30 of these giant animals recently made the journey from South Africa to Rwanda in the largest single rhino translocation in history. Weighing 1.5 tons each, Read More...
Department of the Interior moves to change derogatory US land names
We recently wrote about a California ski resort’s choice to change its derogatory name. Now, more sites around the US, specifically federal lands, will also get name changes as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has ordered the department’s Board on Geographic Names to remove derogatory and racist Read More...