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.
Europe’s top court upholds French ban on bee-harming pesticides
In 2018, the French government placed a ban on the use of certain pesticides that harm bees. These pesticides belong to the neonicotinoid group's family of chemicals and are based on the chemical structure of nicotine. They were introduced in the mid-1990s and work by attacking the central nervous Read More...
Nobel Peace Prize recognizes importance of food security in 2020
Some of the most influential humans in the world have won the Nobel Peace Prize including Malala Yousafzai, Barack Obama, and Nelson Mandela. This year, the prize goes to a much broader world actor: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity Read More...
Nearly a third of California land to be conserved by 2030 under new order
The year 2020 has seen millions of acres of California land ravaged due to unstoppable wildfires. To protect the state from further damage in the future, Governor Gavin Newsome has announced an executive order to reserve 30 percent of state land for conservation by 2030. The executive order will Read More...
Canada will soon say goodbye to single-use plastics
Like most other countries around the world, Canada has a toxic relationship with single-use plastic. It is estimated that Canadian households generate more than 3 million tons of plastic waste every year, only 9 percent of which gets recycled — while the rest ends up in landfills and polluting Read More...
Thought Leader Series: Jay Inslee on the power of optimistic climate action
The climate crisis is an increasingly present and visible threat to our world and few know this better than Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, who watched more than 600,000 acres burn in his state during just the beginning of the second-worst fire season on record. In this week’s Thought Read More...
Ban on straws, stirrers, and cotton buds comes into effect in England
A ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds was supposed to come into effect in England this past April, but that ban was put on delay during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, months later, the ban has come into force. Each year, people in England use an estimated 4.7 billion Read More...
Seattle protects Uber and Lyft drivers with new gig economy wages
The gig economy is growing, but these workers are not always guaranteed the same protections as employees in more traditional roles. In a move to protect these workers, the city of Seattle has passed a new wage scale for Uber and Lyft drivers, including a $16.39 minimum wage, to ensure their wages Read More...
French law tightens regulations on keeping wild animals in captivity
Although it can be fascinating to see wild animals up close and personal, many animals kept for human viewing are not housed in humane conditions. In a big win for animals and their activists, France has passed a law gradually banning the use of wild animals in traveling circuses and the captivity Read More...
65 country leaders pledge to reverse destruction of nature
Leaders from 65 countries recently came together to make a renewed commitment to putting nature on the path to recovery. As reported in Deutsche Welle, the commitments include eliminating plastic leakage to the oceans by 2050 and incentivizing banks and businesses to value the natural Read More...
Maryland becomes first state to implement a foam container ban
We recently wrote about New Jersey’s progressive single-use plastic ban. Now, Maryland is achieving its own waste-reduction goals by becoming the first state in the country to implement a ban on foam food containers. Passed in 2019, but implemented last week, the law prohibits restaurants, Read More...