Good News! 7 Positive Environmental Stories from October

4. Refreezing the Arctic to Stop Sea Ice from Melting

Is a giant ice-machine the solution to stopping icebergs from melting too quickly? Maybe ... ?

An international design contest has come up with some wild ideas for reversing the amount of sea ice being lost to global warming, one of which was to create huge submarines capable of making massive hexagonal ice cubes and then dumping them into the Arctic ocean to form icebergs. Other ideas included sprinkling the sea with a reflective sand-like material to bounce the sun's rays away, or spraying clouds to make them more reflective and thus limiting the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface.

All of these ideas may sound totally farfetched and infeasible, but the point isn't to come up with a solution immediately. The competition, and the ideas that came from it, is all about thinking of innovative solutions to the most pressing problem of our lifetime, because current methods aren't really working.

Keep dreaming designers!

5. Learning is Good News Too

Though not entirely good news, interviews with climate and energy experts talking about the urgent need to switch to renewables is informative, eye-opening, and gets you thinking!

In this article, the New York Times speaks with a range of experts from Climate Researchers, to activists, and even oil and gas executives. Their responses are telling and may even warm your heart a little knowing there are people out there who can and are trying to make a positive impact any way they can.

Though we may not always agree, it's important to know what the other side is saying.

6. Chile Carves a Path for Sustainable Fishing

While we acknowledge the current turmoil in Chile right now, as demonstrators take to the streets to protest a number of government policies causing greater inequality, the Chilean government has been a leader in showing the world how fishing can be sustainable both for marine life and businesses.

In 2012, the government banned trawling - a practice by which heavy machinery is dragged along the ocean floor resulting in high levels of by-catch and the destruction of animal habitats. Since then, 23% of the country's oceans are in protected areas.

Apart from the benefits to marine life, Chile's fishermen are also seeing benefits. Chile produces enough seafood to be in the top 10 seafood producing countries, and is able to support tens of thousands of 'artisanal' fishermen.

Chile's success is a prime example that businesses and economies do not have to suffer at the hands of environmental policies. In fact, businesses stand a lot to gain by ensuring our planet is healthy and productive.

7. More Reasons to Protect Glaciers (As If You Needed Another!)

Research taking place in Canada's high Arctic has revealed that glacial rivers (rivers which flow from the margins of glaciers) have been storing more carbon dioxide than even the Amazon rainforest! The discovery surprised scientist as rivers are generally understood to be carbon emitters.

Researchers realized that the limited amount of organic material generally found in glacial waters results in far less organic decay. Thus, far less carbon is emitted. On top of this, a process called chemical weathering - where sediment from glaciers mixes with the carbon dioxide in the water and traps it - can take place a great distances away from the rivers' headwaters.

During peak melting season, glacial rivers can absorb 40 times as much CO2 as the Amazon. While it's a good sign that nature is adapting to a new climate and discovering new ways to sequester carbon, it begs the question as to what will happen if we lose the glaciers entirely?

Healthy glaciers, healthy glacial rivers, more carbon sequestered, healthier planet!