Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
As I write this Special Report on 99 Victories For Earth, Climate, and Environment, the place where I live is experiencing its first-ever winter holiday without snow. We’re right on the border of Canada and it’s eerie and heartbreaking to see the hills of Northern Maine stand bare in the middle of December. Climate action is more urgently needed than ever before … which is why these success stories from 2023 are worth paying attention to. In these victories are the strategies that can help us rapidly expand the environmental movement, not just to halt the climate crisis but also to protect people’s health and increase the important work of helping the ecosystems recover.
On a bright note, the global divestment movement has garnered 1600+ institutional commitments, collectively representing over $40.6 trillion in assets. Even more significantly, they’ve moved assets worth $1.4 TRILLION held by 120 institutions in the past two years alone. In the United States, 25% of the nation’s electricity came from renewable sources in 2023. Ecuador halted oil drilling in the Amazon. Australians pressured banks to slash funds for a coal mine. The Netherlands held a massive, highway-blocking campaign to get their government to take the climate crisis seriously – and they have.
Another powerful campaign happened in Panama (pictured above), where citizens shut down the entire country to defeat a foreign copper mine. It was an epic struggle between foreign corporations and national sovereignty, between the pro-jobs faction and the majority of the populace who care about healthy people and ecosystems.
Interestingly, Nonviolence News picked up lots of stories about how the ecosystems are being restored, repaired, or simply given space to renew their natural resilience. The Toronto River, Penobscot River, West Bengal forests, a Himalayan mountain, and the ozone layer all showed significant signs of recovery. The US’ largest-ever dam removal project – led by Indigenous groups – on the Klamath River stands poised to boost the critically-endangered salmon population.
Costa Rica put conservationists on the official payroll – and a natural economy flourished. New York State banned bee-killing pesticides. The European Union banned microplastics and will phase out sales of gas-powered cars by 2035. France banned short air flights where train options are available. Stockholm, Sweden, banned cars from the city center. Bicycles now outnumber cars during London’s rush hour. Dallas, TX, and Albuquerque, NM, made urban transit free. Micro-forests are greening cities at 10x the expected rate. And there’s so much more happening, too.
Does it make a difference? Well, a study in Switzerland showed that Greta Thunberg’s climate strikes changed the behaviors of 1/3 of Swiss adults. So, yes, it all matters. The next time someone grumbles about nothing changing, quote them that study. And then tell them to join you at the next climate action.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
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Fossil Fuels
Stop EACOP Gets Major Pipeline Backer To Pull Out: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. said it isn’t financing an oil pipeline in East Africa, joining a growing list of financial firms distancing themselves from the project. The pipeline is planned to carry oil 900 miles from the fields of western Uganda to the coast of Tanzania. Activists have been campaigning globally to stop it. Read more>>
Australia Blocks Coal Mine Near Great Barrier Reef: In a rare environmental victory, Australia’s environment minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected a proposed open-cut coal mine. The mine rejection was based on the “risks of damage to the reef, freshwater creeks and groundwater.” The possible negative impact of the mine on climate change was not part of the decision. Read more>>
EU Approves 2035 Ban on Sales of Gas-Powered Cars: EU countries have approved an end to the sale of gas-powered cars in 2035, allowing the law to enter into force. The new law will require a 55 percent drop in carbon emissions across new car fleets by 2030. By 2035, all new cars must produce zero carbon dioxide. Read more>>
EPA Approves California Rules Phasing Out Diesel Trucks: The decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows California — which has some of the nation’s worst air pollution — to require truck manufacturers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission trucks over the next couple of decades. Read more>>
Insurance Giant Chubb Praised for Ban on Underwriting Arctic Refuge Drilling: While a Gwich’in Steering Committee leader said the policy “is a first for the American insurance industry and shows leadership to protect sacred lands,” Chubb’s board opposes climate and human rights shareholder resolutions. Read more>>
France Bans Short Air Flights Where Trains Provide Alternative: Today, France officially banned short domestic flights on routes where the journey could be made by train –– the culmination of a deal Peter Yeung wrote about in 2021. Read more>>
Unrepentant and Vindicated: Proposed Frack-Waste Injection Well in Grant Township To Be Plugged and Abandoned: This development comes after nearly a decade of efforts by Township residents to stop the fracking industry. The community’s concerns have been vindicated. Their fight to protect their water and what they love – despite all efforts to punish them by corporations, courts, and taxpayer-funded governmental “environmental protection” agencies – are on display for all to see, and for all to learn from. Read more>>
A Community Says ‘No’ to a Massive Climate-Polluting Refinery: Under legal and public pressure, a developer abandoned plans to build a methanol refinery in Kalama, Washington, that was set to become one of the top climate polluters in the state. Read more>>
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Industry Challenge to California Offshore Fracking Ban: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the fossil fuel industry’s challenge to a 2018 court-ordered moratorium on offshore fracking in federal Pacific Ocean waters off the coast of California, a rare victory for environmental groups and coastal conservationists who say producing oil and gas from under the seafloor poses a serious threat to ocean ecosystems and the climate. Read more>>
Judge Orders Stretch of Enbridge Line 5 Shut Down on Tribal Land: The Canadian oil company Enbridge has been ordered to pay the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa $5 million in damages for trespassing and to gradually shut down part of its Line 5 pipeline in Wisconsin after a federal judge found that the company has placed the tribe’s sacred land at risk of an environmental disaster. Read more>>
NJ Joins Growing List of States Phasing Out New Gasoline-Powered Cars: “The steps we take today to lower emissions will improve air quality and mitigate climate impacts for generations to come, all while increasing access to cleaner car choices,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. Read more>>
Can Extinction Rebellion’s Surprise Success In The Netherlands Be Replicated? As the COP 28 talks flounder, European movements are shifting their strategy in an attempt to emulate a major Dutch victory against fossil fuel subsidies. Read more>>
Fossil Fuel Divestment Achieves Massive Milestone: Following COP28 in Dubai, UAE, the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement reached a massive milestone: 1600+ institutional commitments, collectively representing over $40.6 trillion in assets. That’s a $1.4 TRILLION and 120 institutions increase in 2 years. Read more>>
New York University Will Divest From Fossil Fuels in Win For Student Activists: One of largest private universities in the US, with an endowment of over $5 billion, takes steps to address the climate crisis after years of student protest. Read more>>
‘This Is Huge’: Newsom to Sign Historic Climate Disclosure Bills for Big Corporations: “These two first-in-the-nation bills will provide unprecedented insight into corporate climate emissions and financial climate risk,” said one advocate. Around 5,000 companies will be required to comply with the law, reporting where emissions are coming from in their supply chains and the use of their products. Read more>>
As Lease Sale Flops, Environmentalists Vow to Keep Fighting for Cook Inlet: “Today’s outcome reinforces that fossil fuel development in Cook Inlet is no longer a sound investment,” said one campaigner. “Alaskans know our climate crisis is no joke and are ready to move beyond the fossil fuel era.” Read more>>
Fridays for Future: Greta’s School Strikes Led a Third of Swiss Citizens To Change their Habits: ‘Collective action can have a direct effect on society’, study on climate strikes shows. Almost a third of Swiss people changed their daily habits as a result of Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future climate strikes, new research has found. Read more>>
Ecuadorians Reject Oil Drilling In the Amazon, Ending Operations In Protected Area: Ecuadorians voted against drilling for oil in a protected area of the Amazon, an important decision that will require the state oil company to end its operations in a region that’s home to two uncontacted tribes and is a hotspot of biodiversity. Ecuadorians also stopped a gold mine near the capitol. Read more>>
Climate Campaigners Celebrate Cancellation of Multistate Carbon Capture Pipeline: “Cause of death: citizen activism informed by science.” Climate action advocates and scientists joined residents of five Midwestern states in applauding Friday after a Nebraska firm canceled plans to build a carbon pipeline, following outcry from the public and opponents of “dangerous, wasteful” carbon capture schemes. Read more>>
Shell’s ‘Green’ Ad Campaign Banned In UK For Being “Likely To Mislead”: An ad campaign by Shell promoting its green initiatives has been banned for not telling consumers that most of its business is based on environmentally damaging fossil fuels such as petrol. Advertising Standards Authority says ads do not make clear company’s business is mostly based on fossil fuels. Read more>>
Four Big Banks Refuse To Renew Loans To Whitehaven Coal: Environment groups said the refusal by the Big Four banks to renew a $1 billion loan to Whitehaven Coal — Australia’s biggest coal-only mining company — is a win for people power. Move Beyond Coal (MBC) said on July 17 that National Australia Bank’s (NAB) announcement “sends a clear message to the coal industry, financial institutions and the government” that the movement against coal is powerful. Read more>>
Renewables
A Public Power Victory in New York State: New York became the first US state to pass a major Green New Deal policy following four years of organizing by the Public Power NY coalition and allies. The Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA), now New York State law, empowers and directs the state’s public power provider – the New York Power Authority (NYPA) – to plan, build, and operate renewable energy projects across New York State. Organizers are now focusing on growing the movement for Public Power from coast to coast. Read more>>
US Federal Government Reports That 25% Of US Energy Will Come From Renewables This Year: From 2023 to 2024, renewables would rise from 24 percent to 26 percent of U.S. electricity generation; coal’s share would drop from 18 percent to 17 percent; gas would remain the leader but drop from 38 percent to 37 percent; and nuclear would be unchanged at 19 percent. It’s not 100%, but it’s progress. Read more>>
US Mail to be Delivered in 9,000 New Electric Vehicles, With USPS Installing 14,000 Charging Stations: The US Postal Service is going to try and reduce its carbon footprint by buying 9,000 new Ford electric vehicles. To support the new EVs, the USPS will construct 14,000 additional charging stations in 75 different counties and municipalities. Read more>>
Wind Farms And Birds Are Learning to Coexist: With bird-tracking software and turbines that grind to a halt before strikes occur, today’s wind farms are safer than ever for travelers on the wing. Read more>>
How This Group Stopped A Gas Utility’s Propaganda From Targeting School Children: Oregon’s largest gas utility can no longer charge its customers to target school children with pro-fossil fuel advertising, according to a recent ruling by state regulators. The decision comes after Earthjustice challenged a proposal by the utility NW Natural to charge its ratepayers for a variety of activities, including the creation of pro-gas propaganda booklets aimed at school children. Read more>>
Dallas Climate Activists Won a Major Investment In Green Transit. We Can All Learn From Their Fight. The Dallas ridership program wouldn’t have happened without a disciplined, organized bloc of young people calling on leaders to put their money where their mouth is. As organizers have discovered, it’s one thing to endorse an idea like the Green New Deal. It’s another to make it real. A free public transportation campaign in Dallas is a model for success as Sunrise builds its new Green New Deal for Schools campaign. Read more>>
Airbnb Will Chip In for Its Hosts’ Green Upgrades: The property rental service will offer its Massachusetts hosts thousands of dollars to help pay for heat pumps, new insulation and more. Read more>>
Wind Power’s Explosive Growth Is Blowing Past Green Energy Goals: The production of wind energy keeps breaking records, and its potential for expansion is as wide as the oceans. Read more>>
Stockholm To Ban Petrol And Diesel Cars From City Center Starting In 2025: Stockholm has announced plans to become the first big capital city to ban petrol and diesel cars from its centre, in an effort to slash pollution and reduce noise. From 2025, 20 blocks of Stockholm’s inner city area, spanning its finance and main shopping districts, will be restricted to electric vehicle traffic only. A decision on whether to expand the zone will be made in early 2025. Read more>>
How New York Socialists Won Big On Climate: New York is the first state to mandate renewable energy in a way that explicitly rejects the neoliberal obligation to put corporate profits first. They’ve put the publicly owned New York Power Authority in charge of building renewable energy with a mandate to do so in the interest of working people. Read more>>
Bicycles Now Outnumber Cars In London’s Rush Hour: People on bikes represent 40 percent of non-pedestrian rush hour traffic in the city, and cars are trending down. The shift to cycling commutes is a long-term trend. Read more>>
Plastics
The EU Just Banned Microplastics. Some Companies Have Already Abandoned Them. The new EU law is a huge win for the environment –– and some manufacturers are years ahead of the game, pioneering natural alternatives. Read more>>
England To Ban Single-Use Plastic Dinnerware, Including Styrofoam: In England, the government has announced plans to ban single-use plastic dinnerware, including closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam trays (commonly referred to as the brand name Styrofoam), plastic utensils and plastic plates. The announcement follows similar bans in Scotland and Wales. Scotland’s ban on single-use plastics took effect in August 2022, and Wales recently passed a single-use plastics ban in December 2022 that will take effect in fall of this year. Read more>>
In New Jersey, Plastic Bans Work: After New Jersey banned plastic bags, 37% fewer ended up on beaches. Read more>>
After Years Of Criticism, Amazon Appears To Be Cutting Down On Plastics: Amazon announced in its latest sustainability report that orders shipped from its fulfillment centers used 85,916 metric tons of single-use plastic in 2022 — an 11.6 percent decrease from the amount used in 2021. The company attributed this decline to its expanded use of paper-based packaging, as well as an increased effort to ship items in their original containers — without adding any Amazon-branded packaging. Read more>>
Restoration & Repair
Toronto River – Once Declared ‘Dead’ – Roars Back To Life: Historically, Toronto’s Don River has been treated as a kind of sacrifice zone: a longtime dumping spot for local industry and, at one point, even raw sewage. An environmental organization went so far as to hold a funeral for the waterway in 1969. But today, the river is alive and well — or at least well on its way. Read more>>
UN Report Shows Ozone Layer Recovery Effort ‘Sets a Precedent for Climate Action’: “Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done—as a matter of urgency—to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases, and so limit temperature increase,” said one expert. Read more>>
The Right Way to Repair a Mountain: A locally driven push to restore a Himalayan paradise preserved an economy, a community and an ecosystem all at once. Read more>>
Indigenous Advocacy Leads To Largest Dam Removal Project In US History: Four dams are being demolished along the Klamath River in northern California, as salmon populations plummet. “We fought this core American value that nature is here to serve humans at whatever cost to nature,” she said. “That was the biggest thing in our way. It wasn’t people or money or law. It was that mindset.” Read more>>
The Encouraging Restoration of the Penobscot River: An unprecedented coalition of scientists, Indigenous people and conservationists worked to remove both dams in order to free the Penobscot River and hopefully restore its health in the process. As a result, nearly 2,000 miles of habitat was opened for salmon and other species. Read more>>
The Legendary Ocean Explorer Protecting ‘Hope Spots’ Around the World: Sylvia Earle, a pioneer of both deep sea diving and ocean conservation, has made it her mission to protect the ocean’s biodiversity, one spot at a time. Read more>>
How a Country Embraced the River It Feared: When the Waal River threatened Holland’s cities and farms, the country opened the proverbial floodgates and let it flow in. By transforming its policies (and, in turn, its land) to let the river’s currents flow where they may, the Netherlands not only prevented destruction –– it made a majestic friend in the process. Read more>>
Cranberry Growers Are Bringing Wetlands Back from the Dead: In Massachusetts, the onetime cranberry capital of the world, former bogs are transforming into thriving, carbon-storing swamps. Read more>>
Zambia Issues First Green Energy Bond: Zambia’s Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) will issue the southern African country’s first green bond by the end of the year, the power company said on Tuesday, with a $54 million note to be sold as part of a $200 million green bond programme. The proceeds will be used to fund solar energy generation, as part of the company’s aim to generate 200MW of renewable energy. Read more>>
Jamaica’s Climate Resilient Coastline: Wetlands and mangrove forests absorb water, waves, and salt to provide economic security for coastal communities. Many people and organizations are dedicated to developing and enacting solutions, including Jamaica’s budding blue-green economy—the informal network of sustainability entrepreneurs, regenerative ocean farms, and sanctuaries incubating on the island. Read more>>
Forests
Rapid-Growth Micro-Forests Are Greening Cities 10 Times Faster: The Miyawaki method is lowering temps and boosting biodiversity with tiny, super-dense forests that grow a meter per year. Read more>>
The Reappearing Forests of West Bengal: The trees in this corner of India vanished decades ago, leaving heat waves and drought. What happened when they returned proves the healing power of reforestation. Read more>>
Deforestation Slows in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest After Indigenous Communities Gain Title to Their Territories: Most people know that Brazil’s rainforests are rapidly disappearing, and that the loss accelerates global climate change while harming the communities living under the trees’ canopy. Now, a study published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus suggests that after Indigenous communities obtain legal title to their territories, the rate of deforestation significantly declines. Read more>>
Fortified with Coconuts, ‘Living’ Shorelines Are Stopping Coastal Erosion: From New Jersey to Texas, a nature-nurturing alternative to concrete sea walls is protecting America’s coastline. To strengthen the shoreline, the organization led a project to build up the riverside dune and expand and raise the beach with new sand. To encourage marsh vegetation to grow at the water’s edge, teams also installed shaggy logs made of a fiber that you’re more likely to see in Bali than along the Jersey Shore: shredded coconut husk. Read more>>
Australian Province Forced To Halt Virgin Forest Logging: The government had a plan to halt logging in native forests by 2030, but had to move the deadline forward to January 1 next year. Treasurer Tim Pallas blamed this on the successful legal action by activists. The activist groups proved in the Supreme Court of Victoria last November that the government-owned logging company was not doing enough to ensure its operations did not harm native species, specifically the yellow-bellied glider. Read more>>
Campaign Stops New South Wales Forestry From Logging Australian Forest: After a month of protest, logging was halted in Newry State Forest, west of Valla between Urunga and Macksville on August 22. Six machines departed on August 25 in what Gumbaynggirr custodian Sandy Greenwood described as a “historic moment”. Read more>>
Menominee Sustain The Forest, The Forest Sustains the Menominee: For the Menominee, says head silviculturist Tony Waupochick, it is not just a matter of maintaining the volume of timber. “We are also managing the forest to maintain its diversity and integrity, and to keep it healthy for wildlife.” The Menominee adopted their enlightened approach soon after the creation of the reservation in 1854. Read more>>
Mining
Panama Celebrates Court Order To Cancel Mine: Panama’s Supreme Court ruled the Canadian copper mine contract to be unconstitutional. Protesters danced in the streets and waved the red, white and blue Panamanian flag and sang the national anthem. The ruling is, for the moment, a source of relief for Panama, which has been shaken by the country’s largest protest movement to plague the country in decades. Read more>>
US Army Corps Revokes Permit For Minnesota Mine, Cites Threat To Downstream Tribe’s Water Standards: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revoked a crucial federal permit for the proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, saying the permit did not comply with the water quality standards set by a sovereign downstream tribe. Read more>>
Welsh Community Cautiously Celebrates Refusal Of Coal Mine Extension: Campaigners in Wales are celebrating the refusal of a coal mine extension – but are in despair that restoration repeatedly promised to them in return for putting up with noise and dust from the open cast coal mine might never happen. Read more>>
Azerbaijan Temporarily Closes Gold Mine Run By UK-Registered Company: Soyudlu residents’ protest last month appears to have borne fruit, but the village is still under lockdown. And more people have been arrested for showing solidarity. Villagers have for years complained that seepage of cyanide and other forms of toxic waste from a reservoir at the mine (known as a tailings dam) is causing health problems among locals, including cancer, as well as damaging crops. Read more>>
Water
The Surprising Power of Wastewater Wetlands: Amid the growing threats of climate crisis and habitat fragmentation, constructed wetlands are gaining popularity as natural water-cleaning systems. Read more>>
“A+ Quality” Recycled Water is Turning Tribal Farms Green: Over a century ago, the Supreme Court ruled that reservations have a right to water. Today, thanks to a unique exchange, some tribes are finally getting their due. Read more>>
Biden Reinstates EPA Water Protections Overturned By Trump: The EPA’s new rule “officially cleans up the Trump administration’s Dirty Water Rule,” said one conservation group, “which wiped out federal protections for thousands of waterways and nearly half of all wetlands.” Read more>>
California Orders Bottle Water Company to Cease & Desist: California ordered a bottled water firm to stop drawing from a natural springs, following a years-long campaign by environmentalists to stop the operation. BlueTriton, the company that owns Arrowhead brand, has been taking water from San Bernardino springs for more than 100 years. Read more>>
Animals
The Cascading Effects of Bringing Back Sea Otters: In Oregon and California, efforts to repopulate these furry engineers could revive struggling ocean ecosystems. Read more>>
Victory for Sea Turtles in Panama: A new law in Panama that guarantees sea turtles the legal right to live and have free passage in a healthy environment. The law “will allow any Panamanian citizen to be the voice of sea turtles and defend them legally,” Veelenturf said in a text message as she boarded a plane to Panama City after her group’s work near Armila. “We will be able to hold governments, corporations, and public citizens legally accountable for violations of the rights of sea turtles.” Read more>>
Cambodia’s Folklore Helps River Dolphins Survive: In a country rich in folklore that celebrates the connections between animals and humans, the dolphins have become a national symbol of pride thanks, in large part, to the legend. It’s a reason why the critically endangered population of dolphins has even survived. Read more>>
How The World’s First Sperm Whale Sanctuary In Dominica Can Help Fight Climate Change: Dominica is being lauded for creating the world’s first sanctuary for sperm whales.The designation of nearly 800 square kilometres (300 square miles) of ocean on the western side of the island, where the endangered species currently feeds and nurses its young, is a significant move. Not only can it help improve the whales’ chances of reproduction and survival, but it will also go a long way in battling the effects of climate change. Read more>>
Seattle’s Urban Animal Network Debuts First Veterinary Worker Cooperative: Urban Animal, a Seattle-based veterinary network, has announced it will become the first worker cooperative veterinary practice in the US this fall. This will enable its 110 employees to share in the governance and profits of the company with more than 50,000 clients. Read more>>
More
City of Seattle Settles “Rights of Nature” Case Filed by the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe – Agrees to Create Fish Passage Through Skagit River Dams: On April 19, 2023, the City of Seattle settled one of the first “rights of nature” cases filed in the United States. That case, brought in 2022 by the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, with salmon as a plaintiff, sought a declaratory judgment recognizing the legal rights of salmon and declaring that the lack of fish passage measures at the City’s dams harmed the Tribe’s culture and traditions, religion, and Treaty rights. Read more>>
How San Francisco Cracked the Urban Composting Code: As California begins statewide composting, the place that pioneered it in the ’90s shows how dramatically it can benefit a city. Read more>>
Nations Agree On Historic Global Oceans Treaty: The Global Oceans Treaty is the biggest conservation agreement in the history of the world. It provides a pathway to establish marine sanctuaries so that countries can turn their commitment to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 into a reality. Read more>>
Global Activists Win Environmental Prize: Activists from Zambia, Indonesia, Turkey, Finland, Brazil, and the United States were awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize on Monday for fighting destructive mining projects, working to protect imperiled marine ecosystems, shielding Indigenous land from corporate plunder, and holding a powerful plastics company accountable for dumping toxic waste on Texas’ Gulf Coast. Read more>>
Costa Rica Puts Nature on the Payroll: For years, locals have protected the thriving wildlife of Osa Peninsula. When the government started paying them, a whole new conservation-based economy bloomed. Read more>>
Under Pressure, Norfolk Southern Agrees to Limited Relocation Plan: Local organizers in East Palestine, Ohio on Monday said their activism has successfully pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan for some residents affected by last month’s train derailment, but added they have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice for thousands of people in the area who are struggling in the aftermath of the accident. Read more>>
The Texas Shrimper Holding Industrial Polluters Accountable: The “reclusive fisherwoman” turned “controversial hell-raiser” is battling some of the biggest petrochemical companies — and winning. Read more>>
Protecting the Ozone Prevented 1 °C of Warming By 2050: In 1987, the United Nations’ Montreal Protocol banned close to 100 chemicals that were eating away at the Earth’s ozone layer. This was good news, of course — and it turns out its goodness went beyond just the ozone: Because the banned substances contribute to global warming, according to a new report, the Montreal Protocol inadvertently prevented 1 °C of warming by 2050. Read more>>
Massachusetts Launches Green Bank to Battle ‘Compounding Housing and Climate Crises’: The state “has a visionary plan to lead the country on electrifying affordable housing” that “will be a model nationwide for making sure that climate action and equity go hand-in-hand,” said professor Leah Stokes. Read more>>
‘Landmark Victory’ – New York Passes Nation’s First Legislation Restricting Bee-Killing Pesticides: The Birds and Bees Protection Act would eliminate 80 to 90% of the neonics used in New York each year by banning applications that are either easily replaceable or do not give an economic boost to farmers. Read more>>
‘Gamechanger’ – Judge Rules In Favor of Young Activists In US Climate Trial: The judge who heard the US’s first constitutional climate trial earlier this year has ruled in favor of a group of young plaintiffs who had accused state officials in Montana of violating their right to a healthy environment. Read more>>
This Car-Free Michigan Island Is Leading on Composting: The isolated, vehicle-free Great Lakes community has a lot to teach other communities about managing food waste. Read more>>
How Climate Activists Won The American Climate Corps: Sunrise Movement co-founder Evan Weber discusses the years of Green New Deal organizing that led to the landmark new jobs program to address the climate crisis. Read more>>
Climate Defiance Put The Heat On Deputy Interior Secretary. He Resigned. Climate action works! On September 19th, Climate Defiance orchestrated a highly dramatic, disruptive confrontation with Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau, publicly exposing his decision to sign the Willow Project to 100Ks of viewers. “We interrupted his day with 5 actions in 2 hours. Yesterday he resigned his post.” Watch the action video here>>
Major Win Against Factory Farming Points Out Powerful New Direction For Climate Movement: Small farmers in Oregon, backed by a coalition of animal rights and climate activists, secured a big legislative victory over industrial factory farms, providing inspiration for wider action. Read more>>
Canada’s First Nations Protect Millions of Acres of Their Lands: Indigenous-led efforts are conserving land on an unprecedented scale while enabling scientists to study threats to northern ecosystems. Read more>>
Indigenous Leader Inspires An Amazon City To Grant Personhood To Endangered River: The Komi Memem, a tributary of a larger river that’s unprotected, is now the first among hundreds of rivers in the Brazilian Amazon to have a law that grants it personhood status. This is part of a new legislative approach to protect nature that has made inroads in many parts of the world, from New Zealand to Chile. Read more>>
Cool Pavement Is Living Up to Its Name: In a Los Angeles neighborhood where trees are scarce, reflective pavement coatings are bringing measurable relief. The first eight months of data show that ambient air temperatures in Pacoima two meters above ground were an average of 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit cooler on sunny days, and up to 3.5 degrees cooler during extreme heat, compared to a neighboring area without cool pavement. The pavement itself averaged 10 degrees cooler on sunny days. Read more>>
These Cities Are Depaving For a Cooler Future: Asphalt contributes to the urban heat island effect and makes places more prone to flooding. Planners are rethinking its place in cities. And it all started because a man named Arif Khan wanted a garden. Read more>>
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