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Woody Stems In Swamp
Conservation International

Climate change: 11 facts you need to know

“We’re already seeing the effects of human-caused climate change — but nature can help. We’re already seeing the effects of climate change, but thankfully, we’re equipped with the most effective tool to mitigate and adapt to it: nature. Protecting nature today means a better planet for future generations. Share these facts about climate change and help make a difference…”

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Nat Geo Red Plane Over Ice Gorge
Frans Lanting/Nat Geo Image Collection

Climate tipping points — too risky to bet against

“Politicians, economists and even some natural scientists have tended to assume that tipping points1 in the Earth system — such as the loss of the Amazon rainforest or the West Antarctic ice sheet — are of low probability and little understood. Yet evidence is mounting that these events could be more likely than was thought, have high impacts and are interconnected across different biophysical systems, potentially committing the world to long-term irreversible changes.

Here we summarize evidence on the threat of exceeding tipping points, identify knowledge gaps and suggest how these should be plugged. We explore the effects of such large-scale changes, how quickly they might unfold and whether we still have any control over them…”

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Fire Sparks Flying
Michael Owen Baker/AP

Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of ‘untold suffering’

‘The world’s people face “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists.

“We declare clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency,” it states. “To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live. [This] entails major transformations in the ways our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems…”’

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Flooded Greenhouses
Judy Anderson

What is eco-anxiety?

Imagine you open up your news app and discover a story about the climate crisis. Maybe it’s a piece focused on the 11,000 climate scientists who recently warned of “untold suffering” unless society transforms our way of living. Or perhaps it’s a write-up of recent research from Nature that says we’re headed toward a “global tipping point” and we can’t afford not to take action.

Maybe you live in an area increasingly affected by wildfires, or your region is seeing more flooding. Or possibly, you’ve been reading about the fact that our planet’s carbon dioxide concentration levels are the highest they’ve been in 3 million years.

No matter the version of the climate change story, the statistics probably make you feel a bit anxious. Our planet undergoing drastic changes and landscapes won’t look the same for future generations; that fact may fill you with grief, nostalgia or even panic. But concerned reactions to these stories are relatively normal and they even have a name: eco-anxiety…

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Fox In The Snow
Pixabay

Letter to a young climate activist on the first day of the new decade

Climate chaos is the worst thing human beings have brought upon themselves and the earth, and we are just beginning to see its impact, in heartbreaking phenomena from melting ice to starving whales to burning forests. If you’re sad, you’re not alone.

If you’re scared, you’re not alone. Those of you who are young have every reason to be furious that you were handed a world entering into an era of catastrophe and disruption. You did nothing to make this mess and most of us who are older didn’t do enough to avert it during the last 30 years that we have known we should act, the last 15 when we had the renewable-energy technology to leave the age of fossil fuel behind.

I would never question the rightness of that fury, but I am going to go after despair, hopelessness, and powerlessness. And maybe your fury pointed in the right direction is a treasure: a non-fossil fuel, a clean-burning fire, a passion to do what we need to do. Fury can fight for all that is still with us and all that is worth protecting. And there is so much that is worth protecting…

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Greta Thunberg Activist
PABLO BLAZQUEZ DOMINGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES

Greta Thunberg: ‘They try so desperately to silence us’

“Swedish activist Greta Thunberg says young people are “bringing change” to the Madrid climate talks and will not be silenced.

At a news conference Miss Thunberg said that she hoped the negotiations would yield “something concrete”

The 16-year-old was mobbed by press and spectators when she visited the conference centre earlier on Friday.

She had to be escorted away for her own safety amid shouts of “leave her alone” from concerned observers.

Having arrived via overnight train from Lisbon to large crowds waiting for her in Madrid, Miss Thunberg was set to join a large demonstration in favour of rapid climate action this evening…”

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Light Through The Canopy
Mass Audubon article

Capturing carbon in Mass Audubon forests

“Mass Audubon is committed to fighting climate change through conservation, advocacy, and education. And we are always looking for innovative ways to make a real and lasting impact. Our recent entry into the California Air Resources Board (CARB) carbon offset market is a prime example.

Establishing a price on carbon is an effective way to harness economic pressure to force carbon emissions reductions, but no policy has yet been implemented at the federal level. The best model is California’s comprehensive carbon emissions reduction campaign, which includes a cap-and-trade program for industries…”

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Footbridge In The Woods
Mass Audubon article

The role of land conservation in fighting climate change

In the coming year, your land trust can help people connect the dots to what they love and how climate change puts it at risk. You then want to help them see solutions. Often these will be natural climate solutions (estimated at 21% of the needed response—if we act fast), including personal actions, as well as policies for energy conservation and renewables.

At Mass Audubon, [their] land conservation strategy is directly linked to climate change mitigation and adaptation. As the largest private land owner in Massachusetts with more than 38,000 acres protected, [they] know how critical land conservation and effective land management is in the age of climate change.

[Their] recent entry in the California Air Resources Board (CARB) carbon offset market ensures that 10,000 acres of forested land will be protected for the next 100 years, ensuring the carbon stored in this critical landscape remains there…

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River Valley View
Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy article

Partnering with a local city to sell carbon credits

Partnering with municipalities may be one way your local land trust can make a significant impact. It doesn't have to be the sale of carbon credits--it could be assisting with grants, transitioning to renewables, and/or energy efficiency.

Located in New York State, Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy is working to slow down climate change in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the City of Albany.

The Albany Water Board will receive funding from the sale of carbon credits. The Nature Conservancy expects this revenue to surpass one million dollars over the next ten years, which the Water Board will direct toward the implementation of the Sustainable Forest Management Plan, watershed management, and Water Board priorities.

As outlined in the Plan, the Albany Water Board has entered into a Conservation Easement with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy…

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Snow Covered spruce Branch
Pixabay

Community, woodlands, and climate change discussions

The all-volunteer land trust Eastern Connecticut Forest Landowners / Wolf Den Land Trust teamed up with several other organizations to host a discussion for woodland owners. Could your local land trust join together with others to help people understand the impacts of climate change?

One of the ways to help motivate people to slow down climate change is to help them understand the impacts on the places they love. Notice how welcoming this invitation and event is. Here is their announcement:

“Are you a woodland owner? Get together with other woodland owners and natural resource professionals to discuss the future of Connecticut’s forests. Andrea Urbano, a Service Forester with CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, will discuss what changes we can expect to see in Connecticut’s forests as a result of climate change, and how these changes interact with other threats to our forests.

We will also discuss what we can do to help create resilient forests through the upcoming changes. Bring your questions and concerns about your woodland. Resources for further action will be provided, including information on cost-sharing opportunities for land management practices. Time for snacks and networking will round out the evening…”

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