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How scientists are using selfies to challenge stereotypes
Science and scientists have been under siege. The scientific community is pushing back, by humanizing itself.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Scientist Selfies study found that participants considered scientists posting selfies to be warmer, more trustworthy, and no less competent than scientists posting science-only photos on Instagram…
“I’m not a climate change guy, but…” Farmers reckon with new reality in the heartland: Video
The reality is that protecting land for future generations is now more at risk than ever before: families’ lives are at stake. We need to rethink what conservation will mean into the future.
In response to troubling weather patterns and climate changes, some farmers in Nebraska are considering new solutions to keep their businesses afloat. One of those farmers, Graham Christensen, travels the country discussing a green farming initiative called regenerative farming…
The next regeneration
From behind the wheel, Ben Dobson, the farm manager, explained why his farm was unseasonably busy. “The basic premise of what people are now calling ‘carbon farming’ is that the earth’s surfaces were made to photosynthesize,” he said, eyeing his fields with a relaxed confidence.
It’s all part of a natural cycle: On warm days, Dobson’s crops pull carbon dioxide from the sky and release it into the soil where it nourishes developing plants. Even in the dead of winter, the fields are full of roots working to keep carbon in the soil. This is one of the ways that Dobson’s farm is able to keep carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change, in the ground…
The Terrible Truth of Climate Change
“In June, I delivered a keynote presentation on Australia’s vulnerability to climate change and our policy challenges at the annual meeting of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, the main conference for those working in the climate science community. I saw it as an opportunity to summarise the post-election political and scientific reality we now face.
As one of the dozen or so Australian lead authors on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) sixth assessment report, currently underway, I have a deep appreciation of the speed and severity of climate change unfolding across the planet. Last year I was also appointed as one of the scientific advisers to the Climate Council, Australia’s leading independent body providing expert advice to the public on climate science and policy. In short, I am in the confronting position of being one of the few Australians who sees the terrifying reality of the climate crisis…”
Two families lock in a deal to ensure their farmland never becomes home to a warehouse
After a warehouse popped up near their properties, two Union Township farmers recently took steps to make sure their land would never be put to the same use.
The Nye and Shuey families put conservation easements on their land deeds, which means the land will have to be used for agricultural purposes in the future, no matter how often it is sold.
“I hate to see these warehouses going up,” said Deb Shuey, who preserved more than 100 acres of her land. “I would like to see this land stay as farmland and not be developed…”
Report sheds light on role of land trusts in climate change
At first blush, putting “open space,” “land conservancies,” and “renewable energy” in the same sentence might seem awkward. But the role land trusts play in addressing climate change via renewables can’t be understated, according to a new report from the Land Trust Alliance (LTA): “Reshaping the Future: Renewable Energy and Land Trusts.”
In the 24-page report, researchers said that at this “critical juncture, land trusts can position themselves as both protectors of priority lands, waters, and habitat and as problem-solvers in helping meet renewable energy development needs. As entities that care deeply about the land, land trusts should also care about climate change and renewable energy…”
Montana Governor Steve Bullock becomes 25th governor to join U.S. Climate Alliance
‘Montana Governor Steve Bullock today issued an executive order to join the U.S. Climate Alliance. In his announcement, he stated, “Climate change is already impacting our way of life and our economy. How we choose to respond to the changes around us offers a pivotal opportunity to both safeguard our traditional strengths and diversify and grow new opportunities for our future. Like all difficult issues we tackle here in Montana, I know we can find a path forward by getting together, rolling up our sleeves, and focusing on the values we share in common.”’
We’re halfway there; Montana joins U.S. Climate Alliance
Last week, Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced his commitment to join the US Climate Alliance (USCA), bringing the total to 25 states who have made the pledge since the Alliance was formed just two years ago.
With Montana’s addition, the USCA now represents 55% of the U.S. population, an $11.7 trillion economy, and 40% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions…
American Farmland Trust proudly joined the USCA as an Impact Partner in June 2019. As an Impact Partner, AFT lends its technical expertise to help increase the volume of carbon stored in ecosystems; reduce losses of already-stored carbon; and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, specifically sharing policy guidance and implementation strategies for climate-smart practices on croplands and rangelands.
The Country is Watching: New York climate plan sets a 30-year goal for 100% renewable energy
Solar panels on every roof. Parking meters that double as car chargers. Wind turbines towering above farm fields and ocean waves. Cars, home furnaces, and factories converted to run on electricity from renewable sources.
A new law signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sets the nation’s most aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions and is intended to drive dramatic changes over the next thirty years. It calls for all the state’s electricity to come from renewable, carbon-free sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower. Transportation and building heating systems would also run on clean electricity rather than oil and gas…
Climate challenge and solutions: Deschutes Land Trust is talking about slowing down climate change
The following is from a climate change page on the land trust’s website. It’s a good example of helping people understand how climate change is a threat to long-term conservation.
“Climate change is the conservation challenge of our era. It threatens the Land Trust’s core mission of protecting land for wildlife, scenic views, and local communities for future generations. In that regard, responding to climate change is like an insurance policy for land trusts.
“In 2017, the Deschutes Land Trust created a climate change strategy to help guide the Land Trust’s work in ways that account for and respond to the impacts of climate change on Central Oregon. Our goal is to implement this strategy as we acquire new land, manage the land we already protect, and engage the community in our work. We also created this page so you can learn about our approach and the effects of climate change in our region…”