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Nature’s dangerous decline ‘unprecedented’; species extinction rates ‘accelerating’
“Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely, warns a landmark new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the summary of which was approved at the 7th session of the IPBES Plenary, meeting last week (29 April – 4 May) in Paris…”
How to Talk About Climate Change so People Will Listen
If we don’t talk about why it matters, why would we care about the problem itself? And if we don’t talk about what we can do to fix it, why would we take action or expect our community, our province, and our country to do so either?
As challenging, as stressful, and as painful as it might be, fixing climate change begins by actually talking about it. And over the years, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe has found a way to do so that’s actually constructive. It begins with talking about why climate change matters to us…
Greta Thunberg: Saving Your World
“Greta Thunberg cut a frail and lonely figure when she started a school strike for the climate outside the Swedish parliament building last August. Her parents tried to dissuade her. Classmates declined to join. Passersby expressed pity and bemusement at the sight of the then unknown 15-year-old sitting on the cobblestones with a hand-painted banner.
Eight months on, the picture could not be more different. The pigtailed teenager is feted across the world as a model of determination, inspiration and positive action. National presidents and corporate executives line up to be criticised by her, face to face. Her skolstrejk för klimatet (school strike for climate) banner has been translated into dozens of languages. And, most striking of all, the loner is now anything but alone…” [excerpt from The Guardian].
Greta leads the world in fighting climate change because she confronts people with reality—while using language that connects to what people care about and provides us with a way to change. Check out a video compilation of her speeches.
Where we stand on important issues
“The American Conservation Coalition believes that people, businesses, and the government can work together to solve the nation’s environmental issues without sacrificing our economic prosperity or our rights as Americans. Market-based environmental action allows us to conserve our energy, wildlife, land, air, and water, while also ensuring continued economic growth…”
Generation climate: Can young Evangelicals change the climate debate?
Evangelical Protestants—one in four American adults—are a political powerhouse. They are the single largest religious group in the nation, and they are nearly twice as likely to be Republican as Democrat. And while Baby Boomers are currently the strongest political voting bloc, that’s only because the older you are, the more likely you are to vote.
From Colorado Springs, Colorado, Chelsey, 20, always loved nature…
Does talking to people about climate change make any difference?
Let’s say I was able to visit one high school per week for the next year and give a talk about what young people can do to fight climate change. Say I also try to reach adults by giving presentations at local community centers, churches, and international centers.
Would any of these efforts, if I undertook them over the next three or five years, make ANY difference in curbing the current rise in carbon dioxide emissions, reducing the number of species going extinct every day (which I’ve read is 200), and decreasing the amount of Arctic sea ice melt?
10 groups to watch in 2019
LET’S BE FRANK: 2018 was not exactly a banner year for the planet. Nearly every major environmental assessment presented grim results: crucial habitats like tropical forests continue to disappear; wildlife populations declined 60% over the last 40 years; and perhaps most alarming, we’re failing to make the progress we need to keep the climate within safe boundaries.
We still have a chance to turn things around, though. A major body of research led by The Nature Conservancy shows it is still possible to achieve a sustainable future for people and nature—if we take massive action in the next 10 years.
That means we need strong leadership, and not just from the usual suspects—saving the planet must be an all-hands-on-deck effort. So below, in no particular order, we present 10 groups to watch in 2019…
16 sustainability leaders weigh in: How YOU can help reverse global warming
“The next few years are probably the most important in our history.” That’s a quote from Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of International Panel on Climate Change Working Group II. If you are wondering how you can share climate change news with your neighbors, friends, and other conservationists, this article might be one to consider…
Vijay Gupta: The violinist for LA’s skid row wins a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant
Thinking differently about how music can change lives isn’t that different from thinking differently about how land and water can change lives. You don’t have to be genius. But you probably will need to think outside the box and in a paradigm that puts others first.
Check out this inspirational story of someone who uses music to do what others never would have done. How can you take this approach with conservation, community, and climate change?
Final call to save the world from ‘climate catastrophe’
It’s the final call, say scientists, in the most extensive warning yet on the risks of rising global temperatures.
Their dramatic report on keeping that rise under 1.5 degrees C says the world is now completely off track, heading instead towards 3C.
Keeping to the preferred target of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels will mean “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”.
It will be hugely expensive – but the window of opportunity remains open.