Friday, June 5, 2020

Act on Climate Change - Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

What can you do about climate change?

There are many practical actions individuals can take to address climate change. Here are some resources to help you get started.


Continue reading at: Act on Climate Change - Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Ann Arbor unanimously adopts ambitious roadmap to carbon-neutrality - mlive.com

Something positive in all the ongoing insanity...

Climate change signs in Ann Arbor
"No one is immune to climate change," reads an "Extinction Rebellion" sign in downtown Ann Arbor on June 1, 2020. "Demand action on climate change now."Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News



Ann Arbor unanimously adopts ambitious roadmap to carbon-neutrality - mlive.com

Monday, June 1, 2020

Fossil fuels appear to release far more methane than we thought | Science News for Students

Ice-core measurements suggest most of today’s methane releases are due to human activities

Using fossil fuels releases far more methane — a potent greenhouse gas — than people had thought. Possibly 25 to 40 percent more, new research suggests. The finding could help point toward ways to reduce these climate-warming emissions.

Oil and natural gas plants burn off some methane with “flaring,” as seen here. Gas also escapes into the air via leaky pipes and venting. A new study suggests that methane emissions from fossil fuels have been way underestimated. LANOLAN/ ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Like carbon dioxide, methane is a greenhouse gas. But the impacts of these gases are not the same. Methane warms the atmosphere more than CO2 does. Yet it stays around for only 10 to 20 years. CO2 can linger for hundreds of years. “So the changes we make to our [methane] emissions are going to impact the atmosphere much more quickly,” says Benjamin Hmiel. He’s an atmospheric chemist at the University of Rochester in New York. He worked on the new study.
In the 1900s, coal mining, natural gas and other fossil fuel sources raised methane levels in the atmosphere. Those emissions fell early in this century. However, beginning in 2007, methane began to rise once again. It’s now at a level not seen since the 1980s.
Continue reading at: Fossil fuels appear to release far more methane than we thought | Science News for Students


Steady State - Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

The CASSE position sets the record straight on the conflict between economic growth and environmental protection. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are just three powerful examples. And how will the next generation find jobs when the planet can’t support our overgrown economy? The CASSE position calls for a desirable solution – a steady state economy with stabilized population and consumption – beginning in the wealthiest nations and not with extremist tactics. Join the likes of E. O. Wilson, Jane Goodall, and David Suzuki; fill in the information below to sign the position and support a healthy, sustainable economy.

Steady State Economy - Environmental ProtectionSteady State Economy - Jobs and Economic Sustainabilityblank

Continue reading at: Steady State - Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Saturday, May 30, 2020

EU Plans To Reduce Pesticides By 50%

The European Commission today proposed a plan to transform the European Union’s agricultural system, to make it more sustainable and safer from a health perspective.

The plan includes a target of reducing the use of pesticides by 50% in the next decade. The plan would also reduce sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals by 50%, and the use of fertilizers by 20%, by 2030. The share of organic farming would also be increased by 25% by 2030 - up from the current 8%.

“The coronavirus crisis has shown how vulnerable we all are, and how important it is to restore the balance between human activity and nature,” said EU Vice President Frans Timmermans unveiling the plan.

AGRICULTURE-CLIMATE-WEATHER-LOCUSTS
AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

“Climate change and biodiversity loss are a clear and present danger to humanity. At the heart of the Green Deal the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies point to a new and better balance of nature, food systems and biodiversity; to protect our people's health and well- being, and at the same time to increase the EU's competitiveness and resilience. These strategies are a crucial part of the great transition we are embarking upon.”

Continue reading at: EU Plans To Reduce Pesticides By 50%