Category: climate change

Change

Fall is a beautiful time of the year!

Happy fall! After such a hot summer many are welcoming the cooler days, but not the shorter daylight. I love this post from the Carbon Almanac. Many are talking about working on a climate goal for the new season. I recommend using less single use plastic.

Today is the equinox when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are approximately equal in length. It happens twice a year, in March and September, and marks a transition from one season to the next season.

It can be a good time to think about what you want to transition to (or away from). Is there a change you have been wanting to make?

In the context of helping our planet, that could be setting up a regular walk with friends to talk about ideas, donating an hour to an environmental group, reading about your local government policies on climate adaptation or eating less meat one night a week.

What action will be your change for this season?

Power Plant Pollution

The air we breathe is precious. Please help protect it, and drive less!

Fossil fuels are a major contributor to our changing climate. We need to get rid of them not add more to cause air and water pollution.

United States allows more greenhouse gas emissions
Thid week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was repealing a 2024 regulation that limited carbon emissions from power plants. This follows an action earlier this year that revoked a finding that carbon dioxide emissions were a threat to public health.

Fossil fuel power plants are the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, only behind the transportation industry.

Separately, the EPA is also pursuing a new rule that would prevent future governments from imposing a limit on emissions from power plants.

If you live in the United States and want to take action, reach out to environmental groups, engage in conversations within your community and speak to your elected officials. and drive less.

Limiting Overshoot: Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return

What if we act as if we love the future?

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

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What if we act as if we love the future?

Planet Awareness

Consider our Earth when you make choices for your day.

Every day is full of choices. You won’t be perfect, but make it a habit to become aware! Our air, water, wildlife, and all living things thank you.

Below is from The Carbon Almanac:

Salvador Dalí once said, “Have no fear of perfection—you’ll never reach it.”

He wasn’t talking about the environment. But he could have been.

Somewhere along the way, the idea that if we’re going to care about the planet, we have to do it right. The right purchase. The right diet. The right commute. And if we can’t be sure we’re doing it right, a strange kind of paralysis sets in where it seems it is better to do nothing than to do something imperfectly and get it “wrong.”

Waiting for the perfect option is a very effective way to never act at all. And the perfect option doesn’t exist as every decision has trade-offs. 

So if we can’t make the perfect choice, then we should be looking for the next best choice. The choice that we don’t make on autopilot. When we pause to weigh the planet in a decision, we’re not just making one choice. We’re practicing a habit of attention. And that habit doesn’t stay contained to the one decision in front of us. It grows. The more often we consciously factor in impact, the more naturally it shows up in the next decision, and the one after that. Awareness builds on itself in a way that a single “perfect” decision never could.

The real question isn’t “did I make the perfect choice?” It’s simpler than that: “did I include the impact on the environment in my thinking?”

The more we do that, the better we will become at making the next best choice.

Picture of Lake Superior

Clean water and clean air depend on every day good choices.

World Oceans Day

Today we celebrate our oceans, which are vital to the health of our planet.

 

Make it a plastic-free day.

Our oceans are warming at a staggering rate which has an effect on our weather and the health of our planet. Besides making it plastic-free decide how you can reduce your fossil fuels use by driving less and using less energy it your home!

Our oceans need protection!

Below is from the Carbon Almanac:

In December 2022, governments around the world agreed to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Now just over three years later, 10% of the ocean is officially protected. To meet the 2030 goal, an area the size of the Indian Ocean still needs to come under protection.  

With a big step towards the 2030 goal, Papua New Guinea recently established the 200,000 sq. km Western Manus Marine Protected Area which is the largest the country has designated to date.

As we think about our waters, visit the World Ocean Day website for more information on the role they play and how to take action.

Love Your Mother!

We need to do more to protect our beautiful planet!

Mother Earth, we love you.

Our Earth is so beautiful, especially in May! On Mother’s day we should be thankful for our mothers’, but also for our Mother Earth

Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, have affected millions of people. If we all do one thing like stop idling our cars or driving less, we can make a difference!

There are so many wars going on. We need to stop all this destruction which has such a negative effect of people and planet!

Climate change, man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.

Everyone needs to play a part in protecting our planet. We need to buy less plastic junk, we need to drive less, and plant native plants. We need to expose ourselves and our Earth to less harmful chemicals. These things protect our health and the health of our planet. Protecting clean water and clean air need to be priorities. Everything else relates to that!

Plant bee balm, purple cone flowers, blazing star and rudbeckia. They attract pollinators and need no chemicals!

plastic-free tips – Health4earth

World Food Waste

🍽️ World Food Waste Day 🌍💚

Become aware of the food you throw in the garbage. How can you repurpose it to eat tomorrow?

Did you know that tons of perfectly good food is wasted every day, while many people go without? Today is a reminder that each of us can make a difference with simple, everyday choices.

Wasting food is a waste of resources. It is a waste of time, labor, and energy. There are estimates that 40% of the food in the United Staes is wasted. This is an enormous contributor to our climate crisis. We can do better!

Here are a few easy ways to reduce food waste:

-Shop bulk to purchase just what you need

🥕 Plan your meals and shop with a list

🧊 Store food properly to keep it fresh for longer

🍲 Get creative with leftovers

📦 Share extra food with friends, family, or those in need

By wasting less, we save money, protect the environment, and help build a more sustainable future for everyone. 🌱

Let’s value our food and make every bite count!

Tips to fight food waste – Health4earth

International Day Of Clean Energy

The progress to clean energy is hopeful in a world where it is difficult to be hopeful. The demand for electricity is soaring, and data centers are imposing an enormous load on our communities for energy. Unfortunately, some of our elected officials are pushing various types of burning as clean energy. They want to include the burning of garbage as a form of clean energy. Burning in any form from your backyard fires to burning garbage is NOT clean energy.

wind generator

Today is the International Day of Clean Energy!

Today, let’s think positive and celebrate what is good and getting better!

Below is from the Carbon Almanac:

Celebrating clean energy

Today, January 26th, is International Day of Clean Energy. Clean energy refers to electricity generated from sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydro that emit little to no greenhouse gas emissions.

The World Resources Institute has summarized the key statistics when it comes to clean energy in this article. The article highlights some positive news such as:

  • how clean energy is creating the majority of new electricity capacity
  • Investment in green energy is higher than fossil fuels
  • Growth in clean energy jobs

There are still challenges to overcome in the industry including distribution of investment and length of time to bring a project from ideation to production. But there is a lot of momentum behind green energy and it will be interesting to see how 2026 shapes up for it. 

The United States Exits Important Agencies

Everyone needs to work to help our planet. So much leadership is needed!

A chance for other countries to lead. France, Germany, England, Italy, India?

U.S. leaves international climate agencies
This week the United States announced it would be leaving 66 international organizations, agencies, and commissions which includes many related to climate change.

Among these is the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which was adopted by all member nations in early 1990s and is considered the treaty which led to 2015’s Paris Agreement. The U.S. also previously announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which will officially take effect on January 20.

Also included are:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
International Renewable Energy Association
International Solar Alliance
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
With these actions, the U.S. has further separated itself from other countries in the climate change space. Does its withdrawal give pause to the activities of other nations? Or will it motivate other countries to lead in this evolving space?

This is from The Carbon Almanac