current events – Tigers Go Green

AI & Climate Change: Harnessing Technology for a Sustainable Future

Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, enthusiasm about the seemingly endless possibilities of artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. AI is certainly not a new technology, but technological breakthroughs for large language models over the past 12-18 months have spurred excitement for essay-writing students and magnificent seven* shareholders alike; placing a new spotlight on the technology.

*The “Magnificent Seven” stocks are the cornerstone of today’s tech market. These stocks include Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla

Graph showing the change in the share of companies mentioning AI on Russel 3000 earnings calls.

All this attention has led to massive growth in the level of investment in AI, 2021 saw almost $280 billion of global corporate investment into AI¹; this is roughly the same as the GDP of Finland and represents a 30x increase in investment from 2013. But what does this have to do with climate change?

With every year that passes, new research is published that suggests that the world is edging nearer to the point of no return. More people are turning towards climate activism now than ever before in the wake of the current climate disaster. Still, others have been patiently waiting for a breakthrough technology that will help us make the significant progress necessary to mitigate climate change completely (or just enough that we don’t wipe ourselves out), and artificial intelligence could be just that. One reason for our slow progress in this battle is the complexity of climate data; climate data sets are massive, and take a long time to collect, analyze, and interpret before top-down decisions can be made. But guess what technology does just that (hint: it starts with an A, and ends in an I), and a whole lot quicker than we’ve ever been able to.

Data Collection and Analysis

Oceans are arguably the only reason that we haven’t already wiped ourselves out as a result of climate change; absorbing 90% of the excess heat that we’ve created and 23% of human-related CO2 emissions². However, our understanding of the ocean is extremely limited, not only because we have only explored 5%³ of it, but due to how difficult it is to process the vast amounts of oceanographic data that exists. Machine learning algorithms can help identify patterns and predict changes in the ocean that will be crucial in helping us understand climate change. In addition to this, AI can be used to analyze satellite imagery to detect plastic and oil pollution, assess its extent, and predict its spread. This will be crucial in minimizing further environmental damage and is only one example of the potential of this technology to tackle climate change.

Improving efficiencies

Remember in 2021 when that ship got stuck in the Suez Canal? That caused an additional 6,847 tonnes of excess CO2⁴ to be emitted into the atmosphere. Predictive analytics is another place where AI can be useful in our battle against climate change. Of course, AI is not going to reveal the secrets of the future to us (yet…), but by tracking events with the potential to impact supply chains, AI can increase the speed of adaptation to supply chain disruptions as well as help optimize shipping routes following these disruptions; both of which will help reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and in turn our emissions.

Looking at the micro picture, AI also serves as a useful tool to help businesses improve their material, energy, and labor efficiency. This will be particularly important in the renewable energy space to help these companies reduce their costs and in turn the green premium** on their goods; making it easier for other companies and individuals to make the switch towards greener alternatives

Forecasting Natural Disasters

12,000 lives were lost in 2023 as a result of climate-related natural disasters⁵. For a long time, our methods of predicting these natural disasters were weak, and a region’s ability to prepare for these disasters heavily depended on how wealthy that region was, resulting in various forms of climate inequality. The ability of AI to crunch massive amounts of data creates ample opportunity to improve the predictive models used to analyze climate and weather patterns. The development of this technology can help improve disaster prediction and prevention strategies and potentially save thousands of lives each year.

Complications

Despite all of these potential uses of AI to combat climate change, I would be lying if I said it was all sunshine and rainbows. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have found that the training process for one AI model can emit more than 600,000 lbs of CO2⁶ due to how energy-intensive this process is. Getting this number down will require aggressive investment into renewable energy and the integration of this energy onto the grid. As AI improves efficiencies for renewable energy companies, it also does so in the same way for much larger traditional energy players making it more difficult for renewable companies to gain price parity with traditional players. Finally, there is still a large amount of skepticism surrounding AI across the board. It doesn’t help that large language models are still in their early stages and have been seen generating some well… questionable content.

Final Thoughts

In summary, the recent explosive growth in AI has created more opportunities for us to right our wrongs to the planet and future generations. The technology is still in its early days which inspires optimism for the full extent of the good it can do; but it will require a proactive approach from researchers, companies, and regulators (who haven’t been shy in expressing their concerns). You can also make a difference in this space. Whether it’s pursuing a job in climate tech, carrying out academic research, or stewarding capital towards businesses focused on making an impact; we all have a part to play in the journey toward saving our planet!

EJ implications of the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Author: Jayla Cornelius ’23

On February 6th at 4:17 am, destruction hit both the south-central Turkish city of Nurdağı and the Syrian city of Jinderis. Tectonic plates stretching eleven miles underneath this city began moving side by side in opposite directions which, in geological studies, is referred to as a strike-slip fault. The Arabian and Anatolian plates moved past each other and weakened the structural integrity of ten neighboring cities in the area. In the middle of the night, the fault yielded and the crust began to crack, releasing stored energy that was the equivalent of “roughly 8 million tons of TNT.” 23 million people have been directly affected and 7,000 of those residents have been declared deceased. Those near the epicenter of this 7.8 magnitude earthquake stood by in mourning, some of which took shelter in their cars, and waited for the possible aftershock of this already gruesome natural phenomenon. For those unfamiliar, aftershocks commonly take place after the main quake but as time passes and the earth begins to settle, they become increasingly rare. You can think of an aftershock as a reverberation in the earth’s crust as seismic waves (which dissipate the further you are from the epicenter) travel in a curving path due to changes in composition, pressure, and temperature within the layers of the Earth. The most dangerous period after the quake usually takes place within three days of the main shock for inland earthquakes such as the one in Turkey and Syria. For earthquakes occurring in the sea area, they can be seen as much as ten days later.

On February 15th, Sean Kivlehan, assistant professor of Global Health and Population at Harvard, spoke about his Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) and how shelter remains a huge concern in multiple areas of Syria which was already going through a separate humanitarian crisis. The health system was deemed fragmented and inadequate even prior to the earthquake and the level of aid required only skyrocketed further. The interruption of work and limited/nonexistent access to education force people to relocate to unknown and possibly more dangerous environments. These sensitive events surrounding Turkey and Syria have affected people all over the world and the uncertain future of both the infrastructure and economy leaves many people restless and worried.

As an environment-related blog, we hope to not only inform students about the events occurring all over the world but also emphasize the emotional toll that such events take on a number of us. The devastation ravaged on these Turkish and Syrian cities can be mitigated with more effective enforcement of building code regulations that require infrastructure plans to meet a certain standard before beginning construction. While we cannot change the past, we can learn from these events and require that both politicians and developers in cities all over the world provide an adequate level of diligence when attempting to sign off on plans that may not be up to standard for the area. This post is not meant to dive into the structural reasons of why more buildings than necessary collapsed during this event, but it is important to know that you can also help by focusing on the engineers tasked with building these structures as a way to advocate for environmental justice. For the Turkish and Syrian aid relief specifically, organizations seeking to provide aid should be in correspondence with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). As always, please visit the links below and/or explore articles on your own to stay informed.

Helpful Links:

The Turkey-Syria earthquake’s humanitarian challenges

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/07/1154913148/turkey-earthquake-fault-lines-syria#:~:text=This%20was%20a%20%22strike%2Dslip,sliding%20past%20the%20Anatolian%20Plate.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/11/1156305956/earthquake-survivors-in-northern-syria-already-ravaged-by-war-are-unable-to-rece#:~:text=Ghaith%20Alsayed%2FAP-,People%20walk%20past%20collapsed%20buildings%20on%20Thursday%20in%20the%20town,massive%20earthquake%20devastated%20the%20region.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/02/turkey-earthquake-death-toll-seismic-waves/672978/

Good News Friday 3/10/23 – High Seas Treaty Protects Marine Wildlife

Author: Ezekiel Akinsanya ’26

Image Credit: Elianne Dipp via pexels.com

Welcome to the first edition of Good News Friday in 2023! Today we’re taking a look at the “High Seas Treaty”, the latest agreement to come out of the United Nations. The treaty centers on protecting the ocean and marine wildlife.

71% percent of our world is covered in water, with 97% of this water coming from our oceans. Who’s in control of the various oceans around the world has historically been one of the most contested areas within international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has established that a nation’s territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from its coastline, with an additional 200 nautical miles designated as an exclusive economic zone (EEZ). However, this framework only applies to one-third of the world’s oceans. The remaining two-thirds are facing threats such as overfishing, shipping traffic, and the impact of climate change, rendering the majority of the ocean to decline.

Talks on protecting international waters started in 2004, but currently, only 1% of international waters are being protected. Saturday, March 4th 2023 marked the most significant progress we’ve made towards protecting international waters in what is being coined the “High Seas Treaty.” This legal framework presented by UNCLOS will work towards protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by regulating deep-sea mining, changing shipping routes, and investing in marine conservation. This agreement comes as part of a host of efforts to work towards The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 14).

Image Credit: Niklas Jaromin via pexels.com

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 10% of marine species were found to be at risk of extinction, and Dr. Ngoze Oguguah, the chief research officer at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research claims “the two biggest causes [of extinction] are overfishing and pollution.” It is crucial that we protect these species because over a quarter of our emissions are absorbed by the ocean. A single whale, for instance, can sequester 33 tons of carbon, which is comparable to the yearly absorption of almost 1500 trees.

Additionally, in a post-pandemic environment where the effectiveness of globalization is being questioned, this international cooperation is a massive success. The treaty also pioneers equitable climate policy; wealthy nations are pledging money to ensure the delivery of the treaty and will support developing countries in adhering to the treaty. Notable examples are the EU and the US announcing nearly €820 million ($872 million) and $6 billion respectively for international ocean protection.

However, the treaty doesn’t call for sunshine and roses just yet, the level of protection that will take place remains unsolved. Dr. Simon Walmsley, the marine chief advisor of WWF-UK said that “there was debate, particularly about what a marine protected area is. Is it sustainable use or fully protected?” Despite the progress the Treaty has made, there is still work to be done and we must continue to address these challenges and work toward finding solutions that will protect the marine environment and support life for generations to come.

That’s all for this week! Check back next week (or after spring break) for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some good news with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Sources:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134157

https://www.noaa.gov/maritime-zones-and-boundaries

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64839763

https://news.yahoo.com/un-high-seas-treaty-why-030328266.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/05/high-seas-treaty-agreement-to-protect-international-waters-finally-reached-at-un

https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/12/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

https://www.euronews.com/2023/03/03/eu-and-us-pledge-funds-to-protect-oceans-at-panama-conference

Black Women and the Inherent Racism of Redlining

Author: Jayla Cornelius ’23

The textbook definition of redlining is “the discriminatory practice of denying services (typically financial) to residents of certain areas based on their race or ethnicity.” Very commonly in the world of mortgage lending practices and homeownership, people of color are denied loans and renting contracts because of preexisting stereotypes amongst realtors that often deem them as incapable of keeping up with the property and/or making timely payments. This is, at least, what they claimed was their reason behind denying millions of African Americans access to certain neighborhoods across the country. But, as we dig deeper, we can uncover a long history of discriminatory practices that have strategically and effectively pushed Black Americans into certain areas, usually more decrepit ones, and creating a distinctive “red line.”

If we were to dive into historic records and search for obvious instances of redlining, we would have a pretty unsuccessful turnout. The reason why this modern form of segregation has been able to persist for so long is because of its slightly elusive nature. Minority neighborhoods were stigmatized by being labeled as “High Risk” or “Hazardous” from supposedly credible sources like the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) that has created residential security maps of America’s major cities. Appraisers, loan officers, and real estate professionals then use this as evidence to funnel white homeowners into the more affluent, better-kept neighborhoods. Notably, this strategy not only works to keep white homeowners away from minority neighborhoods, but as you begin to associate certain areas with hazard, you begin to label the people as hazardous also.

Because the rabbit hole of bad housing practices is never-ending, I will now focus the rest of this article on specific instances where black women have been such targets of these bad housing practices. Since the 1970s, many real estate agents have taken advantage of the financial barriers and hardships that Black women endure to sell them mortgages on homes with inhabitable conditions. Yolanda, for example, is a homeowner in New Orleans’ predominantly Black 7th Ward who was backed into a corner and forced into a high-interest loan. The area is riddled with constant noise from the nearby interstate and higher rates of pollution than the adjacent neighborhoods. Many homes in this area are ladened with leaky roofs, broken pipes, and numerous other health and safety code violations. Climate change has continued to exacerbate this issue as increased rainfall and extreme temperatures will cause things like mold and mildew to fester in already unclean environments. Doris, a homeowner in Chicago, notes that “…so much water came in the basement that my washer and dryer was floating up on the water.”

This practice of selling homes to Black women that are in need of obvious repair is just one way that redlining can expose this demographic to unsafe environmental conditions. Things such as rotten wood and improper ventilation systems can cause various respiratory diseases and related health issues. The government has acknowledged their responsibility to help people suffering from housing discrimination but even this aid is “uneven and hard to obtain.” Through these findings and interviews from local residents such as Yolanda and Doris, we can recognize the disrepair of homes in certain areas as environmental racism that must be addressed in our environmental justice efforts.

This article’s main purpose is not to establish redlining as this new, harmful phenomenon. We have unequivocal proof that it has existed for decades. Our purpose is to keep this issue at the forefront of our minds as we continue the conversation around environmental justice issues. At face value, redlining may not seem to fit into the category of environmental injustices but if we continue putting Black women in homes with bad piping and non-potable water, it becomes an environmental issue. Instances such as the ones described above continue to put the health and safety of communities all over the country at an avoidable risk. Laws such as the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act that sought to combat redlining are still being maneuvered around in more discrete ways. While these elusive behaviors make our environmental justice efforts more difficult, the goal of creating equitable environments for all still remains possible. By engaging with this environmental justice series and keeping this conversation going, you are helping keep this issue at the forefront of this conversation so that, one day, we may all enjoy the feeling of safety and security within our respective communities in Princeton, and beyond.

Example of the original 1938 HOLC “Residential Security” map of Atlanta with color-coded gradation of neighborhoods by risk level. (Image Credit: Mapping Inequality Project, University of Richmond)

Sources:

https://theconversation.com/black-women-endure-legacy-of-racism-in-homeownership-and-making-costly-repairs-190881

HOLC “redlining” maps: The persistent structure of segregation and economic inequality

1977 Anti-redlining Law: https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/files/cra-npr-fr-notice-20220505.pdf

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/redlining.asp

Louisiana’s Slavery-Era Cemeteries Halt the Construction of a Petrochemical Facility

By: Jayla Cornelius

During the course of American history, many laws have been passed to help preserve historic sites and prevent large companies from unearthing sacred lands. The 1966 National Historic Preservation Act is an example of environmentalists’ attempts to require land developers to do adequate research and testing before obtaining approval for a construction site. The goals of this act were put into practice when Formosa, a Taiwanese industrial company, was met with swift backlash from community members living on the Buena Vista plantation in northern Louisiana. Residents hope to continue to formulate a political and legal case to prevent this facility’s construction, otherwise known as the “Sunshine Project.” In order to do this, they first had to dive about 200 years into past records to understand what truly took place on this plantation site that kept a long history of slaves in bondage.

Although there were many enslaved women, men, and children kept/kidnapped throughout the history of the United States, this case draws our attention to a particular young child named Rachel who died at the age of 11 in 1832 under unthinkable conditions. Although this is not the focus of this article, I would briefly like to acknowledge the “constant threat of disease, insufficient food, and rampant abuse” that many young children endured throughout all sections of America. Rachel’s name, amongst others, was uncovered fairly recently in a Louisiana archive and helps build the foundation to proving that this chemical facility may not only be of great environmental risk to surrounding residents but may also risk gravesite desecration.

Jane Patton, a campaign manager with a Washington DC organization, quotes that “the spiritual and religious significance of gravesites has been upheld by courts of law in the United States and in other countries over and over again.” Efforts from Jane and other members of grassroots organizations has continued to give voices and humanity back to people who had their identities taken away by slavery.

Fellow lovers of nature may understand me when I say that our environment often tells us all we need to know and speaks to us in various ways. In this case, nature tries to tell us the history of this terrain through various anomalies that might indicate gravesites. One of these anomalies is the clusters of vegetation still seen in otherwise flat and cultivated areas that could be remnants of past magnolia and/or willow trees that were often planted to celebrate the lives of those lost.

Telling the history of this land makes this story more real for people. The potential unearthing of Black residents’ ancestors and the potentially harmful chemicals being released from the site may be enough to halt the construction of yet another chemical plant inconveniently placed in a minority neighborhood. In this environmental justice series, I hope to provide short but coherent glimpses into injustices happening around the country. While I will continue to highlight environmental injustices that have negatively impacted many communities, I believe this story shows the brighter side of what can happen if we remain active on the front end to combat this harmful issue.

There is a long tradition, specifically in the South, of Black leaders doing their own extensive research and investigations to reclaim their land and, with that, their identities. This example in northern Louisiana shows how we as a community can combat the growing dangers of new fossil fuel infrastructure and work to protect any and all “descendants of men and women who were kidnapped from Africa; who survived the Middle Passage; who were transported to a foreign land; and then sold on auction blocks and enslaved.”

Here are some resources for anyone interested in exploring this issue further:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/20/formosa-sunshine-project-louisiana-rachel-buena-vista-plantation-taiwan

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_c58e7f22-3997-11ec-909f-9bdd7461a90c.html

https://www.reuters.com/legal/louisiana-judge-cancels-air-permits-controversial-plastics-plant-2022-09-15/

Good News Friday 5/6/22

Author: Camellia Moors ’22

Welcome to another edition of Good News Friday! Today, we’re covering the growth of wind power in the United States, a breakthrough in solar cell efficiency, and sustainability programs from cities around the world.

Image credit: Brett Sayles via pexels.com

Wind power becomes second-largest source of US electricity: According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity generation through wind power exceeded generation from coal- and nuclear-based sources to become the second-largest source of electricity nationally for the first time in American history on March 29. On that day, the combined wind turbines of the Lower 48 produced just over 2,000-gigawatt hours of electricity or 19% of the national energy mix. This follows a strong trend of growth in wind energy throughout the country. In the year 2000, for example, total annual US wind energy generation was approximately 6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh); by 2021, that number increased to 380 billion kWh.

2. Engineers create more efficient energy-producing cells: Engineers at MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently designed a thermophotovoltaic (i.e., capable of directly converting heat to electricity) cell with an efficiency of over 40%, which exceeds the efficiency of traditional steam turbines. The new design can generate electricity from a heat source ranging between 1,900 and 2,400 degrees C. For context, most commercial photovoltaic panels (i.e., capable of converting sunlight to electricity) have an average efficiency of 15% to 20%.

3. A review of global cities’ sustainability programs: Around the world, cities have made their own commitments to sustainability goals. Copenhagen, Denmark is on track to achieve net-zero by 2025, 25 years before the country’s national net-zero target. Mumbai, India recently accelerated its own net-zero plans, moving its carbon neutrality target up by 20 years from 2070 to 2050. And Paris, France is engaging in experiments about a “15 minute city,” or the idea that everyone living within a city should have access to essential urban services within a 15-minute walk or bike, limiting transportation emissions. For extra details on these cities’ sustainability efforts, visit the original article here.

That’s all for this week! Check back next week for more positive environmental news. In the meantime, if you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 4/22/22

Author: Grace Liu ’23

Welcome back to Good News Friday and happy last week of classes! We’ve compiled a list of surprising and promising initiatives involving artificial whale poop, wind farming, and rewilding projects.

Artificial whale poop aids carbon capture: Whale poop is fertilizer for the ocean because it is rich in iron which is vital for plant growth. This allows the growth of phytoplankton, which sequester carbon. Inspired by this mechanism, a research group at the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge is trying to artificially encourage phytoplankton growth using artificial whale poop. The feces imitation consists of a mix of nitrates, phosphates, silicates, and iron stored in rice husks. Using this method, they hope to increase ocean sequestration of carbon up to 50% from its current 30%.

Results of rewilding: Rewilding is a progressive approach to conservation with the goal of restoring the natural dynamics of ecosystems. The Global Rewilding Alliance and OpenForests have released a map of rewilding projects around the world, covering projects in over 70 countries and spanning 1 million square kilometers. For example, the recovery of the European Bison population is one of the success stories of these rewilding projects.

mage credit: Narcisa Aciko via pexels.com

Wind farms in Iowa: Hundreds of farms around O’Brien County have built wind turbines in their fields to generate renewable electricity. This trend takes advantage of the strong winds in Iowa and makes the state one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the US. In fact, 57% of the energy produced in the state in the past year came from wind. This arrangement is mutually beneficial for farmers because they can sell the electricity generated in addition to the crops grown on the land.

That’s all for this week! Check back next week for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 4/15/22

Author: Camellia Moors ’22

Welcome to another edition of Good News Friday! Today, we’re covering Apple’s use of low-carbon aluminum, the development of a solar cell capable of generating electricity at night, and the creation of a new project to better understand thawing permafrost and help Arctic communities.

Image credit: Torsten Dettlaff via pexels.com

Apple sources low-carbon aluminum: Apple recently announced that it intends to use the “first commercial-purity primary aluminum at industrial scale,” produced through “the world’s first direct carbon-free aluminum smelting process,” in its iPhone SE products. This new aluminum is produced by ELYSIS, a joint venture by Apple, Rio Tinto, Alcoa, and the governments of Québec and Canada. While this might not sound immediately revolutionary, aluminum production is well-known as an extremely carbon-intensive process, with 11.5 tons of CO2 per ton of aluminum produced emitted on average. As a result, this innovation in the smelting process could have a significant impact on global emissions, not least because Apple is expected to sell 30 million iPhone SEs this year.

2. Engineers develop nighttime solar panels: Engineers at Stanford University have developed a solar cell that can generate some electricity at night. The cell, which “incorporates a thermoelectric generator, which can pull electricity from the small difference in temperature between the ambient air and the solar cell itself,” produces enough electricity to power some nighttime lighting and off- and/or mini-grid applications.

3. Major permafrost study to be launched: This week, a coalition of scientists, policy experts, and advocates announced a 6-year, $41 million project to “fill in gaps in monitoring across the Arctic of greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost, currently a source of uncertainty in climate models,” and to “develop policies to help mitigate the global impact of permafrost emissions and, locally in Alaska, assist Native communities that are struggling with thawing ground and problems that arise from it.” The Arctic Institute, for example, predicts that an increase in global temperatures of 3° C (5.4° F) could melt 30-85% of the Arctic’s top permafrost layers.

That’s all for this week! Check back next week for more positive environmental news. In the meantime, if you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 4/4/22

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

Welcome again to another Good News Friday! For this edition, we will hear about how city sponges can offer climate change protection, Honolulu’s lawsuit against Big Oil, and a traditional knowledge guide about the health of the planet in Finland.

City sponges offer climate protection: Due to climate change, both floods and droughts are becoming more intense. Most cities consist of asphalt and concrete which exacerbates these effects by increasing runoff after precipitation. However, officials around the world are trying to mitigate these effects by increasing the amount of urban vegetation in the form of green roofs, parks, and wetlands. These cities, dubbed sponge cities, help recharge groundwater and prevent flooding by mimicking how nature captures and stores precipitation.

Image credit: Troy Squillaci via pexels.com

Honolulu vs Big Oil: For the first time ever, a US judge has ruled against fossil fuel companies in a court case. The Hawaii capital is suing big oil companies Sunoco, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and others for flooding, erosion, beach loss, and damage to coral reefs due to climate change. In this unprecedented case, Hawaii Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree ruled in favor of Honolulu.

Image credit: Olivier Darny via pexels.com

Protecting Peatland with Indigenous Knowledge: Natural peatlands are vital ecosystems that foster biodiversity and act as carbon sinks. Unfortunately, Finland has destroyed more than 60% of its natural peatlands through draining. However, a nonprofit called the Snowchange Cooperative is supporting collaboration between indigenous knowledge holders and scientists to rewild these important wetlands. As a result, within the past decade, Skolt Sámi women have used their knowledge to guide restoration in the Näätämö River Basin in a way that honors the fragile ecosystem.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the stories this week and hope you have a restful weekend. Check back next week for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 3/25/22

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

Welcome again to Good News Friday! I hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful spring weather. To help raise your spirits further, today we have three uplifting stories about regenerative farming and wildlife conservation.

Regenerative Farming and Climate Justice: Regenerative farming is a practice at the intersection of agriculture and conservation and emphasizes respect for the land. In her book, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming, author and professor Liz Carlisle tells the story of empowered female farmers who see the process of regenerative farming passed down from their ancestors. A few highlights include peach-grower Nikiko Masumot who inherited her land from her grandparents and mushroom farmer Olivia Watkins who is building a community investment fund to better support Black farmers.

Image Credit: Darwis Alwan via pexels.com

2. Comcáac Sea Turtle Group: Within the past five years, the Grupo Tortuguero Comcáac has released more than 8000 endangered olive ridley hatchlings in Mexico’s Gulf of California. The sea turtle is a sacred animal to the Comcáac people, playing a primary role in many of their stories and legends. Even though the conservation group has limited resources, they work 12-hour shifts to safeguard the turtles.

3. Rope bridges for sloths: The Sloth Conservation Foundation with zooligist Rebecca Cliffe have been working together to build rope bridges in Costa Rica so that sloths can travel from tree to tree. Because of deforestation in the region, sloths have lost much of their natural habitat, but these bridges allow them to cross urban areas without having to climb down to the ground. Although the bridges were built with sloths in mind, more than 30 species of other animals have used the rope bridges, including monkeys, lizards, and frogs.

Thanks for reading, and we hope that these news snippets have brightened your day! Please go outside and enjoy the weather if you get the chance. Tune in next week for more positive environmental news and in the meantime, feel free to take a look at previous posts or share some good news with us!