Well my friends, it is a hard time to sit down and write something – anything really. I have to admit to you all I feel a bit hopeless, a bit helpless, and a whole lot of angry. So I decided to go digging for some good news in the world, some stories of fellow humans coming together to create solutions and adaptations that move us toward the just transition. Here are some I’d like to share:
One of the amazing laws that passed in this 2023 Minnesota Legislative session was the Digital Fair Repair Act. In general, the Digital Fair Repair Act requires manufacturers of certain electronic products to make documentation, parts, and tools for diagnosis, maintenance, or repair available to independent repair providers and product owners on fair and reasonable terms. Fewer electronics will make their way into our trash, striking a blow to planned obsolescence.
Last month Ecuadorians voted to ban oil drilling in the Amazon in a ‘historic’ referendum. The Yasuní National Park spans around 2.5 million acres at the meeting point of the Amazon, the Andes and the Equator. Just one hectare of Yasuní land supposedly contains more animal species than the whole of Europe and more tree species than exist in all of North America.
Augusta Township in Eastern Ontario, is building a 67-home neighborhood that will be walkable, run off community solar battery systems, and will protect nearby forests and wetlands. The neighborhood will also use rainwater collection and storage and modular wastewater treatment on site. The homes will be built in small clusters to help create community, inspired in part by a study that found that groups are most resilient when they’re smaller than 150 people.
Communities in California and Arizona (The Gila River Indian Tribe) are installing solar panels over canals, generating clean electricity and reducing water evaporation and land use. These projects build on a prototype in the Indian state of Gujarat and a collaborative research project led by University of California Merced.
Wind powered shipping is back! A sail-powered freighter is the latest attempt to clean up the shipping sector, largely powered by heavy sulfur fuel oil. WindWings, designed by British marine engineers BAR Technologies, use the same aerodynamic principle that allows aircraft to fly – but instead of lift they provide propulsion. Standing up to 37 meters tall, they are made from the same solid material used to build wind turbines, and fold away on deck while not in use.
On August 14, a Montana state court ruled in favor of the 16 youth plaintiffs who sued the state for anti-climate policies they argued were unconstitutional. The court’s landmark decision in Held v. Montana has been hailed as the first major climate litigation victory in the United States.
Madat Balochistan is a woman-led initiative in Gandakha, Balochistan, a region of Pakistan that has seen successive destructive floods. Members of the community have designed and built climate change-resilient homes that are quick to build, protect inhabitants from extreme heat and rainfall, and can be easily relocated if the land is flooded or inhabitants are evicted by landowners. So far, more than 250 homes have been built and the initiative has reached more than 1,250 people in this community.
In Ghana, Climate Change Advisors Ghana is bridging the gap between traditional wisdom and modern science by integrating Indigenous knowledge that has been accumulated over generations with contemporary climate science and adaptive practices. Workshops, training sessions, and knowledge-sharing events that bring together farmers, community leaders, and climate change advisors provide community members with practical insights into climate-resilient practices, sustainable resource management, and financial literacy.
Thousands of ‘fed-up’ Texans who have turned to solar power and battery storage, creating so-called microgrids, as a solution to blackouts. With a venture creating the same little power plants for apartment buildings, Texas has become a national leader in residential solar power installations.
Good news – so hard to find these days, and so important for us to lift up and share. So we can find hope, so we can scale across, so we can be inspired to build the world we envision. Have you heard some good climate news lately? Share it with us!
In solidarity with all people living under occupation and imperialism,
Susan Phillips
Executive Director
Header graphic: Ermina Takenova
The post Good news in a hurting world appeared first on Climate Generation.
Reports from the International Monetary Fund and the International Energy Agency warn of possible global recession as the U.S. enacts a blockade at the Strait of Hormuz.
As the Iran war nears its seventh week, two of the world’s leading finance and energy institutions are forecasting a bleak future for the global economy if the conflict continues much longer.
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The Turkish government has announced the dates and venues for the COP31 leaders’ summit and pre-COP meetings, and appointed a Turkish waste campaigner and Australian cattle farmer as climate “champions”.
In an open letter, published by the UN climate body on Tuesday, the Turkish environment minister and COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum said the COP31 World Leaders’ Summit, at which dozens of heads of government are expected, will take place in Antalya, on Türkiye’s south coast, on November 11 and 12.
Previous leaders’ summits have taken place on the first two days of the COP negotiations or, at last year’s conference in Belém, before the start. But this year’s gathering will take place on the third and fourth day (Wednesday and Thursday) of the November 9-20 talks. Kurum said the summit “will be a key moment in generating political momentum and visibility for COP31”.
Last November, when Türkiye was chosen as host of the annual UN climate summit, Kurum said that, while the negotiations would be in the resort city of Antalya, the leaders’ summit would take place in the country’s largest city Istanbul. No explanation for the change of decision was given in Kurum’s letter.
Pacific pre-COP
Every COP conference is preceded by a smaller pre-COP gathering, attended by government climate negotiators. Because of a deal struck with Australia, which gave up its bid to physically host the summit in exchange for leading the COP31 discussions, this year’s pre-COP will take place on the Pacific island of Fiji, with a “leaders’ event” a 2.5-hour flight north in Tuvalu.
Kurum’s letter said both events would take place between October 5-8 and “will contribute to reflecting diverse perspectives in an inclusive manner”.
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The letter confirms that Australia’s climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, will be given the title of “President of Negotiations” and “will have exclusive authority in leading the COP31 Negotiations, in consultation with Türkiye”.
“I have complete faith in his work,” said Kurum, adding that the two will send out a joint letter “in the coming weeks” which outlines their priorities regarding the negotiations.
The COP negotiations will be discussed at the annual Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin on April 21 and 22. German State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth recently announced plans to travel to Australia and meet with Bowen to discuss the talks.
COP31 champions
In his letter, Kurum announced that Samed Ağırbaş, president of Türkiye’s Zero Waste Foundation, which was set up by the country’s First Lady, has been appointed as the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion, tasked with working with business, cities and regions and civil society to promote climate action.
Sally Higgins, a young Australian cattle farmer and sustainability consultant who has also carried out research on land-use change, has been appointed as Youth Climate Champion. Kurum said she “is a passionate advocate for climate change and elevating the voices of young people”.
Turkish officials Fatma Varank, Halil Hasar and Mehmet Ali Kahraman have been appointed as COP31 CEO, Chief Climate Diplomacy Officer and Director of the COP31 Presidency Office respectively. Deputy environment ministers Ömer Bulut and Burak Demiralp will lead on construction and infrastructure, and operational and logistical processes.
Kurum said Türkiye’s Presidency would continue to use the Troika approach – a term coined two years ago under Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency, which worked with the previous Emirati COP28 and subsequent Brazilian COP30 hosts.
Kurum said the Troika approach offers “stability and predictability by connecting past, current and future presidencies” and that “in this regard” Türkiye and Australia would work “in close cooperation with Azerbaijan and Brazil”. This appears to overlook the 2027 COP32 host – Ethiopia.
The post Türkiye sets COP31 dates and appoints Australian cattle farmer as youth champion appeared first on Climate Home News.
Türkiye sets COP31 dates and appoints Australian cattle farmer as youth champion
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