- Formal negotiations
- Finance
- Global review
- Global report
- Digital sequence information
- Harmful subsidies
- Marine biodiversity
- Planning, monitoring, reporting and review
- Article 8(j) implementation
- Biodiversity and climate change
- Links with other bodies
- Around the COP
- Armenian presidency
- Protests
- Lobbying and influence
- Carbon and biodiversity markets
Growing up in the Black Hills, having access to Badlands National Park, and spending summers on the farm with my grandparents instilled my love of nature from a young age. When I was in elementary school, my family would hike up Black Elk Peak every summer to see the 360° view from an old fire tower. Being able to see the forest from above brought a sense of peace that I could only find when out in nature. I also remember looking for agates in the badlands. I loved that you could pick up a normal looking rock, crack it open, and find something beautiful inside.
Some of my most cherished childhood memories come from adventures on my grandparents farm. From bottle feeding calves, to driving around on a side-by-side, nothing could compare to the peacefulness of being 30 miles away from the nearest town. The first memory I could pinpoint about climate change was listening to my grandpa and uncle’s worries about crop loss due to the dry season and hot temperatures. I understood from a young age that our family’s livelihood was directly related to the climate and the changing weather patterns.
When I was 19 years old, I started reading scientific journals about climate change. I remember having a panic attack after reading the terrifying statistics of how we were heading towards doom with the warming of the planet.
Part of my anxiety came from the lack of concern from my surrounding community. I couldn’t understand why no one cared about this. Also, around this time my grandfather and grandmother both got diagnosed with Johns Hopkins Lymphoma from using Monsanto pesticides on their crops. The injustice of them being poisoned by a company that is also poisoning the planet set a fire under me. I changed my major from pre-med to civil and environmental engineering hoping that I would be able to use my degree to help “save the planet”.
After graduation, I worked on Wind Farm construction for a few years in Texas and later transitioned into designing renewable energy projects. Although I recognized that this work was necessary for the energy transition, I still felt underutilized. I wanted to do more for environmental justice and work with my city to adapt to the changing climate. I decided the best way to do this would be by enrolling in graduate school to pursue a master’s in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy.
Starting grad school was a breath of fresh air. It is wonderful to be surrounded by peers who deeply care about the planet and the well-being of society. Even with this new support, my climate grief was creeping back in. With the classes I chose to take, I started learning about the many different climate change areas that need attention that I didn’t necessarily know about before starting school.
In March of 2024, I was able to pre-screen a documentary that provided information about corporations buying land in different countries in order to secure natural resources. This is called a land grab and it has a lot of human rights implications. Land grabs only benefit the political elite and oligarchies that can afford to buy, lease, or illegally obtain land. With all this new information, I started to become overwhelmed and knew that I needed to take some different steps to care for my mental health if I wanted to be able to sustain a career in this field.
I expressed these feelings to some of my classmates and found that I was not the only one struggling with these feelings. In my Environmental Systems Analysis class, we were able to have some class discussions on burnout and how to combat feelings of hopelessness. I tried a few different tactics that were able to help me change my perspective and started to feel a bit hopeful again.
My first tactic was reading the book “Climate Grief” by Shawna Weaver. Something that has stuck with me was her view on people who deny the scientific consensus on the rate and extent of climate change, its significance, or its connection to human behavior, otherwise known as a climate denier. Shawna said that we should view climate deniers as in the first stage of grief, denial. This of course excludes corporations that push green-washing techniques and false climate solutions. They are not in denial; they are on the offensive to protect their self-interests. Those who are not millionaires or billionaires that are denying climate change, however, should be given some slack.
Climate change is a scary concept. To face and solve our crisis, there are a lot of personal changes that will need to be made.
Denial can be seen as a defense mechanism against these uncomfortable truths. By meeting those where they are, with empathy, we can hopefully provide space and a safe place for someone to explore their climate denial and the reasons behind it.
Another defense against climate grief is getting involved in local solutions. I was able to become a stakeholder on my county’s Waste Management committee so I could provide input on what I would like to see in my community. I also joined the Women’s Environmental Network in the Twin Cities and have been involved with Big Brothers, Big Sisters as a mentor.
Building community and relationships through volunteering, joining a club or participating in local events are an extremely important part of resiliency. Having a community where you can share your fears about climate change makes them less intense and helps us feel less alone. It’s also important to focus on good climate news. We can’t fix everything in a day or even a year, but there are small things that are happening all over the world to help combat climate change. Seeing that other people and organizations are working together to solve this issue can help bring some hope back to this challenge.
My final defense involves some great mental health techniques that I have learned over the past few years. The first and maybe the most important tactic is to slow down and make time for something you enjoy – like art or going for a walk. You could also take time to dream about a different future that you want to create. In the photo below, I have included what I would like to see in my community in the future. We are always on the go, and when we get busy, our behavior patterns change. When you have less time in the day to yourself, you may be more likely to eat takeout or purchase drinks or snacks. These usually come in non-recyclable and non-compostable packaging, increasing the amount of waste you are producing. When we slow down, we allow ourselves more space and time to be mindful of the choices we are making.
Although I do have these great defense mechanisms to help with climate grief, I still have days where I feel hopeless. It is imperative to realize that these feelings are valid and are a way for us to understand that this is an important issue that requires our attention.
Grief is not linear; it comes in waves. We must rely on our communities to ride these waves to promote action and change.
I have assembled a list of additional resources that provide different types of media and spaces to address your climate and eco-anxiety. This list can be found here.
I have also assembled a list of news sources that focus on positive climate change news and some examples of climate solutions that are currently implemented in the United States. This list can be found here.
Chloe is a Civil and Environmental Engineer, and graduate student at Humphrey College of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Chloe served as a Minnesota Climate Impact Corps Member at Climate Generation throughout the summer of 2024. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Science,Technology, and Environmental Policy to develop cross-cultural competency to communicate scientific information among different communities in Minnesota. Her empathetic nature and dedication to justice will aid in ensuring that solutions have legitimacy and involve cross-boundary organizing to establish equity. In her free time she enjoys going on walks with her dogs, reading thrillers, downhill skiing and riding her bike.
The post Sustaining Hope While Experiencing Climate Grief appeared first on Climate Generation.
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Prepared by a coalition of nine Western Australian union, industry, conservation, and community organisations—including UnionsWA, the Conservation Council WA, and the Smart Energy Council—the WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan provides a practical roadmap to transform Western Australia into a clean energy powerhouse while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
Western Australia stands at a pivotal crossroads: lead the global clean energy economy or watch investment, future industries, and secure jobs go elsewhere. The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan outlines a transformative blueprint to harness the state’s world-class solar and wind resources. Discover how legislated renewable targets, green iron manufacturing, and a dedicated regional training strategy can generate tens of thousands of local jobs, lower household bills, and build a resilient, net-zero future for all Western Australians.
WA needs a clear and forward-thinking plan if it is going to become a competitive renewable energy powerhouse and maintain its economic strength through the energy transition.
“Western Australians know a faster renewable energy transition will lower their household expenses and prevent harmful climate pollution. But the community also needs clear direction to ensure this transition will create jobs, lower costs and not cause undue environmental harm.
“Here, sectors representing a broad range of interests have laid the groundwork for those outcomes, clearly outlining what is needed to create a future for WA that is good for the environment, for the climate, for workers and for the economy.
Summary
The WA Clean Energy, Jobs & Industry Plan sets out a strategic roadmap to position Western Australia as a global clean energy superpower while creating thousands of secure local jobs.
The report establishes three overarching goals:
- Creating local employment.
- Maintaining industrial competitiveness.
- Lowering household energy costs
To realize this vision, the framework details actionable measures to follow on from the recent WA Government announcement of a 75% Renewable Energy Target by 2031 for the South West Interconnected System. This includes developing a statewide Renewable Energy Target, coordinating statewide workforce and training pipelines, strategically planning regional infrastructure to safeguard high-value biodiversity and cultural heritage, and ensuring equitable benefit-sharing through household electrification incentives and First Nations equity partnerships. Ultimately, the plan highlights that establishing clear policy and regulatory certainty will unlock lower energy bills, boost power reliability, and secure the state’s global competitiveness in emerging green commodity export markets.
Key Findings
- Statewide Renewable Energy Target and Emissions Reduction Targets: The report calls for a statewide RET and 1.5°C aligned emission reduction targets to remove policy risk, lower capital costs, and attract clean energy investment.
- Transformative Job Creation: Accelerating the transition offers massive employment prospects, including up to 8,800 solar and battery jobs by 2050, as well as 24,000 ongoing and 11,000 construction jobs in a commercial green iron industry.
- Industrial Electrification & Competitiveness: Requiring large gas users to adopt binding electrification timetables and providing concessional financing will protect existing energy-intensive manufacturers from rising energy costs and impending domestic gas shortfalls.
- Green Commodity Export Leadership: Western Australia can build new export markets in green iron, green ammonia, and offshore oil/gas decommissioning by constructing shared common-user infrastructure and setting dedicated Green Commodity Export Targets.
- Coordinated Workforce & Training Pipeline: To address critical skill shortages the plan recommends establishing a WA Clean Energy Jobs Plan 2050, three regional training hubs, and dedicated pathways for female and under-represented apprentices.
- Environmental Safeguards & Community Benefits: Fast-tracked development must be paired with State Planning Policies that avoid high-biodiversity and cultural heritage lands, mandate new data centres to run on additional renewable power, and deliver household electrification rebates and First Nations equity partnerships.
What you can do
WA has an opportunity to lead on sustainable, clean energy and associated industries. You can help by:
- Sending an email to Environment Minister Murray Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling on them to reject Browse.
- Sharing this story to help more Australians understand what’s at stake.
- Encouraging your friends and family to take action.
Countries have completed the first “global review” of their progress towards reversing nature loss by 2030 at the COP17 biodiversity talks in Yerevan, Armenia.
The review “notes with deep concern” that, unless action is “rapidly accelerated”, the goal to reverse nature loss and meet a set of 23 targets by 2030 “will not be achieved”.
It “urges” countries to accelerate action, including by “increased ambition in addressing the gaps”.
Much of the discussions in Yerevan focused on how to raise the necessary funds to help developing countries protect nature.
Some major economies pushed to expand the range of nations that are expected to provide finance, with countries agreeing at the end of the two weeks of talks that non-donors that want to contribute can “signal interest” before COP18.
This came after developed countries failed to meet a target to significantly ramp up nature finance over the last few years.
It also came as a landmark fund agreed at COP16 in Colombia to pay communities for the genetic resources derived from nature stands nearly empty two years on.
The Yerevan talks marked the halfway point of the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” (GBF), the “Paris Agreement for nature” first made in 2022 and due to be achieved by 2030.
During the nearly 12-hour-long final plenary, countries voted for Quito, Ecuador, to host the COP18 nature talks, which will be held in 2028.
Countries managed to sign off on all the major negotiation texts, marking a stark contrast to COP16, which ran so far over time that the Colombian presidency lost “quorum”, forcing talks to resume in Rome months later.
Below, Carbon Brief has detailed analysis of all of the key outcomes from COP17.
Formal negotiations
Finance
Finance, predictably, was at the heart of the discord and deadlock at the Yerevan talks.
At COP17, discussions on finance had to achieve several outcomes.
The first part – to take stock of biodiversity finance mobilised so far to meet the nature deal’s goals – fell under the global review.
As the global report noted, developed countries failed to meet their commitments to raise “at least $20bn a year by 2025” for nature. Delegates pointed to falling aid levels and a sharp 27% decline in environmental funding for the 2026-30 period.
The second part was to agree on how to mobilise resources for the next four years, to meet the GBF’s goals and targets.
Calls to “broaden the contributor base” of who pays to protect nature – and whether that should include emerging economies – became the most fraught element of the talks.
Eventually, countries agreed on what Switzerland described as a “super, mega-delicate” text. It hinged on major “political compromises”, with “no major winner or loser”, according to Kenya.
Per the decision, countries that want to be included on a list of developed country donors can “signal interest” through bilateral, confidential consultations before COP18 and every alternate COP after.
Finally, countries also agreed on criteria to shape and resource a new, permanent financial mechanism to protect nature after 2030.
However, this did not immediately take the form of a new fund under the COP that biodiverse countries have demanded since 2022, deferri