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Political cartoons often provide the satire that keeps politics and global events from feeling too overwhelming. We’re personally big fans and that’s why we asked the incredibly talented political cartoonist and illustrator, Alexandra Bowman, to become a contributor for ODP. Alex is a sophomore at Georgetown and the Founder and President of “The Hilltop Show,” a student […]
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Yesterday, former California Governors Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrated a big milestone for their state: the installation of 1 million small-scale solar systems. As the LA Times reported, Schwarzenegger, in 2005 set a statewide target of 1 million solar installations and launched a program that would ultimately set aside more than $3 billion for […]
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Resembling fearless and determined Jedi warriors, the young participants at the UN Climate Conference on Wednesday took over the meeting briefly, flooding the COP stage, to deliver a message about the need for the Parties to have a greater sense of urgency in their work to reach consensus on the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Why This Matters: The students are a constant reminder to the leaders here that the future is literally watching them. The young people have masterfully used a simple and clear set of messages — that the countries here are failing and must be more ambitious, the countries must act with a greater sense of urgency, and the young people will not be ignored.
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This week’s climate meeting had lots of “stars” come to deliver important messages — Harrison Ford, Mike Bloomberg, Al Gore, John Kerry and of course, Greta Thunberg. But the young activists from Fridays for the Future and countless other youth groups who were everywhere at this meeting had an even bigger impact. They flooded the […]
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Hey #FriendsOfThePlanet, if you’ve been reading the email all week then you will have seen our picks for meaningful green gifts for you and your loved ones. We’ve compiled all of our recs into this handy guide and hope that if you’re looking for gifts, that you love all of these items and experiences as […]
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Amelia is a meteorologist who reports daily during the afternoon newscast on climate change stories. ODP: You have persuaded your local news producers to give you a short segment every day to discuss the issues surrounding climate change. Were they reluctant? Did you worry that you might not have enough stories to fill the time […]
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On Tuesday, while governments struggled mightily to deal with the climate emergency at the UN Climate Meeting and U.S. stakeholders tried to make lemonade out of the U.S. pullout of the Paris Accord by proclaiming that U.S. Governors, Mayors, and major corporations are “Still In,” back in Detroit, General Motors rolled out their largest SUV ever — adding 7 full inches to the Tahoe truck.
Why This Matters: Transportation accounts for 23% of carbon emissions globally according to the IPCC. As long as gas is cheap, car companies will keep making gas guzzlers and the public will keep buying them.
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An Associated Press report earlier this week went viral because it hits a little too close to home this time of year — unusual weather patterns are causing reindeer to go hungry because as rain (as opposed to snow) falls during the winter in the Arctic, it creates thick layers of snowy ice that blocks their access to food. In much of the U.S. we will likewise be battered with a “parade” of combo snow/ice storms for the days until Christmas, snarling all kinds of travel plans.
Why This Matters: Ice is only good in Disney movies.
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The American Prairie Reserve in northeastern Montana is a non-profit working to create the largest nature sanctuary in the continental United States. Founder Sean Gerrity made his money in Silicon Valley and hopes to create a preserve that’s made up of private properties stitched together with vast tracts of neighboring public lands to create one […]
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One of the major ways that this year’s UN Climate meeting is greatly different from previous ones is its recognition of oceans as a major part of the climate problems (with support from the findings of the IPCC’s recent Oceans and Cryosphere report) and also its solutions. Chile’s Foreign Minister, Teodoro Ribera Neumann explained today that Chile elevated ocean issues because they are integral to both climate change and to his country.
Why This Matters: The UN climate meetings in the past had failed to take oceans into account when looking at how to address climate change and that, frankly, was a major oversight.
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The UN climate meeting currently underway in Madrid, Spain, known as COP25, is being called the Blue COP, to highlight its focus on oceans and the climate. Oceans play an outsized role in regulating our climate and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren took the opportunity to release a Blue New Deal–her plan to address ocean […]
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Here in Madrid, the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, touted his city as a green Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the failed steel and coal industries, with a growing economy based on high tech and health care companies and improved air and water quality — the city is turning a corner. But he pointed out that just up the road Royal Dutch Shell is building a giant, greenhouse gas-spewing plant near Pittsburgh that will (using a process called “ethane cracking”) make tiny plastic pellets that can be turned into items like phone cases, auto parts, and food packaging according to The New York Times.
Why This Matters: The Pittsburgh plant will be allowed to emit each year 2.25 million tons of carbon dioxide, 522 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 160 tons of particulate pollution or soot, according to local NGO the Breathe Project.
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