Good People, Good News
I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather… J.W. von Goethe
From experience I know that when you see the glass ½ full instead of ½ empty you can gain the courage to act instead of falling into fear, despair and inaction. With this in mind here are some inspiring stories of good people doing good things to inspire all the rest of us to also act positively. Remember, as primates we are simply imitators – monkey see, monkey do!
The Scottish government has just announced that they have surged past their national tree planting goals by planting over 22 million trees in 2018. The new trees amount to roughly 11,200 hectares (43 square miles) of new forestry added in 2018 alone, which comfortably surpasses their current goal of adding at least 10,000 hectares every year. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scotland-added-22-million-new-trees-last-year/
In a historic milestone for oceanic conservation, the much-anticipated Ocean Cleanup initiative that was created by a Dutch teenager has successfully set sail and is now undergoing its final round of tests before it begins tidying up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The vessel, which has been dubbed System 001 (or “Wilson”), traveled 350 nautical miles away from the coast to fulfill its 5-item checklist before taking on the garbage patch. According to the Ocean Cleanup organization, one of the tests has already been successfully checked off the list. Testing is only expected to take one more week before it can tackle the patch. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/historic-pacific-cleanup-vessel-has-been-successful-with-trials-at-sea-and-will-soon-hit-the-patch/ https://theoceancleanup.com/
We all know the bad news when it comes to climate change. What most people don’t know is that there is also a lot of good news. In this video we explore some of that good news, like the fact that real solutions exist and that we’re already seeing the benefits of them. https://www.climaterealityproject.org/video/good-news
Economics favor an all renewable grid: jobs and health lead to all renewables not mixed generation as the best choice. One of the ongoing arguments that the forces opposed to dealing with climate change make is that transitioning the grid to renewables will be economically devastating. A nuance that’s emerging is that a mixed grid with lots of fossil fuels is economically superior. It isn’t, and it’s worth pulling together the set of arguments for why. Michael Barnard https://medium.com/the-future-is-electric/economics-favor-an-all-renewable-grid-7a78a8787dc7
UK Parliament declares climate change emergency
MPs have approved a motion to declare an environment and climate emergency.
This proposal, which demonstrates the will of the Commons on the issue but does not legally compel the government to act, was approved without a vote. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48126677
And finally, in little old Canada, there is even political change. The Green Party, of which I am a candidate, is surging in the polls. The greens now have MPs in B.C., Ontario, N.B. and P.E.I. & in PEI they are the ‘loyal opposition’! There are 2 federal MPs in B.C. and current polling is showing the Greens to win in over 10 seats in October. So, hope, be courageous and act – good luck! Note: Clearly voting Green is not the only way to encourage real climate action to happen, so I am not saying which party to vote for – but is certainly an interesting change in the political landscape in Canada.
https://www.macleans.ca/politics/green-party-were-going-to-break-through-this-time/
Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. J.W. von Goethe
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