Good News Notes: ‘“Coral reefs are amazing and beautiful, and we must conserve them,” Sam Purkis, chair of the department of marine geosciences at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, told VOA. Although coral reefs only cover 0.1% of the ocean floor, they are a lifeline for the planet. With…
Tag: global warming
Illinois becomes 1st Midwestern state to pass a law to phase out fossil fuels
Good News Notes: “At a time when the Midwest is being battered by more severe storms due to climate change, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a landmark law this month that will transition the state to 100 percent clean energy by 2045, with benchmarks along the way. While the effort has largely escaped national media attention, it…
NIGERIA: Kano State launches a one million tree reforestation campaign
Good News Notes: “The government of Kano, a state in northern Nigeria, is committed to planting one million trees. The reforestation campaign aims to halt the advance of the desert in a region marked by temperatures of up to 440c. Desertification has reached alert levels in Nigeria. The West African country is experiencing land degradation…
World’s largest carbon-capture plant Orca opens in Iceland
Good News Notes: “The world’s largest direct air carbon capture and storage plant has started operating in Iceland, run by Swiss company Climeworks. Named Orca, the plant sucks carbon dioxide directly from the air and buries it as rocks deep underground, using technology from Climeworks‘ Icelandic partner Carbfix. Orca has the capacity to remove 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the…
Kenya Company Wants Buses, Utility Vehicles to Go Green by 2030
Good News Notes: “The United Nations Environment Program on Monday marked the official end of toxic leaded gasoline use in vehicles worldwide. A company in Nairobi, where the UNEP is headquartered, is working on the next step — converting all buses and utility vehicles to electric power by 2030. Lucy Mugala goes about checking on…
Côte d’Ivoire combats land exploitation via reforestation mission
Good News Notes: “Extensive deforestation to cultivate cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire the world’s leading producer of beans has reduced the surface area of the Ivorian forest from sixteen million hectares — or more than 50% at the time of the country’s independence in 1960, to two million hectares or less than 11% today, according to…
Million-tree mission hopes to fix reforestation flaws
Good News Notes: “It’s an environmental policy embraced by heads of state, multinational businesses and even leading climate sceptic Donald Trump: plant more trees to help the planet and slow global warming. But experts claim some recent mass tree-planting schemes have failed to reduce greenhouse gases when not done properly, and even harmed the environment….
We found methane-eating bacteria living in a common Australian tree. It could be a game changer for curbing greenhouse gases
Good News Notes: “Trees are the Earth’s lungs – it’s well understood they drawdown and lock up vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But emerging research is showing trees can also emit methane, and it’s currently unknown just how much. This could be a major problem, given methane is a greenhouse gas about…
These 3D-printed tiles are being used to restore Hong Kong’s fragile coral reefs
Good News Notes “Marine scientists are using 3D-printed clay tiles to help restore Hong Kong’s fragile seabeds. Despite being a densely populated urban hub, the city is surrounded by a surprising array of nature. Around 84 different coral species can be found in Hong Kong’s waters, even more than in the Caribbean Sea. David Baker,…
The LEGO Group commits to reducing carbon emissions by 37 per cent by 2032
Good News Notes: “The LEGO Group has committed to reducing its absolute carbon emissions by 37 per cent by 2032 – a target that has been approved by the Science Based Target initiative. The goal is consistent with levels required to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees, and is recognised as the most ambitious goal…