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This diagram illustrates how marshes can adapt to rising sea levels and naturally "migrate" upland if given enough space. Credit: Julie Rossman/Audubon

Excerpt from this story from the Audubon Society:

For over 40 years, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has been a little-known bipartisan environmental law—quietly protecting critical bird habitat, providing coastal communities with a natural buffer against storms and sea-level rise, and saving taxpayers billions of dollars, all while staying under the radar. Audubon has long been a champion of this law, and now we have reason to celebrate! Last week, President Biden signed the Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm (BEACH) Act, updating the Coastal Barrier Resources Act and expanding its protected system of coastal areas that buffers people and birds from flooding on our coasts. 

Congress passed the BEACH Act with overwhelming bipartisan support just last month, adding nearly 300,000 acres of wetlands and beaches to the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) system, codifying its largest expansion since 1990. For years, Audubon has worked with a diverse coalition of partner organizations, multiple presidential administrations, and legislators on both sides of the aisle to massively expand the CBRA system, and the sweeping success of this bill is one of our most exciting accomplishments for the coast. 

Created in 1982, the CBRA protects coastal habitat and property while saving lives and federal taxpayer dollars in a distinctive way. Undeveloped beaches and coastal wetlands around our country provide vital habitat for birds and wildlife, especially in the face of climate change impacts such as sea-level rise and increased storm frequency and intensity. These coastal areas are also particularly prone to those climate impacts, endangering lives, property, and vulnerable species. The CBRA discourages development in these hazard-prone areas by removing most federal spending, including flood insurance, disaster recovery grants, and other federal expenditures on the CBRA’s system of protected areas. This market-based approach is working. A recent study demonstrates this in its finding that CBRA is highly effective at achieving its intended goals—reducing development by 85 percent compared to nearby areas, reducing flood damage by 25 percent, and adding ecologically important layers of protection to coastal areas. 

Currently, CBRA protects 3.5 million acres on the coasts of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These largely undeveloped areas are an ideal habitat for birds like American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers to nest and rest well away from any human disturbance. Intact coastal beaches and wetlands like this also serve as a natural buffer for nearby communities from storms and sea-level rise. Beach dunes act as speed bumps to slow down wind and waves, and marshes act as sponges soaking up floodwaters. 

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From the article:

A hole that opens annually in the ozone layer over Earth’s southern pole was relatively small in 2024 compared to other years. Scientists with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) project the ozone layer could fully recover by 2066. During the peak of ozone depletion season from September 7 through October 13, the 2024 area of the ozone hole ranked the seventh smallest since recovery began in 1992, when the Montreal Protocol, a landmark international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals, began to take effect.

There's a reason you don't hear about the hole in the ozone layer much anymore--it's been on the mend since the global community banned ozone-depleting chemicals in 1992. Remember that it is possible for the world to come together to solve large scale environmental problems.

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“You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.”

ATLA

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From the article:

“The North Sea is one of the most pressured areas of ocean on planet Earth. There are relatively few other places that have a combination of industrialised countries around a largely enclosed sea, intensive agriculture, and pressures from fishing going back centuries. But the wonderful thing about nature is that it can recover pretty quickly if you give it the chance,” says Juniper. Bottlenose dolphins, along with humpback and minke whales, have been spotted in greater numbers in recent years along England’s North Sea coast, monitoring groups say. Their reasons for returning are not entirely clear. Grey seals – once in danger of disappearing around the UK – are flourishing. Visits to colonies on Norfolk beaches – where thousands of pups are born every year – have become a Christmas ritual for local people. Around the beach at Horsey, nearly 4,000 seal pups were born last year during a record-breaking season. “We know the grey seals are doing well, which is fantastic news, and we know that’s also true of other species in the North Sea,” says Bex Lynam, marine advocacy manager for North Sea Wildlife Trusts. “Bottlenose dolphins – which we weren’t seeing off the Yorkshire coast until the last five years – have been recorded in a huge number of sightings. It’s clear they have enough food. They are also calving down here, which is fantastic,” she says.

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From the article:

The new law aims to restore at least 20% of the EU's land and seas, with specific targets including reversing the decline of pollinators and restoring 25,000 kilometres of rivers to free-flowing conditions. This target is instrumental to align EU policy with global commitments made by almost 200 countries to restore and protect at least 30% of our planet’s degraded ecosystems by 2030. The legislation solidifies Europe's leadership in global biodiversity restoration and protection efforts, setting a powerful example for the rest of the world.

This law is in many ways the first of its kind and creates legally binding restoration targets for various ecosystems throughout the EU.

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something has gone deeply wrong when "focusing pragmatically on issues you can influence and working to make life better for yourself and your community" is considered an unserious distraction while "endlessly exposing yourself to media about distressing situations you can't control" is considered political engagement

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From the article:

The two students presented their groundbreaking project at the 2024 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF); a device that operates by using ultrasound waves to push microplastic particles to one side of a water flow, allowing clean water to pass through while trapping the contaminants. In their tests, the system successfully captured up to 94 per cent of microplastic particles, showing promise for real-world applications.   "If we could refine this, maybe use more professional equipment, maybe go to a lab instead of testing from our home, we could really improve our device and get it ready for large-scale manufacturing," Justin told Business Insider. The duo envisioned their device being used in water treatment plants, directly modifying the quality of water for daily use. This application could significantly reduce the amount of microplastics that end up in water sources, protecting ecosystems and human health.

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India's Rail Network Runs on 96% Electricity

Image and text from this Fast Company article:

By the end of the year, India’s main rail network—around 40,000 miles long—could be 100% electrified. It’s more than 96% electrified now. In the U.S., by contrast, that number is around 1%. “India has been such an amazing example of a rapid transition of a diesel rail system to an electric rail system,” says Yasmine Agelidis, senior attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental nonprofit advocating for the U.S. to move to zero-emissions trains. “It’s a great model for the U.S. to look at because India had a lot of diesel rail already, and the U.S. is in a similar boat.”

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From the article:

Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a durable plastic that won’t contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans. The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, but what makes it special is that it breaks down in seawater. The new plastic is therefore expected to help reduce harmful microplastic pollution that accumulates in oceans and soil and eventually enters the food chain.

[hope-for-the-planet]

From the article:

Uruguay used to rely heavily on oil & gas-based power. But as the economy grew and electricity demand threatened to overtake supply from the early 2010s, it needed to add additional generating capacity, and fast. New hydro wasn’t an option as it had already made the most of that resource. To chart the way forward, the president appointed Ramón Méndez Galain, a particle physicist from the private sector, as the country’s director of energy — a position he held until 2015. In a podcast discussion with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Méndez Galain said one of his primary goals was to make Uruguay less reliant on volatile imported oil & gas. The quest for energy independence made him rule out nuclear power, which would’ve require uranium imports. A decision was ultimately made to better exploit the country’s ample solar, wind, water and biomass waste resources. Because the state couldn’t fund a massive energy programme alone, it ran a series of clean power auctions, where it offered project developers 20-year contracts to sell electricity into the national grid at guaranteed rates. In just five years, $6 billion was invested in renewable energy — the equivalent of 12% of Uruguay’s GDP.

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Kenya is one of just four countries that holds the vast majority of the world's black rhinos. After nearly going extinct in the 1980s, the species has now doubled due to heroic conservation efforts to save them.

There are now 1,000 black rhinos in Kenya, to the point that the next conservation hurdle is securing protected appropriate habitat to house the growing population.

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From the article:

Seven countries now generate nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy sources according to newly compiled figures. Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7 per cent of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also revealed that a further 40 countries generated at least 50 per cent of the electricity they consumed from renewable energy technologies in 2021 and 2022 – including 11 European countries.

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I highly recommend listening to this podcast episode. Especially if you're someone who is entering the new year feeling hopeless or like there's nothing you can do to make anything better.

Actually, I recommend listening to their entire four episode series on finding hope in the wake of the 2024 US election (Season 9, Episodes 11-14)

The short version is: The science shows us that humans are "kinder, less divided, and more cooperative than we realize". Most of us underestimate how much other people care about the same issues we do and how much of an impact we can have in fixing those issues when we try. But really, listen to the podcast.

"Research finds that cynics don't vote or protest as much as their more hopeful counterparts. They leave the work to others. And even worse, people who feel hopeless sometimes belittle that work. They're quick to talk about society's ills, but also claim there's no cure and it's dumb for anyone to try to fix it.

We often think of cynicism as a radical feeling which will hold power to account. In fact, it's often the opposite--a tool of the status quo."

-Dr. Jamil Zaki

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If you've ever thought about taking action on a climate or environmental issue but had something get in your way or stop you, I would be super grateful if you'd take 1-2 minutes to fill out this super short questionnaire. Or if you'd just like to share your thoughts and perspective on barriers to environmental action.

This is extremely informal and unscientific, just something I am curious about that will be helpful to me in making some future choices about this blog (I promise nothing big will change regardless!).

Answers are all anonymous!

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Here’s to 2023, a year of as many little courageous kindnesses as possible. ♥️

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From the article:

On May 21, twenty communities in the Peruvian Amazon received long-awaited legal titles to their traditional lands, marking a significant victory in the struggle for Indigenous peoples’ land rights and environmental protection. Encompassing approximately 75,000 acres, an area three times the size of Manhattan, the titles were delivered during a well-attended ceremony in the Huitoto Murui Indigenous community of Centro Arenal, in the state of Loreto. Indigenous leaders traveled from remote rivers that feed into the Amazon to receive their titles in person. Local and state officials also attended. “Today we can say that our lands are indeed ours, and we can defend ourselves from any aggression that arrives at our community,” said Anibal Oliveira, Indigenous Ticuna leader of the San Salvador community. Last year, an innovative strategy devised with our partners allowed Rainforest Foundation US to secure more land titles in ten months than in the previous three years. Now, in 2024, we are already surpassing that record. An additional 10,500 acres of titles are expected to be delivered to communities in the same region over the next couple months.