House Democrats Spell Out Climate, Clean Energy Pr...

The net-zero-by-2050 roadmap calls for clean energy tax credits, transmission expansion and a more resilient grid. Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on Tuesday unveiled a mammoth and wide-ranging policy plan to embed climate action and resilience within the country’s economy. The report — which sought to put racial and environmental justice at the center of its...

Scientists’ warning on affluence

Abstract For over half a century, worldwide growth in affluence has continuously increased resource use and pollutant emissions far more rapidly than these have been reduced through better technology. The affluent citizens of the world are responsible for most environmental impacts and are central to any future prospect of retreating to safer environmental conditions. We summarise the evidence and present possible solution...

If My House Were the World: The Renewable Energy T...

For the past two decades, my wife Janet and I have been trying to transition our home to a post-fossil-fuel future. I say “trying,” because the experiment is incomplete and only somewhat successful. It doesn’t offer an exact model for how the rest of the world might make the shift to renewable energy; nevertheless, there’s quite a bit that we’ve learned that could be illuminating for others as they contemplate what it will...

15 EcoWatch Stories on Environmental and Racial In...

  15 EcoWatch Stories on Environmental and Racial Injustice   As protests are taking place across our nation in response to the killing of George Floyd, we want to acknowledge the importance of this protest and the Black Lives Matter movement. Over the years, we’ve aimed to be sensitive and prioritize stories that highlight the intersection between racial and environmental injustice. From our years of...

Planting Projects, Backyard Habitats Can Re-Create...

The world’s wildlife is in danger of dying off, and inevitably taking humanity out with it. Humans have destroyed enormous portions of the planet’s natural spaces, and caused a climate disaster as well as the unprecedented acceleration of mass extinction events. Among the many species struggling to stay afloat are the butterflies, birds, bats, bees and other pollinators we depend upon in order to grow basic food...

Conservative group takes ‘first step’ ...

American Conservation Coalition President Benji Backer. The group today released a climate platform. ACC/Facebook The American Conservation Coalition, the environmental organization led by young conservative star Benji Backer, launched a climate platform today aimed at providing an alternative to progressive plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions. The “American Climate Contract” calls climate change “among...

Nature Scores a Big Win Against Fracking in a Smal...

After a seven-year battle, Grant Township fought off a permit for an injection well. “Fights like ours should mushroom all around Pennsylvania,” says tAn unlikely crew of environmentalists who took on the powerful Pennsylvania fracking industry in a David vs. Goliath battle to keep an injection well out of their community have notched an important victory in their fight. Using a novel strategy — seeking legal rights for...

3 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day All Through April (o...

For EcoWatchers, April usually means one thing: Earth Day. But how do you celebrate the environment while staying home to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus? Luckily, the Earth Day Network has you covered. The organization announced in March that it would celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with its first ever Digital Earth Day April 22. “At Earth Day Network, the health and safety of volunteers and...

The pros and cons of planting trees to address glo...

A campaign to plant one trillion trees made headlines. Experts say it’s not a panacea. It seems like such a simple, straightforward, empowering idea: plant trees – a lot of trees – all over the world, and watch the planet’s temperature fall. Who doesn’t love a tree or two, even far more – the right tree in the right place? Along with the refreshing shade they provide on hot days, trees of course also store carbon, and...

How to Pay for the Progressive Policy Agenda: COVI...

Dear Concerned Citizens, journalists/social media/communications professionals, You are cordially invited to a webinar on “How to Pay for the Progressive Policy Agenda: COVID-19 Crisis Response, Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and Beyond” hosted by Brand New Congress (BNC) and the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity (GISP) on Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 8 pm EDT. When: Thursday, March 19th, 2020 Time:...

With ‘solutions journalism,’ reporters...

Under this approach, journalists rigorously report on potential solutions to society’s problems. Whether reporting on sea-level rise, crop failures, or natural disasters, journalists are often the bearers of bleak news about global warming. But Liza Gross of the Solutions Journalism Network says that the bad news on climate is not the only news. And she says that unrelenting negative coverage can turn viewers and readers off...

60,000-Strong Fridays for Future Protest in Hambur...

U.S.-based youth climate activists on Friday drew attention to the climate protest in Hamburg, Germany, where organizers said roughly 60,000 people took part, and hoped that Americans took inspiration from their European counterparts. Among those taking part in the large Fridays for Future action in the northern German city was school strike for climate founder Greta Thunberg of Sweden. Fridays for Future organizer...

What if We Only Ate Food from Local Farms?

What if We Only Ate Food from Local Farms? “We would die from starvation. It’s that simple.” Or so TV botanist James Wong recently tweeted in response to the title question, taken from a BBC feature. In this post I’m going to make the case that we wouldn’t, that it isn’t simple, and that in fact our chances of starving are probably higher – albeit in some quite unsimple ways – if we don’t start eating more food from local...

How to Turn Your Yard Into an Ecological Oasis

For years, Toni Genberg assumed a healthy garden was a healthy habitat. That’s how she approached the landscaping around her home in northern Virginia. On trips to the local gardening center, she would privilege aesthetics, buying whatever looked pretty, “which was typically ornamental or invasive plants,” she said. Then, in 2014, Genberg attended a talk by Doug Tallamy, a professor of entomology at the...

Editorial: Path to Ohio’s clean-energy future migh...

This editorial represents the opinion of the Dispatch editorial board, which includes the publisher, editor, editorial page editor and editorial writers. Editorials, like opinion columns, represent a particular viewpoint and are not to be confused with news stories. When it comes to building a clean-energy economy, the Ohio Statehouse long has been a black hole of backwardness. In 2019, majority Republicans reached a new low...