Knowledge for Responsible EarthiansGreen Mission News – November, 2023
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION LAUDATE DEUM OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html
The in-depth assessment presented in this document of the various significant impacts of the world’s livestock sector on the environment is deliberately termed
Livestock’s long shadow so as to help raise the attention of both the technical and the general public to the very substantial contribution of animal agriculture to climate change and air pollution, to land, soil and water degradation and to the reduction of biodiversity.
https://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e.pdf
Assessing the size and uncertainty of remaining carbon budgets
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01848-5
At least 20 California public university board members linked to fossil fuels
Universities may have divested from fossil fuels – but board members still have industry ties, new analysis finds
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/04/california-public-universities-fossil-fuels-csu
Good News for California Bees: Governor Signs Law to Help Protect Pollinators From Toxic Pesticides
The ‘climate quitters’ ditching corporate roles
A growing number of workers are making the decision to walk out of companies whose environmental values don’t align with their own.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231016-the-climate-quitters-ditching-corporate-roles
Drought turns Amazonian capital into climate dystopia
Forest fires leave Manaus with second worst air quality in the world, while low river levels cut off communities
March of the Four–Stars: The Role of Retired Generals and Admirals in the Arms Industry
“The revolving door is a problem because it creates the appearance—and in some cases the reality—of conflicts of interest in the making of defense policy and in the shaping of the size and composition of the Pentagon budget,” Hartung and Fisher wrote. “The role of top military officials is particularly troubling, given their greater clout in the military and the government more broadly than most other revolving door hires. Their influence over policy and budget issues can tilt the scales towards a more militarized foreign policy.”
United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security:
The 2023 Interconnected Disaster Risks report analyses six interconnected risk tipping points, representing immediate and increasing risks across the world.
https://interconnectedrisks.org/
What the world would look like without fossil fuels
A thought experiment shows the complexities of phasing out oil, gas and coal
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/09/30/end-fossil-fuels-biden
How Our Roads Have Become an Invasive Species
In “Crossings,” Ben Goldfarb explores the science of road ecology, or how roadways affect plants and animal life.
https://undark.org/2023/10/13/book-review-crossings/
Why You Should Stop Using Plastic Cutting Boards Right Now
With each chop, you’re releasing microplastics into your food
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/cutting-board-microplastics
Report: Nearly Half of Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Have Conflicts of Interest
https://usrtk.org/investigations/dietary-guidelines-advisory-committee-conflicts/
After decades of climate deception, Shell uses Fortnite to court demographic most concerned about climate change
Hydrogen as a Threat to Decarbonization
We hear “green hydrogen,” but it’s mostly industry-backed propaganda when 99% of all hydrogen produced in the world comes from fossil fuels.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/false-promise-of-hydrogen
In-depth Q&A: What food waste means for climate change
https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-what-food-waste-means-for-climate-change/
We Bought a Home with a Sterile Suburban Yard. Our Journey To Bring Life Back is Just Beginning
When we bought our first home, we had grand plans to create a productive and pollinator-friendly oasis. Then the reality of poor soils and extreme weather hit.
https://modernfarmer.com/2023/10/sterile-suburban-yard/
A major win against factory farming points to a powerful new direction for the climate movement
Small farmers in Oregon, backed by a coalition of animal rights and climate activists, secured a big legislative victory over industrial factory farms, providing inspiration for wider action.
The World Faces a Great Unraveling. If We Ignore Indigenous Wisdom, We Are Lost.
A new podcast, “Holding the Fire,” discusses the global climate crisis with Indigenous people from around the world.
Why understanding limits is the key to humanity’s future
We need to view limits not as restrictions to be fought against, but as boundaries that enable systems to work.
Taking the global pulse of biodiversity monitoring: Q&A with Andrew Gonzalez
Microplastics pose risk to ocean plankton, climate, other key Earth systems
States, Tribe, and Green Groups to Sue EPA Over Failing to Cap Climate Pollution
“It is imperative that the EPA take stronger, faster action to address the climate emergency,” the potential plaintiffs wrote in the letter.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/epa-lawsuit-greenhouse-gas-cap
After Dam Removal, Washington State Tribe Fishes for Salmon on Elwha River for First Time in More Than a Century
https://www.ecowatch.com/washington-state-tribe-salmon-fishing-river-dam.html
The destruction of grasslands across the Great Plains continues at an unsustainable pace.
PROTECTING GRASSLANDS THROUGH POLICY & COLLABORATION.
ScrapDogs Community Compost (Penobscot Bay) has diverted 260,000 pounds of food waste from landfills so far in 2023
Young couple makes it their mission to divert food waste from our Midcoast landfills
Scientists lay out a sweeping roadmap for transitioning the US off fossil fuels
A 600-plus-page report from the National Academies of Science includes 80 recommendations for how the U.S. can achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
https://grist.org/energy/us-scientists-lay-out-a-sweeping-roadmap-for-decarbonization/
You Can Grow It: City of Boise’s compost give-back program (video 4:37)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smh2c4BgQ3M
Canton village contracts with North Country Compost (Syracuse, NY area) for food scrap program
Small-Scale Farming Shouldn’t Just Be a Hobby. So Why Is It So Hard to Make a Living?
Farmers are driven by a desire to be productive. But as running a small farm feels increasingly precarious, many are being driven into the ground.
https://modernfarmer.com/2023/10/small-farming-shouldnt-just-be-a-hobby/
Farm Waste Illuminate Maryland Community
UD student Olivia Frego evaluates environmental benefits of electricity-generating system at area farm
https://www.morningagclips.com/farm-waste-illuminate-maryland-community/
Connecting local farms with local grocers to divert food from landfills through Loop
Joint opinion from Walmart and Kellanova on food waste reduction
https://www.foodbev.com/news/joint-op-ed-from-walmart-and-kellanova-on-food-waste-reduction/
Compost sought in California
As more communities create organics collection programs under SB 1383, demand for compost from California farmers has grown, Recology says.
Farmers urge residents to participate in curbside composting programs
These Nebraska Tribes Are Buying Back Farmland and Attempting to Reverse History
Land ownership on the Winnebago Reservation had gone in only one direction—away from Native tribes and farmers. Until recently, when several tribes decided to change that.
https://modernfarmer.com/2023/10/tribes-buying-farmland/
Compost Chicken Manure Right For Valuable Nutrients
You can apply chicken manure to add valuable nutrients to the garden, but it’s critical to properly compost it first to keep dangerous bacteria off your produce.
https://www.hobbyfarms.com/compost-chicken-manure-right-for-valuable-nutrients/
“We are guardians,” Björk concluded. “We want to protect nature.”
The Icelandic singer discusses her collaboration with Rosalía and how artists pick up on the environmental emergency
Thousands of salmon escaped an Icelandic fish farm. The impact could be deadly