A Dose of Climate Optimism

In the wake of some pretty bleak climate news (oil giants we’re looking at you) let this be the antidote. Here’s your weekly dose of Climate Optimism.

The fight for the climate crisis starts in our heads ^[1]Mental Health Awareness Week: 17 bright ideas that are boosting wellbeing (Positive News, 2022)

Between the climate crisis, war, the pandemic and more, focusing on mental health is more important than ever. May is Mental Health Month, we wanted to share our friends at Positive News’ “17 organisations that are improving wellbeing”. You are all champions!

Solar energy for the Sunshine State ^[2]Renewables Met All of California’s Energy Needs for the First Time Ever (Vice, 2022)

California could be on target to reach their 2045 goal of using carbon-free sources only, for the county’s entire electric energy needs.The state’s main grid ran on 99.9% on renewable energy for around two minutes. And you guessed it, most of that was solar.

Seaweed supplement that could cut methane emissions ^[3]Startup looks to seaweed to cut cows’ impact on climate (The Maui News, 2022)

Symbrosia, a startup in Hawaii, are developing a sustainable seaweed supplement to add to animal feed to cut methane emissions. Rather than harvesting swathes of seaweed, Symbrosia will grow cells at an aquaculture lab to be added to feed. If successful, the feed packed with natural vitamins, minerals and antioxidants could reduce methane emissions from cows by over 90 percent.

Tasmania is carbon negative ^[4]Tasmania Becomes Third in the World to Reach Negative Carbon (Earth.org, 2022)

Tasmania now absorbs and stores more carbon dioxide than it emits. Previously emitting 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, the purchase and shut down of the world’s largest wood chip mills led to a huge drop in logging. Forest management is so important, this proves just how effective protecting the carbon sinks we already have is.

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