A Dose of Climate Optimism

This isn’t an April Fool’s post, this is your weekly dose of the good stuff, its time for less clime doom and more climate woo.

Traditional and indigenous knowledge = healthy planet ^[1]Mongabay (2022)

Finnish traditional and indigenous knowledge holders are collaborating with scientists to rewild and protect peatlands, forests and rivers, turning them back into carbon sinks. But, it doesn’t stop there, this rewilding will enhance biodiversity, create sustainable land use systems, restore ecosystems and support traditional communities.

Climate communicators stop doomerism ^[2]The New York Times (2022)

Doomerism = inaction. Climate activists on social media are letting everyone know ‘it’s not too late’, and we’re with them. Not only are they spreading awareness about climate change, they are highlighting positive climate news, sharing ways people can fight the crisis in their everyday lives and helping to combat depression and eco-anxiety. It’s time for less climate doom and more climate woo.

Sustainable energy is blowing up in Texas, USA. ^[3]Science Daily (2022)

Hoping to ‘clean up’ its energy and transition away from coal ASAP, engineers from Rice University ^[4]Morse, et al. (2022)are working on wind and solar projects. The idea is simple, with Texas being sunny or windy pretty much all the time, new wind and solar farms could reduce the need for natural gas and eliminate the need for coal. Lead the way Texas.

Indigenous guardians are key for conservation ^[5]The Narwhal (2022)

Up and down the B.C. coast, Canada, First Nations guardians are bringing back traditional practices and protecting their territories. As well as catching poachers and documenting species, they are filling major knowledge and conservation gaps and are crucial to national parks, resource projects, land restoration and more. The guardian programme has been so successful that it has spread inland and across Canada.

BAT wait, there’s more good news! ^[6]The Guardian (2022)

The Hill’s horseshoe bat, thought to be extinct, has been found in Rwanda’s Nyungwe forest. This discovery, in dense rainforest, is not only a win for biodiversity and bats, it marks the beginning of a new race to save the species from disappearing again. We say, protect its rainforest habitat.

If you would like to read more about any of these Climate Optimistic Stories check out our reference list below.