Paul Hawken

From underground fungi to wetlands in peril: Toby Kiers created and heads SPUN, the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks.  As a Professor of Evolutionary Biology in the Netherlands, her goal is to map the world’s diverse fungal networks, the biotic community underground that is greater than what lives above. It is already known that fungal diversity in the soil increases plant health and productivity above ground. SPUN has videoed the nutrient flows and recorded the sounds made by the barely explored ecosystems that “shape the living world.” In this video you can listen to mycelium networks and their underground co-conspirators. It is stunning to hear the ebullient reverberations below our feet.

Meanwhile in South Sudan, one of the world’s second largest wetlands, the Sudd swamp, will be drained by a government plan to construct a 240 mile canal from the White Nile to Egypt. Home to untold numbers of hippos, elephants, zebras and 400 bird species including shoebills, great white pelicans, and black crowned cranes, the impacts of this are unthinkable. The partial draining of the wetland that oscillates between 3,500 and 35,000 square miles in area depending on the season and rainfall, will desiccate seasonal grasslands and interdict the second biggest mammal migration of 1.3 million antelope from the Sudd to Ethiopia. Proponents say the natural evaporation of the Sudd wastes water that could be used for agriculture downstream in Egypt. Hydrologists point out that the water being “lost” in evaporation creates rainfall from southern South Sudan all the way to the Republic of Congo and Uganda. Read more in a great piece by Fred Pearce.

 Kavya Gopal

Financial industry far from net-zero commitments: A new report by Carbon Tracker revealed that the "embedded emissions"  in the fossil fuel reserves of companies listed on the global stock exchange—the amount of CO2 released if they are extracted and burned— has grown by nearly 40% in the last decade. This is nearly three times more coal, oil, and gas reserves than can be burned without breaking the 1.5°C Paris climate target. The activities of stock exchanges and financial centres must be consistent with national net zero commitments. The financial industry cannot keep profiting from activities that are directly in conflict with a regenerative future.

 Robert Denney

Understanding the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling: On June 30th, the U.S. Supreme Court decided West Virginia v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The ruling held that the EPA did not have the authority to regulate carbon emissions from power plants via a “generation shifting” approach. Under that approach, power plants in the U.S. were to begin shifting their sources from coal to natural gas, and then to renewables. In sum, the Court reasoned that EPA was not given clear congressional authorization to do this under the Clean Air Act, which is the law the agency must operate under to regulate air pollution. The case has been characterized not only as an affront on EPA’s ability to address climate change, but also as a means to undermine federal agencies’ general power to tackle large societal issues. But all hope is not lost. An article from the Sierra Club explains how EPA can still regulate greenhouse gas emissions in certain ways, and Congress and the U.S. states can still act to address climate change.

 Juliana Birnbaum

Judicial coup as environmental catalyst: Could the recent spate of decisions by the right-wing extremist majority of the U.S. Supreme Court be a catalyst to the Biden administration to finally treat the climate emergency like an emergency, reign in the out-of-control judicial branch and make use of the many tools the executive and legislative branches have to take decisive climate action?  Naomi Klein's recent column on the potential for this kind of transformative response was a glimmer of hope for me on this Independence Day, where I marched with my daughter in a local parade with a crew representing the intersection of women's rights and climate justice.

 Emily Jensen

After EPA ruling, local action takes the lead: The gutting of the EPA's power on the heels of overturning Roe had me in a dark place last week, but I was heartened by this solid reporting on the ways state and local action are having a real impact on emissions across the country. I especially loved reading about a collaboration between a rural Minnesota university and the surrounding farming community that put politics aside to create a model for energy conservation, clean energy, and community resilience — demonstrating how local efforts can allow for quicker action on tailored solutions, and create proof points for larger-scale projects.

 Courtney White

All about biodigesters: Biodigesters caught my eye this week. Here is a story about a favela near Rio de Janeiro that removed sewage from its water supply using a biodigester. The Africa Biodigester Component project is a joint venture which aims to install 8,000 small biodigesters in rural Ugandan villages. A solar-powered biodigester is now available for commercial kitchens. The University of Michigan is researching new biodigester technology for renewable energy. Other research says they could provide 5% of all US electricity. Biodigesters come with challenges, however, including the charge they support Big Dairy.

 Claire Krummenacher

California passes strongest plastics bill in U.S.: This week, California passed the strongest plastic reduction bill in the U.S. mere hours before a major deadline, with experts estimating it could prevent 23 million tons of plastic pollution over the next decade. The Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act mandates that by 2032 the state must achieve a 65% plastic recycling rate and reduce single-use plastic packaging by 25%, while within the same time frame companies must make all single-use packaging and foodware compostable or recyclable regardless of the material. In addition, plastic companies will be required to donate $500 million to a pollution mitigation fund annually, with 60% of the funding to be allocated to low-income communities.

 Amy Boyer

The regenerative power of mutual aid: An article advocating for government support for mutual aid caught my eye this week. Mutual aid is a way that communities support each other—especially marginalized communities. It has deep historical roots, such as the societies free Black people formed to help each other through hard times or illness in New England. This community organizing not only helps provide resilience, it can help communities fight environmental destruction.

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