Paul Hawken

Wisdom for our times: “The Climate Crisis is a threat to the planet’s spiritual life that sustains our very being, for we cannot live in a world of mere things. Life devoid of spirit would be a kind of death. Ecocide is a form of suicide: as we destroy this sacred ecology, we are also destroying ourselves. The Selves of our forest are no mere mute beings. They feel. They think, and they have opinions. Those of us who are attuned to them are able to understand them. To feel their pain, and to transmit their messages. They ask all our human brothers and sisters to re-immerse ourselves in this great spiritual ecology: to allow us once again to be nourished by it as we play our role in sustaining and caring for it and for life.” — Manari Ushigua, Leader of the Sapara People, from the heart of the Amazon Headwaters in Ecuador shared with us by the Pachamama Alliance.

 Juliana Birnbaum

Accelerating clean energy: Over the past few months, I've been researching utility-scale geothermal energy for Nexus and was encouraged to learn about a bipartisan "Heat Beneath our Feet" initiative recently launched by the governor of Colorado to support western states to develop this renewable, carbon-free power source. Most people are surprised to learn that the U.S. is already the largest geothermal producer in the world, with the main field located in northern California at The Geysers. With Democratic Senator Joe Manchin coming around to pledging support for historic climate legislation including $369 billion in funding for clean energy, EV tax breaks, and pollution reduction, there is reason to hope that the tides around turning around decades-long climate denial in the Senate.

 Robert Denney

Celebrity private jet emissions come under scrutiny: Celebrities have been facing backlash lately for the carbon emissions released from their private jets. The publicity first came from a Twitter account which tracks the flight paths of these planes and which revealed a recent 17-minute flight taken by Kylie Jenner’s jet. Even if these flights are just for maintenance, the story is frustrating. After this initial news, the sustainability marketing firm Yard ranked the celebrities whose jets have flown the most this year, and Taylor Swift’s jet was first place. Her jet has already flown 170 times this year, releasing over 1,184 times more carbon than the average person’s total annual emissions. Hopefully, this is a wake-up call for these individuals and for the aviation industry. In fact, a new partnership between Boeing and MIT will model carbon emissions reductions from aviation based on advances in fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, renewable energy, and technologies.

 Amy Boyer

Peatlands in Congo up for oil and gas licensing: The Cuvette Central, an enormous carbon-storing peatland shared between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is now under threat from DRC's new sale of oil leases.  In 2017 the Cuvette Centrale was determined to be the largest area of peatlands in the world, and this year more accurate mapping showed it to be 15% larger than originally thought—and to store much more carbon. The oil leases could damage nearly 1 million hectares of peatland, releasing enormous amounts of methane into the air. At COP26 DRC and donor countries signed an agreement funneling wealth to DRC in return for protecting its carbon stores, but DRC's recent move brings up questions not only about DRC's commitment to climate solutions but also whether said wealth is actually going to DRC and its people or to organizations like the World Bank. DRC says their priority is bringing their country out of poverty, not saving the planet, and points out that wealthy countries hardly have the moral high ground.

 Claire Krummenacher

Addressing environmental injustice in Chicago’s urban planning: As a Chicago resident, I've been closely following the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s investigation into the city's decision to move the high-polluting General Iron scrap metal recycling plant from Lincoln Park (an affluent, predominantly white neighborhood) to the Southeast Side (a majority Black and Latino area). This week, after nearly two years, the HUD ruled that moving the plant violated residents' civil rights and recognized a broader pattern of concentrating polluting facilities in nonwhite communities, and warned that the city may lose millions in federal funding if it fails to voluntarily change its planning, zoning, and housing policies to address discriminatory practices. Meanwhile, the Coalition to End Sacrifice Zones, an alliance of environmental, health, and labor organizations, is currently drafting a law to protect frontline communities from pollution with the hope of increasing pressure on city officials to take urgent action on racial equity in Chicago's urban planning.

 Courtney White

Bengal tiger populations rebound in Asia: In this hopeful news story about the rebound of Bengal tiger numbers in Asia are some important points for regeneration. Researchers expanded their surveys outside of traditional protected lands and were surprised to discover many tigers, demonstrating the value of ecologically-sound working lands. Rising tiger numbers demonstrate how protecting keystone species can have positive, cascading effects on ecosystems. Proactive governance at the highest levels, particularly in Nepal, has been critical for the tiger, especially anti-poaching efforts. Threats to tigers remain, but rising numbers demonstrate what we can do when we think and act regeneratively.

 Kavya Gopal

A movement to rewild lawns: Lawns make up more than 16% of all land in the United States and present a huge untapped opportunity for rewilding. This piece tracks the growing number of individuals and organizations dedicated to bringing native trees, shrubs, pollinators, and birds back into the 'biodiversity deserts’ that are most lawns. Noveaux Voisins is one such non-profit based in Montreal that educates people about how to turn their yards into critical habitats for native plants and pollinators through a catalog of wild gardens that anyone can take inspiration and “copy-paste” from. They also offer co-design sessions for individuals to rewild their lawns in alignment with their gardening preferences. While they are currently in the process of conducting research with Concordia University to measure the ecological and social impacts of experimental gardens in Montreal, the true measure of success according to them is converting hundreds of citizens to a new culture of gardening.

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