Courtney White

The Mighty Dung Beetle: In France, researchers recently celebrated the release of a critically important species into a nature reserve: the dung beetle. The key was the presence of a herd of wild cattle – and their manure. The beetles had disappeared decades earlier, the victims of toxic chemicals used in industrial agriculture, creating a significant void in the area’s ecology. Globally, dung beetles play a vital role in the carbon cycle by transporting carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus when they remove manure, feeding soil microbes. Their tunnels make water and oxygen available to the microbes as well. This process has positive implications for watershed health, plant growth, food production, and climate change. They can also protect food crops (and us) from diseases. It’s all done for free by nature! Here is an interview by Terry Gross of NPR with Douglas Emlen, a dung beetle expert. Here is an introductory video.

 Jonathan Hawken

Repurposing coal power plants for green energy:  TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy are collaborating in Wyoming to repurpose a retiring coal power plant as a Natrium or salt reactor, representing a big step forward in the future of nuclear fission energy. The reactor design is unique in that it can increase its output by transferring the heat in its liquid sodium coolant into molten salt for later use, providing a 500 megawatt boost for 5.5 hours to meet peak demand. The companies tout the reactor's improved safety, affordability, reduced need for nuclear-grade concrete, and decreased risk of nuclear proliferation. Construction of the 345 megawatt reactor is set to begin this year and should come online in 2028. More information about Natrium reactors is available here, and a 20-minute YouTube video featuring Professor David Ruzic, a specialist in nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering, provides a more detailed explanation.

 Claire Krummenacher

Brazil returns land to Indigenous groups: Last week, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva granted legal recognition to 2,000 square kilometers of Indigenous land, a move aimed at halting illegal logging and mining. The announcement granted recognition to six territories that are home to nearly 4,000 Indigenous peoples, prohibiting mining and economic activity by non-Indigenous peoples while also requiring specific authorization from the government for commercial farming and logging. This policy stands in stark contrast to the previous administration's policies under President Jair Bolsonaro, which led to a 56% increase in deforestation and the loss of nearly 25,000 square kilometers of Indigenous territories. Although Indigenous activists have warned that meaningful implementation of the policy will require government surveillance, the measure marks an important step in both Indigenous land recognition and emissions reduction. Research has shown that protecting Indigenous land increases its carbon storage capacity by 50%.

 Juliana Birnbaum

ExxonMobil dealt setback in Guyana by High Court ruling: On May 3, a judge in Guyana delivered a ruling against ExxonMobil, which had hoped to establish its leading oil and gas production site by 2025 in the South American nation. In a judgment described as "blistering," Justice Sandil Kissoon stated that Exxon subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) is in violation of its permit and could have to suspend drilling operations unless immediate corrections are made. The 55-page ruling implicated both ExxonMobil and Guyana's Environmental Protection Agency for not requiring the necessary level of insurance in case of a catastrophic spill that could result from offshore drilling. The judge wrote that the company "engaged in a course of action made permissible only by the omissions of a derelict, pliant, and submissive Environmental Protection Agency.”

 Scott Hannan

Common Grain Alliance building a regenerative grain economy in the Mid-Atlantic: The Common Grain Alliance, based in Virginia, is working to build an integrated and regenerative grain economy in the region by connecting and supporting farmers, millers, bakers, and chefs. Focusing on wheat, corn, rye, and buckwheat, they are at the heart of a movement that is restoring old mills in the area, converting agricultural land from GMO animal feed to heirloom grain production, and providing consumers a chance to invest in a healthy local economy. A local grain economy is not only about mitigating the environmental impacts of industrial agriculture, commodity grain production and transportation. CGA emphasizes the regenerative effects on the individuals and communities involved, fostering a climate of co-education, resource sharing, friendship and trust. 

 Benjamin Felser

U'wa tribe sues Colombia over petrochemical extraction: The U’wa people of north-eastern Colombia are taking their national government to court over decades of legal, spiritual and ecological violations connected to petrochemical extraction on their land. The U'wa nation of 6,000 have been nationally recognized for their direct action and legislative efforts since the 1990s, which led to concessions in 2016. However, recent inquiries by Colombia to reactivate contracts have sparked renewed protests. Working in collaboration with the legal organization Earth Rights, the tribe is calling on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to force Colombia to recognize their right to protect the sacred blood of Madre Tierra as central to their cosmovision. Ebaristo Tegría, an U’wa lawyer and teacher, sees this as part of a rising movement in Latin America and believes that the ruling could “set a precedent and show other communities that they can fight for their rights.”

 Robert Denney

Building Better Bus Systems as a Climate Change Solution: It is no secret that public transportation can decrease greenhouse gas emissions by taking cars off the road. However, a recent article in Scientific American goes deeper into the climate benefits of urban bus systems and the challenges these systems face. Buses are sometimes overlooked as a climate solution, especially when compared to trains that may be viewed as the more reliable and "sexier" public transport option. Cities such as Bogotá, Columbia are changing this view. Bogotá's bus system, TransMilenio, has priority lanes that make service fast and sleek, with well-lit stations that entice riders. In 2022, Antelope Valley in California became the first municipality to unveil an all-electric bus fleet. Despite the high conversion cost, the initial investment is quickly being returned through avoided fuel costs - the fleet’s first 10 million miles saved the municipality $3.3 million.

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