Jonathan Hawken

Rewilding the Knepp Estate - In the heart of West Sussex, a transformation has taken place over the past 23 years that defies conventional expectations. Once a struggling, debt-ridden farm burdened by intensive agricultural practices, the Knepp Estate has undergone a remarkable journey under the stewardship of Isabella Tree and Charles Burrell. Today, this 3,500-acre expanse is a haven of biodiversity and carbon capture, a testament to the power of nature's resilience and restoration.

Knepp's landscape now beams with life – from pink flowered brambles to curvy-horned cows grazing under old shady oaks. This revitalized ecosystem hums with a symphony of birdsong; storks even grace the skies once more. The reintroduction of species and the reshaping of the land, known as rewilding, have led to incredible results. For the full article, head over to Mongabay, and check out our own Rewilding Nexus. 

 Amy Boyer

Virtual power plants are ramping up - One challenge of climate change is keeping grids up and running during peak power events that occur during heat waves. Not only do these events threaten blackouts, they bring "peaker plants" online for emergency power—and peaker plants are likely to be fossil-fuel powered, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Virtual power plants, groups of tiny energy providers, such as homes with solar and businesses with batteries, that are grid-tied and coordinate their energy input and distribution with grid needs, may now be widespread enough to take some of the pressure off. Other solutions include utility-scale long-duration energy storage, ramping up in Texas. In California, the behavioral nudge that saved the grid last fall is now standard practice: I get emails asking me to reduce demand during especially hot hours, with a follow-up showing how I did relative to similar households. One simple measure is precooling or supercooling: set the AC lower in the cool morning, giving the house a few degrees extra to warm up before it gets uncomfortable—and outside of heat waves, just opening the windows overnight may do the trick. 

 Claire Krummenacher

Indigenous-led marine sanctuary draws closer to the finish line - This summer, a decades-long campaign by Indigenous leaders to establish the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary--which, at 7,000 square miles of ocean, would be not only the largest marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. but also the first spearheaded by a Native American community--has grown closer to fruition in central California. NOAA is expected to release final details regarding the co-management of the sanctuary before it's officially designated. Still, Indigenous leaders have already founded ecosystem monitoring programs that pair Indigenous communities with marine biologists to protect vulnerable kelp, sea otters, and migratory whales and monitor the impacts of climate change. As a marine sanctuary, the area, sacred to Chumash people for thousands of years, would most likely be protected from oil drilling and wind power development but open to scientific research; however, the final details are still being discussed by both different bands of the Chumash as well as industries involved. 

 Courtney White

Green Cement - In July, climate-friendly cement became the first to win third-party certification for use in construction projects. This is important because nearly 8% of total global carbon dioxide emissions are generated by cement manufacturing, making it worse for the climate than flying. That’s due to a combination of baking limestone to make cement, which releases CO2, the high energy requirements of the kilns, and the sheer scale of cement/concrete use worldwide. The certified cement is part of a push to develop low-carbon and carbon-negative alternatives, collectively called green cement. Examples include algae-grown limestone; the use of fly ash, a type of volcanic ash, instead of limestone; reviving the ancient Roman way of making concrete, which requires less curing; self-healing concrete; and living concrete which utilizes bacteria and sunlight to create a binder that can be poured into any shape. Numerous research projects are ongoing, including University of Tokyo scientists working on a process that recycles old concrete products using lower kiln temperatures. Another option is to replace concrete altogether with bio-based building materials. See Green Cement Nexus and Carbon Architecture Nexus for more information!

 Kate Furby

A historic climate win in Montana - Climate youth activists won big last week. A judge in Montana ruled that they have a constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment" and that this right had been violated by the state government's promotion of fossil fuels. The Montana Environmental Policy Act had a provision that disqualified climate impacts from being considered to have harmed the environment and the people. In this case, Held v Montana, the activists' legal team argued that this was unconstitutional and harmful. The case was the United States' first youth climate lawsuit to go to trial. A first for this historic constitutional win as well. It was brought by a non-profit law firm, Our Children's Trust, and involved 16 Montanans (ages 5 to 22). Many youth-led climate suits are dismissed, making this win even more striking. Experts say this may change climate litigation. Additional cases, including one by Hawaii youth plaintiffs, are set to go to trial in the future. The takeaway is that the fight for setting climate right is starting now, as courts may begin to affirm the science, case by case.