The Waggle
Issue 83 Protecting against hurricanes with "BiodiverCity"
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The 1528 km-long Magdalena River (pictured) opens up just before the "BiodiverCity" Barranquilla, Columbia.
Black Drone / ShutterstockRestoring Ecology to Protect Against Hurricanes | Scott Hannan
The city of Barranquilla, which lies on Colombia's Caribbean coast and is often threatened by large hurricanes, has begun implementing an innovative effort to protect itself: restoring its natural ecology. The plan includes the restoration of swamps, waterways, and greenspaces surrounding the city to create a buffer against the high winds and ocean swells that are attendant to hurricanes. The mangrove forests being regenerated not only protect against extreme weather events but also provide critical habitat for numerous animal species and help maintain healthy fishing grounds for local fishermen. Barranquilla aims to be the country’s first BiodiverCity– Colombia’s initiative to reshape how urban spaces are being developed. It is also the first city in Colombia to build an offshore wind farm in its efforts to have 50% of the city’s energy be renewable by 2030. Urban ecosystem restoration and its efficacy in mitigating the effects of extreme weather will be a major topic at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, at the end of the month.
Rewilding Beyond Manmade Borders | Hugo Paquin
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The first step to saving nature is the rewilding of our own minds, says conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins (12 mins.).
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Conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins is on a mission. To date, she has worked with the governments of Chile and Argentina to create 13 natural parks spanning 5 million hectares. In a recent TED talk (above), she presented her bold plan to ‘’connect parks across geographic boundaries, creating a system of continental-scale wildlife corridors.’’ The idea of connecting natural habitats across geopolitical borders presents several benefits, namely the facilitation of movement for wide-ranging species and ecosystem resilience. Habitat fragmentation is widely recognized as a leading cause of extinction. Climate change is also severely disrupting migration patterns and making the need for corridors to act as ‘’escape routes’’ all the more pressing. Challenges abound, including political and legal complexities, sovereignty concerns, and resource allocation, but several projects, including those in South America, are proving sustainable. Learn more in our Rewilding Nexus.
The Future is Cooperative | Juliana Birnbaum
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The New Orleans Food Co-Op (December, 2021).
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October is National Co-op Month in the US, with this year marking the 60th anniversary of its designation and inspiring a consideration of the positive impacts of cooperatives worldwide. Defined by the International Cooperative Alliance as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise,” co-ops are governed by their members instead of shareholders. With the dramatic inflation of both food and housing costs over the past few years, can cooperatives be part of the solution? In Barcelona, where a recent influx of tourism has exacerbated the housing crisis, an architectural cooperative is focused on designing and building sustainable urban cohousing as a community response to a collective problem. And the structure of co-op supermarkets can permit shoppers to access high-quality food at lower prices, while workers benefit from being part-owners of their stores. This year’s Co-op Month theme is “The Future is Cooperative.” You can learn more about the regenerative qualities of this multifaceted movement and how to support it at our Cooperatives Nexus.
Solar for All | Tobias Schmitz
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Senator Bernie Sanders explains the EPA's Solar for All Program (3 mins.).
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New Hampshire’s journey to bring community solar power to low-income households is moving forward after getting its start years ago with the Solar for All initiative, created under the umbrella of the Inflation Reduction Act. Research published this year by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that community solar users have, on average, 23% lower incomes than rooftop solar adopters and are six times more likely to live in multifamily homes. Now, the state is considering seven proposals for community-owned photovoltaic arrays that will allocate a portion of the credits they receive for sending power onto the grid to low-income households in the form of credits on their monthly bills. The projects selected will work with the utilities to identify customers receiving discounted rates, who will be automatically enrolled in the program. The time has finally arrived for this New England state to deliver on its promise to include more residents in the financial and environmental benefits of solar power. Learn more by visiting our Solar Nexus.
The Nature of Peace | George Biesmans
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Colombia's Cali COP16 booth is displayed during the Petronio Alvarez festival in Cali, Colombia, August 16, 2024.
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When governments descend on the city of Cali in Colombia in late October for Biodiversity COP16, they will do so against a backdrop of conflicts raging around the world. In response to this devastating reality– and in the wider context of accelerating global heating and a collapsing natural world– the Community of Practice on Environment, Climate, Conflict, and Peace (ECCP) is calling on governments to “recognize the relationships between nature, peace, and insecurity.” A collective of people working in environmental peacebuilding, conflict-sensitive conservation, and related fields are seeking to build on the growing understanding of the climate-nature-peace nexus under the banner of Ecosystem for Peace. The group participated last year for the first time ever at a Climate COP, leading to a Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace Declaration. The group is running a series of events and activities in Cali, exploring this critical intersection. It has issued policy priorities for governments to heed as they implement the Global Biodiversity Framework. The call is based on two fundamental realities: on the one hand, conflict significantly undermines our ability to protect and restore nature, while on the other hand, protecting and restoring nature can be a medium for building and sustaining peace. Put simply, we have a unique opportunity to respond to the multiple, overlapping emergencies of conflict, climate breakdown, and ecological collapse by recognizing their inextricable interconnectedness and acting accordingly. You can follow the group’s work on social media via the handle #PeaceAtCBD.
Take Action on Nexus
Find out how to eliminate 80% of food waste to feed more people using fewer resources on less land in our Wasting Nothing Nexus.
Photo Credits
1. Black Drone / Shutterstock
2. Chon Kit Leong / Alamy Stock Photo
3. Long Visual Press / Alamy Stock Photo
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