The Waggle
Issue 85 From Regeneration, With Love
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Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto, Japan.
Randy Green / Alamy Stock PhotoFrom Regeneration, with Love | Rajiv Joshi
Dear Friends,
February is a month of transition—of subtle yet undeniable shifts. The days begin to lengthen, the first green shoots push through the soil, and the world stirs from winter’s quiet repair. In ecosystems, dormancy is not stagnation—it is preparation. Renewal. A chance to restore energy before bursting into new life.
This is also a time when we celebrate love—not just in the romantic sense but in the deepest sense of reciprocity: the giving and receiving that binds life together. In nature, there is no extraction without regeneration. The soil gives, but only because it has been nourished. The forests breathe, but only because the fungi, rivers, and wildlife sustain them. Life, at its core, is an ongoing act of mutual care.
Yet we also know that this is a period of uncertainty, volatility, and anxiety for those working to protect both the dignity of people and the ecosystems on which all life depends. Many are exhausted by the weight of compounding crises—political backsliding, ecological tipping points, and widening inequality. But February also reminds us that history is full of moments where bold action turned tides.
These moments remind us that change is possible—and that the regenerative movement we are building together is unstoppable.
This week’s Waggle explores some of these sparks of progress. From new ways of growing rice that slash methane emissions to bold efforts to hold polluters accountable to protecting the world’s largest bird sanctuary, regeneration is alive in every corner of the world. Even when faced with uncertainty, people everywhere are choosing to plant seeds instead of giving up.
So, whether you are spending this week with a loved one or standing steadfast in love for the planet, we invite you to embrace the spirit of reciprocity over-extraction. What we nourish will grow. What we protect will endure.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Rajiv Joshi
Project Regeneration
February is a month of transition—of subtle yet undeniable shifts. The days begin to lengthen, the first green shoots push through the soil, and the world stirs from winter’s quiet repair. In ecosystems, dormancy is not stagnation—it is preparation. Renewal. A chance to restore energy before bursting into new life.
This is also a time when we celebrate love—not just in the romantic sense but in the deepest sense of reciprocity: the giving and receiving that binds life together. In nature, there is no extraction without regeneration. The soil gives, but only because it has been nourished. The forests breathe, but only because the fungi, rivers, and wildlife sustain them. Life, at its core, is an ongoing act of mutual care.
Yet we also know that this is a period of uncertainty, volatility, and anxiety for those working to protect both the dignity of people and the ecosystems on which all life depends. Many are exhausted by the weight of compounding crises—political backsliding, ecological tipping points, and widening inequality. But February also reminds us that history is full of moments where bold action turned tides.
- • The Kyoto Protocol entered into force on February 16, 2005, 15 years ago, marking a major step forward in the global effort to address catastrophic climate change.
- • Bangladesh Banned Plastic Bags on January 1st, 2020, after they were found to have caused severe flooding by clogging drainage systems.
- • The first U.S. Wildlife Refuge was established on March 14th, 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, designating Pelican Island in Florida as the first federal bird reservation, marking the beginning of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
These moments remind us that change is possible—and that the regenerative movement we are building together is unstoppable.
This week’s Waggle explores some of these sparks of progress. From new ways of growing rice that slash methane emissions to bold efforts to hold polluters accountable to protecting the world’s largest bird sanctuary, regeneration is alive in every corner of the world. Even when faced with uncertainty, people everywhere are choosing to plant seeds instead of giving up.
So, whether you are spending this week with a loved one or standing steadfast in love for the planet, we invite you to embrace the spirit of reciprocity over-extraction. What we nourish will grow. What we protect will endure.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Rajiv Joshi
Project Regeneration
Reducing Emissions from a Staple Food | Claire Inciong Krummenacher
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Terraced rice fields in Vietnam during the water season. Credit: Cirque desprit / Alamy Stock Photo
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Rice, a staple crop that feeds nearly half the world's population, also currently accounts for 12% of the world’s methane emissions and nearly 3% of greenhouse gas emissions. As rice plants grow within the wet, oxygen-poor paddies, they release carbon to microbes that then, in turn, release nutrients that feed both the plants and methane-releasing microbes called methanogens. If farmers attempt to reduce methane emissions by flooding the fields less often, it can reduce the overall yield. However, scientists in China have crossbred high-yield and low-methane rice varieties to produce a non-genetically modified strain that produces 70% less methane and achieves nearly double the global average yield per hectare. The research team is hoping to adapt their formula to produce varieties of rice that can thrive in a wide range of climates and soil types so that lower-emitting rice varieties can be adapted throughout Asia, which produces 90% of the world’s rice. To learn more, see our System of Rice Intensification Nexus.
Creating England's Largest Bird Sanctuary | Scott Hannan
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Female hen harrier (Circus cyaneus). Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
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The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has taken the final step in creating England’s largest bird sanctuary after purchasing 19 square miles of wetland, forest, and moor in north-east Cumbria. This latest step in the Geltsdale Rewilding project will be of great benefit to one of England's most endangered breeding birds of prey, the hen harrier, along with rare and iconic species, including curlews, snipe, willow warblers, red squirrels, and black grouse. Water voles will be reintroduced, and it’s hoped the restoration will also see the return of golden eagles and ospreys nesting on the reserve in the near future. The project has already restored areas of precious blanket bog and created large areas of meadowland, planted 110,000 native trees, and restored a river, Howgill Beck, to its original meandering course, helping to prevent flooding and benefiting birds such as oystercatchers and common sandpipers. With the new land, the long-term vision for a diverse and resilient landscape in the region has come closer to full realization. For more information, see our Rewilding Nexus.
Solidarity Levies to Make Polluters Pay | Juliana Birnbaum
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When coal is burned, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals, including lead and mercury, are released into the air. Credit: Thuong Tran / Alamy Stock Photo
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Could globally coordinated levies be implemented to raise funds for critical climate action by taxing the ultrarich, the fossil fuel industry, and other polluters? The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force was set up after COP28, driven by the leaders of France, Kenya and Barbados, with members including Denmark, Senegal, and Colombia. Supported by the UN, World Bank, G20, European Commission, and the African Union, the group of experts set out sixteen specific levy ideas for public consultation that could raise billions annually, covering aviation, fossil fuels, carbon pricing, shipping, financial transactions, plastic polymers, cryptocurrencies, and high-net-worth individuals. Some of these taxes already exist in some countries, making a broad international rollout within reach. According to the Task Force website: “There is a significant gap between current financing and the levels required to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Global Biodiversity Framework…. [we are] developing options for internationally coordinated levies to help close this gap—ensuring that the most polluting industries and activities that have benefited most from globalisation contribute their fair share.” You can weigh in during this stage at the website above, and results will be presented to the world’s governments in Brazil this November at the COP30 summit.
Saving Endangered Data | Amy Boyer
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USDA building in Washington, DC. The USDA has been ordered to take down pages referring to the "climate crisis." Credit: EQRoy / Alamy Stock Photo
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Certain US governmental information is disappearing under the new administration, especially climate and health data sets. The forthcoming National Nature Assessment has also been canceled, although its authors vow to continue. This isn’t the first time information has been hidden, and researchers and archivists are again coming together to preserve essential data and make it accessible. The first step is to find out what has disappeared and what is still available with some digging. End of Term Web Archive routinely crawls US governmental sites to make sure data can still be used after a change of administration, and terabytes of former federal websites are posted at Internet Archive. Urban Ocean Lab is archiving data especially useful for cities making climate decisions. However, some data sets are only available through interactive tools and require extra effort. Public Environmental Data Partners has reconstructed several critical environmental justice tools and the data underlying them. In crisis is opportunity, and these collaborative efforts raise the possibility of making data less siloed and more responsive to community needs.
Beavers Build a $1.2 Million Dam Project for Free | Jonathan Hawken
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The masterful Eurasian beaver. Credit: David Plummer / Alamy Stock Photo
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In a brief but heartwarming tale that will surprise no one familiar with the handy work of beavers, a dam project at a former army training site in the Czech Republic has been stalled since 2018— despite having $1.2 million EUR of authorized funding at ready. Meanwhile, a small beaver family took matters into their own paws to just get it done, building four dams “almost overnight” and are now working on a fifth. It’s a striking reminder that when humans step aside, nature not only takes care of itself but sometimes even solves our problems, too. Learn more about the industrious environmental engineers in our Beaver Nexus, or if you’re in the mood for a 45-minute beaver documentary, check out this flick from Real Wild.
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