Leonardo Dicaprio continues to be a leader in the fight against climate change. He announced his plans to distribute grants totalling 15 million dollars to several organizations to aid initiatives protecting oceans, rainforests and that bring greater international awareness to the effects of carbon emissions.
Listening to the radio this morning and a discussion about the rising cost of food--an eight dollar cauliflower. I buy a winter organic food basket, and guess what, it protects me from these outside market forces, much of which are fuelled ironically by the dropping costs of oil. So, by buying locally, and thereby seasonally, it is also economically great, an unanticipated co-benefit of trying for a healthier life-style.
Something to think about on a Friday afternoon.
NASA and NOAA scientists have just warned lawmakers to act now, after record smashing year of global warming.
We have all contributed to climate change, through the lifestyles we lead and enjoy; we have an opportunity, however, to influence the amount of future climate change to which we adapt. The one choice we don’t have is a no climate change future.
Charging for plastic bags at grocery and retail locations was predicted to be a huge drawback for businesses when it was implemented in some countries. The stats we have today show that not only is that not the case, and in fact most people readily either embraced re-useable bag use, or leaned to re-use older plastic ones. The reality is that it’s not only that some people want to save the environment, it’s that most people want to save their hard earned dollar.
Since COP 21 in Paris, I keep thinking and thinking about what the critical first steps are towards achieving a carbon neutral economy. First, we need to immediately end all oil and gas subsidies. Second, we need to develop a transition strategy for leaving oil in the ground, the 'stranded assets'. And third, we need to begin to measure what counts, and in this video Mathis Wackernagel explains how to measure sustainable development. At the end, he asks some very provocative questions that we should all begin to ask of ourselves and our decision makers.
This article from the New York Times examines some of the practical realities the United States will face to achieve Paris climate goals. When is it best to ask, and when is it the time to tell?
This agreement has never been more timely. The pictures in this article are a graphic warning that there is no time to waste in accelerating the adoption of renewable energy, a broad commitment to raise and diversify R&D spending on the rapid adoption of more sustainable transportation systems, and continuing innovation from business leaders on the take-up of hybrid and electric vehicles worldwide.
I have struggled in my own research to integrate the arts into communicating our research outcomes, in the belief that if you engage both the heart and the mind, people will move more to action.