I read lots of articles about the environment, and sometimes I come away feeling depressed. The endless stream of issues seems so daunting. So many seem unwilling to admit we have a problem. I think of my sweet grandchildren and wonder what kind of world they will face.
To counter this feeling, I went looking for positive articles, and happily, I found quite a few. Here are summaries of and links to some of my favorites.
Ozone Layer Showing ‘Signs of Recovery’
The key point in this article is that the ozone layer is in the process of healing itself, and could perhaps return to its pre-1980 levels by mid-century. Complete healing may well not occur until even later, or even at all, but despite that caveat, this is good news. Even better news is perhaps the way in which this reversal of a problem occurred. People around the world agreed to ban man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used in spray cans and refrigerators, in the 1987 Montreal Protocol. Countries worked together.
According to BBC Weather, “The stratosphere is home to 90 percent of atmospheric ozone. It is here that we find the ‘ozone layer’. Here ozone acts as ‘good ozone’, acting as a vital screen to the earth from damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.”
The Big Energy Debate that Solar Power Has Finally Won
This story explains why the cost of solar energy is dropping enough to make it compatible with energy from fossil fuel sources. The industry was initially supported by government subsidies, but as the article states, “Solor is no longer a charity case.” Rather, its cost has dropped from $150/watt in 1970 to 60 cents/watt today. In different terms, this means that the cost of solar energy per megawatt hour is now $130. In contrast, energy produced from coal costs $147 per megawatt hour, while energy produced from natural gas costs $128 per megawatt hour. In addition, solar energy is installed locally and therefore does not lose more than six percent of the power generated traveling through transmission lines.
Other factors are a new business model that makes the purchase of solar panels somewhat like leasing a car rather than facing a huge payment up front. Finally, the rising cost of electricity will continue to help make solar a fuel source that many more people can afford. The time when fossil fuels are largely a thing of the past is coming sooner than we think.
A look at what the U.S.-China climate deal means for the fight against global warming.
FILE – In this Feb. 26, 2014 file photo (AP Photo, Alexander F. Yuan), children walk back home after school on a severely polluted day in Shijiazhuang, in northern China’s Hebei province.
The United States and China struck an agreement in November 2014 that puts them on a faster track to curbing the “heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming.”
According to the article, here is what the two countries announced:
- China set a target for its emissions to peak in 2030 or earlier. That’s the first time China has set a deadline for stopping its emissions growth.
- China also said it would increase the share of clean energy sources like wind and solar power to 20 percent by 2030, about double what it is today.
- The U.S. set a goal to make its 2025 emissions between 26 and 28 percent lower than they were in 2005. That would be faster than previous goals, and the Obama administration says it would help the U.S. achieve its longer-term goal of bringing emissions 80 percent lower than 2005 by 2050.
China is the biggest source of greenhouse gas pollution, pumping out about a quarter of the world’s emissions. The U.S. is No. 2 with about 15 percent. The two countries are often adversaries at U.N. climate talks, and their breakthrough joint announcement sends an important signal that a deal is possible next year.
Monarch Butterfly Numbers Are Up
This article details “slightly good news” regarding monarch butterfly numbers – up almost 70 percent over last year’s lowest ever numbers to 33 million. However, in 1996-96, the monarch numbers were one billion. The term “slight” is the right descriptive term when you consider the bigger picture. Nevertheless, it is good to have these numbers moving in the right direction.
As we all know, monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants, which have been destroyed in many places by the widespread and/or indiscriminate use of herbicides and pesticides. Various groups are launching new programs to establish milkweed planting. For example, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has partnered with the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation to plant milkweed on the thousands of acres along I-35, a highway that runs from Texas to Minnesota and along which 50 percent of migrating monarchs fly.
In addion, , many people are helping by planting native milkweed in their backyards. Fingers crossed for increasingly better numbers to come as these efforts and more come to fruition!
Good News for the Bees: Supporting Pollinators at Federal Facilities
According to this article, in 1947 six million honey bee colonies helped us pollinate crops. Today, that number is just 2.5 million. These losses threaten global food production and at least 90 commercially grown crops. In fact, pollinators contribute more than $24 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
President Obama believes the Federal Government should lead by example in expanding the acreage and quality of pollinator habitat. As called for in a recent Presidential Memorandum, the government has “released revised guidance on Sustainable Designed Landscapes to help Federal agencies incorporate pollinator friendly practices in new construction, building renovations, landscaping improvements, and in facility leasing agreements at Federal facilities and on Federal lands.”
Federal agencies can have a big impact. Every day, agency managers make routine decisions that can affect pollinator populations, for good or ill. The guide will help ensure that those decisions are for the good.
Each pollinator garden, like this one at the White House, can make a difference.
These good news stories give me hope that people can work together to make things better. They make me believe that each effort, however small or large, can make an important difference.
I am going to plant more milkweed this summer — and I will make sure it is a native of my area. How about you?
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