We’re Breaking Up With Big Oil

Australia Blocks Coal Mine For First Time To Protect Great Barrier Reef 🪸

😊 The Good News - The Australian government rejected a proposal for a coal mine that was set to be built less than 10 miles from the Great Barrier Reef. This is the first time Australia has used environmental laws to reject a coal mine, and it was done to both meet the nation’s climate goals and to protect the already damaged reef.

🥾 Follow This Path - The Great Barrier Reef has been experiencing mass coral bleaching events in recent years due to climate change and pollution, and it is only becoming clearer with every UN climate report that we cannot keep expanding fossil fuel production if we want to keep warming under 1.5°C. I hope Australia continues to block new fossil fuel developments and expand renewable energy production.

Biden Signs Law To Reduce Food Waste 🍎

😊 The Good News - President Biden recently signed the Food Donation Improvement Act into law to help reduce food waste. The law is an amendment to the Emerson Act, which helped protect large donors of food from legal liability, and this amendment aims to further to expand food donation.

🥾 Follow This Path - Food waste is responsible for a staggering 8% of global emissions, and the United States is one of the worst countries for it. I used to deal a lot with food waste when working at a composting facility, and so much of it could have been donated if laws were different. This is why I’m so excited to see the impact this new law will have.

First Nations Secure Two New Marine Protected Areas In Canada 🇨🇦

😊 The Good News - First Nations leaders have established two new marine protected areas (MPAs) around Vancouver Island to protect biodiversity. The 8 square mile Gwa̱xdlala/Nala̱xdlala MPA will be located on the northeastern coast, and the 51,000 square mile Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxwiqak — Tsig̱is MPA will be located nearly 60 miles off the west coast of the island.

🥾 Follow This Path - Indigenous peoples around the globe are already the biggest protectors of biodiversity, but First Nations leaders in Canada are taking it to a whole new level. They have been major proponents of all the recent land and water conservation announcements in the country, and I hope they are successful in meeting the goal of protecting 30% of Canada’s ecosystems by 2030.

Two Companies Partner Together To Sequester Carbon Dioxide With Concrete 🏗️

😊 The Good News - The Canadian company and NextNow spotlight CarbonCure has partnered with American company Heirloom Carbon Technologies to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air and then mineralize the gas in concrete for the first time in history. The process will help store carbon in the concrete for centuries.

🥾 Follow This Path - Seeing companies I’ve talked about before making progress towards scaling up their climate solutions is one of my favorite parts of being a climate communicator. Even though we can’t entirely rely on carbon capture to combat the climate crisis, we will still need it, and this partnership is showing its true potential.

United States Halts Drilling Permits In Greater Chaco Region 📝

😊 The Good News - A federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Department of Interior illegally approved nearly 200 drilling permits in the culturally significant Greater Chaco Region of New Mexico. The decision comes after years of work from indigenous and environmental groups, and it halts the approval of new permits in addition to suspending the existing ones.

🥾 Follow This Path - Far too often, lands with cultural significance for indigenous communities are destroyed, and it is rare to see courts side with historically marginalized Although this one ruling doesn’t make up for all the environmental injustices BIPOC communities have suffered, I hope it will influence other courts decisions in our climate fight.

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