Climate Action Is ElemenTree, My Dear Watson 🌳🕵️

It’s been a big week for forests. Two old-growth forests and hundreds of species of birds are now getting the protection they need, thanks to efforts across Bangladesh, Canada, and the United States. Keep reading to learn more.

But first… check out the ‘23 Climate Creators To Watch List, compiled by Pique Action in collaboration with Harvard Chan C-Change, featuring up-and-coming climate creators you should follow! I was honored to be chosen for the list last year, and can’t wait to discover more creators who are producing entertaining and educational content that’s reshaping the climate narrative, combating misinformation, and empowering people to take climate action.

Tongass National Forest Gets Protected (Again)

😊  The Good News - The USDA has reinstated logging and road-building restrictions at the Tongass National Forest, which covers over 16 million acres in Southeast Alaska, after the Trump Administration repealed the restrictions. This announcement comes after indigenous communities and conservation groups fought to restore the protections.

🥾  Follow This Path - I covered the initial announcement about reinstating these restrictions in my first ever Good Climate News video, and it warms my heart to be able to tell you it finally happened nearly a year and a half later. Protecting old-growth forests, like the Tongass, is vital to addressing climate change, as old-growth trees sequester far more carbon than new-growth ones.

Oslo To Soon Have Fully Electric Public Transit System

😊  The Good News - Oslo has announced its public transit system will be fully electric by the end of this year, making it the first fully electric public transit system in the world. The city will invest nearly $50 million over the next few months to transition the last of its diesel buses to electric in order to move closer to its goal of having Oslo reduce its emissions by 95% by 2030.

🥾  Follow This Path - While Oslo is expected to be the first, it certainly shouldn't be the last city to have a fully electric public transit system. We need to reduce car use and make cities more walkable while expanding public transit to address climate change, and Oslo is proving that with the right regulations and incentives, systemic climate action is possible.

Community-Run Bird Sanctuaries In Bangladesh Protect Biodiversity

😊 The Good News - Bangladesh is home to over 700 species of bird, but the populations have significantly declined over the past 30 years due to deforestation. To combat this, Bangladeshi officials have worked directly with local communities since 2017, and now the nation has nearly 100 community-run bird sanctuaries to boost biodiversity.  

🥾 Follow This Path - We are losing species at unprecedented rates, and the biodiversity crisis is directly linked to climate change. And while indigenous communities protect 80% of global biodiversity, they are often left out of conservation efforts. But this program in Bangladesh is proving that community-run conservation efforts are vital to addressing climate change.

Two-Story Tall Mining Truck Goes Zero Emission

😊 The Good News - The world’s largest hydrogen-powered mining truck made its debut in South Africa. Just one of these trucks would emit as much as 700 cars, which is why the mining company Anglo American partnered with First Mode to retrofit a hydrogen fuel cell onto the diesel mining truck, and now the two companies are retrofitting fleets at seven mines around the world. 

🥾 Follow This Path - We need to make mining as sustainable as possible because we will still need to mine for other resources even after we transition away from coal. Heavy equipment has been difficult to make zero emissions in a way that doesn’t impact operations, but it looks like Anglo-American and First Mode have cracked the code with hydrogen. I hope other industries look towards hydrogen fuel cells as a way to decarbonize. 

British Columbia Permanently Protects Rainforest

😊 The Good News - British Columbia has protected nearly 150,000 acres of old-growth forest just south of Glacier National Park in Canada. The Incomappleux Forest is home to several threatened species, as well as one of the furthest inland temperate rainforests in the world. The protections were announced after scientists said the forest would soon ecologically collapse due to industrial logging.

🥾 Follow This Path - The Incomappleux Forest provides habitat for caribou, grizzly bears, salmon, lichen, and more – all of which are at risk because of climate change and habitat loss. That’s why it’s important to protect old-growth forests, and these protections are also proof that we can’t give up on helping our forests, because advocates campaigned for them for over two decades.

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Written in partnership with Pique Action. Tired of doom-scrolling? You've found your people. Find Pique's positive, educational climate content on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.