Climate Action: Local to Global 📍🌎

France To Replace Short-Haul Flights With Trains 🛬 ➡️ 🚂

😊 The Good News - France announced last year that it planned to ban flights between cities that are connected by a train ride of less than two and a half hours, and the European Commission just approved that plan. France hopes this ban, which is part of the county’s Climate Law, will reduce emissions since short-haul flights account for around 17% of aviation emissions.

🥾 Follow This Path - Aviation industry emissions must be reduced to address climate change, and one of the best ways we can reduce that number is by improving public transportation infrastructure and ridership. I made a trip to Europe last year and essentially did what France’s ban will do. I only took public transportation once I landed, and I easily made it to every place I had planned on visiting. I hope this ban is used as a blueprint for other countries to reduce their emissions, and I’m curious to see if the European Union as a whole will adopt a similar approach.

LA Says No To New Oil And Gas ❌⛽️

😊 The Good News - Last week the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to ban all new oil and gas drilling within the city as well as phase out any existing projects. The current 26 fields and over 5,000 wells will have 20 years to cease operations. Climate activists are calling this vote a win for climate justice since these fossil fuel operations are located primarily in low-income and BIPOC neighborhoods, and living near oil and gas facilities has been shown to adversely impact human health.

🥾 Follow This Path - The science is abundantly clear – if we want to combat the climate crisis, we cannot keep drilling for oil and gas. I applaud the Los Angeles City Council’s decision to phase out fossil fuel operations within city limits, and I hope this ban helps bring some long-overdue climate justice to the area. California often sets the bar for environmental protection, so I expect to see more cities pass similar bans in the near future.

Negotiations Start On Global Plastics Treaty 📝

😊 The Good News - Earlier this year, the United Nations Member States agreed to negotiate a global treaty to address plastic pollution by 2024, and over 2,000 representatives from 160 countries just met for the first of five planned rounds of negotiations in Uruguay. The first round of negotiations ended in a debate over whether the treaty should be global and mandatory, or voluntary and led by individual countries. The second round is expected to take place sometime after April.

🥾 Follow This Path - Each year the world produces over 300 million tons of plastic waste, and that number is expected to nearly triple by 2050. A treaty to address this is long overdue because plastic waste significantly contributes to climate change, impacts human health, and harms ecosystems. I'll be watching the negotiations closely (and updating you all along the way) in hopes of seeing a plan that cleans up existing plastic waste in addition to limiting its production.

Indigenous Group In Brazil Secure Forest Protection 🌳

😊 The Good News - A cooperative of Pataxó indigenous people has created an ecological corridor in Brazil that has restored over 500 acres of forest so far. The Foresters and Reforesters Work Cooperative of the Pataxó Boca de Mata Indigenous village have been working since 2018 to protect and restore their traditional lands, and the Pataxó people as a whole have been trying to create an ecological corridor in the area since 2005.

🥾 Follow This Path - Allowing indigenous peoples to tend their lands in accordance with their centuries-old traditions is a climate solution that could help sequester 687-786 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050. To put that into perspective, 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide is equivalent to the annual emissions of 200,000 passenger vehicles. Brazil, in particular, has historically not allowed indigenous people to manage their lands, and this has contributed to deforestation throughout the Amazon Rainforest. I’m excited that the Pataxó people are finally able to manage some of their lands, and I hope Brazil allows the cooperative to restore more forests in the country.

Hawaii Corals Get A New Lease On Life 🪸

😊 The Good News - The Nature Conservancy just took out a $2 million protective insurance policy on Hawaii’s coral reefs. The policy is the first to cover a natural structure in the United States, and the Nature Conservancy will use money from the insurance policy whenever a reef is hit by a severe storm to restore the reef either through growing new corals or reattaching coral fragments.

🥾 Follow This Path - Coral reefs around the world are being degraded by climate change-induced storms and ocean acidification, as well as pollution and tourism. Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection, but finding funds to restore them has been difficult for many countries. It's commendable that the Nature Conservancy has taken action instead of waiting for a policy to be enacted, and I hope other conservation groups take out similar insurance policies on fragile natural structures to help protect and restore them.

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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.