How Belize Cut Its Debt by Fighting Global Warming – the New York Times
Belize faced an economic meltdown. The pandemic had sent it into its worst ever recession, putting the government on the brink of bankruptcy.
A solution came from unexpected quarters. A local marine biologist offered Prime Minister Johnny Briceño a novel proposal: Her nonprofit would lend the country money to pay its creditors if his government agreed to spend part of the savings this deal would generate to preserve its marine resources.
Voters pass historic climate initiatives in ‘silent surprise’ of US midterms – Guardian
The electoral support at the state and local levels for more climate action comes as world leaders meet at Cop27…“Climate voters were the silent surprise of election night,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, the founder of the Environmental Voter Project. “We weren’t loud, and nobody saw us coming, but we showed up to vote in huge numbers.”
Report Released at COP27 Gives a ‘Terminal Diagnosis’ for Summer Sea Ice – Columbia Climate School
On November 7, the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative released its annual State of the Cryosphere Report (which) presents troubling news of present and projected impacts on the world’s ice…but offers hope that future harms can be limited by rapid and sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions…
On the way to climate hell: Will COP27 negotiations enforce climate action commitments? – Forbes India
The debate of economic growth versus environment is central to our times and at the heart of the climate negotiations of COP27. Escalating climate events worldwide show that we are living on borrowed time.
Cop27: coral conservation groups alarmed over ‘catastrophic losses’ – the Guardian
You don’t have to travel far from the sprawling convention center that’s staging the UN climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to see what’s at stake. This coastal resort town is fringed by an ecosystem seemingly facing worldwide cataclysm from global heating – coral reefs….
The Reality of Recycling Plastic
Industry makes 380 million tons of plastic every year and none of it is truly recyclable.
Greenpeace has just released a report in October calling out the plastic industry for greenwashing the status of plastic recycling by continuing to employ the familiar “chasing arrows” recycling symbol on their products, when the truth is that recycling plastic has been a near-complete failure…
Playing sea soundscapes can summon thousands of baby oysters, and help regrow oyster reefs – PHYS.ORG
(H)ealthy reefs are surprisingly noisy…a cacophony of sound: crackles and pops from fish as they feed …If this soundscape is present, it tells oyster larvae it’s a healthy habitat… a useful cue if you’re a baby oyster looking for a rock to settle on and begin growing your shell…
‘Plastics Detective’ Imogen Napper traces pollution to the source – National Geographic
As a marine scientist and researcher and National Geographic Explorer, Imogen Napper thinks a lot about plastic….(She) has spent years sweeping the world for traces of plastic where it doesn’t belong, and finding creative solutions to the problem of plastic pollution…
Surfers, miners fight over South Africa’s white beaches – PHYS.ORG
Diamonds, zircon and other minerals have long been extracted in the sandy coastline near the Olifants river, which flows into the Atlantic about 300 kilometres (180 miles) north of Cape Town.
But plans to expand the mining have angered surfers, animal lovers and residents in this remote, sparsely populated region—and they are pushing back with lawsuits and petitions.