As the greatest environmental issue facing the world today, Climate Change can feel like a difficult—sometimes impossible—adversary. Luckily, the last several years have shown us that change is possible. Our changing climate has begun to surface as a key issue throughout mainstream media (and not just the scientific journals it was largely limited to before). We’ve also seen significant changes in investments to clean energy alongside goals of decarbonizing entire industries and countries.
But exactly how is this being accomplished? And how can we ramp up these efforts to make a real difference (before it’s too late)?
To be blunt: dialogue about climate change, historically, has been predominantly white, male, and based in the Northern Hemisphere. And while this is concerning given the wide number of individuals and communities clearly being left out of the conversation, it becomes even more alarming when you introduce the statistics that climate change disproportionately affects communities and people of color, women, and the global south.
A huge part of recent climate conversations—and an effort that needs to continue to be pushed forward—has been inclusion. The accessibility of information and opening the conversation to individuals and groups who are facing the direst repercussions of climate change is absolutely essential. But we’re nowhere near “good enough.” The climate conversation must continue to recognize and prioritize the need for climate justice and environmental justice for all.
In addition to more inclusive dialogue, another large shift regarding climate change has been the increased push to invest in the planet. Individuals, businesses—even governments—have dedicated themselves to restoring the natural environment by reducing emissions and waste, implementing clean energy, and rebuilding critical habitats and ecosystems that have been negatively impacted.
Solar energy, wind energy, batteries, and electric vehicles have all seen an increase in both efficiency and cost reduction over the past decade. In fact, costs of solar and wind energy have decreased a whopping 67% between them. Building a solar or wind farm from scratch now costs less than doing the same with a coal or gas plant.
Since 2020, the clean energy sector has grown 12%, and it’s now believed that the global generating capacity of solar and wind is between 8% – 9%. This percentage is expected to continue rising significantly with new innovations and improvements to current clean energy technology.
Reduce, reuse, recycle. You’ve heard it before, no doubt, and it’s just as relevant now (if not more) as it was in our childhoods. All three of these practices are critical for reducing energy usage as well as CO2 and methane gas emissions. At individual, business, and municipal levels, these practices can have a substantial impact.
By swapping out reusables for disposables (e.g., dishes, cutlery, water bottles), reducing plastic usage, and thrifting or repurposing instead of buying new, we avoid the wasted energy usage of making something from scratch as well as the ever-increasing plastic waste building up in our landfills and oceans.
Replanting trees does a lot to repair deforestation and collect carbon from the atmosphere, but even more is needed than this effort alone. Once planted, forests need to be properly managed (this is where nonprofits and governmental entities often come into play), and ecosystems need more than trees to survive.
In order to fight back against the negative impacts of climate change, many organizations have been helping to repair—sometimes even recreate—damaged or destroyed ecosystems. By reintroducing native plants and wildlife, removing and relocating invasive species, and providing proper maintenance to these regions, groups have been able to recreate vital habitats that help absorb carbon from the air and allow nature to flourish.
At the end of the day, climate change isn’t a “you and I” thing—it’s a “we” thing. Even if every individual on earth were to achieve a completely sustainable lifestyle, it wouldn’t do much to stand against the just 90 companies producing two-thirds of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. We have to unite as individuals, as businesses, as industries, and as governments to create change on a mass scale. And while we’ve certainly got the ball rolling, we can’t stop anytime soon!
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Regenerative agriculture is the practice of enriching the land through farming and other agricultural practices; an effort that has been led by Indigenous Communities for thousands of years. Rather than stripping the ground of its nutrients, regenerative practices add to the health and strength of the soil and the overall ecosystem. In essence, it’s a decolonization of agriculture. 1“Regenerative Agriculture 101,” Natural Resources Defense Council ≫; “Native Growers Decolonize Regenerative Agriculture,” Green America ≫
Regenerative agriculture, as noted by One Earth, is “a pathway to an abundant and resilient future . . . shifting from the narrative of human dominion to one of healing our relationship with the Earth.” As a result, farms become more resistant to climate-related threats such as drought, flooding, and extreme shifts in temperature.2“Regenerative Agriculture and Food Systems,” One Earth ≫
Sustainable agriculture is the final step toward achieving regenerative agriculture. This is accomplished, in part, through the introduction of practices to improve environmental health, reduce the use of freshwater and harmful pesticides, and improve carbon storage in the soil.