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5 big ways U.S. communities are working to minimize harm from climate change
July 31, 2024 — How can communities prepare for the adverse conditions that climate change is bringing our way? A recent report from the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit research organization working to enhance quality of life in the New York City area, has taken a whack at answering that question. By analyzing 54 plans that communities around the U.S. have put into place for building resilience in the face of change and adapting to changes as they occur, the group aimed to find commonalities, call out exemplary approaches and present options for other communities in the process of developing their own plans. Their conclusion: A lot is going on, but a lot more needs to happen — and soon.
A five-star recipe for cutting food waste?
July 11, 2024 — A comprehensive report on food waste published in March by the United Nations Environment Programme shares some sobering statistics: In 2022, people around the world wasted the equivalent of more than 1 billion meals each day. But the key take-home message is a far more encouraging one. In addition to scoping the extent of food waste, the report offers a specific strategy for reducing it and shares case studies that show the strategy really works — with benefits for people and the environment alike that far outweigh the costs.
E-waste generation is accelerating five times faster than recycling rates. What to do about it?
May 3, 2024 — At first glance, one might consider it good news: The volume of electronic waste recycled is growing. At a closer look, the statistics are less savory: E-waste generation is accelerating five times faster. In The Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, released in March, the United Nations...
As Egypt’s economy dips, sustainable fashion soars
Editor’s note: This story is part of a collaboration between Ensia and. Egab exploring environmental efforts by communities facing potentially more urgent concerns such as war and poverty. Egab is a media startup that helps young local journalists from across the Middle East and Africa get published in regional and international media outlets, with a focus on solutions journalism.
In search of the last saola
February 15, 2024 — “I’ve seen grown men reduced to tears in the Annamite Mountains,” says wildlife biologist Lorraine Scotson of the mountain range along the border of Laos and Vietnam. “[Men] who are physically fit and really strong, adventurous types.” There’s a “claustrophobia that gets introduced” when you’re in these forest-covered mountains, she says.
If you care about conservation, read this
December 18, 2023 — For the past decade and a half, a team led by Cambridge University conservation biologist William Sutherland has engaged scientists and practitioners from around the world in a unique annual activity: conducting a horizon scan to identify the top emerging technological, political, economic and related shifts most likely to have a substantial effect on biodiversity around the world in the year ahead. Over the years, the list has helped illuminate intended and unintended consequences in a way that offers benefit to both policy and practice.
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