Lots of Good News (For a Change!). Multiple Wins for the Environment – Hooray!
All too often, I report on the struggles faced by the environment and those of us who want to protect it. But today I have news of several wins for the environment, from all over the world. It’s lovely to be able to write about the good things!
Wins for the Environment – Bees
We all know that bees are in serious trouble all over the world.
Even if you leave out the ethics, it just makes economic sense to protect bees – about 1.4bn jobs and three-quarters of all crops depend on pollinators, mainly bees, which provide free plant fertilisation services worth billions of dollars. Without pollinators, we face serious food problems.
That’s why I was so heartened by Bavaria’s dramatic action.
A petition was launched in this region of southern Germany to change farming practices in order to protect bees – and it was signed by a massive 1.75 million people (wow!).
The original plan was to put the petition to a referendum. But because of the huge number of signatures, the state government instead announced it would simply be written into law! “We are taking the text of the referendum word for word,” said Markus Söder, leader of the conservative CSU party.
The concrete action plans from the petition will now become law in Bavaria:-
- 20% of agricultural land must be organic by 2025, and 30% by 2030.
- Ten per cent of green spaces in Bavaria will be turned into flowering meadows
- Rivers and streams will be better protected from pesticides and fertilisers.
- The farming industry will be given support to carry out the transformation
Hooray!
Wins for the Environment – Climate in the Media
2017 was a lousy year for coverage of the climate crisis in the US media. And in 2018, it got even worse. There was plenty of extreme weather discussed on all the main media, but climate change rarely got a mention.
But in 2019, the year got off to a good start. Whether you like it or hate it, the Green New Deal resolution introduced by Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York launched lots of media debate about climate. At least it’s got people talking about the largest crisis we’ve ever faced.
Now, was it all sensible debate? No.
- Fox News in particular did its fair share of fear-mongering, outright lies and mockery – in particular, alleged sky-high costs (the costs they quote are ridiculous, and even the author won’t back them! Plus, the costs are easily outweighed by the savings).
- The Washington Post did 5-in-a-row editorials on our climate change options, looking sensibly at what was most likely to work.
- A lot of segments looked at everything except climate, discussing whether the resolution would pass, or what Trump had tweeted about it – all sorts of topics, EXCEPT whether it’s a good idea or not. Sigh.
Because Fox and other right-wing media are covering the Green New Deal more than the mainstream and left-wing media, they’re distorting the public debate on climate just as it’s getting going.
But at least the climate crisis is being discussed in the US. Sort of.
Wins for the Environment – Big Oil Loses (Some of) Its Grip on Power
The largest oil companies tend to stick together. It makes sense, Together, they wield a LOT of power, and a lot of lobbying ability. It’s one reason why so there’s so little action on climate change.
But now Royal Dutch Shell – not the largest, but a significant oil company – has broken ranks. Why? Because of climate change. Gosh!
Shell has dropped out of a Washington D.C. industry lobbying group, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, or AFPM. That’s huge.
Shell also said that it might leave nine other industry associations — including the American Petroleum Institute, and the Chamber of Commerce — over climate policy.
Now, before you get too excited, Shell won’t be stopping its oil profits any time soon. It will continue to sell fuels that contribute to climate change. Last year, it raked in $21.4 billion. And it’s also still contributing to lobbying groups that fight efforts to curb carbon emissions .
But compared to other Big Oil companies, Shell is taking a stand. It wants the federal government to regulate greenhouse gases and put money into clean energy.
It’s a great start.
After all, if fewer powerful corporations are standing in the way of taking action on climate change, then climate-curbing legislation is more likely to pass.
Environment Wins – Science Festival Rejects Big Oil Sponsorship
Each year there is an International Science Festival held in Edinburgh in Scotland. It has lots of programmes designed to get schoolchildren interested in science.
Now, it’s banning sponsorships from oil companies, mostly as a result of protests by climate campaigners.
Large companies like to sponsor educational events because it makes them look good. And their money is very useful in expanding the programmes.
But with climate change being such a huge threat, it’s impossible to take money from companies which are helping to destroy the planet and ignoring the science of climate change.
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Warm regards,
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