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December 2019

TOP 'GOOD NEWS' ENVIRONMENTAL STORIES FROM 2019 By: Bonnie Kosco, C.A.R.E. Administrator

Although we are constantly bombarded by negative stories of chaos, destruction, and crisis regarding climate change, and it can be difficult to find hope in a world facing a climate crisis, there was some good news in 2019, according to Sustainable Business Consulting , Enjoy these five good new environmental stories and let's keep working together to achieve more positive news in 2020!

GLOBAL RESTRICTIONS ON PLASTICS

YOUTH CLIMATE CHANGE UPRISING

CLEAN ENERGY REPLACING FOSSIL FUELS

According from a report from UN Environment, at least 127 countries (of 192 reviewed) had adopted some form of legislation to regulate plastic bags as of July 2018 . This March, the European Union took a giant step to  ban a wide range of single-use plastic items , including straws and cutlery. Europe is leading the way in environmental protection, and a growing wave to reduce single-use plastic has gained steam, with  straw bans  and  plastic bag bans  spreading across the US. Most recently, California passed a bill for a  75% reduction in single-use plastics , and Maine voted to  ban single-use plastic shopping bags statewide . In a move towards banning all solid waste by 2040, Vancouver became the  first major Canadian city   to ban plastic straws. The motion passed by city council also banned the distribution of foam cups and takeout containers, and was effective June 1, 2019. ‌

As climate change has risen in mainstream awareness, the youth has found its voice as climate activists and environmental advocates, stood up for  climate change through school strikes  that grow in numbers each week. On its 42nd week, young people were showing that they are passionate about sustainability and fighting for their future. As a result,  Ireland and Britain have declared climate emergencies , and companies are urging governments to commit to  significant emissions reductions . On December 11, Swedish Teen Activist, Greta Thunburg, was named Time Magazine's 2019 Person of the Year. Thunburg has mobilized millions of people to fight climate change and condemned leaders’ inaction. “She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year, coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement,” Time Editor in Chief Edward Felsenthal said on NBC’s “Today” show.

For the first time, renewable energy  outpaced coal in energy production , making renewable energy, including hydro, solar, and wind, the second largest energy source after natural gas in the US. In addition, renewable energy costs  have also fallen, making even the most expensive renewables competitive with fossil fuels. According to a report published in Futurism , experts predict that continued investment in green infrastructure projects will lead to decreases in the cost of energy for consumers. Continuous technological improvements have led to a rapid fall in the cost of  renewable energy  in recent years, meaning some forms can already comfortably compete with fossil fuels. The report suggests this trend will continue, and that by 2020 “all the renewable power generation technologies that are now in commercial use are expected to fall within the fossil fuel-fired cost range. ‌

A RISING APPETITE FOR PLANT- BASED MEATS The plant-based meat industry has made a huge splash in 2019.  Burger King partnered with the Impossible Burger  to make meatless options more readily accessible, and  McDonald’s recently launched a vegan burger  in Nordic markets. Not to be outdone,  Qdoba and Del Taco  will also offer plant-based meatless meat options throughout the year.  Beyond Meat’s IPO skyrocketed  as the best-performing public offering by a major US company in almost 20 years. The rising appetite for meatless meat will support emissions reductions, as meat alternatives produce  10x less greenhouse gas emissions than beef . There are currently two main, players in the plant-based “meat” market: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. Today, both Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have exploded. Beyond Meat has made big deals with Carl’s Jr., Dunkin, Del Taco and TGI Friday’s to name a few and Impossible Foods products are now in about 10,000 restaurants — including White Castle, Red Robin and Burger King. Although there is an ongoing controversy regarding the health benefits of "ultra-processed" imitations, the new plant-based burgers are winning over meat lovers. The market research firm NPD Group says that 90 percent of the customers purchasing them are meat-eaters who believe the products are more healthful and better for the environment, said Darren Seifer, an analyst at NPD, which  recently  p redicted that plant-based meats will have staying power because of their popularity with millennials. CITIES READY FOR 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY Local city governments are stepping up to address the climate crisis with strong commitments to transition to renewable energy. Over  100 US cities have committed to clean energy , and by some estimates, this  number may quadruple  by the end of 2019. Seattle is taking this a step further, developing a  zero-emission fleet of public transport buses , mandating that all parking structures include  electric vehicle charging stations , and modernizing electrical grids through a grant from the  Washington Clean Energy Fund.   There are two primary types of targets that states are setting: 100 percent renewable energy targets and 100 percent clean energy targets. Though the two types of targets may sound like the same thing, there is actually one major difference between the two of them: whereas renewable energy targets explicitly require that electricity is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, hydro-power, clean energy targets allow for compliance from any non-carbon-emitting resources, such as nuclear generators. Both types of targets result in a 100 percent reduction of carbon emissions from electricity production; however, the means used to reach those targets are rather different. The debate over the role of nuclear energy in a clean energy transition is a divisive one. Paying attention to the specific wording of state targets is an important and illustrative way to keep track of where your community landed in this debate.

‌ ‌  Do YOU Have Green News to Share? Contact Going Green Co-Chairs: Jeanette Bunn Claire de Ruiter