Last fall, my friend Aisha read an article that freaked her out about methane because the headline *literally* told her it was "time to freak out about methane." It explained how methane is super-charging climate change, so she went straight to Twitter—as any well-informed masochist would—and learned about a methane plume over Russia so large that you could see it from space.
“From space!” she said, and I could hear the vortex of doom churning in her brain. Later, while she was rinsing out a plastic container to recycle, she started obsessing about the plume. “I was overwhelmed by how badly things are going and how we need systemic overhauls,” she said. “So I chucked it into the trash. It’s just the absurdity of trying to save the world by washing this milk jug and meanwhile in freaking Russia … !”
It still makes me laugh. She really showed Russia what’s what! Plus, who hasn’t rage-trashed a recyclable now and then?
But this is why climate doom is dangerous: It leads to apathy and inaction. It’s also straight-up fear mongering: Twitter was a-buzz with methane doom while quieter headlines touting what would become the Global Climate Pledge—a promise from 111 world leaders to reduce emissions in line with 1.5°C—were circulating at the same time, just not at such a frenzied pace.
I asked Aisha if she had heard about the pledge, or about the most aggressive methane rules ever proposed by the U.S., which were also in the works. She hadn’t, but once she did she felt so much better that she dug the jug out of the trash and put it in the recycling bin.
So, in the interest of keeping on keeping on, this month we’re going to focus on climate things going right, even as so many things are going … less right.
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WE CAN STILL MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS |
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A new study sheds light on our state of climate affairs.
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The great news: Actions we’ve already taken have likely averted the most apocalyptic scenarios we feared just a few years ago.
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The good news: Now we have about a 50% chance of limiting warming to 2°C—a goal that once seemed laughably unattainable.
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But: Countries would need to live up to their climate pledges, which they aren’t doing. To reach our preferred goal of 1.5°C, they'd need to promise and achieve even bolder pledges within the next decade—possibly the next 3 years.
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To better understand the history and impacts behind the 1.5°C and 2°C goals, this AP article is a great explainer.
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We remember what it felt like to pull off a grade school science fair project the night before it was due, and channel that energy into heeding the advice in the latest IPCC report: Get off fossil fuels, shore up energy efficiency, conserve land and water, and invest in a more equitable world.
We are already doing the right things, we’re just not doing them fast enough. That said, we’ve made some great progress.
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THE OPTIMIST'S BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS |
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Forget the world’s longest toenails; these achievements are like a pedicure for your soul. |
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For one breezy day in March, wind was the second highest source of U.S. electricity for the first time ever, and California ran on nearly 100% clean energy earlier this month. The offshore wind auction for New York and New Jersey drew 3x more bids than all U.S. offshore oil and gas auctions in the past 5 years, and Delaware just learned it could procure wind power for less than half what it pays for fossil fuels. Knowledge is literally power, Delaware!
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WE'RE ON AN IRREVERSIBLE PATH TO A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY |
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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is funding projects that will make us healthier: |
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How can you put this money to good use in your town? |
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CITIES AND STATES KEEP STEPPING UP |
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Even while federal legislation languishes in limbo. |
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California moved to ban gas cars by 2035, which could set a new standard for the whole auto industry; Washington may one-up California by requiring all cars “sold, purchased, or registered” in the state to be electric by 2030; and EV fleets are coming to Los Angeles and Boston.
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⚠️ CLIMATE ACTION ALERT ⚠️
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Every climate project requires input and support from people like you and me. From here out, showing up to support climate action in our local areas will be essential to meeting our climate goals.
Everyone can learn a lot about perseverance from this powerful conversation with Indigenous leaders who fought for climate justice and won.
Healthcare workers take note: When climate shocks occur, frontline health clinics are a safety net for people whose health is most at risk. We’re putting these clinics—and their patients—at the center of climate resilience. Learn how to be part of it.
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