Climate Action
5 Things You Didn’t Know, You Didn’t Know
August 12, 2024
From rising sea levels to increasing extreme weather events, there is much to be concerned about with our environment. And while it’s important to stay informed on current climate issues, scrolling through negative headline after negative headline can be distressing. Remember, the positive is equally important.
From breakthroughs in green energy, to wins in climate-related policies, change is happening in real time. Here are 5 stories from around the world highlighting some positive eco-related happenings, as well as bringing awareness to areas where we can improve.
China Rejects Meat
China’s government is trying to encourage their population of 1.4 billion, which represents 18% of the world population, to stop eating meat! Their goal is to halve the country’s meat consumption by 2030. The average Chinese citizen eats around 63 kgs of meat every year and while this might be dwarfed by the 143 kg the average American consumes in the same time period, so far, no government in the west has taken on the challenge of reducing their population’s meat consumption.
New Chinese dietary guidelines recommend consuming between 40 g to 75 g of meat per person per day, which is the equivalent of 14 kg to 27 kg a year. These guidelines have been made into infographics and public service announcements, encouraging the Chinese public to join the ‘movement’. If China is successful in applying this voluntary meat rationing by 2030, carbon and methane emissions from China’s livestock industry could be reduced by 1 billion metric tons.
Your Dryer Is a Unit Guzzler — Get a Line!
The United States of America is the second biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, releasing 6 BILLION tons of it a year (second only to China). On average every American is responsible for 16. 2 metric tons per capita, per year, but there is one easy way to start reducing this figure – and quickly. Dump the drier!
Refrigerators and washing machines are the big electricity guzzlers in the home but in third place comes the sneaky drier. While over 80% of American homes own one, in comparison, only 6% of Italians households do. In Europe, line drying is the norm – as well as in many other countries around the world.
If all Americans who currently don’t use a clothesline started to use one for just ten months of the year, we could avoid 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, annually. Here are some more additional benefits: no need to worry about pilling or shrinkage resulting in ruined clothing; and sunlight naturally bleaches and disinfects!
Europe Is Not All Hot Air
Northern Portugal has announced it is building a huge new wind farm in 2025. It will have a capacity of 274 Mega Watts able to support the annual electricity consumption of 128,000 homes. The farm will be incorporated into a hydroelectric complex called Tâmega, making it the largest hybrid energy project in Portugal.
If this development is successful, the hope is that it will motivate more countries to invest in forms of renewable energy. In addition to the environmental benefits, renewable energy can improve energy security and bolster economies.
One of the Sunniest Places on Earth Hasn’t Gone Solar
Even though the Middle East is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, and is one of the sunniest places on the planet, it has not yet embraced solar power. Many Middle Eastern nations, countries produce less than 1% of their energy needs from wind and solar. With Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all relying on oil and gas, fossil fuels instead.
Although there is enthusiastic talk of backing renewable energy in the Middle East, actual projects have been thin on the ground and slow to develop. Saudi Arabia has a target of 50% renewable electricity by 2030, yet its plans to implement this are unclear. With such favorable climate conditions for renewable energy, especially solar, there’s a strong incentive for these countries to diversify their energy sources — leaning away from gas and oil.
Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away
We hear so much about diversity loss in the news that we sometimes fail to see species success stories. Like the stunning wild Przewalski’s horses that have been released onto Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe. Prague Zoo restored them to their original home on the plains of Central Asia and more just landed there, in the form of stallion Zorro, and two mares, Zeta II and Ypsilonka, bringing the total number of horses back on the Steppe to the magical number of seven. The hopes are that they will breed and form a new herd.
By the end of the 1960s, the only Przewalski’s horses in existence were in human care at the Prague Zoo. Now, finally after 15 years of hard work, they’re back galloping across their ancestral home. Wild and free. Long may they gallop!
It is important to stay on top of environmental news! You can read stories on environmental updates here at EARTHDAY.ORG and remember — try not to overwhelm yourself, find balance between the positive and the negative because there are lots of good news stories too!
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