Climate Action - Blog Posts
Maybe I am just overreacting. Maybe it is just British weather. But I just can't shake this feeling of doubt and concern. The weather has been getting more and more extreme each year too. Sure, I've always known it was important and dangerous, but I've never felt this way about climate change before, and it's starting to concern me.
If you're feeling anxious or depressed about the climate and want to do something to help right now, from your bed, for free...
Start helping with citizen science projects
What's a citizen science project? Basically, it's crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!
You don't need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases
Like labeling trees in aerial photos so that scientists have better datasets to use for restoration.
Or counting cells in fossilized plants to track the impacts of climate change.
Or digitizing old atmospheric data to help scientists track the warming effects of El Niño.
Or counting penguins to help scientists better protect them.
Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.
Oh, and btw, you don't have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.
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I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can't participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.
Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help
Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.
Justicia para Puerto Rico!
Let’s sign and share to support relief efforts for Puerto Rico
2019 Temperature By the Numbers
The Year
2nd Hottest
2019 was the second-hottest year since modern record keeping began. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration work together to track temperatures around the world and study how they change from year to year. For decades, the overall global temperature has been increasing.
Over the long term, world temperatures are warming, but each individual year is affected by things like El Niño ocean patterns and specific weather events.
The global temperature is an average, so not every place on Earth had its second-warmest year. For instance, the continental U.S. had a cold October, but Alaska set records for high temperatures. The U.S. was still warmer than average over the year.
Globally, Earth’s temperature in 2019 was more than 2°F warmer than the late 19th Century.
The Record
140 years
Since 1880, we can put together a consistent record of temperatures around the planet and see that it was much colder in the late-19th century. Before 1880, uncertainties in tracking global temperatures are larger. Temperatures have increased even faster since the 1970s, the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
10 years
The last decade was the hottest decade on record.
20,000 Individual Observations
Scientists from NASA use data from more than 20,000 weather stations and Antarctic research stations, together with ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures to track global temperatures.
The Consequences
90%
As Earth warms, polar ice is melting at an accelerated rate. The Arctic is warming even faster than the rest of the planet. This northern summer, 90% of the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet melted.
8 inches
Melting ice raises sea levels around the world. While ice melts into the ocean, heat also causes the water to expand. Since 1880, sea levels globally have risen approximately 8 inches, although regional rates of sea level rise can be even higher.
100+ fires
As temperatures increase, fire seasons burn hotter and longer. During June and July 2019, more than 100 long-lived and intense wildfires burned north of the Arctic circle. This year also saw intense, record-setting fires in Australia.
46% increase in CO2 levels
This decades-long warming trend is the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, released by human activities.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
being a part of the forest feels good
for all of you guys getting anxious about the environment and pollution
y’all deserve to hear the good news too, and yes i fact checked these.
7 miles of habitat for bees will be planted in london
the biggest coal plant in north america has been converted to solar panels
roads in edinburgh will close once a month to help pollution
maine has banned styrofoam
new york city and los angeles have both made “green new deals”
The london marathon replaced 200,000 single use water bottles with seaweed water pods
the bees in notre dame survived the fire, and the roof could possibly built in a more eco-friendly way.
the population of flightless kakapos (a cool bird) is rising
the carbon emissions in the uk are the lowest they’ve been since 1998
Another large bee habitat (.5 mil acres) has been created
there is a robot that delivers young coral to help repopulate the great barrier reef
portugal plans to stop using plastic on fruit, vegetables, and bread by 2020
106 new species of bees have been discovered in australia since 2010
a group of Sikhs plan to plant 1,000,000 trees as a gift to the earth
disney has made a mickey-shaped solar farm
Morgan freeman turned a 124 acre ranch in mississippi to a bee habitat
China plans on making a “forest city” to help clean up their air
An increasing amount of countries and states are beginning to ban single use plastics.
A couple replanted a whole forest in brazil (2.7 mil trees) in 20 years, and the animals have come back to live there
The hole in the ozone layer is repairing itself more each year
China plans on spending 360 billion dollars to improve renewable energy and has scrapped plans for coal powered plants that were going to be built.
A national park has been built in the amazon (3.3 mil acres in peru) to preserve the rainforest
Ireland and the uk have declared a climate emergency
The guy who played aquaman (jason momoa) has spent 31,000 dollars to help clean up plastic
South korea is now recycling 95% of food waste
There is a cleanup campaign being planned for mt. everest
Puerto rico wants to use all renewable energy by 2050 and is setting official goals for that
Some schools have special water bottle fill-up stations that encourage you to use refill and reuse plastic bottles rather than throwing them out after one use, these are becoming more common.
9 endangered species are thought to make a comeback this year
20 countries in africa are planning to make a “green wall” of trees and plants that will span the width of africa to stop desertification
recently, a lot of volunteers and organizations are planting a ton of trees.
Awareness about the environment and climate change is growing super fast right now among people and countries, which will only help us
Most pollution is caused by like 100 companies, but a few of those (like pepsi) are trying to cut down on that.
if this stuff keeps happening things will get even better, and the only thing stopping us really are those big companies who don’t want to pay the money to switch to more eco-friendly energy sources. i know the media tends to cause fear and stress about this stuff for a lot of people, but there really is hope.
easy things we can do:
Recycle
Plant gardens in your yard for bees if you can
Participate in community volunteer things that plant trees and gardens
Theres this search engine called ecosia that plants a tree for every 45 searches you make, it has almost 2 mil users.
Pick up trash if you see it when you’re at the beach or in nature
If you have a fair amount of money, consider donating some to trustworthy environmental organizations
Start using a reusable water bottle (like those ones at target) rather than relying on single use plastic ones.
Cut the plastic rings on plastic milk bottles. You know, the little spiky plastic ring near the cap. Birds get those things stuck around their neck and die, so cut them so that they can’t get stuck on a neck.
If you can afford it, get some of those reusable grocery bags and sue those. most grocery stores have them, and it saves a lot of waste.
Journey to zero waste #23 🌱💚
A good day!! Got coffee with my bud and did a little thriftin!
-the most convenient zero waste swap is a mason jar! Mason jars are perfect for storing things, used for take out, bulk shopping, and my favorite iced coffee
-did a little thrifting! It can be super tempting at times to but from fast fashion stores but a little thrifting and you can find just what you’re looking for and so much cheaper! I wanted woven sandals and if I had bought the ones I wanted they would have been $120 but I got these for $2.99!!!
-also working a lot harder to buy things from thrift stores I’ve either really been wanting if am most definitely going to wear! Just because it’s from a thrift store doesn’t mean you need to buy it!
“we’re ruining the planet” i’m sorry who is this we i don’t recall myself running a billion dollar oil business
When people say that major corporations and industries are responsible for global warming and that we can do very little to make a difference, I totally agree with/understand/ respect that.
But like, that’s not where it ends?
We need to realise that our money and the choices we make in everyday life have massive effects on how industries are run.
Using paper straws wont do shit in the grand scheme of things, but when you go to your local shop and look at the straws on offer, what do you now see?
Less plastic and more paper, because they know that’s what we want and what we will buy.
In the long run, stuff like that does make a difference.
It’s the same with veganism, we see more vegan food/places because demand has been created. Money will be made here, less land is used, no animals die, less waste and less pollution.
And it’s not out of the kindness of some CEOs heart, it because they want you to buy THEIR tofu and not someone else’s.
If we have this “it won’t make a difference” attitude then nothing will ever change.
We have power over companies and we should use it.
So use that paper straw, get the reusable bag, eat less meat, do whatever you want to do to have a positive impact in the world and don’t ever feel like you’re not making a difference because you are
Journey to zero waste #22 🌱💚
-homegrown blueberries!! They tasted so good and we were so excited to pick them (hence my little sisters thumbs up). Our garden is coming along too with peppers, cabbage, beets, and just about every other vegetable we could plant. Growing our own produce makes me so happy it’s so gratifying
-low waste farmers market meal 🌻 made this meal as low waste as possible using pretty much everything from the farmers market except some vegan cheese which I will make myself once I finish up what we have!
If every working-class person in the world decided this afternoon to install solar panels on their roofs and started biking instead of driving, the ice caps would still melt and the human race would still die off. It simply isn’t possible to end climate change while working within a system that sends all your products overseas in massive supertankers wrapped in unrecycled plastic that will be thrown in a landfill the moment it hits land - and practices like that aren’t going to go away because of your purchasing habits.
Nor are we gonna hit some magical point where using clean energy and reducing waste are suddenly the cheapest or most profitable option and so all the world’s big companies fall over each other to switch over. That has never been the case and never will be - the “free market” isn’t going to save us.
The fact of the matter is, this system needs to be torn down if our species is to survive. We don’t have time to delay the revolution anymore. Capitalism is extinction.
Homemade vegan pesto pizza don’t mind if I do 😍😍😍
Simple guide on how to create less waste
I’m really scared for my future. I feel like I’m gonna die way too young on this burning planet because 50 yo politicians don’t gaf about the environment.
Is it just me or has anyone else recently noticed more people and mainstream media are talking more about climate change? Are more people FINALLY realizing this is a serious issue and the state of the future is at risk?
not to get all fake deep about the state of manufacturing rn but a piece of a plastic bottle is literally gonna outlive the memory of us by dozens of generations
Image via/from the London UK School Strike
From the school strike outside Town Hall in Sydney. Look at all these amazing signs! Look at all these amazing people demanding a better future from our politicians! I’m so proud!
solving Climate Change is like a high school Group Project except with 7 billion people
If ur highkey pissed off that eco-activism is constantly written off as reefer hippie bullshit so much so that even the lower class, who would normally benefit from it, are willing to push this false narrative of giving a fuck about the earth being bad or embarassing, all because the capitalists who brainwash them would sooner watch it die than lose a single dollar, and it all makes you sick to your fucking stomach, clap your hands
Straws are the Beginning
I’ve seen a few posts ranting that stopping our usage of straws isn’t going to save the planet. And that’s true. But the point of it is that straws are a good starting point because almost everyone uses them. They’re commonplace in restaurants, cafes, and even in some households. However, straws themselves aren’t necessarily the problem. The problem is single-use plastic. In reality, we should be focusing on cutting our usage of any item we use once and throw away, but everyone’s focused on straws because of how many are used. But if we can get society to cut them out, it’s one less thing to worry about. After straws, it could be plastic cutlery or unnecessary wrapping on food. If you’re angry that the anti-plastic movement is primarily about straws right now, don’t be. Understand that it’s an easy way to bring about the banishment of single-use plastic in everyone else’s everyday lives and it’s also a gateway for unconcerned people to learn about what their usage does to the planet and feel inspired to make a change in their lives. If you still want to be angry, boycott the corporations that don’t care about their impact and support those that do. You can also work to educate those around you that while cutting out straws is a good start, we need to be making more drastic changes if we want to stop the catastrophic course we’re on right now.
TBH saving the planet and the lives of thousands of animals is the best feeling in the world and I wouldn’t change it for mediocre bacon or steak. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
psa : don’t throw out things you need in the process of becoming more minimalistic just because they don’t fit your standards anymore. use what you have, that’s what sustainability is all about
gentle ways to help the earth
• bring your own bags to the market
• always recycle (simple but very effective)
•use a menstrual cup (goddesses, TRUST me)
• use a reusable water bottle
• use the same towel more than once (i typically pick one towel and use it for my shower for a week instead of using a different one every day) EDIT: yes, a LOT of people use a different towel everyday, i’ve been getting a lot of comments about this..
• unplug everything (instead of just turning off the lamp, unplug it)
• if you see trash, pick it up
• go thrifting
• donate (clothes, furniture, shoes, etc.)
• skip the paper receipt and get it sent to your email instead
• buy local
• open the windows instead of using a/c
• fill your house with plants
my possible career choices: cloud flower
Last weekend, I published my first piece in a weekly newsletter I'm starting called "Climate Chronicle." This first letter is intended to serve as a reminder of the urgency of immediate action on climate change, an introduction to the concept behind this newsletter, and a review of the book The Future We Choose--which inspired this periodical. I hope you'll take the time to give it a read, let me know what you think, and subscribe to the newsletter to join me on this journey of chronicling the climate crisis as we seek to stop it.
Today's weather ☁️
Can anyone tell the name of above type of 💭?
