16 Times Countries and Cities Have Banned Single-Use Plastics We’re going to hit you with some plastic stats. Each year, around 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans. It’s like dumping a rubbish truck full of plastic in the water every single minute. In the US, which accounts for just 4% of the global population, 500 million plastic straws are used every day. Take action: Call on Governments and Business Leaders to Say No to Single-Use Plastics Dear Corporate and Government Leaders, A million plastic bottles are bought every single minute around the globe, and less than half of these are collected for recycling. 1 point to earn Already have an account? or The average supermarket plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to break down. It makes you wonder how we’ve gone so long without realising (or caring?) Luckily, these 15 countries and cities around the world have made serious strides in the race against plastic, and the rest of us can learn a lot from them. 1. Image: Facebook/Ndungu Nyoro 2. 4. 5. Image: TRF/Moraa Obiria 6. 7. 8. 9.
Water Shortage! Ever since the beginning of this nation, Americans have always been able to take for granted that there would always be plenty of fresh water. But unfortunately that is rapidly changing. Due to pollution, corruption, inefficiency and the never ending greed of the global elite, the United States (and the entire world) is heading for a very serious water shortage. Already, there are some areas of the United States where water is the number one local political issue. In fact, water is becoming so scarce in certain areas that some states are actually battling in court over it. Unfortunately, there is every indication that the worldwide water crisis is about to get a lot worse. According to a new report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council, more than one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states will likely be facing very serious water shortages by 2050. And Americans certainly do use a lot of water. *Lake Mead is the primary supply of water for the city of Las Vegas. Why?
Go Green With Sustainable Baby Steps Is inequality bad for the environment? | Inequality That equality matters in terms of health and happiness has been clear for some years. But it is also better for the environment. The evidence (which is still emerging) suggests the most unequal affluent countries contribute more to climate change via pollution than their more equal counterparts. A large section of their people may suffer more, too. A new report predicts the United States will see its levels of economic inequality increase due to the uneven geographical effects of climate change – resulting in “the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in the country’s history”, according the study’s lead author. In a 2016 report, Oxfam found that the greatest polluters of all were the most affluent 10% of US households: each emitted, on average, 50 tonnes of CO2 per household member per year. In short, people in more equal rich countries consume less, produce less waste and emit less carbon, on average. Consumption and waste Eating meat Water Carbon dioxide Transport Air travel
Five climate change science misconceptions debunked The science of climate change is more than 150 years old and it is probably the most tested area of modern science. However the energy industry, political lobbyists and others have spent the last 30 years sowing doubt about the science where none really exists. The latest estimate is that the world's five largest publicly-owned oil and gas companies spend about US$200m each year on lobbying to control, delay or block binding climate-motivated policy. This organized and orchestrated climate change science denial has contributed to the lack of progress in reducing global green house gas (GHG) emissions—to the point that we are facing a global climate emergency. 1. The climate of the Earth has always changed, but the study of palaeoclimatology or "past climates" shows us that the changes in the last 150 years – since the start of the industrial revolution—have been exceptional and cannot be natural. 2. But there are two problems with this idea. 3. 4. 5.
Price Less The “natural capital” agenda is morally wrong, intellectually vacuous, and most of all counter-productive By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 15th May 2018 Never mind that the new environmental watchdog will have no teeth. Never mind that the government plans to remove protection from local wildlife sites. Never mind that its 25-year environment plan is all talk and no action. This powder is the monetary valuation of the natural world. Almost all official documents on environmental issues are now peppered with references to “natural capital” and to the Natural Capital Committee, the Laputian body the government has created to price the living world and develop a set of “national natural capital accounts”. The government argues that without a price, the living world is accorded no value, so irrational decisions are made. This thinking is based on a series of extraordinary misconceptions. A similar fallacy applies to price. So who will resist this parched, destructive mindset?
STAR Community Index — ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA The STAR Community Index™ is a national, consensus-based rating system for community sustainability. STAR, now in beta release, provides communities with a standard and comprehensive set of goals, objectives and performance measures by which to improve interdependent environmental, economic, and social conditions. STAR is also a community of leading local governments creating more sustainable places for the long term. Visit the STAR Communities Website For the latest updates on STAR, visit the STAR Communities website at www.starcommunities.org. STAR Founding Partners ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA is proud to be a founding sponsor of STAR.
- The World's Water The destruction of the Earth is a crime. It should be prosecuted | George Monbiot Why do we wait until someone has passed away before we honour them? I believe we should overcome our embarrassment, and say it while they are with us. In this spirit, I want to tell you about the world-changing work of Polly Higgins. She is a barrister who has devoted her life to creating an international crime of ecocide. I believe it would change everything. There are no effective safeguards preventing a few powerful people, companies or states from wreaking havoc for the sake of profit or power. Last week, for instance, the research group InfluenceMap reported that the world’s five biggest publicly listed oil and gas companies, led by BP and Shell, are spending nearly $200m a year on lobbying to delay efforts to prevent climate breakdown. Hundreds of dead dolphins are washing up on French beaches, often with horrendous injuries. When governments collaborate (as in all these cases they do), how can such atrocities be prevented? She has started something that will not end here.