5 growing environmental nonprofits to support in 2020

Looking for a non-profit to donate to, join, or volunteer? Here are five growing groups that deserve your attention.

Democrats outline sweeping legislation to make U.S. carbon neutral by 2050

Democrats are pushing new climate legislation to get to Net-Zero emissions by 2050 as a nation. Interesting part: a first-of-its-kind National Climate Bank, mobilizing private and public funding to boost technological innovation as well as projects to bolster against the effects of climate change. ... See more

House Democrats outlined their vision for sweeping climate legislation Wednesday, offering a first look at a bill that would push the U.S. to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Lab-grown food is about to destroy farming – and save the planet | George Monbiot

How to cut 25% out of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions and restore nature: bacteria!

We are on the cusp of the biggest economic transformation, of any kind, for 200 years. While arguments rage about plant- versus meat-based diets, new technologies will soon make them irrelevant. Before long, most of our food will come neither from animals nor plants, but from unicellular life. After 12,000 years of feeding humankind, all farming except fruit and veg production is likely to be replaced by ferming: brewing microbes through precision fermentation. This means multiplying particular micro-organisms, to produce particular products, in factories.I know some people will be horrified by this prospect. I can see some drawbacks. But I believe it comes in the nick of time.

Research suggests that proteins from precision fermentation will be around 10 times cheaper than animal protein by 2035. The result, it says, will be the near-complete collapse of the livestock industry. The new food economy will “replace an extravagantly inefficient system that requires enormous quantities of inputs and produces huge amounts of waste with one that is precise, targeted, and tractable”. Using tiny areas of land, with a massively reduced requirement for water and nutrients, it “presents the greatest opportunity for environmental restoration in human history”.

By temporarily shifting towards a plant-based diet with the lowest possible impacts (no avocados or out-of-season asparagus), we can help buy the necessary time to save magnificent species and places while these new technologies mature. But farmfree food offers hope where hope was missing. We will soon be able to feed the world without devouring it. ... See more

Scientists are replacing crops and livestock with food made in factories from microbes and water. It may save humanity’s bacon, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Climate: A New Story

The biggest problem underlying the climate change crisis is the onslaught of our extractive economy and land use on the natural systems and biodiversity amplifying everything we have to fear and reducing natures ability to protect itself and veer back after disasters. We have to rebuild natures capacity.

"Ultimately, climate change is challenging us to rethink our long-standing posture of separation from nature, in which we think we can endlessly engineer our way out of the damage we have caused. It is calling us back to our biophilia, our love of nature and of life, our desire to care for all beings" ... See more

What can one person do? If I have to do something…if it becomes that urgent…won’t some authority make a law or at least give me clear directions?!

'-schaamte' Onze Taal-woord van het jaar, Freek de Jonge Taalstaatmeester

The word of the year in The Netherlands is "shame" or less pronounced, the feeling of unease when making a choice in your personal life that you know will have en environmental and usually climate change impact. We live in a society that is bad for the climate and we make choices within this economy and most choices are simply less bad. That makes people feel uneasy. Sometimes this leads to feeling ashamed.

I don't want to shame people into climate action, I want positive action working towards a healthy climate in a more equitable world with dignity for all.

So I try to focus on health when talking about being vegan, but then quickly talk about animal welfare in terms of abuse, and oh, I slip into the shaming part.... How do you talk about climate change that brings hope and opportunity and not shame and despair? ... See more

Het achtervoegsel "zegt in kort bestek veel over het groeiende ongemak dat we voelen bij milieubelastende keuzes", zegt directeur van de taalvereniging Vibeke Roeper.

New Zealand Will Consider Climate Crisis in All Major Policy Decisions

Consideration of the climate crisis will be front and center in all of New Zealand's major policy decisions. The new rule means that any new proposal before the government that aims either to reduce emissions or has a collateral damage effect of raising emissions will need to go through a climate-impact assessment before it can be considered, according to The Guardian.

Why not? Or, of course! And there is more.....

The coalition cabinet of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern already takes into account the effects the government's decisions will have on human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community and gender equality.

Thank you kiwi's! ... See more

The new rule means that any new proposal.

Are vegetables vegan? Organic agriculture's dirty little secret

If the world adopted a vegan diet, a recent study in Science found, global farmland use would shrink by 75%, equivalent to the area of the US, European Union, China and Australia combined. Industrial animal agriculture is the second-largest contributor to human-made greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuels and is a leading cause of deforestation, water and air pollution and biodiversity loss. ... See more

Even if you avoid industrial farm produce it’s likely that your veggies will have been grown with the help of manure and other animal products

World must reach 'peak meat' by 2030 to meet climate change targets, scientists warn

"We're suggesting agriculture transitions to optimal systems, and that's plant-based."

The letter, signed by 50 experts in the field, said that if the livestock sector were to continue on its present trajectory, it would account for almost half of the emissions target by 2030.

The scientists called for the agricultural sector to "diversify food production" by replacing animals with foods that have a low impact on the environment, such as pulses, grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. ... See more

The world needs to reach "peak meat" within 10 years to fight climate change, scientists have warned in a letter calling on governments to halt the growth of the livestock industry.

European Green Deal to press ahead despite Polish targets opt-out

The first continent to declare a net-zero goal by 2050 is ..... Europe!

The French president Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “Yes Europe will be the first carbon neutral continent! We did it together last night. Let’s move on now to implement the green new deal.” ... See more

Poland opts out of 2050 net-zero emissions after hours of wrangling over timetables and money