Many of you know about reducing your carbon footprints to help mitigate climate change. Some people eat less meat, others work for companies which plant trees and re-build biodiverse forests. As we move forward in time it is also important to think about the oceans, as they absorb as much as 30% of our annual carbon emissions every year. Scientists in Florida recently tried an experiment, adding lime to the Apalachicola Bay, off Florida’s panhandle, in an effort to reduce the acidity level of the water. While the experiment did cut carbon levels and acidity, more work, on larger scales, has to be done. Increasing the oceans’ levels of carbon storage represents hope and promise as carbon levels throughout the world continue to increase.
Many people, including me, did not know that Monday, March 21st was the International Day of Forests. How precious forests are and yet, we don’t often realize their importance. “When we drink a glass of water, write in a notebook, take medicine for a fever or build a house, we do not always make the connection with forests. And yet, these and many other aspects of our lives are linked to forests in one way or another”. Sadly, we lose a football field size of forest every second, and yet planting trees and preserving biodiversity are one of the best ways to solve climate change. Many non-profit organizations and companies such as Terraformation are working to reforest the planet, please join me and them, before time runs out. Thank you.
The International Energy Agency shared plans, last month, for a green recovery. It said we need to change how we generate energy and consume it. We should focus on using solar power and wind, make buildings and industries more energy efficient, and the modernize electricity grids.
As governments spend more than $9 trillion to reinvigorate economies over the next months the priority should not be on rescuing the high carbon economy, such as fossil fuel companies, but on the green economy and jobs of the future.
Carbon emissions fell by 17% in April but are already starting to go back up. Experts say we have 6 months to avoid a complete rebound. And they warn that we need to keep emission levels falling in order to avert some of the worst catastrophes to come.
The good news, investment in a sustainable recovery plan would create almost 9 million new green jobs each year.
