The world is going through a lot. Instead of focusing on bad news, we’ve rounded up the most encouraging environmental stories that made headlines this month
The world continues to face an uphill battle with climate change, but all hope is not lost—if we each do our part, we can sustain the planet for future generations. It’s important not to get dragged down by all of the negative news, so here at Environment 911 we like to shine a light on the good green news every month.
Let’s celebrate these environmental wins that happened in September and stay motivated to protect our planet!
1. World’s largest carbon-capture plant has just opened in Iceland
ClimeworksIn an effort to mitigate the negative effects of carbon dioxide, a new facility has been created just outside of Reykjavik, Iceland to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Named Orca, and created by Swiss start-up Climeworks in partnership with Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix, the plant extracts up to 4,000 tons of CO2 per year—that’s the equivalent of annual emissions from about 790 cars—and deposits it underground.
2. David Attenborough says Climate Assembly has given him hope
NetflixOne of the world's most renowned champions of the planet, Sir David Attenborough, met with members of the Climate Assembly to discuss how the UK can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050—and had some positive words to share. He sees evidence that people are making important progress against climate change with technology such as solar panels and wind farms, and shares that the responsibility demonstrated by the Assembly has given him hope. If Sir Attenborough is optimistic about our future, we all can be!
3. Harvard University commits to no longer investing in fossil fuels
Photo by Somesh Kesarla Suresh on UnsplashHarvard University, which has the largest college endowment in the country at more than $40 billion, has made a commitment to cease all future investments in fossil fuels. President Lawrence Bacon shared, “Given the need to decarbonize the economy and our responsibility as fiduciaries to make long-term investment decisions that support our teaching and research mission, we do not believe such investments are prudent.”
4. Seven late-night TV shows team up to raise awareness with ‘Climate Night’
Climate change is a topic that isn’t discussed often enough in the news, and it deserves to be a daily discussion as it impacts every single person on Earth. On September 22, seven late-night TV shows teamed up for ‘Climate Night’ to address and raise awareness about the topic. The shows included “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers” on NBC; “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “The Late Late Show With James Corden” on CBS; “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” on TBS; “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC; and “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” on Comedy Central. Let’s hope this inspires more consistent coverage on the climate crisis in the media.
5. World’s first net-zero soccer game takes place at Spurs versus Chelsea
Photo by Peter Glaser on UnsplashSporting events have a long way to go to become greener, but progress is being made. Premier soccer (also known as football) clubs set out to host the world’s first net-zero carbon soccer game at an elite level on September 19 in the Spurs versus Chelsea match. While there is still work to be done to truly achieve net-zero status, important sustainable efforts were made in this game, including players arriving to the stadium on coaches powered by biofuel and drinking from sustainable cartons rather than plastic bottles; food stands serving plant-based food; green energy powering the game; and fans being urged to use cycling or public transportation to get to the game and recycle their waste.
While we still have a lot of work to do in protecting our planet, we hope these pieces of good news will encourage you to think positively as we work towards a better future!