Good News! 9 Positive Environmental Stories from August

4. No More Stealing Mini Shampoos from Marriott Hotels

The world's largest hotel chain, Marriott, announced that it will be phasing out its use of single-use plastic shampoo, conditioner, soap, and shower gel containers by the end of 2020. By converting to bulk or pump options for toiletries, Marriott predicts it will save more than 1.5 million pounds of plastic from going to the landfill every year! 

Marriott is definitely trying to get ahead of the curve as lawmakers in California are considering a ban on such products, and the European Union has already announced a ban on single-use plastics in 2021.

Plastic waste is a major environmental problem, and single-use plastics are a convenience we can no longer afford!

5. Sea Urchins' Massive Appetites are Saving Hawaiian Reefs

Usually, introducing a species to an ecosystem goes horribly awry, but spiny, prickly sea urchins are saving coral reef in Hawaii's Kāneʻohe Bay.

An invasive species of algae was introduced to the bay by accident in the 1970s and it has largely decimated the coral, a valuable ecosystem for marine plant and animal life. As a last ditch effort, marine biologists began growing sea urchins in a hatchery and then transplanting them onto the coral reef. Now the sea urchins are eating up the algae, reducing its coverage by 85% in just the last two years.

The urchins are also a native species to the reef and have natural predators, so they will not pose the same problems as other non-native invasive species. This is just one example of how natural solutions to climate change are possible, just likerewilding and reforestation. 

Keep up the good work, Sea Urchins!

6. Money Can't Buy a Clean Planet, But it Sure Helps

The G7 summit, where leaders from the world's 7 largest economies discuss issues ranging from trade to human rights, is often dogged for being too focused on money and not actually making any progress. But this past month, when the G7 met in France there was at least one shining light of positivity: France and the U.K. pledged to double their input to the Green Climate Fund. 

The Fund acts as an investment platform for countries to pool resources to help "low-emission and climate-resilient development." Essentially, developing countries can receive funding to help them better adapt to a changing climate, while investing in renewable energy technology to limit their environmental impact without affecting their economic growth.

Developing countries are often disproportionately impacted by climate change compared to their relative emissions, and don't often have the capital to invest in more expensive but sustainable opportunities like solar power, wind power, and so on.

France and the U.K. decided they would contribute more than 1.5 and 1.6 billion USD to the fund, respectively.

Climate change impacts us all, so investing in sustainable development is just one piece of the global warming puzzle we are trying to solve. 

7. Carbon Neutral World by 2050? The U.N. Hopes So...

Carbon neutrality is the Holy Grail of environmentally sound policies. Getting a country to emit no more carbon than it can reasonably sequester is a necessary but tough ask; but United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has asked.

In letters addressed to the head of state in every country around the world, Guterres requested they implement a plan to be carbon neutral by 2050. The U.N. Secretary-General asked that leaders come with an outline of their plans to the upcoming Climate Summit in New York on September 23rd. 

While an ambitious request - and facing much criticism for its perceived infeasibility - the need for action is dire, and only bold steps will help our planet, and ourselves, survive the current climate crisis. 

8. Pacific Nations Collectively Declare Climate Crisis

The islands of the Pacific are truly the most endangered by climate change. Rising sea levels and more intense storms have been causing turmoil in these countries long before the Western world began to consider our impact on the planet. Many Pacific nations risk being totally swallowed up by the ocean or completely driven out of their homes by typhoons and flooding, which will certainly create an unprecedented mass migration sometime in the near future.

Coming together, the leaders of the world's Pacific nations declared the current changes to our environment a climate crisis, invoking the same language used in times of war to portray the urgency they face.

These island nations may be more directly or obviously impacted by climate change, but all of us play a role in the current climate crisis and should think about our impact accordingly. 

9. Timberland, Vans Reject Brazilian Leather

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is taking heat from the international community for his perceived inaction and potential culpability for the fires taking place in the Amazon. Leaders of the G7 criticized the first-term President for allowing continued deforestation which ultimately lead to a record-breaking 75,000 fires burning throughout the rainforest.

Now the parent company of Timberland and Vans are clapping back at Bolsonaro, as well. VF Corp announced they will no longer be sourcing Brazilian leather for their products. Leather is an important export for Brazil as it is closely tied to the ranching industry, the foundation of the Brazilian economy. 

VF Corp is just one of many companies who have now boycotted Brazilian products in an effort to pressure the government to act against the fires. International governments are also threatening financial repercussions if the fires aren't brought under control.

Collective action yields results!