If you have a chunk of time and care about climate change, the video linked below is the best 16 minutes you can spend on the internet today.
Some background: Hank Green is a climate scientist who happens to also be a very popular YouTube content creator alongside his brother, author John Green. Together, these men run a wonderful channel called "vlogbrothers" where they talk a LOT about the human experience, science, culture, etc.
Last month, Hank created a video that did such a wonderful job condensing the ways we can mitigate climate change by being informed, supporting policy, and making meaningful decisions that have potential to go a lot farther toward decarbonizing and stabilizing the climate than just riding your bike to work.
I found this video not only enlightening, but also exceedingly hopeful. I hope you will too.
Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcMLFMsIVis
The video description:
"How We Fix the Climate"
We should act as if this is an emergency, because it is. But part of that is understanding the tools and strategies countries are using to decarbonize and stabilize the climate. This is work that's already being done. We have already decoupled economic growth from the emission of greenhouse gasses which, frankly, was unthinkable just a couple decades ago. We need to be thinking and talking about this stuff, and one really important piece of that is understanding this stuff so we can talk about it and advocate for it. And, good news, it's all actually pretty fascinating!!
@vida I've seen several items recently that might be useful. One was a water producing machine that manages to extract water from the air in arid climates, enough to produce a decent amount of drinking and irrigation water. It was solar powered and might help keep more plants and animals from perishing. It made me wonder if the snow blowing machines they used in Tahoe recently to fight the wildfire could also be used to humidify the air in other forested regions during wildfire season.
This is potentially exciting news from MIT this week. Natural cat litter can absorb methane and convert it to CO2 which is much less damaging to the atmosphere. Scientists are going to start looking at ways to use this cat litter in farms and coal mines, which are the biggest producers of methane gas.
https://gizmodo.com/zeolite-convert-methane-carbon-dioxide-mit-1848931401
Housing crisis - needs,costs,sustainability.There are folks thinking about it out there: https://www.freethink.com/series/challengers/energy-efficient-homes?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=BigThinkdotcom
@journeywithme2 Great post and video. Also a hit for me, since I predicted back at least six years ago (main Prediction page, Decade Ahead predictions) an explosion in the Tiny Homes industry which is what this company's homes will be. I am heartened to think that this industry is finally going to take off.
I also have a prediction that the ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) industry will take off - people adding tiny homes to their properties, which again, the company you sited is going to be doing.
For those who haven't seen it, the video you posted is about a company making small affordable 100 percent sustainable IKEA-like homes that you can assemble yourself in just two weeks.
Again, the link: https://www.freethink.com/series/challengers/energy-efficient-homes?
@jeanne-mayell I love the idea of it as well as ADU . Currently my county bars tiny homes and ADU's. My little cottage is grandfathered in and my son has been working on it when he can to redo it up to meet his needs. Or even mine if he and his partner want to take over the house and I take the cottage. We have choices ☺️
@journeywithme2 - Loved the video and concept. Thanks for sharing. There is a company in Salem Oregon that is working on a similar concept: www.ideabox.us. Unfortunately their cost for a two bedroom /two bathrooms is $500kh+.
@barbarmar22 You are welcome! Whaaatttt???? 500k+???? It's supposed to be affordable housing!!!
A plethora of Climate news has been coming out over the past few days. Expect more because things are really starting to be more apparent. I think the Climate section in Jeanne's forum is going to be quite active.
Caribbean Coral and Sea Urchin news
The sustained loss of a once-abundant species of sea urchin in the Caribbean could also result in the functional extinction of diverse coral species from the region's reefs, according to new research from a Florida State University tea
The urchin species Diadema antillarum has long been considered the most important grazer in the Caribbean, feeding on algae that would otherwise overrun the reef and make it difficult for coral to thrive. But two mortality events over the past 40 years have caused much of that urchin population to die off.
More can be found here:
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-sea-urchin-die-offs-threaten-caribbean.html
Native Americans are urging a halt to off shore wind farms
The National Congress of American Indians on Thursday called for a moratorium on offshore wind development along U.S. coasts, insisting the Biden administration do a better job protecting tribal interests.
This call by tribes follows a plea Tuesday by 30 New Jersey mayors to halt offshore wind activity so government officials can investigate recent whale deaths in addition to concern over economic challenges increasing the difficulty in building the wind farms.
Native Americans have expressed concern about being cut out of the planning, permitting and contracting process as developers seek to build more than a dozen wind projects along both the West and East coasts, despite vows by President Joe Biden and top administration officials to consider indigenous knowledge in government decision-making. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the nation's first Native American cabinet secretary, also has put a new focus on environmental justice and indigenous rights as head of the department that oversees offshore wind.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management emphasized it agreed with NCAI that "tribes must have a seat at the table" and said in an emailed statement the agency is "always working to improve the consultation process."
https://phys.org/news/2023-02-offshore-halt-urged-native-americans.html