EarthAction

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Harrison Ford at the 2019 Global Climate Action Summit

Ethiopia plants 350m trees in a day to help tackle climate crisis

National ‘green legacy’ initiative aims to reduce environmental degradation

About 350m trees have been planted in a single day in Ethiopia, according to a government minister.

The planting is part of a national “green legacy” initiative to grow 4bn trees in the country this summer by encouraging every citizen to plant at least 40 seedlings. Public offices have reportedly been shut down in order for civil servants to take part.

The project aims to tackle the effects of deforestation and climate change in the drought-prone country. According to the UN, Ethiopia’s forest coverage was just 4% in the 2000s, down from 35% a century earlier.

 

Ethiopia’s minister of innovation and technology, Dr Getahun Mekuria, tweeted estimates of the number of trees planted throughout the day. By early evening on Monday, he put the number at 353m.

The previous world record for the most trees planted in one day stood at 50m, held by India since 2016.

Lord of the Rain: one man's fight against climate catastrophe – video

Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis, the head of the centre for wood science and technology at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Trees not only help mitigate climate change by absorbing the carbon dioxide in the air, but they also have huge benefits in combating desertification and land degradation, particularly in arid countries. They also provide food, shelter, fuel, fodder, medicine, materials and protection of the water supply.

“This truly impressive feat is not just the simple planting of trees, but part of a huge and complicated challenge to take account of the short- and long-term needs of both the trees and the people. The forester’s mantra ‘the right tree in the right place’ increasingly needs to consider the effects of climate change, as well as the ecological, social, cultural and economic dimension.”

Written by Anna Ploszajski. Originally appeared in The Guardian on 7/29/2019

Recommendations To Help Countries Make Paris Agreement Pledges That Are 1.5 Degrees Compliant

 

Below is the latest Climate Scorecard Spotlight Report.

 

For this report, we asked our country managers to provide a short-list of policy recommendations that their countries can follow to decrease the temperature of the planet and ensure 1.5 degree compliancy.

READ THE REPORT

 

We hope that these recommendations gain traction with NGOs, research organizations and the private sector who are in a position to advocate for their countries to strengthen their Paris Agreement pledge. 

 

Under the terms of the Agreement, countries are encouraged to strengthen the ambition of their 2015 pledge by 2020. 

 

We urge our readers and followers to review the policy recommendations in this Report. Adapt them, share with others, and give us feedback on how they can be improved. 

 

Climate change is real, and what governments do matters.

 

BECOME A PARTNER
We must save the Paris Agreement!

 

Our campaign is focused on raising public awareness and putting public pressure on leading greenhouse gas emitting countries. Learn More.

 

DONATE TODAY!

Every donation helps our work.

 

Our global, grassroots organization relies on the support of other committed individuals. Learn More

New Name | Same Mission

Over six years of working across the globe to fight wildlife crime through our intelligence-led approach to conservation, it has become clear that Elephant Actions League’s scope of work has expanded well beyond its name. As we continue to broaden that scope, we need a name that better reflects what we do and will do in the field. Therefore, we are excited to announce that Elephant Action League will now be EARTH LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL.
 
We are so grateful to the world’s elephants and how far these incredible creatures have taken us in only six years. Our investigative work on international ivory trafficking, from our landmark research on links between ivory trafficking and the Somali group al-Shabaab, to our undercover investigation on ivory trafficking in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam, published in the report “Blending Ivory" and featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio executive produced Netflix documentary The Ivory Game, has allowed us to hone our approach, build a world-wide team and informant network, and expand our operations.

These beginnings propelled us to many important operations and investigative activities around the world, including the first undercover investigation on rhino horn trafficking in China and Vietnam, jaguar trafficking in Latin America, and our seminal work to help save the vaquita through our investigation into the totoaba trade from Mexico to China, originally published in the report “Operation Fake Gold” and featured in the upcoming documentary Sea of Shadows, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and distributed by National Geographic.

that we have many more exciting projects and operations ahead of us, some working along side a number of important partners, we feel that the name Earth League International will help our supporters better understand our approach to protecting and fighting for wildlife and wild spaces, our ideas, and our potential.  
 
Earth League International’s mission will continue to be the protection of wildlife, oceans, and forests through intelligence and investigative operations, and cooperation with key government agencies around the world. This means continuing to operate at the nexus of civil society and law enforcement – bridging the resource, knowledge, and priority gaps exhibited by many government and law enforcement agencies around environmental crime.

Earth League International team will continue to manage WildLeaks, the world's first whistleblowing initiative dedicated to environmental crime. And, finally, we will launch international campaigns, educational programs, and media projects, in collaboration with other organizations and professionals, in line with our mission.
 
Thank you for having followed and supported us thus far. We hope you will help Earth League International become a strong, independent global player in the defense of Earth and nature against crime, greed, corruption, and overexploitation.

From Earth League International. Read more here.

Renewables 2019 Global Status Report: Now Available!

RN: Use the searchable microsite to access the report

• Read the press release in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.
• Use figures and infographics to tell the story                                                            

PARTICIPATE: Join us at an event: 

• Overcoming Africa´s Energy Access Gap: Strategic Priorities for Scaling up Renewables (Addis Ababa) 19 June
• EU Sustainable Energy Week (Brussels) 19 June
• 7th International Symposium on Environment & Energy Finance Issues (Paris) 2 July 

Or via a webinar:

• The Global Renewable Energy Transition: Who is leading?: two webinars with a focus on Europe (18 June) and Asia (19 June).
• Presenting: The Global Status Report of Renewables - REN21's 2019 GSR Report with a focus on the role of solar (26 June)                           

DISCOVER: Our new logo and website.
                                                                              
ENGAGE: We love to hear what you think about our new Renewables 2019 Global Status Report. Please tweet with the #GSR2019 hashtag and tag us (@ren21) so we can share your content! 

From REN2. Read more here

Professor Sachs Speaks to Subcommittee on Environment

Jeffrey Sachs spoke to the U.S. Congress today about climate change. He speaks first. You can watch it above.

Plastic Pollution Deadline

We need to crank up the pressure against Nestlé's plastic pollution before April 11!

Tell Nestlé to protect communities and wildlife - ditch single-use plastic packaging today!

SIGN NOW

Can you believe that the world's largest food company has built its entire business model on throwaway packaging?

It makes me furious, but it's true. 98% of Nestlé's products are sold in single-use packaging.

We need Nestlé to make big changes this year and that means we need to crank up the pressure before the corporation's annual shareholder meeting in two weeks.

ADD YOU NAME to demand Nestlé make real commitments to protect our oceans and communities by phasing out single-use plastic packaging! We need hundreds of thousands of signatures before April 11 to make Nestlé feel the heat.

There is no time to lose. Have you heard that every minute a truckload of plastic enters the oceans? Corporations - starting with Nestlé - must reverse their tie of plastic pollution or even more communities, whales, sea turtles and birds will suffer.

I know people-power can force Nestlé to go from pollution to solutions. How?

• We're building off your successes. Some of the biggest food service and supermarket companies are stepping away from plastics and that will put pressure on corporations like Nestlé.
• Nestlé is already feeling the heat. Because millions of people like you have already spoken out. Nestlé has finally acknowledged that recycling alone won't solve the plastic pollution crisis. Now it's up to you to make sure Nestlé goes beyond greenwashing and makes real commitments to phase out single-use plastic. It knows its reputation is at stake.
• We're building a global movement. Millions of people, and dozens of organizations, from every continent, are posed to take creative action calling out Nestlé. That is a force that cannot be ignored!

But for your voice to have the biggest impact, I need you to speak out right now before Nestlé's Annual General Meeting for shareholders on April 11. This is the most important day of the year, and our biggest chance to expose its massic plastic pollution.

Sign the petition to Nestlé today!

By taking action today, you will help change history. Nestlé is such a big corporation that commitments to phasing out single-use plastic will shift the entire industry.

You can make Nestlé - and other mega-corporations - see that breaking free from plastic isn't a passing trend, but a movement that won't stop until we have a circular economy based on reuse, instead of waste. It won't happen unless you start taking action right now.

Thanks for all you do,

Annie Leonard

Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

P.S. Nestlé's Annual General Meeting for shareholders is April 11. This is the perfect time to crank up the pressure on Nestlé. Sign the petition to demand Nestlé immediately move toward phasing out single-use plastics and embracing systems of refill and reuse.

Learn more at Greenpeace

Country Energy Policies

Climate change is real, and what governments do matters.

The current energy policies of many countries fail to demonstrate a commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. However, many countries have policies that could be quite effective if strengthened. It is encouraging to see that almost all countries also contain a commitment to the use of renewable energy.

READ THE REPORT

Become a Partner: We must save the Paris Agreement!

Our campaign is focused on raising public awareness and putting public pressure on leading greenhouse gas emitting countries. Learn More

Donate Today! Every donation helps our work.

Our global grassroots organization relies on the support of other committed individuals. Learn More

From Climate Scorecard. Read more here

Top 10 Animals Going Extinct Because of Climate Change

NASA scientists announced yesterday that 2018 was the fourth hottest year on Earth, exceeded only by 2017, 2016 and 2015. After 140 years of record-keeping, 18 out of 19 of Earth's warmest years have occurred since 2001.

For humans, this means more destructive hurricanes, floods, forest fires, droughts, and bone-chilling Arctic blasts resulting in thousands of deaths, billions in property destruction and massive interruptions of life as we know it.

But let's stop and think about what extreme weather and changes in climate caused by humans means for species.

By 2100, an estimated 50% of all world's species could go extinct because of climate change. We can't let that happen. At Earth Day Network we're working to Protect Our Species.

Here are 10 animals threatened with extinction because of climate change.

1. Bumblebees: Rising temperatures force bees north, disrupting access to the nectar and pollen they need to survive.
2. Whales: Migration, feed, and reproduction necessary for survival are disrupted by warming waters.
3. Asian Elephants: Habitat is disappearing due to lower rainfall and higher temperatures.
4. Giraffes: In addition to illegal poaching, shrinking habitat and disappearing food sources threaten their survival.
5. Insects: 18% of insect species will die off due to warming by 2100; if the planet warms 3.2 degrees C, that number rises to 49%.
6. Oceanic Birds: Rising waters threaten to submerge their coastal habitats and nests completely.
7. Sharks: Difficulty hunting and lower birth rates threaten sharks as ocean temperature and acidity rise worldwide.
8. Monarch Butterflies: Monarchs can't survive without milkweed, now being destroyed by hotter dryer land often damaged by pesticides.
9. Great Apes: With nearly 75% of forest cover at risk due to climate change, their habitat is disappearing.
10. Coral: Sustained heat stress causes coral bleaching, an often deadly occurrence in which coral starves from a loss of nutrition.

Join Earth Day Network's campaign to Protect Our Species, Together we can slow the pace of extinction.

Got ideas? Please share your plans to Protect Our Species.

Thank you for being part of our global movement.

From Earth Day Network. Read more here.

2018 EarthAction Report & Request

December 2018

 

Dear Friend of EarthAction,

Our current President and his allies, with their domestic and foreign policies, judicial appointments, rhetoric, insults, and name-calling have set our country and the world on a very dangerous course.

EarthAction has a key role to play in limiting the damage and getting the world back on track to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. That's why we need your support now, more than ever.

With your contributions over these last 26 years, EarthAction has made real progress in finding solutions to many of the world’s most pressing issues. Our work has helped to educate children around the world, provide health care to women, protect the lives of indigenous peoples and immigrants, stabilize our climate, and reduce the risk of chemical, biological and nuclear wars.

As one of our generous friends, you have—and will continue to play—a critical role in changing our national and global political landscape forever. I urge you to make a donation that will enable us to continue and expand our work in 2019.

There is so much more we can do, with your help. This is the time of year when many of us make our most meaningful donations to help change the world. I hope you’ll include EarthAction on your list of causes to support. Click here to contribute on our website, or send a check to EarthAction, PO Box 63, Amherst, MA 01004. Please make the most generous gift you can.

EarthAction remains unique in its ability to build global political will and create positive solutions on such a wide diversity of issues. Whenever there are opportunities to make change towards a world with more peace, justice, and environmental protection, we are at work making sure people understand the issues, appreciate what’s at stake, and know how to add their voice for change.

Your support is what makes it possible.

With gratitude for your generosity,

Lois Barber
Co-Founder & Executive Director

 

P.S.  Can't help spilling the beans a little … as you'll read in our EarthAction 2018 Campaign Report, Best Climate Solutions has given its 2018 International Award to our Climate Scorecard Spotlight Project for our “effectiveness in Communicating Climate Change Threats and Opportunities.” I'm very proud and very grateful for your help to make this possible. This is one more example of what we're doing together for democracy, peace, and the environment. Your donation today will help us continue that critical work in 2019. Click here to donate. Many thanks.