It's definitely not too late! Your dose of hope for our planet.

There’s something I’ve been seeing a lot of on social media lately. Ecoapathy. Ecoanxiety. There is a growing number of people who are not only angry and apathetic but also saying “what is the point, it’s too late now to prevent climate catastrophe’.This is a mindset that is actually dangerous to the environmental cause, especially since it is actually not too late to fix things and in fact, we kind of already are. So for this episode, while I will be honest about the dire state of things, I’m going to give you a little hope and reveal some of the extraordinary work and changes happening around the world that you might not even know about. And show you what you can be doing to help too.

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Transcript:

Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome to Now, That's What I Call Green, the podcast that uses a science-based approach to expose the bullshit green scans and help you understand the sustainability world that little bit better. So if you are looking to navigate through everything green or not so green, you have come to the right place. Kia ora kaitiaki and welcome back to Now, That's What I Call Green. Today we're talking about something that I see a lot of more and more on social media and that's why it's not too late to prevent further climate change.

I see a lot of people who are not only angry and apathetic but they're also like, what is the point? It's too late now, we've passed the threshold for 1.5 degrees and yeah, I mean, things aren't great, but I promise you it is not too late to prevent catastrophe. And I've drawn some inspiration from some really interesting and successful solutions from around the world. But, okay, I'll depress you a wee bit. Let's set the stage and acknowledge that, yes, we are in a bad place. Our planet is heating up, sea levels are rising, the water is becoming more acidic, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. I mean, I could go on. And of course, we know what's driving this crisis. It's primarily the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.

And I mention that because the fossil fuel industry is not only destroying the planet, but they're also playing a really significant role in shaping the narrative around climate change. They fund climate denial campaigns and they lobby against climate-friendly policies. They're freaking PR geniuses. But despite those efforts, the scientific consensus on climate change is overwhelming. Over 97% of climate scientists agree that human activities are causing global warming. Good luck getting 97% of people to agree on anything else. Side note, if you are a climate change denier, I don't care. Feel free to chat away in the comments. I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you anymore because we don't need to. We don't need everyone on side to do this. We'll just carry on and make the world a better place without you. So yeah, there are a few metrics that are going in the wrong direction. And yes, COP 28 was the absolute waste of time and carbon there we thought it would be.

And I've got to be honest, I'm not holding my breath for COP 29 either, held in Azerbaijan, which just FYI, intends to increase its fossil fuel output by a third over the next decade. And yeah, they've appointed another former oil exec as the president, so it is already shaving up to be a good one. We are seeing an increase in weather events and crop failures and droughts, and Greenland is losing 30 million tonnes of ice an hour. That's genuinely unfathomable. It sounds depressing, terrifying, everything in between, but it is not too late to do anything about it. But first I want to delve into where this narrative is coming from because I think this is interesting. No prizes if you guess where it's coming from. It's the fossil fuel industry. Yeah.

For years, these corporate giants have had a massive stake in how we view climate change. And why? Because if we acknowledge the need for action, that would mean a seismic shift away from their profitable, yet totally environmentally damaging, operations. And as public awareness of environmental issues grew through the years, so did the narrative spun to counteract it. And one such narrative is the idea that it's too late to do anything about climate change and you're seeing this now seep through people. And this serves multiple purposes. I mean, for one, it creates a sense of despair and total hopelessness. If it's too late, then why bother changing our ways, right? It's a convenient excuse for inaction, because action is hard.

It's kind of the same thing as that silly little comment you hear every now and then that says there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. Well, I mean, of course there is. So let's clear the air. Experts, activists, scientists, people who've dedicated their lives to studying and fighting climate change are calling out this bullshit. They're armed with research and data and a relentless spirit, assuring us that it is not too late to make a difference.

And the science backs us up. Studies show that immediate, coordinated, global action will prevent catastrophe. So where does this leave us? Well, it's actually in a position of power. You may not feel it, but every action that we take, every sustainable choice we make, every policy we advocate for, chips away at this narrative. We are not just passive observers of our planet's fate. We can be active participants in saving it.

And have I made you angry? Good. Because in amongst all of this is a lot of good and the following story should fill you with hope. You should be angry that we are here, that we've had this much information for this long and we've had the solutions the whole time without a lot of change, but anger plus hope is the best combination for getting shit done. So here's the good stuff. Our first stop is in Germany. Here amidst the bustling cities and serene countryside, there is quite the revolution underway. The German people have embraced wind and solar power en masse, leading to a huge 40% reduction in carbon emissions over the last decade.

Sure, they do still get a lot of energy from fossil fuels, but they have quite rapidly decarbonised, relatively speaking, and nearly 47% of their energy needs are powered by renewables. And Germany's a big country. That is incredible news. Okay, now we're going to one of my favourite places in the world, not that I've yet been there, but I live in hope, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has a crazy amount of biodiversity, more species of frogs than almost anywhere else in the world, and yet in the late 20th century, it was nearly all destroyed. They lost almost half their forests due to rabid deforestation. But recently, the government and everybody there has united with the singular vision to reverse deforestation and champion renewable energy. And over 90% of their electricity for the entire country comes from renewables and their forests are thriving. So 60% of Costa Rica is back into forest cover. I mean, that is a beautiful example that if you just leave it alone, our planet has the most remarkable capacity for regeneration.

Here's a little insight into where emissions in general might be going this year that might make you feel a little bit better as well. So China is the world's largest emitter, although it's an important note, this is not per capita and have a think about the bulk of where all of the stuff we use is made. And that might make a bit more sense. But this year, 2024, their emissions are expected to start declining due to the huge investments they are making in renewables. I mean, yes, they do have plans to build more coal plants, but it looks like they might not need to. Australia too is now getting more electricity from solar than coal, which really makes perfect sense.

The EU has a decline of emissions of 2% per year, which is expected to accelerate because sure, that is not fast enough, but again, it's a sign that things are going in the right direction. Finally, and potentially the most surprisingly, the USA had a decline of 3% in 2023 too, and that is despite the economy growing, which so many people said is impossible. Look, none of this is fast enough. I'm not going to lie to you, but it does show a general trend that things are beginning to grind slowly in the right direction. I mean, what we're all hoping for from these trends is that they cause the industry, the fossil fuel industry, to move into a structural decline and they just never recover and collapse into the sunset.

It's entirely possible that 2023 was peak carbon emissions. Possible, not guaranteed, but that is a super exciting possibility. It is not all doom and gloom. So if you have a look at communities and grassroots organisations, the good stuff just keeps coming. And this is, I think, the stuff that warms the super cynical side of me. There is a group of the most extraordinary women in India known as the Solar Mamas, who are quite literally lighting up lives.

So throughout the world, about 1.1 billion people live entirely without power. So once the sun goes down, they can't work or learn and that is surprisingly impactful on their lives. Just have a think about how much you rely on electricity. These homes often use kerosene lamps which produce high levels of air pollution and women in particular, because they cook, are at risk of smoke inhalation. So an organisation called the BF at College has been working on a program that trains mostly illiterate women to become solar engineers, quite literally bringing clean power and light to their villages. And over the course of six months, these women learn to build, install, and maintain solar panels and batteries to provide a renewable source of energy to their villages.

That is the epitome of economic empowerment and environmental protection. The best combination. Another fab organisation is Blue Ventures, who were founded I think in Madagascar in 2003. They work alongside local communities and have been instrumental in the recovery of mangrove forests. Now, mangroves are a hugely important biome. Not only do they sequester more carbon than forests, they're really important to prevent coastal erosion. They support an absolute plethora of biodiversity and life, and we've also managed to destroy most of them. In Timor-Leste, they support local communities as well, and they also offer dive expeditions that double as conservation efforts to try and get tourists involved with the idea of saving coral reefs.

Their approach is quite holistic, so they work with local communities to ensure that this is an enduring change and provides economic benefit. Another organisation I'd never heard of and found specifically doing research for this pod is the Xingu Seed Network, who are working to stop Brazil's deforestation, which, another piece of good news, is down by 50% last year. So in the Amazon and the Cerrado biomes, where over 43 million hectares of forest have been torn down, that's where the Xingu Seed Network gets to work. The network is made up of 450 seed collectors, mostly indigenous women and local farmers, who gather seeds from numerous native species. The collection and sale of these seeds provides essential income for those families, as well as incentivises the preservation and value of the forest themselves. They have contributed to the recovery of almost 7,000 hectares of forest, quite literally turning barren land back into thriving habitat.

Again, regeneration in action. They also have some really cool innovative technological alternatives like drone surveillance and drone seed dispersal systems, which just amplifies their impact. So freaking cool. I honestly could go on. There are thousands and thousands of incredible things being done every year that we don't hear about. I mean, sure, our governments might disappoint us.

Fossil fuel executives are probably nothing short of evil, but there are people out there doing the most amazing things that you don't hear about. So finally, I'm gonna leave you with what is possibly the biggest sign that we can do this, and that's the ozone hole. In the late 20th century, scientists discovered a massive hole in the protective ozone layer, primarily caused by the release of ozone-depleting substances. Now, without the ozone layer, really dangerous UV radiation finds its way to the Earth's surface, which is why here in Aotearoa and Australia, we have such terrible levels of skin cancer. Once scientists determined why this was happening, and people actually listened to them back then, the world united under something called the Montreal Protocol in 1987 and phased out these substances. And since then, like 99% of these ozone depleting substances, you will know them as CFCs, have been eliminated

and the ozone hole is healing. It's expected to be effectively gone by 2040. Now if this isn't proof that we can absolutely work together when we want to, I don't know what is. I know that it feels dire. I had a conversation with someone on Instagram yesterday who just didn't see the point in carrying on trying to fix things anymore. But I truly believe that we will start to make some bigger move to combat further climate change soon.

Unfortunately, sometimes we have to see things get worse before we act and we are seeing it getting worse now. And remember, we already have all the solutions we need to get the job done. Short and sharp episode today because I'm seeing a lot of negativity around. Hopefully this has helped you stay positive.

Kia ora kaitiaki. And there you go! I hope you learned something and realised that being green isn't about everything in your pantry matching with those silly glass jars or living in a commune. If that's your jam, fabulous, but sustainability at its heart is just using what you need. If you enjoyed this episode, please don't keep it to yourself and feel free to drop me a rating and hit the subscribe button. Kia ora and I'll see you next week.

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