This week’s good climate news
With so much still to do to slow warming and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, it’s important to fortify ourselves by celebrating wins along the way.
Tigers, tigers and tigers, oh my!
New International Union for Conservation of Nature data reports global tiger numbers are a whopping 40% higher than in 2015. India, China and Russia have created 16,00 square-miles of tiger reserves to protect the species, and the population uptick proves their success.
India is planning on using the same model to reintroduce cheetahs, which have been extinct in India since 1952, to the wild.
However you pronounce jaguar, they’re back
It’s the internet, so of course there’s more cat news: Jaguars are coming closer to the U.S. border. Hunters drove them from Arizona and New Mexico 100 years ago, but recent sightings sparked high hopes that these big cats could be returning to their natural habitats.
As jaguars are currently endangered in the U.S., this expansion is great news, and scientists estimate that pregnant female jaguars could be back in Arizona within the next five years.
Solar initiatives brighten future
The Biden administration is giving solar energy a boost. The White House announced several initiatives this week including one that would help people living in low-income housing access solar power by keeping their energy savings from counting against their rent assistance. It could save as many as 4.5 million families about 10% per year.
A separate pilot program in Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C. will launch soon to connect low-incoming housing to locally produced solar energy.
No more guzzolene
The Australian Capital Territory has become the first Australian state to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel cars starting in 2035. The state also plans to scale up battery storage in Canberra.
“We’re trying to signal where we are going very early so that people have a clear understanding of where the future lies,” New Minister for Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury said. The Australian Green Party had their best-ever results in the recent parliamentary elections.
Let’s take action on climate together
Get email alerts when your action will have the greatest impact.