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.

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An eastern bluebird looking back at the camera in a pose a model would be jealous of

Air pollution trackers also tracking wildlife

New research indicates global air pollution sensors are unintentionally gathering environmental DNA, resulting in ample data that could help scientists learn about past and present changes in biodiversity. Scientists believe these systems may play a key role in wildlife conservation efforts as we adapt to our changing climate.

And all of these systems are already part of the existing infrastructure.

A group of king penguins waddling about. Fun fact: A group of penguins is called a waddle!

Australia to triple size of protected marine park

Australia plans to expand its Macquarie Island Marine Park by 475,465 square kilometers (183,578 square miles) — tripling its size! The marine park hosts abundant biodiversity and serves as a breeding ground for many endangered species, including several penguin species.

This expansion makes the marine park larger than Germany.

A massive floating solar panel array

New Jersey combines waterways and sunshine for massive solar array

North America’s largest floating solar farm is online! The 17-acre solar array will meet 95% of New Jersey American Water’s Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant’s power needs. The 8.9 megawatt farm is enough clean energy to electrify over 1,400 households each year.  

Floating solar allows for renewable energy to be generated on what would otherwise be empty space. 

An iPhone standing up on its own like a terrifying, sentient phone

Apple Maps now show open EV charging spots 

This fall, Apple’s newest update will locate available electric vehicle charging stations near you. Via Apple Maps, iOS 17 will allow users to search for open chargers by type and within different charging networks in real time.

This new feature is in addition to a previous iOS update that allowed users to add charging stations to their route.

Let’s take action on climate together