climate resilience
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A new satellite system could revolutionize wildlife tracking
Scientists are on the brink of launching a satellite-based system to monitor animal migrations, endangered species, and global changes through thousands of tiny tracking devices.
In short:
- The ICARUS project, conceived by ornithologist Martin Wikelski, aims to create an "internet of animals" by attaching solar-powered tracking devices to wildlife and monitoring them via satellites.
- The system will launch in 2025, using low-cost CubeSats, providing data on animal movements and environmental conditions, crucial for understanding global change.
- The initiative promises to democratize ecological research, enabling more scientists to study animal behaviors and migrations with detailed, accessible data.
Key quote:
“These tags are so smart, they can tell us if a female is nesting and if the clutch disappears. Then we can link individuals to populations and understand the drivers of change.”
— Martin Wikelski, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Why this matters:
This groundbreaking technology offers a transformative approach to preserving the intricate web of life that sustains our planet. This tech-savvy approach could be our best bet in safeguarding biodiversity and, by extension, our own future. Read more: Winged Warnings: Built for survival, birds in trouble from pole to pole.
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Credit: VectorMine/BigStock Photo ID: 436555070
UChicago’s climate initiative explores controversial solar geoengineering
The University of Chicago has launched a Climate Systems Engineering initiative, aiming to explore solar geoengineering, despite the controversial nature and potential risks of the field.
Jessica McKenzie reports for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
In short:
- The new initiative will focus on solar geoengineering and other Earth system modifications to combat climate change.
- Solar geoengineering involves reflecting sunlight to cool the Earth, but it poses significant ethical, environmental, and geopolitical risks.
- Critics fear it could lead to reduced efforts in carbon reduction and create unpredictable climate impacts.
Key quote:
“We’re going to wish we had effective carbon dioxide removal technologies operating at scale, or we’re going to wish we knew how to modulate temperatures with various forms of geoengineering to prevent human suffering.”
— Michael Greenstone, director of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC)
Why this matters:
As climate change accelerates, all potential solutions, including controversial ones like solar geoengineering, appear increasingly attractive for blunting severe global impacts. Read more: Solar geoengineering: Scientists decry a 'foolish' idea.
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Credit: ILRI/Flickr
Reviving ancient practices to combat desertification in Jordan
Communities in Jordan are successfully using the ancient practice of hima to combat overgrazing and desertification, revitalizing local ecosystems and traditions.
In short:
- Hima, an ancient land-management practice, is being revived in Jordan to combat overgrazing and desertification, resulting in a significant increase in plant biomass and biodiversity.
- The rotational grazing system protects certain areas, allowing them to recover, which benefits both the environment and local shepherds.
- International conservation organizations are looking to scale up this culturally integrated approach across the Middle East.
Key quote:
"Our religion tells us that whoever plants a tree—and an animal, a bird, or a person eats from it, or takes shade in it, or lives in it—then he has good deeds, and his reward is with God."
— Emad al-Alimat, Bedouin shepherd
Why this matters:
Reviving hima not only restores ecosystems but also supports local communities, blending conservation with cultural and religious traditions, and offering a sustainable model for land management in arid regions. Read more: Climate, justice, and the deep roots of regenerative farming.
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Austria’s last-minute support enables EU Nature Restoration Law
After months of deadlock, the EU's Nature Restoration Law passed, driven by a crucial change of heart from Austria.
In short:
- Environment ministers in Luxembourg voted to pass the Nature Restoration Law, aiming to restore 20% of land and sea by 2030.
- Austria’s last-minute decision to support the law was pivotal in breaking the deadlock among EU countries.
- The law targets long-term ecosystem restoration but faced criticism for potential economic and administrative burdens on the agricultural sector.
Key quote:
“This law is pivotal to combat climate change. We need to ensure legal certainty for people using soil and land.”
— Leonor Gewessler, Austrian climate minister
Why this matters:
Restoring ecosystems is an important step forward towards mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity. The EU's decision emphasizes the importance of legal frameworks in driving environmental action on a large scale. Read more: Appalachia is transitioning from coal. Here’s what it could learn from Germany.
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Credit: UNDP Climate/Flickr
Climate change is erasing crucial Indigenous languages
A recent report highlights how climate change is accelerating the loss of Indigenous languages, which hold vital ecological knowledge.
In short:
- Indigenous languages, which encompass crucial environmental knowledge, are disappearing due to climate-induced migrations and environmental changes.
- Extreme weather and rising sea levels are forcing Indigenous communities to abandon their homelands, taking their languages with them.
- Efforts are underway to document and preserve these languages, as they offer unique insights into environmental conservation, but hampered by climate impacts and historical colonialism.
Key quote:
"Indigenous languages contain inventories of species, classification systems, etiological narratives, and, above all, ways of managing diversity, a fundamental technology for the preservation and biorestoration of the environment."
— Altaci Corrêa Rubim/Tataiya Kokama, University of Brasília
Why this matters:
The loss of Indigenous languages means losing critical environmental knowledge that can aid in combating climate change. Read more: Feeling “invisible”: How language barriers worsen environmental injustice.
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Credit: The National Guard/Flickr
Vermont takes bold steps to combat climate change
Governor Phil Scott has allowed Vermont's groundbreaking climate legislation to pass without his signature, marking a pivotal moment in the state's environmental policy.
In short:
- The “Climate Superfund Act” requires major oil companies to pay for climate change damages in Vermont, calculated based on their emissions from 1995 to 2024.
- Vermont's new “Flood Safety Act” introduces stricter building regulations in river corridors, enhances wetland protections, and increases dam safety to mitigate future flooding risks.
- Despite concerns about legal challenges and implementation timelines, these laws aim to fund climate resilience projects and reduce future disaster costs.
Key quote:
“What’s incredibly clear is these companies that are responsible for the climate crisis aren’t going to pay Vermont a dime unless we take an action like this.”
— Ben Edgerly Walsh, Vermont Public Interest Research Group
Why this matters:
Vermont's new laws set a national precedent by holding oil companies accountable and proactively addressing climate change impacts, hopefully leading to improved public health and environmental resilience. Read more: How the “Halliburton Loophole” lets fracking companies pollute water with no oversight.
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Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife/Flickr
Altering species to safeguard them
In a bid to save endangered wildlife, scientists explore "assisted evolution" techniques, challenging traditional conservation methods.
In short:
- Australia's unique wildlife faces extinction due to habitat degradation, invasive species, and climate change.
- Scientists propose altering animal genomes through techniques like crossbreeding and gene editing to enhance species' survival traits.
- Interventions like genetic rescue aim to increase genetic diversity and resilience in endangered populations.
Key quote:
"Let’s lean into that, not be daunted by it. My view is that 50 years from now, biologists and wildlife managers will look back at us and say, ‘Why didn’t they take the steps and the opportunities when they had the chance?’"
— Dan Harley, senior ecologist at Zoos Victoria
Why this matters:
As biodiversity declines globally, innovative approaches like assisted evolution offer hope for saving endangered species. However, ethical considerations and potential unintended consequences underscore the need for careful deliberation in implementing these strategies. Some innovators are looking to biomimicry to address sustainability challenges. Can they harness green chemistry to get it right?
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