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There are worse viruses than Covid-19 out there. How do we avoid the next big one?

Debora MacKenzie

December 08, 2020 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: China

Public health experts are strategizing for how to combat the next pandemic by learning from what failed to prevent the most recent coronavirus pandemic. From increasing surveillance of viruses to using diagnostic technologies to "screen for novel infections more systematically," there are a series of protocols that countries failed to utilize that can be enacted now as a preventative measure.

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If Ranching Wants To Survive Drought And Other Climate Hassles, It's Time To Show Soil Some Love

Michael Elizabeth Sakas

December 07, 2020 |

Colorado Public Radio |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Thanks to a microloan from a local nonprofit and a willingness to try a new approach, a ranching operation in Colorado has begun introducing regenerative agriculture practices in the form of carbon capture. Using "portable electric fences to keep their cattle moving," the farmers have been able to produce healthier soil which has promoted better grass growth. Although the practice has not caught on across the industry, "regenerative agriculture is considered an important climate solution."

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Chimney Sweeps Attack Deadly Pollution Crisis

Nansalmaa Oyunchimeg

December 06, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

After banning the burning of raw coal as a way to reduce air pollution in Mongolia, residents of Ulaanbaatar switched to refined charcoal to heat their homes. However, that coal also wasn’t the cleanest and contributed to hundreds suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. To fix that, the government teamed up with a private company to hire more than 1,600 people to clean and inspect people’s chimneys and stoves. While critics say the program doesn’t solve the country’s pollution problem, the service has provided jobs to those who didn’t have steady work and helped those who aren't able to clean their stoves.

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A System for Sharing Household Heat Is Growing Beneath France

Chad Small

December 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

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A grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees forces change in Germany

Bridget Huber

December 03, 2020 |

National Geographic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Bavaria

Environmental advocates got 1.75 million signatures to change Bavarian farming laws to protect biodiversity. The Save the Bees Campaign calls for using subsidies to nearly triple the amount of organic farming, creating a network of wildlife corridors, and other actions to protect bird and insect life. Initial results show that, since the law took effect, the share of organic farmland increased and thousands of more acres of forest have been protected. Farmers have also adjusted their view of productivity, including protecting nature as a way to be productive. Similar efforts are happening across Europe.

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Heat Waves Kill More People Than Any Other Weather Disaster. These Cities Have A Plan.

Rachel Ramirez

December 01, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

With rising temperatures occurring all over the world, cities are implementing plans to combat heat waves and protect its residents. The city of Ahmedabad in India has been a model for heat resiliency after it created its first heat action plan that centered around “community-focused social measures.” Because of the plan, a 2015 heat wave resulted in fewer than 20 fatalities compared with thousands of deaths in previous years. Other cities like New York City are also participating in heat resiliency efforts aimed at protecting all of its residents.

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When food becomes scarce – high-tech farms of the future

Hartmut Idzko

November 28, 2020 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Video |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Japan

Vertical farms in Japan grow greens stacked in a building without soil and increase productivity and profitability compared to traditional farming. This format could expand food production as the global demand for food grows and allow for quality growing conditions despite climate change.

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Seattle Public Utilities' waste-pumping program has cut sewage spills from homeless people's RVs in half

Scott Greenstone

November 28, 2020 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

To help those experiencing homelessness, Seattle Public Utilities workers travel around the city knocking on RV doors and asking occupants if they need their sewage tank pumped. Some RVs are broken down and occupants can’t get to a public dump site to dispose of their waste, so wastewater spills have increased over the years. However, since the pilot program was introduced in 2020, the spills from RVs have been cut in half.

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An unusual snack for cows, a powerful fix for climate

William Neff Tatiana Schlossberg

November 27, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Prince Edward Island

A farmer on Prince Edward Island fed his cows seaweed and noticed that they produced more milk and had better pregnancy success. A study of his cows found that they also reduced methane emissions by about 18 percent, a decent amount that could be beneficial in combating climate change. The farmer is now part owner of North Atlantic Organics, which produces seaweed supplements for livestock. Now, other companies around the world are popping up to do the same thing and scale this climate solution.

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Indian Women Turn to Ancient Grains to Feed Their Families and Their Futures

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

November 26, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh

In the face of climate change, the nonprofit SABALA is working with nearly 2,000 women farmers in India to participate in millet farming, which can also strengthen community food security and empower women. Using traditional farming techniques, farmers can cultivate 15 to 20 of the climate-resistant crops on a 1-acre plot. Due to the success with millet farming, nearly 300 of the women came together to start a cooperative to process surplus millets and sell the grain to the local community.

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