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How a Young Activist Is Helping Pope Francis Battle Climate Change

David Owen

February 08, 2021 |

The New Yorker |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Holy See (Vatican City State), Rome

Molly Burhans, a young cartographer and environmentalist, is using GIS technology to map out the Catholic Church’s global property holdings to encourage them to improve the environmental impact on the lands they own. Burhans’ organization called GoodLands has been working with various parishes and dioceses to help Church leaders — including Pope Francis — understand their vast landholdings. While finances and COVID-19 have impacted her progress, Burhans’ maps have been used for other purposes like mapping Catholic radio stations in Africa and tracking the whereabouts of priests accused of sexual abuse.

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Nature calling: how can Sweden's success story help rewild London?

Matthew Ponsford

February 05, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Malmö

As London starts to implement its plan for boroughs to implement sustainable urban greening strategies, officials look to Malmö as a guide after the Swedish city used a green space factor (GSF) as a way of calculating green space requirements for new developments. The GSF system allows governments to integrate biodiversity-focused incentives into their urban planning, while allowing designers and architects to respond to local needs.

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Planting Trees Sounds Like A Simple Climate Fix. It's Anything But.

Kyla Mandel

February 05, 2021 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, England

As governments and businesses make pledges to cut their carbon emissions, planting tress has become a popular solution to combat the effects of climate change. But tree-planting schemes take time and proper management to actually be effective. Many efforts have failed to take some key factors into consideration, including types of trees, location, and even community-involvement.

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The Tribe that's Moving Earth (and Water) to Solve the Climate Crisis

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Alex Blumberg

February 04, 2021 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Yurok Nation, United States, Yurok Reservation, California

The Yurok Tribe is tackling climate change through the use of a carbon-offset program, sustainable forestry principles, watershed and river recovery methods, and even beaver restoration practices. Over the years, the Indigenous community has worked to restore their territory using sustainable land management initiatives and because of their efforts, they were awarded the Equator Prize from the United Nations Development Programme in 2019.

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Curing the ‘colonial hangover': how Yukon First Nations became trailblazers of Indigenous governance

Julien Gignac

January 30, 2021 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Yukon First Nations, Canada, Yukon

Under the structure of unique treaties called final agreements, Yukon First Nations are able to exercise the powers of self-governance over projects proposed on their land. Implementation of the agreements isn’t always smooth, but 11 of the 14 First Nations have entered into these creative accords with the territorial and federal governments, which aims to foster participation and grant decision-making authority in these Indigenous communities.

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Pakistan pins big hopes on small dams to help farmers beat drought

Imran Mukhtar

January 25, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Nagarparkar, Sindh

A government scheme in Pakistan involves the construction of water-harvesting dams in areas that experience droughts, which allows farmers in the region to use the irrigation water from the dams for their crops. One farmer is growing onions and wheat and because of the access to water, his income has increased more than 60 percent. There are concerns about how helpful the water from the dams will ultimately be in the arid region, but there are plans to build more dams in the next few years.

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Planting crops — and carbon, too

Gabriel Popkin Gabriella Demczuk

January 22, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rock Hall, Maryland

Maryland farmer Trey Hill became the first seller in a tech startup’s carbon marketplace, paying him $115,000 for initiating regenerative farming practices. By introducing cover crops, he has been able to sequester about 8,000 tons of carbon in the soil, which then buyers can purchase the credits to offset the carbon they produce. If more farmers get on board, supporters say it can be a tangible solution to curbing climate change.

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How Solar Panels Could Help Save Struggling Farms

XiaoZhi Lim

January 18, 2021 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

As the amount of farmland decreases in the United States and climate change brings hotter and drier conditions, many farmers are turning to agrivoltaics — growing crops and installing solar panels on the same land — as a way to make ends meet. Research on a garden in Arizona showed that certain crops like tomatoes and chiltepin peppers were able to thrive under the shade of solar panels, while also improving the solar panels’ productivity. “It’s a very unique positive feedback,” said one of the researchers.

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How Bison Are Saving America's Lost Prairie

Joe Hanson Michael Werner

January 14, 2021 |

PBS |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Oklahoma

Tall grass prairie used to span across 13 states in North America. However, after settlers arrived grassland prairies were decimated. By reintroducing bison to the land along with seasonal fires, the nature conservancy, which manages the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oklahoma, resuscitated the prairie. The preserve is the largest tract of grassland prairie remaining in the world.

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Network Connects Indigenous Knowledges in the Arctic and U.S. Southwest

Jenessa Duncombe

January 13, 2021 |

Eos |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN) connects Indigenous scholars, community members, and leaders from tribes in the Arctic and the U.S. Southwest to work together on achieving food sovereignty. By visiting each other’s lands, they share their traditional knowledge on farming practices and river restoration. Because of the network, they received a grant to study the effects of COVID-19 on food access for Indigenous communities. “We can learn from one another, teach each other, and also work together on finding different solutions,” said a member of the IFKN steering committee.

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