Month: February 2019

Solar Energy: A Bountiful Harvest Solar energy has a lot going for it: it’s the fastest growing energy sector in the world — last year, it even grew faster than fossil fuels[1] — and analysts predict it will soon become the cheapest[2].   The sun’s energy is not only clean compared to fossil fuels —…

It comes as a surprise to learn that the 9th most-effective strategy for mitigating climate change[i] according to the Drawdown organization is something as obscure as silvopasture. From the Latin silva (‘forest’) and pastura (‘grazing’), silvopasture at its simplest is the integration of livestock and forest, creating a symbiotic system[ii] that can increase meat and…

Family Planning: First Do No Harm   In 2017, researchers out of Sweden performed a meta-analysis[1] to determine which individual lifestyle changes have the most impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The four most important were living a car- and plane-free life, eating a plant-based diet, and “having one fewer child.” This last recommendation is, in…

Tropical forests[i] are nature’s most powerful carbon sinks, absorbing harmful greenhouse gas emissions through photosynthesis. When they’re destroyed, therefore, these sinks release all that stored carbon back into the environment; in fact, a landmark 2017 study[ii] determined that tropical forests now release more carbon[iii] than they absorb[iv] due to deforestation. Tropical forests thus present a…