News items for December 9, 2022

5am Sunrise, Seattle by Melissa Bennett-Cumming used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

• 1. Finally, some good climate news in 2022

  Ranging from major federal legislation to surging demand for EVs, the energy transition accelerated remarkably in the last 12 months.

  Inside Climate News Environmental policy, Green Energy

• 2. At COP15, Indigenous leaders warn against ‘biggest land grab in history’

  At the UN biodiversity conference, Indigenous leaders fight to be included in 30×30 talks.

  Grist Biodiversity, First Nations, Land

• 3. A WA town takes a step toward recognizing the rights of orcas

  The move is the latest development in the “rights of nature” movement gathering momentum in countries around the world, including the U.S. With only 73 of the orcas of the Salish Sea still in existence, time is of the essence.

  Inside Climate News Orcas, Rights of Nature

• 4. The perfect storm for a rapidly acidifying Arctic Ocean

  The Arctic Ocean has grown more acidic at a surprising rate in recent years, three times faster than the rest of the global ocean. Melting sea ice has exposed the top level of the Arctic Ocean to air rich with carbon dioxide, creating a layer that sopped up carbon from the atmosphere.

  Mongabay Acidification, Arctic Melting

• 5. Seattle has 800,000 problems

  That’s the number of new affordable housing units that is estimated to be needed by 2050 to accommodate the rapidly ballooning population growth across a four-county region that includes Seattle.

  Strong Towns Affordable housing, Housing

• 6. Is carbon capture the solution for jobs and climate action in fossil fuel country?

  A project in Wyoming’s coal region brings the new technology, but critics say it carries unacceptable risks.

  High Country News Carbon capture, Green Jobs

• 7. Fight to curb food waste increasingly turns to science

  In 2019, around 35% of the 229 million tons of food available in the U.S.—worth around $418 billion—went unsold or uneaten. Food waste is the largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which says rotting food releases methane, a problematic greenhouse gas.

  Oregon Public Broadcasting Food waste

• 8. Why access to the outdoors has never been equitable

  Today, thanks to the legacy of redlining, zoning and environmental racism, the country remains largely segregated with inequitable access to the outdoors.

  Crosscut Environmental Racism, Outdoors

• 9. We love city trees. Until they land on us

  Climate change is coming for Vancouver’s urban forest. An explainer.

  The Tyee Climate Change, Urban forests

• 10. Is bigger always better?

  The UN biodiversity conference now meeting in Montreal is considering a proposal to commit to putting 30% of land and sea under protection by 2030. Some ecologists warn that focusing too much on the size of protected areas risks missing what most needs saving.

  Yale Environment 360 Biodiversity, Conservation

More News from December 9, 2022

• A new plastics treaty is coming for your bags and bottles

  The world is choking in plastic trash, and the UN wants to do something to fix it. Plastics industry coalitions—which include the world’s largest plastic producers, like Nestlé and Unilever—are calling for a focus on recycling and global targets defined by national priorities.

  Quartz Plastic Waste, Policy