Ten More Stores of Good News About Our World

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 147
Ten Stories of Good News About Our World
 
More than likely most of you know that I do not watch network television, I do not spend a lot of time on social media platforms, nor do I pay a lot of attention to the news. Constantly hearing about tragic events, inflation, the next weather related disaster, violence, and racial injustice, is not likely to put me in a good frame of mind. Consequently, filtering what I hear about everyday is my way of increasing my quality of life. 
 
 
That being said, I do not completely ignore the world around me. But when I do pay attention to it seems as if it is always bad news. So, for the next couple of episodes I am going to focus on giving you some good news about what is happing in the world. So stay tuned for E147 which is call Ten Stories of Good News About Our World.
 
 
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E147 which is called Ten Stories of Good News About Our World. 
 
 
Last weeks episode was about 10 tips to help you focus on the good things in life. So I thought it was appropriate to follow up with an episode or two that focused solely on the good things about our world. I want to do this just to provide evidence that there are good things going on despite all the bad news that we hear every day 
 
 
There have been times in my life when I have been guilty of truly ignoring the entire world. At one point I did not watch television, I ignored the news media, I did not have a cell phone or even an email account. In fact, the only way I heard about the tragic events of 9/11 in the United States is that I happened to walk into a convenience store that had a big screen TV. 
 
 
It was a combination of my love of travel and my changing business environment that made me realize I needed to manage my life differently. I needed to pay a bit more attention to the world at large and I needed to communicate with people more frequently. That being said, I still heavily filter what goes on in my life and what I hear about everyday.  
 
 
For example, I am surrounded by a group of really good friends that I have known for years. For the most part I am able to avoid the frustration of dealing with heavy traffic because of how I manage my work schedule. I refuse to work in hospitals that have a stressful, negative and unpleasant work environment. I even go into the supermarket during off hours to avoid the crowds. 
 
 
But I also do some other things that people may find a little extreme. When I stop to put gas in my truck I put in ear plugs because I don’t want to listen to the television screen that is mounted on the gas pump. If I go into the supermarket during the busy time I either put in ear plugs or I wear head phones so I can listen to some pleasant music. I do this because the majority of conversations I overhear in the supermarket are people complaining about something instead of having a pleasant conversation.  But as I said before, this is my way of improving my quality of life because I strongly filter what I am exposed to everyday. But as you could like imagine I cannot filter out everything. 
 
 
I do pay attention to the news just enough to give me a broad perspective of what is going on in the world. But if the last several weeks is representative of what the news is typically like, then all we hear about is bad news and how the world is falling apart. If you do a little research you will find that literally 95% of the news that is reported is bad and 90% of that is based on sensationalism. 
 
 
Unfortunately, this only gives most of us a poor outlook on life and robs us of any sense of personal security. And while we actually do have a lot to worry about as far as our climate is concerned, if we focus on nothing but bad news we tend to loose hope. Furthermore, hopelessness tends to breed apathy and with apathy we tend to sit and do nothing. 
 
 
I truly believe that our future has not yet been decided and it is possible to build a sustainable future. In an effort to convince you of that as well, for the next couple of episodes I am going to focus on nothing but good news about the world and our environment.  So, get ready for some good news. And my first topic is about our food security. So I want to start out by giving you six reasons to be hopeful about the future of our food. 
 
 

Six reasons to be hopeful about the future of our food. 

 
 
With all that is going on in the world, we hear a lot about food insecurity. Food prices are going through the roof for one reason or another. Climate change, climate disasters, and global politics are making it more difficult to raise crops and get them to market. Food production uses 70% of the worlds fresh water and produces 30% of our greenhouse gas emission. Approximately 258 million people experienced severe food insecurity in 2022. But there is also some good news about our world food supply.
 
 
Food is gaining more attention at climate change forums. There is a growing awareness of the benefits of regenerative farming and the need to question the amount of meat we are producing. We are already producing enough food to feed everyone the world but 33% of that goes to waste. 
 
 
The EU has made a commitment to reduce food waste in shops, restaurants, and household by 30% per capita by the end of 2030. Additionally the One Health movement is bringing human and animal health together. Currently, 60% of emerging diseases come from domestic and wild animals. The one health movement is placing emphasis on animal welfare as a means of reducing the risk of future pandemics and food insecurity. 
 
 
Cultured meat is also gaining headway as a means or reducing the negative impact of the meat industry. And along with that, attitudes towards animal sentience are also changing. More and more people are starting to realize that animals do feel pain, suffering and joy. 
 
 
Activists are also fighting against food injustice. We have all seen examples of how big industry destroys the livelihoods of the little guy. This happens in our food systems when small fisheries businesses are destroyed, when ecosystems are stripped bare to grow soy for factory farms. Despite this, there is a huge movement to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. Animal welfare acts are now enshrined in UK laws. Grassroots organization around the world are are empowering local communities to promote small scale farming. 
 
 
2) A non-profit in Geneva has come up with a unique way to limit food waste. 
 
 
Since approximately 33% of the food we produce goes to waste that in turn has a significant environmental impact. So, on a global scale we are producing enough food to feed the entire world but a huge chunk of that is going to waste. 
 
But a non-profit in Geneva has come up with a unique solution in the form of community pantries. This consists of street-side free access refrigerators where people can donate or take food that otherwise would go to waste. 
 
 
The project started with one refrigerator about a year ago. That one refrigerator save approximately 3 metric tons of food from going to waste over the course of a year. Geneva now has four refrigerators placed strategically around the city with plans for a fifth one. The project costs around 36,500 euros to run each year and is funded by charity groups and the city government. So, a round of applause for Geneva. 
 
 
3) Wounded combat veterans find healing in restoring coral reefs. 
 
 
We have all heard about the destruction of our coral reefs. Well, there are numerous research groups attempting to make a difference. There is a group of wounded US Army veterans who are helping to restore coral reefs in southern Florida in the US. This started 2011 when the Mote Marine Laboratory and the non-profit Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge teamed up. Their mission is two fold: save the coral reefs threatened by disease and rising ocean temperature and help veterans heal both physical and emotional wounds. 
 
 
Veterans work directly with researchers who observe and gather information  on how to improve treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. But they also participate in coral planting and helping to restore the marine environment. 
 
 
4) The EU is pushing for fossil fuel phase out well ahead of the 2050 climate summit. 
 
 
The push is for countries to agree to sign up for three interlinked parts of this pledge. 
 
 
Number one: the annual deployment of new renewable energy projects needs to triple by 2030. Secondly, the world must double the rate at which energy efficiency is improving compared to the last decade. Thirdly, the world must phase out the unabated use of fossil fuels well ahead of the 2050 climate summit. This would require the elimination of the use of fossil fuels. 
 
 
5) Only the wealthy stand to lose money from the elimination of the use of fossil fuels. 
 
 
Now I would agree there are challenges to our 100% transition to renewable energy. I have covered that in a previous podcast episode. But like so many other things, it is big oil and even the government that spreads false information about this green transition in order to protect their profits. In fact, scientist working with Exxon Mobile, starting in the 1970s, predicted global warming with astonishing accuracy. Yet for decades, the company denied the very existence of climate change and spread misinformation. 
 
 
But the good news is that it is only the super wealthy that stand to lose money from the shutting down of fossil fuels. The biggest proponents of the renewable transition often claim that the cutting down of fossil fuel production will be hugely expensive and will mostly hurt the ordinary person. 
 
 
But the opposite is actually true and the United States is a perfect example. Two-thirds of financial losses from fossil fuel assets would affect only the top 10 percent of wealth holders with half of that affecting only the top one percent. In contract to that, 3.5 per cent of those financial losses would affect the poorest 50% of Americans. Furthermore, researchers say that the analysis on Europe and the UK shows similar results. 
 
 
So the next time you hear something negative about our transition to renewables you can feel free to ignore it. 
 
 
6) Wind and solar are set to provide 33% of global energy by 2030.
 
 
What most people do not realize is that the more renewable energy that comes online the cheaper that energy production becomes. Presently, renewable energy is produced at about $40 per megawatt. With continued expansion, that could go as low as $20 per megawatt. This is happening because of exponential growth in the renewable energy sector. The essential translates into long term energy security and energy price deflation. 
 
 
There has also been a huge mineral discovery in Norway that could supply battery and solar panels for the next 50 years. 
 
 
7) Huge phosphate deposits were discovered by Norge Mining in 2018 and it may amount to as much as 70 billion tons of phosphate. 
 
 
Phosphate ore is rich in phosphorus, which is a key component in many green technologies. Russia has the largest deposits of phosphorus. Morocco, China, Syria and Iran also have significant deposits. All ore coming from these countries has been curtailed due to war. This huge discovery in Norway will lead the way to increased energy independence with of course less dependence on vital products that come from conflict areas. 
 
 
8) The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has dropped by 34%.
 
 
Did you know that the Amazon rainforest covers an area twice the size of India and 2/3 of that area is in Brazil. It covers an area equal to 6.9 million square kilometers, or 2.72 million square miles, and covers approximately 40% of the South American continent. It is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet and is home to around 3 million species of plants and animals, as well as millions of indigenous people. 
 
As of 2022, the rate of deforestation in the Amazon is approximately 11,568 square kilometers annually, which is about 4,466 square miles. Beef production is one of the greatest drivers of deforestation in the Amazon. Gold mining and soy production are also rising threats. 
 
 
However, under a new president deforestation has decreased by nearly 34%. This is partially due to the enforcement of environmental laws which has helped to reduce of illegal logging and illegal cattle operations. It is also worth noting that 100 countries, including Brazil, have pledged to end deforestation by 2030.
 
 
9) Access to green spaces improves your health
 
 
I have long said that if everyone could come home to the peace and quiet that I experience everyday there would be a lot less anger and frustration and the world would be a much happier place. Researchers have long known about the health benefits of spending time in the outdoors. Recent studies in Europe have revealed the living near green spaces has an array of health benefits. 
 
 
We all know that urgent action is needed to fight climate change. But there is also an easy way to do just that: plant more green spaces. Research has revealed that urban trees can lower temperatures between 2C to 10C. Besides these cooling effects, green spaces are also linked to increased happiness, improved mental health, more frequent social interactions and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. 
 
 
But to insure access to green spaces, a very astute professor at Nature Based Solutions, has come up with a unique formula. He developed the 3-30-300 rule as a guideline for green planting. Translation is as follows: Everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home. There should be at least 30% tree canopy at the neighborhood level because research shows this is the threshold above which we see climate and health benefits. And the final rule is based on the World Health Organization’s recommendation that no one should live more that 300 meters from a park or green space of at least one hectare, which is about 2.5 acres. 
 
 
But as is typical, the distribution of green areas and access to those areas are unequal. In most cities in Europe and the US, increased green and easy access to parks tends to drive up housing prices. This of course forces out lower income folks. That said, people are starting to pay attention and realize that what needs to be done is that the entire city must be green. 
 
 
And a bit for further good news. A joint Spanish and American research team showed that living near a green space actually makes you 2.5 years younger. 
 
 
10) The United Nations has an ambitious plan to cut plastic pollution by 80% by the year 2040
 
 
Most of us realize at this point that plastic pollution has become the bane of our existence. However, that is set to change. Just recently 170 countries gathered in Paris to negotiate the world’s first treaty to curb plastic pollution. This is the first step toward reduced production of plastics and increase recycling. 
 
 
Under our current system, global plastic waste will almost triple by 2060 and less than 20% of that will actually be recycled. But the UN Environmental Program wants to push for refillable bottles, bulk dispensers, deposit-return-schemes and packaging take-back schemes which could curb plastic pollution by at least 30%. 
 
 
Many European countries already have deposit-return schemes which allows consumers to redeem money when they return items such as plastic bottles for recycling. And the UK will introduce such a plan in 2025. 
 
 
In addition to this, improved recycling can further reduce waste by 20 to 50%. Furthermore the cost of circular schemes could be placed on the producers through levies, redirecting investments, requiring them to finance collection, recycling and disposal of plastics. And this is a complete turn around from the  beginning of the single use plastic era where the production and packaging was passed along directly to the consumer. 
 
 
Summary
 
 
Now to start wrapping things up here I just want to say that I truly believe we do have a lot to worry about but our future on this planet has not yet been decided. That said, I also believe that we are past the point of easy. But there is also no reason to allow eco-anxiety, climate doom, and environmental dread and the constant barrage of bad news to cause you to develop apathy and a sense of hopelessness. 
 
 
Instead of that, embrace the fact that there are a lot of very smart people committed to making substantial changes to our world. Enough people are starting to stand up and speak out, and enough governments around the world are taking steps toward a sustainable future that it is no longer going to matter that some of the worst offenders on our planet refuse to do anything. 
 
 
Furthermore, each and every one of us can do our part by living a very simple sustainable life and abide by the concept of leave only footprints. By doing so, you will have reduced your waste, eliminated the use of single use plastics, reduced your use of electricity and other resources, eliminated any food waste, respected the environment, respected other cultures, and extended a simple act of kindness because community matters and we are all in this together. 
 
 
Well folks that’s about it for this week. I hope these examples of good things going on in the world has given you good reason to believe that we are making progress toward a sustainable future. I also hope you will join me again next week for another dose of good news. 
 
 
Until next week, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to lie sustainably because this is how we build a better future.