Inside the Women-Led Global Alliance to Save the Planet

In the face of climate change as a result of increased CO2 emissions, millions of concerned citizens have grown frustrated at the lack of change from more traditional forms of civil engagement such as petitions, protests, and campaigns against the behemoths of the oil industry. But some have found hope in a growing movement that pushes governments and large corporations to leverage a more effective tool: divestment - or withdrawing financial support from the fossil fuel industry.

The rapid development of emerging economies across Asia and Africa is lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty - but there is much debate as to how to best structure this growth. If these economies evolve in the same way as in the West - with unchecked, excessive resource consumption and heavy pollution - the planet may be on the fast track to disaster. Earthrise explores how these nations can grow sustainably using improved, eco-conscious technologies like renewable energy and eco-friendly farming practices.

A leadership program in the Chesapeake Bay region gives members of the Latinx community to become change makers in the environmental movement. Since 2016, Chispa Maryland has produced more than 100 graduates from its “promotores” program, where they learn the basics of climate justice, advocacy, and community organizing. While the work is difficult and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected operations, the promotores have seen some success in organizing community gardens and lobbying the county to purchase electric school buses.

Canopy works to preserve the untouched Broadback Forest, which stores twice as much carbon as the Amazon and is central to the Cree Nation. The nonprofit works with 750 corporations, including fashion brands, commercial printers, and publishers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and eliminate sourcing from biodiverse, ancient, and endangered forests. They help source waste from grain and other food harvests for packaging, paper, and fabric production and enlist companies’ support of conservation initiatives. They also partner with other groups to lobby the government to protect the Broadback forest.

All over the world, more than 2 million children and teens are participating in classroom walkouts in an effort to bring attention to the severity of climate change. Called, Fridays for the Future, leaders of the movement are gaining traction, and have developed a declaration that emphasizes their demand that world leaders do something to stop the rising global temperature. This movement was sparked by Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, who, at 16-years old, has started this movement, spoken to global leaders, and continues to do what’s needed to demand action in the face of climate change.

In 2007 a program in Meghalaya, India called The Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project was created to bring together the community members in an agreement to protect the sacred groves there. This was part of the larger REDD project within India by the United Nations to mitigate some of the effects of deforestation and forest degradation. The longterm goal is to revive 27,000 hectares (about 66,718 acres) of forests and to serve as an example for other biodiverse areas in the country. The project has since received international funding to support other things as well, like stimulating the tourist economy.

As the United States grapples with the already-occurring effects of climate change, there is a growing call from the energy democracy movement to make sure energy efficiency remains equitable and affordable. Initiatives like Mississippi’s One Voice or the South Bronx’s Mothers on the Move recognize that climate change hits low-income first and most and are working to address the unequal power dynamics through shared, power-powered energy initiatives.

Nearly a billion people living in the arid regions of the Himalayas depend on glaciers for their water supply. But with climate change, glaciers have been retreating drastically every year, threatening the life source of villagers like those in the Ladakh region of Kashmir. One engineer, Sonam Wangchuck, has come up with an ingenious feat of engineering to help the villages store glacier water by constructing stupas - or towers - using thorn branches that retain ice in tall structures, which melts and provides clean water for drinking and agriculture during the dry season.

Around the globe, countries have taken actions that have helped reduce carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable energy. Although the state of Florida feels the effects of climate change, its state representatives have not produced policy addressing it. Local policy makers and organizers have made the biggest difference in the state.

Permitting is an important, and mandatory, part of new development projects in clean energy and forest management to ensure compliance with various regulations relating to the environment and land use. It also gives communities a chance to be heard during public comment. But the process is so lengthy that it can halt projects for years.