Krakow Can Breathe Again

A wide range of elected officials and community groups came together to form Climate Action KC to work together to combat climate change across Kansas and supply information for those not in the group to do the same.

The Friends of Coyote Hills led a 30-year community campaign that successfully protected 24 acres of threatened habitat from development. Alongside voter mobilization, strategic fundraising, and federal wildlife protections, they secured $70 million toward the purchase of land.

In Nigeria, the Arewa Women Initiative For Climate Change Advocacy And Environmental Sustainability works to educate people on climate change and empower them to make informed, environment-friendly decisions. Through events like tree planting campaigns, the initiative spreads awareness on a variety of issues while coordinating action.

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act uses tax credits to encourage the adaptation of and investment in renewable energy across the country.

Ukrainian scientists invented a generator that uses organic waste from agriculture to produce cheap energy. This method can replace natural gas while disposing of agricultural waste in a way that doesn’t emit carbon dioxide.

Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants by 12% because of the agreement’s carbon cap on utilities’ fossil fuel use that lowers yearly.

Taos Ski Valley, a ski resort in New Mexico, is now CarbonNeutral certified due to practices like reduction of emissions and on-mountain energy use, and investment in carbon offsets.

Indigenous and Italian American activists in Rochester, N.Y. built on an interfaith model to campaign for a resolution replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day. The committee focused on centering Indigenous perspectives, involving Italian Americans in the process, and encouraging community dialogue through mediated conversation circles.

After Georgian residents raised concerns about a pollutant that was being emitted by a nearby biomass plant, they banded together to pass legislation that effectively put an end to the practice. These concerned residents founded the Madison County Clean Power Coalition to raise awareness of the effects of creosote burning, which, when breathed in, has shown to increase the risk of lung and heart disease. Their lobbying efforts resulted in the governor signing into law a ban on burning creosote-treated wood.

After a river in Fiji continued to flood, an entire village relocated uphill 2 kilometers away. About two-thirds of the residents participated in this voluntary relocation, which proved effective when a strong cyclone hit the island. Government policies are making it easier for villages to relocate due to climate change; in fact, four have done so already. Balancing the people’s cultural connection to the land and the need to move can be tricky, but as people continue to be displaced, their responses could help inform other coastal communities around the world.