Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change

In order to cut carbon emissions in France, President Emmanuel Macron created an assembly of 150 randomly selected citizens. The citizens "convention on climate" met and deliberated for months before releasing 149 proposals on how the government should address climate change. Although only 10 made it into law without being altered, and 36 others were included form, the final legislation was one of the most comprehensive passed in the history of the country. The recommendations also garnered conversations and inspired the creation of other assemblies.

In Brazil, the world's largest producer of sugar cane, industry leaders have found a way to harvest the crop without sugar cane burning. Sugar cane burning is harmful to the environment and nearby residents. After complaints and regulations, producers invested in technology that allows them to cut the cane without burning it. This is a contrast to South Florida, despite producing less sugar cane than Brazil, producers in the state continue the practice.

Acknowledging that most coal plants world wide are likely to continue to operate for decades as the world's demand for energy only increases, solutions to climate change become ever more pressing. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is one of the few approaches that can receive bipartisan support in shaping energy policy and - despite a few early experimental failures - the method making a comeback as a viable way to combat the release of C02 into the atmosphere. The Petra Nova plant in Texas may serve as a model for moving CCS forward.

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.

The densely populated Canadian city is tenth most at risk of flooding in the world as climate change raises sea levels. The government has instated a number of successful flood adaptation projects, with an ambition to become the “greenest city in the world."

Ontario became “first jurisdiction in North America” to phase out coal-fired electricity, after 17 years of effort and three government administrations. The transition worked through political consensus, bridging divides, union-retraining programs, and a shift toward natural gas and nuclear power to fill the supply gap. The results from the initiative showed that 17% of the province’s emissions were removed.

In their fight to protect eelgrass, The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community sued the Army Corps and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Swinomish Tribe argued that creating wide exemptions to shellfish farming could endanger eelgrass, which they rely on. Their win led to stricter regulations that require individual permits rather than national permits. The tribe also opened its own shellfish operation.

Two organizations partnered to help eight low-income households convert their homes to become all-electric in Virginia. It entailed replacing fossil-fuel based heating and cooling systems like stoves and water coolers with electric ones. Some of the households saw a reduction in their utility bills. Organizers estimate that over the course of 20 years the changes will result in the households avoiding the emission of over 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

In Virginia, as more and more people turn towards electric cars like Tesla, homeowner associations will have to accommodate resident's request for electric charging stations. Because of that very reason, one legislator created Senate Bill 630, which prohibits homeowner and condominium associations from prohibiting installation in a resident's parking space. This story goes into detail about how one man used SB 630 to get three charging stations installed in his condominium.

Hywind Scotland is the world's first commercial wind farm using floating wind turbines to generate power for about 36,000 homes a year. This approach — which is being seriously looked at by several countries seeking to reduce their carbon emissions and oil-and-gas companies wanting to expand into renewable energy — allows wind farms to work in deeper waters where there is often stronger winds.