Nature's Carbon Sponges: Restoring Meadows in the Sierra Nevada

After years of drought and land-clearing that left Niger with few trees left, the country now boasts about 200 million trees, which have mostly been reestablished naturally. While the effects of climate change could threaten the future of these trees, this method has also increased crop yields in villages. This model of letting trees grow back with little human influence could be implemented in other countries.

Volunteers of the National Forest Foundation’s Colorado Rivershed project mimic beavers by foraging for materials to make dam-like structures that slow the flow of the waterways leading into the larger river. This strategy is a form of low-tech, process-based restoration meant to hold water in the upper basin for longer to reinvigorate the habitat and benefit the local ecosystem.

The Squamish Nation, the Squamish River Watershed Society, and the Canadian federal government are working together to restore the Squamish estuary and save the local salmon population. The coalition removed part of a spit that was placed in the river by a rail company in the 1970s without consulting the Squamish Nation.

The nonprofit Quiet Parks International certifies “quiet parks” after performing a detailed sound analysis. Their work is an effort to raise awareness of and increase public support for preserving these locations.

The startup CarbonRun developed a machine that adds limestone to rivers to increase the amount of carbon dioxide they trap. Adding the alkaline substance to the water as a powder converts carbon dioxide into a stable molecule, which keeps it underwater.

Bsal is a fungal pathogen that causes a deadly disease in salamanders. Experts from Mexico, Canada, and the United States came together to create the volunteer-based North American Bsal Task Force to prevent it from spreading further and prepare a plan of action for when the pathogen reaches the continent.

Colleges across the United States are adopting the “campus as a living lab” approach to integrate climate change mitigation and environmental education into curriculums and combine them with efforts to make campuses more sustainable. Students across departments work on projects relevant to their degrees and the environment, many of which are implemented by the schools.

A unique regional cleanup program was designed to reduce the nutrient runoff in the Chesapeake Bay using a legally-enforceable pollution quota across six U.S. states.

A direct carbon capture plant in Iceland sucks carbon dioxide out of the air, mixes it with water, and pumps it underground to help combat climate change. When the mixture reaches the basalt bedrock, it causes a chemical reaction that turns the carbon into a solid so it can be stored underground in the porous rock.

Researchers in India developed a spray that is applied to mangoes to extend their shelf life by about a week, reducing food waste and increasing farmers’ profits.