Where war once raged in Iraq, Yezidi women plant hope

In Brazil's Amazon deforestation hotspot BR-163, small farmers and entrepreneurs are working to implement sustainable farming alternatives like agroecology, beekeeping and converting cattle pastures to grow local fruits to create a “bioeconomy,” despite a lack of institutional support.

Save Our Great Salt Lake is a group rallying local environmental activists to push legislators to care for the Great Salt Lake and take legislative action before the ecosystem collapses. Though it will be a long, uphill battle the group’s efforts have already led to some progress from local government, such as the newly built wastewater treatment plant that aims to get more water to the Great Salt Lake.

Nairobi is using a unique restoration technique called the Miyawaki method to restore local ecosystems by creating forest islands in urban areas that have lost their green spaces. Since 2007, this reforestation method has established mini forests in three regions throughout the city, as the project has planted over 236,212 seedlings.

The residents of Kikandwa, Uganda, came together to create the Kikandwa Environmental Association to implement nature-based solutions in their community. The solutions are combatting climate change and generating more income than options with a negative environmental impact. For example, many people traded cutting trees to make charcoal for selling seedlings at the local tree nursery.

All We Can Save Circles are decentralized, 10-course book clubs aimed at helping participants develop communities around climate solutions by inspiring action and allowing them to talk through climate anxieties. More than 3,000 people have formed Circles around the country and 90% of those who participate have taken some kind of climate action on their own, like advocating for change in their communities or taking a climate-focused career.

Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) allows local farmers who faced devastation to their crops due to drought to bring their land back to life and aid in reforestation. Over 20 years, the project has regenerated 200 million trees, improved crop yields by 30% and the concept of FMNR is practiced in 29 countries around the world.

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.

Women in villages throughout India and Bangladesh are “silent climate warriors” who plant mangrove trees as a way to mitigate the effects of rising waters. While it’s not always easy to convince their family members that they should do this, they have been able to grow an additional 2,000 acres of mangroves that can reduce the speed of waves and capture carbon dioxide. They also earn income, about $430 a year, for growing and planting saplings.

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.

Community-led urban farms in Jakarta empower residents to transform underused city spaces like alleyways and campus grounds into productive local food sources. These initiatives often blend traditional gardening with community organizing, educational outreach, and sometimes smart technology or agricultural research to improve food access, enhance green space, and foster local resilience.