With so much going on in the realm of sustainability, leadership, and innovation, and only a limited amount of bandwidth for professionals in this space, we have created this weekly news to highlight articles that we feel are (1) important, (2) relevant, and (3) interesting in the areas of business sustainability. If you have an article that you feel needs to be mentioned, please do so in the comments section.
In Novel Tactic on Climate Change, Citizens Sue Their Governments
In a landmark case a federal magistrates court in Oregon has allowed a lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 teenagers and children to go forward. This has surprised many experts and means that the case goes forward to the federal court to be accepted or rejected. The suit would force the government to take more aggressive action against climate change. It has come as a wave of other country’s citizens have placed pressure and legal action on governments and corporations to take greater responsibility for climate change actions and inaction.
People in Germany are now being paid to consume electricity
Last Sunday, May 8, weather in Germany was so good that renewable energy production surged and conventional power sources were taken offline, but not before electricity rates sunk into the negatives. This essentially meant that power producers were forced to pay power providers (-€130 per MWh at its lowest point) to take electricity off their hands. This is due to the inflexibility of energy production systems and lack of storage technology, but is a good sign for the power of renewables.
It’s Time To Design A Fart-Free Super Cow To Save The Planet
Livestock is estimated to contribute up to 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As the world’s seemingly insatiable appetite for meat continues people are now looking to preventive measures that include the modification of the livestock themselves. In this article a number of innovative modifications to traditional farming and feedstock are introduced, that aim to reduce the methane production of our flatulent friends.
Global Warming Cited as Wildfires Increase in Fragile Boreal Forest
The fire that destroyed the Canadian city of Fort McMurray, 2,400 homes and buildings and almost 500,000 acres of Boreal forest will likely be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. As cleanup begins, the conversation has shifted to the causes of this disaster and whether or not is indeed all “natural”. Anthropogenic global warming has been in the spotlight this week as scientists and activists argue more needs to be done before larger and costlier disasters occur. Those in Australia and the US who have dealt with longer and more intense fire seasons recently are echoing these sentiments.