Pelecanus

Here are the headlines from this Pelecanus News episode. All podcasts can be found at pelecanus.org, Soundcloud, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, and Google podcasts.

The Arctic

Court rejects White House Arctic drilling proposal in ‘Huge Victory for Polar Bears and our Climate’

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/federal-court-rejects-trumps-approval-of-offshore-oil-drilling-project-in-arctic-2020-12-07/

With Bank of America refusing, now every major bank has ruled out funding Arctic drilling

https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/11/bank-america-announcement-every-major-us-bank-has-ruled-out-funding-for

Divestment

New York’s $225 Billion Pension Fund is dropping fossil fuel stocks

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/nyregion/new-york-pension-fossil-fuels.html

UK to halt subsidies for fossil fuel projects abroad

https://time.com/5920475/u-k-fossil-fuels-overseas/

Drawdown

Japan plans to join the pack and ban sales of new gasoline cars by 2030

https://www.zmescience.com/science/japan-plans-to-join-the-pack-and-ban-sales-of-new-gasoline-cars-by-2030/

New Zealand declares climate emergency and has pledged to go carbon-neutral by 2025

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/02/new-zealand-declares-a-climate-change-emergency

Pakistan won’t approve new coal power plants

https://www.mining.com/pakistan-wont-approve-new-coal-power-plants/

Technology

US battery energy storage deployments shatter record in Q3, with 7.5 GW projected by 2025

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/us-storage-deployments-shatter-record-in-q3-with-75-gw-projected-by-2025/591513/

China just powered up its artificial sun fusion reactor

https://www.sciencealert.com/china-just-powered-up-its-artificial-sun-nuclear-fusion-reactor

Here are some great headlines from the last few weeks to give us all some much needed inspiration.

All podcasts can be found at Pelecanus.org as well as all podcast providers and YouTube.

Drawdown

US rejects controversial Alaska Pebble Gold, Copper Mine

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-25/u-s-rejects-controversial-alaska-mine-project-in-permit-review

GM flips to California’s side in pollution fight against White House

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-lawsuits-environment-california-gavin-newsom-f30458eb13b6ff967d05b12c178621e8

Wildlife

Galapagos sees record rise in penguins, flightless cormorants

https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/27869/20201025/galapagos-sees-record-increase-endemic-penguins-cormorants.htm

Global map of bees created in conservation first

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55006902

In this Conservation Conversation episode we talk with Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka about the amazing work she does in Uganda to conserve Mountain Gorillas. Her organization Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH.org) has three integrated strategic programs: Wildlife Conservation, Community Health and Alternative Livelihoods. Poverty alleviation and improving rural public health will contribute to greater biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in and around Africa’s protected areas.

One of the alternative livelihoods they are empowering is sustainable coffee production. Their company Gorilla Conservation Coffee (gorillaconservationcoffee.org) is the first Ugandan coffee expressly created to help conserve the mountain gorillas by directly supporting farmers living around the gorillas’ habitat. They're working to save gorillas one sip at a time!

Her story is incredibly powerful and inspiring. Please consider donating to their cause or purchasing coffee from Gorilla Conservation Coffee when possible.

All Pelecanus podcasts can be found at Pelecanus.org, Soundcloud, Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, Stitcher, and Amazon podcasts.

You can also watch this interview on youtube at https://youtu.be/ZDAyckP8VxI

Host: Austin Parker

Producers: Austin Parker and Taylor Parker

Music provided by: “A Picture Book”

Special Thanks to:

Dr. Gladys, her husband Lawrence and all of the CTPH crew

Kristen Heard

Geoff Leech from Handlebar Coffee roasters

This episode is brought to you in part by Handlebar Coffee Roasters in Santa Barbara, CA. For a limited time use the Promo code “Gladys20” to get a 20% off one-time discount when you sign up for an addiction subscription. Handlebarcoffee.com

This episode is brought you in part by Tidal Influence, a Californian ecological consulting firm who proudly supports environmental education and all of the diverse conservation efforts that Pelecanus works to highlight. Visit their website at tidalinfluence.com to learn more about what they do to conserve our coastal resources and how you can get involved. Tidalinfluence.com

Check out this week's episode's headlines here:

Drawdown

Japan’s new leader sets ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/business/japan-carbon-neutral.html

Renewable energy defies COVID to hit record growth in 2020

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/10/renewable-energy-covid-19-record-growth-2020

BP plans move into green hydrogen production

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/10/bp-plans-move-into-green-hydrogen-production

Wealthy countries edge towards global climate finance goal

https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2020-11-06/wealthy-countries-edge-towards-global-climate-finance-goal

Wildlife

In historic move, Colorado Voters decide to reintroduce Gray Wolves

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/06/931472376/in-historic-move-colorado-voters-decide-to-reintroduce-gray-wolves

China wildlife crime prosecutions up sharply after COVID outbreak

https://nypost.com/2020/11/10/china-wildlife-crime-prosecutions-up-sharply-after-covid-19-outbreak/

All podcasts can be found on apple podcasts, spotify, google podcasts, soundcloud, stitcher, and amazon podcasts.

Here's 8 great headlines from the the last few weeks in conservation.

All podcasts can be found at Pelecanus.org, on Apple podcasts, Spotify, soundcloud, Amazon podcasts, and Stitcher.

1. It's Official: Solar Is the Cheapest Electricity in History

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a34372005/solar-cheapest-energy-ever/

2. The next generation of power plants will be virtual

https://www.theverge.com/21523976/virtual-power-plants-solar-energy-grid-resilience-climate-change

3. Carbon capture ‘moonshot’ moves closer as billions of dollars pour in

https://grist.org/climate/carbon-capture-moonshot-moves-closer-as-billions-of-dollars-pour-in/

4. RBC becomes first major Canadian bank to refuse to fund oil drilling in Arctic refuge

https://thenarwhal.ca/rbc-oil-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge/

5. Oregon’s only coal-fired power plant closes for good

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/boardman-coal-plant-closes-oregon/283-b7eee8a4-0ec7-4c8f-88ea-9d7e42b2516b

6. Madagascar shuts down illegal gold mine but activists remain in legal limbo

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/madagascar-shuts-down-illegal-gold-mine-but-activists-remain-in-legal-limbo/

7. Singapore’s plan to plant 1 million native trees will protect species and put a park 10 minutes from every citizen

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/singapore-to-plant-1-million-trees-bringing-parks-to-people/

8. Canada will ban plastic bags by end of next year

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/07/world/plastic-ban-canada-trnd/index.html

This Pelecanus News episode for October 15th has these amazing headlines:

Divestment

· Cambridge University makes $4.5 billion fossil-fuel divestment promise

o https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-01/cambridge-university-makes-4-5-billion-fossil-fuel-divestment-promise

Energy

· Green Hydrogen from renewables could become cheapest ‘transformative fuel’ within a decade

o https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/03/green-hydrogen-from-renewables-could-become-cheapest-transformative-fuel-within-a-decade

· Physicists build circuit that generates clean, limitless power from graphene

o https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-build-a-circuit-from-graphene-that-generates-clean-limitless-power

· Canada’s Liberal government to spend $10B on clean energy infrastructure to fuel pandemic economic recovery

o https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-infrastructure-pandemic-recovery-mckenna-1.5746029

· Nuclear fusion reactor could be here as soon as 2025

o https://www.livescience.com/nuclear-fusion-reactor-sparc-2025.html

· California will dedicate 30% of its land to conservation by 2030

o https://abc7news.com/politics/ca-will-dedicate-30%25-of-land-to-conservation-newsom-announces/6842735/

§ California will be the first state in the nation to do this type of land and coastal conservation, Newsom said.

· World leaders pledge to protect 30% of the planet by 2030

o https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/world-leaders-pledge-to-protect-30-of-the-planet-by-2030/

All podcasts can be found at pelecanus.org and on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon podcasts.

The October 1st Pelecanus NEWS episode has some great and uplifting stories from the world of Conservation. All podcast episodes can be found at Pelecanus.org, Apple podcasts, spotify, soundcloud, and amazon podcasts.

Drawdown

China, world’s biggest polluter, vows to go carbon neutral by 2050

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/world/asia/china-climate-change.html

California plans to ban sales of gas-powered cars in 15 years

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/climate/california-ban-gas-cars.html

Rewilding

Joshua Trees given temporary endangered species protections https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/state-grants-temporary-endangered-species-protections-for-joshua-trees/

Two new Javan rhino calves are spotted in the species’ last holdout

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/two-new-javan-rhino-calves-are-spotted-in-the-species-last-holdout/

SciFi in Real Life

Chinese startup launching space mining robot in November

https://www.universetoday.com/147878/chinese-asteroid-mining-robot-due-to-launch-in-november/

Astronomers discover potential sign of life excessive in Venus’s environment

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/solar-system/a34012688/scientists-find-signs-of-life-in-venus-clouds/

Humans

Humanity may never hit the 10 billion mark

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/the-best-news-of-2020-humanity-may-never-hit-the-10-billion-mark/

Human footprints found in Saudi Arabia may be 120,000 years old

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/22/middleeast/human-footprints-saudi-arabia-intl-scli-scn/index.html

In this Pelecanus NEWS episode for September 15 2020 we cover these headlines:

Drawdown

· Portugal free of fossil fuel extraction projects as company abandons the last contract

o https://www.climaximo.pt/2020/09/04/victory-portugal-free-of-fossil-fuel-extraction-projects-as-company-abandons-the-last-contract/

· 6 young Portuguese activists area suing European Countries over climate change

o https://www.dw.com/en/portugal-youthprotest-legal-humanrights-emissions-strasbourg-climatechange/a-54799620

· Exxon Mobil dropped from the Dow after nearly a century

o https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dow-jones-exxon-mobil-pfizer-raytheon-replaced-salesforce-amgen-honeywell/

· French PM says jobs and green recovery at heart of COVID recovery plan

o https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/03/french-pm-says-jobs-and-green-economy-at-heart-of-covid-recovery-plan-jean-castex-france

· Madagascar introduces stoves that burn rice husks instead of forests

o https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/madagascar-introduces-stoves-that-burn-rice-husks-instead-of-forests/

· Turtle species among the most endangered in the world saved from extinction

o https://www.cbsnews.com/news/burmese-roofed-turtles-endangered-species-saved-extinction/

· First clone of endangered Przewalski’s Horse born in conservation effort to save the species

o https://time.com/5886467/clone-endangered-przewalskis-horse-zoo/

All Pelecanus podcasts can be found at pelecanus.org, Apple podcasts, soundcloud, and spotify.

Pelecanus NEWS September 1 2020 by Pelecanus

This week's episode has some great news headlines that span across a few fields. From reducing carbon emissions to nesting flamingos, we share some really encouraging news from the last few weeks.

All podcasts can be found on apple podcasts, spotify, soundcloud and at Pelecanus.org

Drawdown

 BP commits to slashing oil and gas operations, a necessary step for climate action

Portugal ends coal burning two years ahead of schedule

Wildlife

 Court Overturns White House Policy That Sharply Curtailed Protections for Migratory Birds

South African rhino poaching halves in six months thanks to COVID

Record 876 flamingo chicks born during 2020 breeding season at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve

Wild bees add about $1.5 billion to yields for just six U.S. crops