We Made A Climate Crossword, Bahamas Debt-to-Nature Swap, Global Plastics Talks, and More!

Hey climate heroes! Welcome to The Climate Roundup, where we round up the change, er the news about climate and the environment. As part of the Gen E community, we thank you for making climate action part of everyday life. (Reading this newsletter counts!)

Sign up for The Climate Roundup weekly newsletter here

In Pop Culture:

🤓 We made a crossword puzzle! Find it here. A huge thanks to Burak Tekin, Gen E friend and ‘crossword and trivia aficionado’ who created this awesome climate-themed crossword just for us. In the high stakes world of solving climate change, we could all use a low stakes climate puzzle to solve. Let me know how it goes!

Your Philanthropy At Work:

🏷 5 Gyres Ambassadors take action against plastic pollution in their communities. One project that caught my interest is the creation of a ‘garment facts’ label, similar to nutrition facts labels on food packaging that tell you what’s in it. The garment facts label would be on apparel items and tell you the environmental costs of making it, like the number of chemicals used, the energy source, quantity of microfibres that shed with each wash, whether it’s recyclable, miles traveled across its supply chain, etc. Imagine how purchase decisions, and ultimately design decisions, might change if we were told at point of sale exactly what it took to make a thing.

🎤 Stand.earth is targeting Taylor Swift fans to get the singer to breakup (like, forever) with fossil fuel sponsors. Specifically, the fossil-fuel-funding Royal Bank of Canada, a major sponsor of her Eras tour in Canada. “Unite The Swifties” has so far activated 9,000 Canadian Swifties to take climate action.

In Enviro News:

🪸 The Bahamas is the latest country to benefit from a debt-to-nature swap. The deal allowed the country to refinance a portion of its sovereign debt at a lower interest rate over a longer period of time. Its savings, in this case worth $124M, must go towards ocean conservation projects.

🍞 California is the first state to ban “Sell By” food labels in an effort to reduce food waste, given that over a third of the food produced in the US ends up in the landfill. One reason is confusion over the expiration date, causing people to throw out food before it’s gone bad. What this CA law does is standardize what is the wild west of food labeling by allowing for only two versions of date labeling: “Best if Used By” and “Use By” to indicate peak freshness and expiration, respectively. I’m not convinced this does the full job of clearing up expiration date confusion, but here’s hoping.

🐝 Researchers out of Warsaw found that small urban patches of wildflowers are just as biodiverse as larger rural meadows. This is good news for pollinators stuck in the concrete jungle, and adding these wildflower patches can help reverse insect decline. Plus, any evidence that supports creating more green spaces in cities is welcome.

🌏 This past week through today countries met in Busan, South Korea to discuss a global plastics treaty to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. Without any restrictions, plastic pollution is set to double by 2050. The massive problem must be addressed in two ways: dealing with the plastic waste at the end of a product’s life cycle, and curbing the amount of plastic produced in the first place. We’ll update you when a deal is reached.

👺 Of note: Saudi Arabia has secured a top spot on this year’s list of climate villains. Just days after their aggressive attempts to thwart climate progress at COP29, it’s being reported that the Saudis are doing the same in Busan to prevent a global treaty on plastic pollution.

👿 This NYT article dives into leaked documents from the plastics industry detailing their strategy to sway public opinion about single use plastics or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). They’ve been executing a multi-year campaign paying social media influencers to promote plastic, yet the influencers often make false claims about recycling in order to suggest it’s the answer to keeping plastic in our lives while keeping the environment clean. In fact, by simply using single use plastic, microplastics flake off into our own bodies and into the environment with every use. We also know that the plastic recycling rate in the US is only 5-6%, and that it is a false solution to the plastic pollution crisis. The plastic industry, which includes petrochemical (plastic is made using fossil fuels), packaging, and consumer goods companies are in attendance at the plastics treaty talks in Busan to try to kill any limitations placed on production.

Modern Environmentalist

🎿 Here’s an inspiring article about World Cup and Olympic cross country skiing champion, the American Jessie Diggins. She’s using her platform and voice to draw attention to the climate crisis and mental health issues. Jessie has seen winters change over the years and races canceled due to lack of snow, factors that drove her into climate advocacy work. She’s got a hopeful, action-oriented attitude, and I guarantee you’ll feel inspired reading about this impressive human.