By Anjali Nambissan:
Here’s assuming that the disintegration of our natural systems and the death of lions, human beings, polar bears and other animal species makes a difference to you. India’s carbon emissions have increased from 2012 levels, wildlife crime is at an all time high and urban air pollution is killing us, slowly. But in the din of this planet’s demise, there are tiny rays of hope that we can cling on to. People we can aspire to be like, ideas we can learn from and insights that can inspire us. We’ve compiled some of those, here.
So if you really want to save the planet…
You should see this…
The Degrowth Story: I’m sure you’ve heard of this rad new term that’s going to set the world straight – degrowth. There’s nothing negative about it, it seems, and it could be as simple as hand-squeezing your own orange juice. What do we mean? Grist.org’s Sam Bliss explains in this 4 and a half minute video. Watch for the cute animation, cuter Sam Bliss, and to learn a little something along the way.
You should know this…
South Africa’s New Secret Weapon Against Rhino Poachers: An unarmed, all-women team of forest watchers called the Black Mambas. Rhino poaching in South Africa is a multi-layered problem. Poor, unemployed youth from local communities, plus rhino horn selling at more than the asking price for cocaine, equals record number of rhinos killed in wildlife parks across South Africa just last year. So ecologist and head warden of Balule Nature Reserve hit upon a brilliant idea – engage 26 local, unemployed women, train them and make them watch out for poachers. They get a job, the rhinos get some security. And in the last 10 months, the reserve hasn’t lost a single rhino.
You should read this…
The Corals Can Eat Plastic Study: Not because this means that the Great Barrier Reef corals can eat up the 8 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution in our oceans and we don’t have to worry about it anymore. But because their tiny stomachs are bursting with the micro-plastics they are ingesting from sea water. In a study, published in Marine Biology, researchers found that along with their normal diet of zooplankton, sediment and other microscopic deliciousness from the ocean, the Great Barrier Reef corals ingest microscopic plastics as well. Obviously! Since there is so much plastic in the world’s oceans. Though researchers haven’t worked out how this affects the corals, they suspect that the corals’ teensy tiny tummies could become full of plastics! So after birds and fish, it is now the corals that must absorb all our plastic trash dumped into the ocean.
Drop us a line in the comments, if you would like to see more stuff like this.