In the quest for civic success stories, the very last place to look might appear to be climate news. The best efforts of the United Nations Climate Change Conference will not be enough to avert the worst effects of warming, scientists say.
Little wonder youth climate activist Greta Thunberg has dismissed the COP26 global summit in Glasgow as "a green wash festival" and "a failure." But the derision of Thunberg and thousands of other young COP26 protesters is precisely what makes the summit a potential turning point. Shifting politics and coalitions, new players and new narratives all cut against the inevitable parade of stories predicting climate doom.
Here are a few pieces of good climate news worth noting, for the sake of building the political will to press ahead with the real solutions that remain within reach. As former President Barack Obama cautioned at the summit, even as he acknowledged that the future can look bleak, "cynicism is the recourse of cowards. We can't afford hopelessness." Continue Reading ...
The Civic Voice is written by Eliza Newlin Carney, The Civic Circle's founder and president. This column was first posted at The Fulcrum on November 12, 2021.