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How sunshine can make the railways greener

Richard Kenny

November 24, 2020 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Byron Bay, New South Wales

As a way to reduce the amount of diesel fuel that powers trains, governments and transit companies around the world are turning to solar panels as a way to utilize renewable energy. In Australia, a solar train launched in 2017 that uses lithium-ion batteries that are charged by solar panels on the roof of the carriages. And a rail line in the United Kingdom uses energy from a solar farm to keep the train running. Scaling solar panels for nation-wide transit systems can be challenging, but many countries are committed to eliminating the use of fossil fuels on their rail networks.

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In Slumping Energy States, Plugging Abandoned Wells Could Provide an Economic Boost

Erika Bolstad

September 23, 2020 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Watford City, North Dakota

North Dakota is using some of its COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to plug 239 abandoned oil wells and reclaim 2,000 acres of lands. Abandoned wells can contaminate groundwater and leak methane that is hazardous to human health and contributes to climate change. While not everyone agrees that the funds should be used to plug wells, state officials say the economic relief program is keeping about 600 oilfield workers employed.

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Coastal Louisiana tribes team up with biologist to protect sacred sites from rising seas

Ty Baniewicz

September 02, 2020 |

Southerly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana

Indigenous communities in Louisiana are working with scientists to restore wetland ecosystems and protect tribal mounds along the Gulf Coast through backfilling projects. Depleted oil wells and canals in the area are often abandoned, creating reservoirs of stagnant water that affects freshwater plants and animals. The group has started to identify priority canal sites to fill in and seek funding to kick off the project, which can be challenging to get.

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How Montana Is Cleaning Up Abandoned Oil Wells

Ray Levy Uyeda

August 13, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Abandoned oil wells in Montana leak thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year, so the Well Done Foundation is working to plug up those wells. In about a year, the foundation plugged its first three wells and expanded their program to other states. The data on the state of abandoned wells and its emissions isn’t complete, which makes it difficult to know the full extent of the problem. But, “what’s exciting about this is that we can make an impact one well at a time,” says Curtis Shuck, founder of the foundation.

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Can direct air capture make a real impact on climate change?

Anna Kusmer

July 03, 2020 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Switzerland, Zurich

Climeworks is focusing on pulling carbon dioxide directly out of the air to store or reuse in some capacity as a way to lower global greenhouse gas emissions. The Swiss company has 16 plants around Europe, with their biggest one in Switzerland that removes 900 tons of carbon dioxide a year that is then sold to Coca-Cola Co. to put in soft drinks or to local industrial greenhouses for plant growth. Scaling the operations to capture more carbon is costly, but the startup recently raised $76 million from investors.

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The young people fighting the worst smog in Europe

Jessica Bateman

July 01, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: North Macedonia, Skopje

To measure the level of air quality in Skopje – one of the most polluted cities in Europe – an engineering student developed an app that alerts residents of the pollution levels. The app has raised the awareness of the severity of the city's pollution problem and has helped to kickstart initiatives aimed to address it.

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How COVID-19 and the fight against Big Oil is reviving one Alaskan people's spiritual traditions

Daysha Eaton

May 30, 2020 |

Religion News Service |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

To the Gwich’in Athabascan people living inside the Arctic Circle in Alaska, the decades-long fight against oil drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) represents more than an environmental struggle: It has sparked a spiritual and cultural renaissance among indigenous people whose customs had been discouraged since colonial days. Young Gwich’in have worked to revive their language, self-sufficiency, and traditional arts and crafts. The COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened their commit to respond to threats to their way of life.

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Can We All Be Like Texas?

David Byrne

April 27, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Georgetown, Texas

West Texas, traditionally known for its oil business, has become a thriving home for wind energy. Beyond political ideology, wind power as a form of renewable energy is thriving for economic reasons, as it can be more profitable in the long run. In Texas, tax incentives and legislation helped develop the industry, and the proliferation of wind power is being replicated in places like Wyoming and Oregon.

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How Norway Convinced Drivers to Switch to Electric Cars

Maddy Savage

April 21, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Norway

Norway provides financial incentives for its citizens to transition to electric vehicles. The strategy is working—electric vehicles are responsible for 40 percent of new car sales, compared to 2 percent in the United States.

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Here comes the sun canoe, as Amazonians take on Big Oil

Francesc Badia i Dalmases

March 13, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ecuador, Kapawi

The Kara Solar Foundation is looking to connect indigenous communities in Achuar territory in Ecuador to learn about solar power as an alternative to oil. By building solar-powered canoes, they can replace vessels that burn fossil fuels into the atmosphere. While the two boats in operation have run into technical problems, the intercultural training programs are instructing Achuar people on how to fix the technology. “Sustained and truly intercultural collaborations can create technological solutions that serve indigenous communities, rather than destroying them,” says Oliver Utne, the foundation's founder.

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