Congress is back to work and focusing on more topics in addition to COVID-19 and the economy, so Dr. Danny Richter, CCL's VP of Government Affairs, is here with an update. Recent successes

Congress is back to work and focusing on more topics in addition to COVID-19 and the economy, so Dr. Danny Richter, CCL's VP of Government Affairs, is here with an update. Recent successes include: ➡️ the RECLAIM Act, which would provide $1 billion to clean up abandoned mines and create thousands of jobs in economically depressed coal country, passed in the House this month as part of a major infrastructure bill. ➡️ the Growing Climate Solutions Act, #bipartisan legislation to help spread the use of climate-smart farming methods, advanced in Congress with the introduction of a House bill and a Senate hearing in the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. ➡️ the Democrats on the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis recently released their report* about steps that Congress should take to address climate change and they included a section that discussed carbon pricing. So what should our volunteers be doing now that Congress is open to hearing about #climatechange? 1️⃣ Sign up for our Monthly Calling Campaign and call your Reps. and Senators https://cclusa.org/mcc 2️⃣ Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers 3️⃣ Tweet and comment on your member of Congress's social media posts *Check out CCL's 4 page review of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis report: https://static.smallworldlabs.com/cclobby/content/resources/economics/SummaryHouseCCCommitteeCCL.pdf)

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Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and author of "The End of Nature" (1989), is a leading environmental activist and thinker. This speech was delivered at the 1999 Bioneers National Conference. Since 1990, Bioneers has served as a vital hub for innovators offering solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges.

Explore more talks, articles, and podcasts by visiting bioneers.org. Subscribe to the Bioneers Radio Series, available on iTunes and other platforms, at bioneers.org/bioneers-radio/.

Support Bioneers' work by donating at bioneers.org/donate or joining their mailing list at bioneers.org/subscribe. Connect with Bioneers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Could genomics solve the climate change crisis? Watch the newest video from Big Think: https://bigth.ink/NewVideo Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos:

Could genomics solve the climate change crisis? Watch the newest video from Big Think: https://bigth.ink/NewVideo Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos: https://bigth.ink/Edge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genomics is the study of genes and their functions. The branch of molecular biology presents the idea that the genome can be manipulated for added resilience against harm. Yale professor and editor Daniel C. Esty argues that genetic modification in nature as a way to improve sustainability should be seriously considered. In the book A Better Planet: Forty Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future, Esty and several authors offer actionable solutions for dealing with greenhouse gases, including genomic intervention in nature. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DANIEL C. ESTY Daniel C. Esty is the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Yale Law School. Known for his innovative policy ideas and commitment to transformative change, Dan served as head of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection from 2011 to 2014 and in several leadership roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 to 1993. He is the editor of A Better Planet: 40 Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future (Yale University Press). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT: So genomics, the idea that we can intervene with the genome of not just humans but any species in a way that might harden that species, improve it’s resilience to threats like climate change or make it more amenable to various medical approaches so as to ensure there’s a reduction of harm. And it can also be used in plants, for example, to speed up the growth pace and otherwise to provide ways to help harden the species or improve a species contribution to the response to climate change. So many aspects of society have been transformed by technology breakthroughs in the last couple of decades. And I would argue that the environmental arena broadly and climate change in particular had seen very little of that brought to bear despite an urgent need. And I do think suddenly that’s changing. We now have a number of people that are looking at various aspects of the technology world and saying how might this help us achieve a sustainable future. And that is very much a focus of the Better Planet book with a number of authors putting forward both technologies and frames of thinking that might move us towards a climate change answer. One of the most important aspects of this in my mind is the concept of genomics, of thinking about how we do genetic modification as a strategy for improving sustainability. And the chapter in our Better Planet book that lays this out offers examples both in terms of human exposure to public health threats broadly and to climate change in particular and understanding how we might well be able to address individual exposures that differ from the general public with genomic intervention in the future sparing people pain and suffering they might otherwise face. And perhaps even more interesting there are very significant ways that we might see genomic progress in addressing the plant and animal world. I’m thinking in particular of forests which could be a critical sink for carbon dioxide and I do think there are ways that we can make forests grow faster and perhaps serve more successfully as a sink for those greenhouse gases ensuring a better response to the problem and getting us to think about both mitigation, reducing emissions, but also the ability to set up nature as part of the solution absorbing those carbon emissions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT BIG THINK: Smarter Faster™ Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster. Subscribe to learn from top minds like these daily. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. ​We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life. Read more at Bigthink.com for a multitude of articles just as informative and satisfying as our videos. New articles posted daily on a range of intellectual topics. Join Big Think Edge, to gain access to an immense library of content. It features insight from many of the most celebrated and intelligent individuals in the world today. Topics on the platform are focused on: emotional intelligence, digital fluency, health and wellness, critical thinking, creativity, communication...

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Lia Harel, 18, co-founded and organizes Minnesota Can’t Wait, a youth-led movement pushing for bold climate action. She became an organizer three years ago, recognizing climate change's broad societal impacts.

Frustrated, she joined other youth activists in summer 2018 to demand Minnesota lead on climate policies, forming Minnesota Can’t Wait, reflecting their urgency. The movement united diverse groups—including Indigenous communities and business leaders—around three core demands: no new fossil fuel infrastructure, statewide greenhouse gas regulation, and supporting the Minnesota Green New Deal Bill. They organized rallies, testified, and helped draft legislation, aiming to shift conversations and elevate expectations for a just, sustainable economy.

Brower Youth Awards

Film by Storyline Media

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Ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), a discussion explored how states, cities, businesses, and NGOs can lead climate solutions. While the Paris Climate Accord united the world, Gina McCarthy emphasized the need for solutions that create a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable, and just world.

The conversation featured Marisa de Belloy, Gina McCarthy, Bill McKibben, Tom Steyer, and Gloria Walton. This event was a partnership with Cool Effect and Capital Public Radio, affiliated with GCAS.

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Increased emissions are driving us towards a warmer, stranger climate. UC Berkeley Professor Bill Collins examines pathways to escape this trajectory, focusing on key culprits: carbon dioxide and "black carbon" from diesel combustion.

This discussion is part of the "Cal Future Forum: Our Changing World" series. Watch the full presentation at uctv.tv.

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Science educator Bill Nye notes that older climate deniers are "aging out," paving the way for a new generation of scientifically-literate individuals ready to address climate disruption.

More information is available from Climate One: Bill Nye, the Science Guy and Climate One.

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An interview was recently conducted with Rev. Bill Kirlin-Hackett.

Rev. Kirlin-Hackett serves as the Director of the Interfaith Task Force on

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Accepting the 2007 TED Prize, Bill Clinton issued a call for global action. He sought assistance to expand healthcare access, particularly in Rwanda and other parts of the world.

For

Accepting the 2007 TED Prize, Bill Clinton issued a call for global action. He sought assistance to expand healthcare access, particularly in Rwanda and other parts of the world.

For further details on these initiatives, please visit the Clinton Foundation website.

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Civil society, particularly NGOs, initiates change. Through their activism, speed, and collaborative methods, they effectively influence both UN processes and private sector entities.

Key

Civil society, particularly NGOs, initiates change. Through their activism, speed, and collaborative methods, they effectively influence both UN processes and private sector entities.

Key speakers include Jonathon Porritt, Vandana Shiva, Nitin Desai, Lester Brown, Bill Ford, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Yolanda Kakabadse, and Gro Harlem Brundtland.

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