October 29, 2024
by Building The World
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We hear so much about reducing carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere, it may sound like we are aiming to clear the Earth of carbon. But carbon is the basis of life. Carbon compounds make up 18% … Continue reading
October 14, 2024
by Building The World
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No new worlds are discovered, just met. Indigenous Peoples Day, established by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, reminds us of those who were here, first. In 2024, the UN focus is on those who live as … Continue reading
June 9, 2023
by Building The World
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June 2023: Canada is on fire (below are links to help). Canadian wildfires have consumed 9.4 million acres (3.9 million hectares) – 15 times the average over the past decade. Quebec fires forced 11,000 residents from their homes; Nova Scotia suffered … Continue reading
October 7, 2022
by Building The World
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day, recognized in 2021 by U.S. President Biden, and honored as a holiday this weekend in the United States, reminds us that new worlds are not discovered, just met. Leif Erikson associated by some with Greenland, is thought … Continue reading
April 29, 2022
by Building The World
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Boston’s Emerald Necklace, Chicago’s Jackson Park, the U.S. Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C., and New York’s Central Park: these were some of the public parks and landscapes that Frederick Law Olmsted (born 200 years ago this week) created. One of … Continue reading
April 14, 2022
by Building The World
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Coral reefs cover just 1% of the ocean floor but support 25% of all marine life. According to The Ocean Agency’s founder Richard Vevers, even if we meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, we may lose 90% of our … Continue reading
June 26, 2020
by Building The World
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Sahara, sea of sand, desert of legend, is ever-advancing. Over time, the Sahara Desert has expanded into the Sahel, a transnational ‘shore’ of African countries. Population in the Sahel has increased 120% in the last three decades: now, 64% of … Continue reading
March 22, 2020
by Building The World
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Does it take a crisis to cause change? Since the coronavirus pandemic pushed the global pause button, emissions of CO2 have fallen by 50% compared with the same time last year. A drop in methane has also been noted. “This … Continue reading
August 26, 2019
by Building The World
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So many trees burned in the Amazon forest that the fire could be seen from space. Brazilian satellite data from National Institute for Space Research (INPE) shows an 85% increase in fires, and double that in 2013. While the dry … Continue reading
March 1, 2019
by Building The World
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Legal rights, including recent developments regarding “personhood” of rivers like New Zealand’s Whanganui, India’s Ganges and Yamuna, and others soon to follow, may be seen as milestones in history, of the most inclusive definition of civilization. Human rights are still … Continue reading