GO OUTSIDE #20: A Holiday Gift Guide That Costs You Nothing
Have you been outside today?
Climate Report: El Niño is looking to continue through the winter, even possibly strengthening into a super El Niño through January, meaning a wetter winter in the US.
Founders Intro:
Hi Stewards,
Greetings from Oman (a country in the Middle East that spans multiple ecosystems in one stretch). Today we are recapping COP28, the biggest climate summit, and wrapping up with a gift guide that won’t cost you a penny!
The STEWARD team will be offline for the next month and recharging for the year ahead. A reminder that our own energy is a renewable resource and to be sustainable with our resources first and foremost to do the best work in this space.
Don’t forget to get outside and share what ecosystems you came across over the holidays (tag us at @steward.eco)! Grateful for each and every one of you, thanks to everyone who came up to us at COP and shared your kind words about this community.
One World,
Steward Sophia & Steward Olivia
6 TAKEAWAYS FROM COP28
Importance → Despite accusations leveled against the event, COP is important because it's the only summit to bring together all the major players: state reps, UN delegates, press and civil society to address climate change and its consequences.
Controversies → High level participants leading COP28 have been accused of using meetings with world leaders as an opportunity to do more business in oil and gas. UAE is one of the world’s 10 biggest oil exporters, where oil and gas account for 30% of their GDP. And of course we can’t ignore the energy and resources spent navigating two weeks of egoic politics and slow-moving hierarchies, and the carbon cost of thousands traveling here.
Daily experience → Everyone’s small talk in and around the event revolved around the urban planning infrastructure, traffic and the overall vastness of getting around the city of Dubai. There is limited public transportation in this region, immediately one experiences how big of a car culture it is and how the city is built for cars instead of pedestrians.
Loss & Damage Fund → For the first time ever, this year the loss and damage fund was agreed on during the first day of COP28 – a hard-won victory by developing countries. $700M so far has been committed to the loss and damage fund. That sounds like a lot, but is actually around 0.2 percent of the irreversible economic and non-economic losses developing countries are currently facing.
Fossil fuel transition → The biggest outcome from COP28 was revealed on the final day when these two words “fossil fuels” finally appeared in the final agreement. The body of text calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” Representatives from 200 nations agreed on the text, a consensus now dubbed the “UAE Consensus.” It contains a “litany of loopholes” and scientists believe the text did not go far enough while poorer countries are frustrated that the text did not include a concrete plan for climate adaptation. We need a full fossil fuel phase out, full stop.
Community → The global stage here can be dreadfully slow, but being here, I am also reminded of the importance of community building— so many alliances and coalitions are being deepened and solidified as each day passes. There is also so much joy and purpose in community building that resolidifies why this work is pivotal. This is a collective, powerful, and historic grassroots movement and we refuse to let the colonial powers and fossil fuel companies determine the outcome.
STEWARD’s Holiday Gift Guide
Nature walk guide or scavenger hunt (with a checklist of things to find in your local ecosystem!)
Pressed fallen flowers and leaves
Stargazing guide or app
Foraging session & foraged meal date night
Homemade herbal tea with dried herbs or flowers
Nature photography
Nature documentary viewing night
Seed packets
What’s going on in Climate 3.0?
OpenEarth is a research and deployment nonprofit leveraging AI, blockchain, and IoT towards scalable climate solutions. Their projects include CityCatalyst to empower cities to build and manage greenhouse gas inventories, OpenClimate to support climate accounting, and CarbonPricing to enable the implementation of carbon prices.
Steward Spotlight:
Elizabeth Wathuti is the founder of the Green Generation Initiative, a youth-led initiative aimed at addressing environmental issues through education, advocacy, and activism. Green Generation Initiative has planted more than 30,000 trees in Kenya, where Elizabeth was raised, since 2016. Check out her powerful speech from COP26.
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