Beyond the Doom and Gloom:
Celebrating Environmental Victories!
Scrolling through climate news can feel like a constant barrage of negativity. From biodiversity loss to rising temperatures and worsening natural disasters, it's easy to get bogged down by the doom and gloom. But amidst all the challenges, there's a ton of positive news to celebrate! Inspiring stories of hope, resilience, and environmental recovery are happening all over the world.
In this month's Rooting for Sustainability article, we are turning the spotlight on these uplifting stories that are putting a smile on our faces, and reminding us that there's a lot of good happening in the world!
In this month's Rooting for Sustainability article, we are turning the spotlight on these uplifting stories that are putting a smile on our faces, and reminding us that there's a lot of good happening in the world!
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US Honeybee Population is Recovering
After two decades of bee colony collapse, with mass colony die-offs, the United States bee population is now at a record high of 3.8 million colonies! Since 2007, honeybees have been the fastest-growing livestock population in the entire country - and this doesn’t even include wild bee colonies, which may outnumber these populations several times over. In the past 5 years alone, the US has added over a million colonies! Much of this increase is due to the boom in pollination needs; almond production, for example, requires intense pollination and bees are brought in from all over the country to do so. Greater bee numbers could make them more resilient to fungi, diseases, and mites that often lead to colony collapse. While this is still fantastic news, native pollinators are still in great danger and need to be protected through limiting insecticides and conserving habitats such as meadows and wetlands. |
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European Mammals are making a Comeback!
Thousands of years of human settlement, habitat loss, hunting, and exploitation had led to the extinction or endangerment of many of Europe’s mammals. By the 20th century, numbers were at a fraction of their historic levels. However, thanks to concerted conservation efforts, many of Europe’s mammals have seen a boom in numbers over the last 50 years! Through protection against overexploitation, habitat destruction, and hunting, these populations have been able to flourish. Agricultural land is also declining across Europe, allowing natural habitats to return. As we saw in last month’s article, when we give nature the space to thrive, she shows a remarkable ability to recover! We also saw the importance of certain key species across entire ecosystems. The booming populations of mammals across Europe are going to have wider positive effects on the health of their ecosystems! Our Chamonix Campers will have seen Chamois roaming around the mountains, as well as learning about the reintroduction of wolves in The Alps. |
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EU Restoration Law
Big news for Europe's environment! On June 17th, the EU became the first in the world to formally adopt a nature restoration regulation. This critical move addresses the rapid decline of healthy ecosystems, a major threat to biodiversity and carbon storage, vital for fighting climate change (as we discussed in last month's article). The ambitious plan aims to restore at least 20% of Europe's land and sea areas by 2030, with all ecosystems needing restoration fully recovered by 2050. Legally binding targets focus on terrestrial, forest, agricultural, marine, freshwater, and urban areas. Actions include protecting pollinators, planting 3 billion trees by 2030, and removing barriers to restore free-flowing rivers. Additionally, the nature restoration regulation specifically outlines that member states must put in place measures to restore drained peatlands, an incredibly important but often overlooked ecosystem that we’ve spoken about in our Rooting for Sustainability series (see here>>>). We even chose the Irish Peatland Conservation Council as the recipient of our 1% for the Planet donation. This law will help to restore degraded ecosystems, protect biodiversity, participate in achieving the EU’s climate mitigation and adaptation objectives, and enhance food security across the continent! |
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Pro Trail Runners Association’s Environmental Initiatives
The Pro Trail Runners Association (PTRA - our beloved Trails & Roots Coach Emily is a member!) is an international non-profit association of professional trail runners dedicated to preserving athletes’ rights, pushing for anti-doping policies, and lending their strong voice in favor of sustainable practices from brands and at races. This year, they played a key role in getting UTMB to remove the car manufacturer Dacia as their headline sponsor for their events. This was after UTMB faced backlash over having such a polluting company as their main sponsor. The trail runners behind PTRA banded together and pushed for greater environmental mindfulness. They recognize that trail runners, in addition to using the natural world as our playground, also witness the challenges that nature experiences due to climate change, and have a responsibility to speak up for its preservation. While Dacia is still a premier sponsor for UTMB’s European races, PTRA has continued to apply pressure and is in continuous dialogue with UTMB in order to create systemic change in the world of ultra and trail running. The hope is that other race organizations follow suit and lead the charge in fighting for sustainable practices. As the Green Runners Organization says, “They have an entire working group (that Coach Emily is part of!) dedicated to the environment and sustainability and are working hard to make trail running as environmentally responsible as possible!" |
Positive climate news is out there, from thriving green cities to international agreements tackling major environmental challenges. There's hope and inspiration to be found!
"People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure."
~ Sir David Attenborough
~ Sir David Attenborough
Next month, we will delve into plastic pollution – its impact, dangers, and solutions (including how WE, as a trail runners, can make a difference).
Let's keep the momentum going!
Let's keep the momentum going!
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