Prayer Guide
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Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke chapter 2
Tuesday 17th December
Facing sea level rise and food insecurity, 17 families from the Carteret Islands [in Papua New Guinea (PNG)] have relocated to nearby Bougainville [also in PNG], bringing hundreds of specimens of trees and plants, representing dozens of species, across a small stretch of ocean, writes Thibault Le Pivain. They’ve planted more than 175,000 plants, breathing life into a forest on new lands donated by the Catholic Church. This “green migration” is helping them preserve their lifestyle and identity, sources say, echoing the journey of early Polynesian settlers who carried “canoe plants” as they sailed and settled across the Pacific. Scientists say green migrations could become part of climate relocation planning, but there also needs to be careful consideration of whether species can be moved and become unsustainably invasive.
Wednesday 18th December
177 out of 193 UN Member States have peatlands – critical carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots, yet agriculture, urbanization, deforestation, and industrial activities put them – and the essential ecosystems services they provide – at risk everywhere. This is shown in the Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas, published [during COP29] by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The atlas provides evidence for the need to enhance protection and restoration of peatlands, along with investments in research and monitoring… The report warns peatland degradation and subsidence due to drainage in the tropics for agriculture, livestock farming, and oil palm plantations. Thawing permafrost due to climate change is another key factor in their rapid degradation. Overall, 500,000 hectares (~ 0.1%) of intact peatlands are destroyed annually by human activities in hotspots like East and Southeast Asia, while peatlands remain mostly intact in regions remote from international markets, within some (sub)arctic, boreal, and tropical zones.
Thursday 19th December
A huge sand battery is set to slash the carbon emissions of a Finnish town, writes Lottie Limb. The industrial-scale storage unit in Pornainen, southern Finland, will be the world’s biggest sand battery when it comes online within a year. Capable of storing 100 MWh of thermal energy from solar and wind sources, it will enable residents to eliminate oil from their district heating network, helping to cut emissions by nearly 70 per cent. “It’s exciting to build a large-scale thermal energy storage, which will also act as a primary production plant in Pornainen’s district heating network,” says Liisa Naskali, COO at Polar Night Energy, the company behind the innovation.
Friday 20th December
COP29 kicked off discussions on a third “periodic review” of the long-term global goal of the UN climate regime, namely limiting warming to well-below 2C and pursuing efforts on 1.5C. This long-term goal had been amended at COP21 in Paris to include 1.5C, partly as a result of the findings of the first “periodic review”. The second review – initiated at COP25 in Madrid and concluded at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh – had said that staying below 1.5C would “avoid increasingly severe climate change impacts”. In Baku, the US, Japan and Australia called for the review process to end, but were opposed by the LDCs and others, according to [Earth Negotiations Bulletin]. The COP29 conclusions agreed to commence the third periodic review and to continue discussions at COP30 next year. Commenting on the review process, Prof Joeri Rogelj, director of research at the Grantham Institute, told Carbon Brief: “The periodic review is the only place where the climate negotiations reconsider the adequacy of the global temperature goal in light of the latest scientific evidence. This is important as the IPCC needs to decide by February 2025 on an outline and a timeline for their forthcoming reports. Currently, the next big appointment is the second global stocktake in 2028.”
https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop29-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-baku/
Saturday 21st December
Protecting a little bit more of the ocean could lead to big changes for whales, writes James Ashworth. Hundreds of thousands of large ships sail the oceans every year, carrying passengers, goods and commodities around the world. The size and speed of these vessels is enough to plough through the waves – and any wildlife in their path. Each year, it’s estimated that tens of thousands of whales are struck by ships. The consequences range from lacerations to broken bones and even death. New research has mapped where the risk of collision risk is at its highest, identifying new hotspots around Africa’s southern coast and elsewhere. Despite the threat to whales, less than 7% of these ship strike hotspots currently have protections. While this situation won’t change overnight, protecting just an additional 2.6% of the ocean would help to eliminate many of these high-risk areas.
Sunday 22nd December
Forth Sunday in advent
Light of hope within us,
straining and leaping to be born
in habitats and homes
for justice with joy;
shine with the light of the least and last.
Subvert the denial of rights and feelings.
Full your transforming promise that we wait with great delight for justice for all Creation. AMEN
Rev David J M Coleman EcoChaplain, EcoCongregation Scotland
https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/category/advent/
Monday 23rd December
New country pacts on moving away from fossil fuels are usually a headline-grabbing fixture at the sidelines of climate summits, but COP29 saw few new announcements. A group of 25 countries and the EU announced that they would include a pledge for “no new unabated coal power” in their next NDCs. (All of these countries have already agreed to phase out “unabated” coal power, with “unabated” referring to the burning of the fossil fuel without capturing CO2 emissions.) Elsewhere, the UK, Colombia and New Zealand became new members of a coalition of governments aiming to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop29-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-baku/
Tuesday 24th December
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2 vv 8 – 15, ESV
Wednesday 25th December
Christmas Day
Brightly shining light of hope and justice
born in flesh and blood and Earth: How different things look
from the side of your cradle:
with ox and ass and angels.
Praising God’s vulnerability
Given for the healing
of the World God So Loves!
Amen, Amen Amen!
Rev David J M Coleman EcoChaplain, EcoCongregation Scotland
https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/category/advent/
Thursday 26th December
Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi have partnered with dairy company Arla Foods to trial a new feed additive which should reduce methane emissions from cows. Sarah George writes: the trial of the additive, called Bovaer, will take place on around 30 of Arla’s farms across the UK and will provide data on how the innovation works in real life, at scale. Bovaer secured regulatory approval for UK use at the start of the year following approvals in more than 50 other markets including the EU. Bovaer’s developers claim that, on average, it can reduce enteric methane emissions (those occurring as a result of digestion) in dairy cows by 30%. The UK Government is notably the signatory of a global methane pledge, targeting a 30% reduction in this potent greenhouse gas by 2030. Arla Foods’s agricultural director for the UK, Paul Dover, said: “We are extremely excited about this new collective way of working alongside our retail partners and the possibilities that feed additives, such as this one, present.”
Friday 27th December
There were several clean energy-focused announcements at COP29, including three energy initiatives launched by the COP29 presidency during a high-level roundtable on 15 November. The first of these is the global energy storage and grids pledge…. The second pledge saw endorsers commit to promoting “green-energy” zones and corridors to connect sources of “green-energy” generation…. Finally, the presidency announced the COP29 hydrogen declaration, where endorsers committed to scaling up renewable, zero-emissions and low-carbon hydrogen production, plus accelerating the decarbonisation of existing hydrogen production from unabated fossil fuels.
Methane, the potent but short-lived greenhouse gas, featured in several events and pledges at COP29. More than 30 countries signed up to a new declaration, promising to set targets in future NDCs focused on reducing methane from organic waste. The initiative is intended to support the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to slash overall emissions of the gas by 30% by 2030… The UK energy security and net-zero secretary Ed Miliband noted: “CO2 is the marathon, methane is the sprint.”
https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop29-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-baku/
Saturday 28th December
New research has unveiled that the homes and businesses in England most at risk of flooding could face at least £818m in costs by 2055, writes Sidhi Mittal. This is according to a new report from AXA UK, which combines insurance claims data and public information to analyse the impact of climate risks, including flooding and extreme heat, on properties across the country. The report highlights that 2.8 million properties in England are already at risk of river and sea flooding, and 3.4 million are at risk of surface flooding… [Meanwhile,] in a survey of 2,003 UK adults conducted by Public First for AXA, 52% said they felt ill-equipped to deal with flooding, and 51% felt the same about extreme heat. Additionally, 84% of respondents said they would avoid buying a home in a flood-prone area. The survey also revealed gaps in awareness. Three-quarters of respondents were hesitant to install preventative measures against flood or heat damage—half of them because they did not believe they would be affected. Moreover, one in four respondents did not know that extreme heat could cause property damage, highlighting the need for greater public education on climate risks.
Sunday 29th December
If you care about saving Earth from catastrophe, you might be feeling a little down about the re-election of Donald Trump as United States president, write Wesley Morgan and Ben Newell in Australia. Undeniably, his return to the White House is a real setback for climate action. Trump is a climate change denier who has promised to increase fossil fuel production and withdraw the US from the Paris climate deal, among other worrying pledges. But beyond Trump and his circle, there remains deep concern about climate change, especially among younger people. Support for climate policy remains high in the US and around the world. …[There are many reasons to remain hopeful]. Here are two, with more on the link:
- The global clean energy transition can’t be halted
The global shift to clean energy is accelerating, and Trump can’t stop it. Investment in clean energy has overtaken fossil fuels, and will be nearly double investment in coal, oil and gas in 2024. This is a historic mega-trend and will continue with or without American leadership.
- Clean energy momentum is likely to continue in the US
Much of the Biden-era spending on clean energy industries went to Republican states and Congressional districts. New factories for batteries and electric vehicles will still go ahead under the Trump administration.
Monday 30th December
The large, loud and colourful protests synonymous with climate summits were much diminished in Azerbaijan, leaving venue corridors eerily quiet for much of the conference. As with the two previous summits in Egypt and Dubai, safety concerns meant that demonstrations took place inside the conference’s “blue zone”, which is technically “UN soil” and governed by UN police rather than Azerbaijani forces. But civil society groups said that – even inside the blue zone – the ability to protest was restricted. Small protests took place throughout the summit in the entrance hall. As with COP28, protests focused heavily on calling for an end to Israeli violence against Palestinians, alongside climate aims, such as demanding a fossil fuel phase-out and for developed nations to “pay up” for climate finance.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop29-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-baku/
Tuesday 31st December
The next climate summit, COP30, will take place in the rainforest city of Belém, Brazil from 10-21 November 2025. Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was keen to hold the conference near the Amazon and his government announced it has channelled more than $800m into preparing the city for the summit. However, the Associated Press reported during COP29 that the city of 2.5 million people is “plagued by pollution and violence”… With countries due to submit new NDCs by February 2025, COP30 is billed to be a key conference for ramping up ambition to slash emissions globally. Due to its proximity to the Amazon rainforest, it is also being billed as a “nature COP”. A representative from Brazil’s environment ministry told Carbon Brief the country was working hard with the Colombian COP16 biodiversity summit presidency to put nature at the heart of the summit. The need to address biodiversity loss and climate change together is addressed in negotiations at biodiversity summits, but not at climate summits…. It is still unclear who will host COP31 in 2026. Australia and Turkey are currently in a “stand-off” over who from the UN’s “Western Europe and Others regional group” will host the summit, with neither party willing to give up their bid, Reuters said.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop29-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-baku/
Wednesday 1st January
Help Us Enter the New Year
God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.
Lower of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love.
In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.
– Vinita Hampton Wright;
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/new-years-prayers
Thursday 2nd January
University of Missouri researchers have made a significant advancement in the fight against plastic pollution, developing a novel approach to remove nearly all nanoplastics from water, writes Joe Verde. The study, published in the journal ACS Applied Engineering Materials, details a new solvent mixture capable of extracting 98% of nanoplastics from both fresh and salt water in laboratory conditions. This development comes at a crucial time, as plastic pollution continues to accumulate in the world’s oceans at an alarming rate… Currently, approximately 3% of all plastic produced globally ends up in the oceans.
https://happyeconews.com/remove-nanoplastics-from-water/
Friday 3rd January
After the latest meeting of G20 in Rio de Janeiro [in mid November], leaders presented the G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration. The text covers: the international political and economic situation; social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty; sustainable development and climate action; reform of global governance institutions; and inclusion and effectiveness in the G20. The Declaration shows consensus on limiting the increase in global average temperature to below 2ºC with respect to pre-industrial levels, as well as halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. G20 leaders also called on countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which has been ratified by 15 countries to date, and expressed support for the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) as a resource mobilization mechanism.
https://www.businessfornature.org/news/catch-up-on-the-main-nature-policy-news-from-november
Saturday 4th January
New data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair’s (Defra) [last month] confirmed the poor state of the UK’s harvest this year, with the third lowest total production for wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape since modern records began in 1984, writes Tom Lancaster. The poor harvest follows record breaking rain last winter – made worse by climate change – that disrupted farmers cropping plans, preventing them from establishing and managing winter crops such as wheat and winter barley. The data comes the day after Defra published their 2024 UK Food Security Report, which warned that climate change poses a ‘pressing risk’ to UK food security by driving ‘volatility in the present’ and putting the ‘resilience of food production at risk over the longer term’.
Sunday 5th January
The Work of Christmas Begins.
When the carols have been stilled,
When the star-topped tree is taken down,
When family and friends are gone home,
When we are back to our schedules
The work of Christmas begins:
To welcome the refugee,
To heal a broken planet,
To feed the hungry,
To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear,
To share our gifts,
To seek justice and peace for all people,
To bring Christ’s light to the world.
– by Michael Dougherty, a variation on Howard Thurman’s ‘When the Song of the Angels is Stilled’
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/new-years-prayers
Monday 6th January
In the run up to the 30th UN Climate Summit (COP30) in 2025, Global Witness is accelerating [their] work to put communities, land and environmental defenders and civil society at the heart of climate-decision making…For the first time, COP30 will take place in the Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world and home to thousands of Indigenous and traditional peoples. Brazil will host COP30, which takes place in Belém, the capital of Pará, in November 2025. It will be a key moment of reckoning: world governments will have just unveiled new commitments for climate action two years after the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement (GST). It will also mark five years left until the 2030 IPCC milestone, when emissions must be cut by half and the UN Sustainable Development Goals achieved.
https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/road-cop30/
Tuesday 7th January
Free press advocates are demanding justice for environmental reporter Chhoeung Chheng after he was shot and killed by a suspected illegal logger on the outskirts of a protected area in northern Cambodia, write Gerald Flynn and Phoung Vantha. Chheng and a colleague were in the region to document illegal forest activities when they encountered the alleged perpetrator on Dec. 4; police arrested the suspect the following day. Chheng died in hospital on Dec. 7, making him the latest victim in a broader trend in which covering environmental issues puts journalists in the firing line. Advocates say the incident underscores the threats to journalists seeking to cover issues such as logging amid increasing climate-related catastrophes across Asia, and have called on governments like Cambodia’s to ensure journalists can freely and safely report on those issues.
Wednesday 8th January
The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy is Scotland’s response to the nature crisis. It is the most comprehensive strategy for nature yet, setting out our ambition to halt nature loss by 2030 and make substantial progress to restore nature by 2045. This will be supported by a series of 6-year rolling Delivery Plans which includes a comprehensive set of cross sectoral actions and a proposed Natural Environment Bill which will include the introduction of statutory nature recovery targets. This is the most comprehensive strategy and set of actions for nature that we’ve ever seen in Scotland and through working in partnership and combining our collective knowledge, skills and experience, we will respond to the nature and climate crisis in an effective and fair way.
Thursday 9th January
Five Hawaiian crows have just been released onto the island of Maui in an attempt to return this species to the islands, writes Andy Corbley. Extirpated from its native Big Island in 2002, all remaining members of the species have been bred in captivity since then. However, the animals were raised to retain their wilder instincts in the hope that they could one day be released safely into the wild…“It means a lot to me to care for the ʻalalā,” Keanini Aarona, avian recovery specialist at Maui Bird Conservation Center (MFBRP), said in the statement. “To me, and in my culture, the ʻalalāare like our ancestors—our kūpuna. The forest wouldn’t be there without these birds.” Known as ʻalalā in the Hawaiian language, the 2 males and 3 females hopped out of their cages on the leeward slopes of Haleakalā, in the Kīpahulu Forest Reserve on Maui. This cooperative effort is the first release of Hawaiʻi’s endemic crow on Maui and the first reintroduction attempt outside of the Big Island.
Friday 10th January
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP16 meetings were held in December, in Riyadh. [It] secured over $12 billion in funding pledges from major international organizations, amplifying the role of financial institutions and the private sector’s role in combating land degradation, desertification and drought. As part of the Riyadh Action Agenda, it saw the launch of the groundbreaking Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership. The partnership has already mobilized over $2 billion in funding for drought resilience, and will operate alongside the UNCCD, countries, international organizations and other stakeholders. It will target the 80 countries most vulnerable to drought… Announcements made during the thematic days included Saudi Arabia’s launch of the REMDY project, an AI-driven platform for land health assessment. As part of the Riyadh Action Agenda, [the] COP16 Presidency also announced the launch of an international initiative for sand and dust storm monitoring, expanding global early warning systems.
https://www.unccdcop16.org/news-room/news-details?lang=en&id=184
Saturday 11th January
The world’s nations keep faltering in their efforts to join together to save the planet from several environmental crises, write Seth Borenstein and Sibi Arasu. In the past few months United Nations-sponsored negotiations to tackle climate change, plastic pollution, loss of global species and a growing number of deserts have either outright failed or come out with limited outcomes that didn’t address the scale of the problems… Panama lead negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey was part of all four meetings and said the entire system is “fundamentally broken.” “It feels like we have lost our way, not only as countries and governments, but as humanity. It feels like we no longer care for each other,” Monterrey said from the desert meeting in Riyadh… [Al] Gore, [Joanna] Depledge and others are advocating for new rules to make COP decisions by supermajority rule, not consensus. But past efforts have failed. “Multilateralism isn’t dead, but it is being held hostage by a very small number of countries trying to prevent progress,” Gore said. “There’s no greater example of this than the way that the fossil fuel industry has hijacked policymaking at all levels.’’
Sunday 12th January
The Year Ahead
May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding us from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening us to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making our path easy,
But by making us sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from us,
But by taking fear from our heart;
Not by granting us unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping our face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making our life always pleasant,
But by showing us when people and their causes need us most,
and by making us anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to us for the year ahead.
– Author Unknown; Adapted by Debra Mooney
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/new-years-prayers
Monday 13th January
Two weeks of climate hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ended [in December] with communities most affected by the climate crisis, national governments and international organisations urging the Court to clarify the responsibilities of States to mitigate climate impacts and protect the rights of current and future generations. The request for an advisory opinion from the ICJ was led by 27 law students from The University of the South Pacific seeking to address critical questions on the legal duties of States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prevent climate-related harm, and safeguard human rights.
Tuesday 14th January
Ahead of Donald Trump’s second term as US president, a rerun of his first trade war with China is firmly on the cards – and minerals key to the energy transition may end up in the crossfire. Anika Patel continues: The president-elect has threatened to raise tariffs on goods from China, as well as on other countries through which Chinese goods flow to the US. While his overall stance towards China remains unclear, Trump has also pinpointed eliminating “dependence on China in all critical areas” as a priority. Meanwhile, China has been developing a “versatile” policy toolkit to cope with rising trade tensions – including with the EU and Japan, as well as the US. One notable recent example is China’s use of export controls, which it has placed on four minerals: germanium, gallium, graphite and antimony. All of these minerals play important roles in low-carbon technologies, but also have other applications, including military uses.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-what-could-a-us-china-trade-war-mean-for-the-energy-transition/
Wednesday 15th January
The growing costs of the climate crisis are forcing developing nations to make painful choices, compelling them to pay off debts rather than spend money on crucial services like health and education, writes Md. Tahmid Zami. Only 28% of climate finance was provided as grants in 2022 to developing countries recovering from floods or shifting to clean energy, and the rest was channeled as loans, leaving them swamped by overwhelming and pressing external debt. “For many developing countries, climate finance is now increasingly tied to debt,” Sherry Rehman, a senator and former climate change minister of Pakistan, told Context. Nations like hers spend more on interest payments than on health, education and infrastructure, which are critical expenditures for protecting people from climate disruptions to food, water and housing.
Thursday 16th January
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and The Rockefeller Foundation have announced a new collaboration to electrify Africa, writes Joe Verde. The African electrification initiative, dubbed “Mission 300” (M300), aims to improve electricity access for 300 million Africans by 2030, addressing approximately half of the continent’s population currently without power. This ambitious project builds upon decades of African electrification initiatives, which have historically faced significant challenges… The initiative includes launching a new technical assistance facility, forming an M300 Leadership Group with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and World Bank, and activating private-sector financing for electrification programs. By aligning resources, expertise, and advocacy efforts, the partners seek to build upon past lessons and accelerate the pace of electrification.
https://happyeconews.com/mission-300-african-electrification-initiative/
Friday 17th January
A Court of Appeal judgment could have critical implications for the future of fast-growing chickens and lead to seismic change for billions of animals, writes Brendan Montague. The court [in mid December] delivered its judgment in an appeal case against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) brought by The Humane League UK and supported by scientific evidence from the RSPCA demonstrating the suffering of fast-growing breeds of chickens. Sean Gifford, managing director of The Humane League UK, said: “This historic ruling exposes the UK Government’s failure to address the biggest animal welfare crisis of our time.”.. The judgment clearly stated that it is unlawful to farm animals who suffer because of their genes, even though the appeal as a whole was dismissed on technical grounds. While the court declined to rule on whether ‘frankenchickens’ are unlawful, the clarification has wide-reaching implications for the legality of 95 per cent of all chickens used in the UK today.
https://theecologist.org/2024/dec/13/frankenchickens-judgement-seismic-billions-birds
Saturday 18th January
According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s 2024 Arctic Report Card, tundra in the Arctic is becoming a net source of carbon dioxide, rather than the climate-beneficial carbon sink it has been for millennia. Cristen Hemingway Jaynes continues: This year was the second warmest in the Arctic, based on data dating back to 1900, the report said. Across the region, temperatures from October 2023 to September 2025 were 1.20 degrees Celsius above the average for 1991 to 2020, a press release from NOAA said. “The Arctic continues to warm at a faster rate than the global average. The 2024 Arctic Report Card highlights record-breaking and near-record-breaking observations that demonstrate dramatic change, including Arctic tundra transformation from carbon sink to carbon source, declines of previously large inland caribou herds, and increasing winter precipitation,” NOAA said.
https://www.ecowatch.com/arctic-tundra-carbon-dioxide-source.html
Sunday 19th January
Lord, You make all things new
You bring hope alive in our hearts
And cause our Spirits to be born again
Thank you for this new year
For all the potential it holds.
Come and kindle in us
A mighty flame
So that in our time, many will see the wonders of God
And live forever to praise Your glorious name.
– Author Unknown
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/new-years-prayers
Monday 20th January
Today will see the inauguration of Trump into the role of President of the USA. This seems an appropriate prayer:
Dear Father,
I pray for all leaders of Your people.
I pray that they will not lead selfishly, for personal ambition or vain conceit.
I pray that You help leaders to realize that leading is really a task that requires them to serve.
So, Father, raise up servant leaders, in Jesus’ name.
Help them to work in humility.
Make them selfless vessel of You, in Your image.
Remove any selfish desires. Amen.
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/leadership-prayers
Tuesday 21st January
As the Water (Special Measures) Bill progresses through Parliament, [the Marine Conservation Society has] been busy behind the scenes, advocating for stronger environmental protections. [Their] efforts have centred on four key recommendations:
- There should be mandatory monitoring and reporting of all sewage overflows by 2030.
- Sewerage and water undertakers must be under a duty to prepare, publish and implement pollution incident reduction plans.
- Emergency overflow monitoring needs to cover testing for persistent chemicals, including PFAS.
- No exceptions should be made to the requirement to report discharges from emergency overflows.
https://www.mcsuk.org/news/shaping-the-water-special-measures-bill/
Wednesday 22nd January
Common murres, resembling flying penguins, thrive in coastal ecosystems, where they dive into the ocean for fish and nest in large colonies along cliffs, writes Sanjana Gajbhiye. Despite their robust appearance, these seabirds face immense threats from warming ocean conditions. A new study, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sheds light on the devastating effects of marine heat waves on common murres in Alaska…The “warm blob,” a patch of unusually warm water spanning from California to Alaska, disrupted ecosystems during its peak from late 2014 through 2016. It caused decreased ocean productivity, which led to food shortages for marine predators, including seabirds. Analysis of murre carcasses confirmed starvation as the primary cause of death during the mass die-off.
https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-alaskas-seabirds-starved-to-death-after-intense-heat-wave/
Thursday 23rd January
In a new spin on green electronics, researchers have made a biodegradable electronic circuit board from tree leaves. Such leaf-based electronics, or “leaftronics” as the team from Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden) has dubbed it, could reduce millions of tons of waste that humans produce every year. Today, the world produces over 50 million metric tons of electronic waste a year. That number that is slated to double by 2050. And printed circuit boards (PCBs) – the flat boards onto which all the circuit chips, wires and other components of an electronic gadget are soldered–-constitute a big share of this e-waste. PCBs are typically made of fiberglass or a composite plastic. The material is difficult to recycle and is usually either dumped in landfills or burned to separate the valuable metals for reuse. As detailed in the journal Science Advances, the team used the veiny, webbed skeleton of leaves to create their biodegradable substrates.
Friday 24th January
The Environment Agency, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) announced today that they are progressing to Step 2 of their Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of the GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International LLC (GE-Hitachi) BWRX-300 reactor design. The process enables regulators to begin assessing the safety, security, safeguarding and environmental aspects of new nuclear power station designs at an early stage of the regulatory process and to provide confidence that these new designs can be constructed, operated, and decommissioned in England and Wales.
Saturday 25th January
An investigation by Mongabay Latam and Earth Genome identified 45 clandestine airstrips in the rainforest in Peru’s Ucayali department. Ten of these airstrips, most likely built for narcotrafficking activity, are located inside nine forest logging concessions. Many of them are built in or around native communities’ territories, close to protected areas or inside Indigenous reserves. Peru’s forest and wildlife monitoring agency, OSINFOR, says only four of these logging concessions are still active. Complaints made by concession holders to environmental authorities about the airstrips, as well as associated deforestation and coca cultivation, have been shelved.
Sunday 26th January
Come, Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Risen Christ, be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide, and our Comforter.
Be our Strength, our Courage, and our Sanctifier.
May this new year be a time of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely and unconditionally,
A time for growing in virtue and goodness.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Be with us today and always.
– Author Unknown
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/new-years-prayers
Monday 27th January
Organisations representing investors, energy and infrastructure businesses have urged Ministers not to weaken Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate targets at the request of a handful of major automakers, writes Sarah George. The call to action has come from ChargeUK, the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) and BEAMA (trade association for energy infrastructure manufacturers and providers). Collectively, these groups represent billions of pounds of business interests. These bodies argue that watering down ZEV Mandate targets may placate some automakers in the coming years, but would be “short-sighted” as it would deter investors in the longer-term… The targets were set under the previous Conservative-led Government after Boris Johnson confirmed a 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales. An update was provided when Rishi Sunak pushed the ban back to 2035, but the mandate was ultimately maintained. Carmakers are on track to exceed the 2024 target but some brands, including Nissan and Ford, have argued that 2025’s goal is out of reach and should be scaled back.
Tuesday 28th January
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) … announced [in December the] recipients of the 2024 Champions of the Earth, honoured for their outstanding leadership, brave actions and sustainable solutions to tackle land degradation, drought and desertification… Since 2005, the award has recognized 122 laureates for outstanding and inspirational environmental leadership… UNEP’s 2024 Champions of the Earth are:
- Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples honoured in the Policy Leadership category, has been advocating for Indigenous rights for more than two decades. Under her leadership, 13 territories have been recognized as Indigenous land to ward off deforestation, illegal logging, and drug traffickers.
- Amy Bowers Cordalis, an Indigenous rights advocate honoured in the Inspiration and Action category, is using her legal expertise and passion for restoration to secure a better future for the Yurok tribe and the Klamath River in the United States.
- Gabriel Paun, a Romanian environmental defender honoured in the Inspiration and Action category, is the founder of NGO Agent Green, which has been helping save thousands of hectares of precious biodiversity in the Carpathians since 2009 by exposing the destruction and illegal logging of Europe’s last old growth forest.
- Lu Qi, a Chinese scientist honoured in the Science and Innovation category, has worked in science and policy sectors for three decades helping China reverse degradation and shrink its deserts.
- Madhav Gadgil, an Indian ecologist honoured in the Lifetime Achievement category, has spent decades protecting people and the planet through research and community engagement.
- SEKEM, a sustainable agriculture initiative honoured in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, is helping farmers in Egypt transition to more sustainable agriculture.
Wednesday 29th January
The UK and Norway will launch a new Green Industrial Partnership to combine their capabilities on clean energy and drive economic growth, writes Michael Behr. The new agreement – which the two countries have a joint ambition to sign in spring 2025 – will support the UK’s aim to secure home-grown energy and protect billpayers… BP and Norwegian company Equinor are playing a major role in the UK’s first carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) projects, called the Northern Endurance Partnership and the Net Zero Teesside. The projects will deliver thousands of skilled jobs to the region, and Net Zero Teesside will provide up to 1 million homes with clean power from 2028.
Thursday 30th January
In parts of Zambia’s Kafue National Park, a conservation organization specializing in wildcats has reported that the number of leopards there has nearly tripled, writes Andy Corbley. With an increase of 2.9, there are now 4.4 leopards per 100 square kilometers of terrain, which is much more than it sounds when you consider just how big Kafue is. At 22,700 square miles, it’s two-and-a-half-times larger than Yellowstone, but exists within the Greater Kafue Ecosystem—a mosaic of landscapes enjoying various levels of protection that’s three times larger than that, and is around the size of Massachusetts. “It’s very large, and has tremendous potential for recovery, but it’s been so beaten up for so many decades,” said Jon Ayers, Board Chairman of Panthera, the world’s only conservation group dedicated exclusively to wildcats. “As exciting as the project has been, there’s still tremendous opportunity to see it grow back to its original vibrancy,” he told GNN.
Friday 31st January
New research, released [in December] by Wildlife and Countryside Link, reveals that overstretched and under-resourced English Local Authorities have been struggling to meet legal deadlines to consider the nature recovery action they need to take and the policies to support this. 59% of Local Authorities (172 out of 294 surveyed) have failed to consider the actions they need to take for nature restoration and/or to deliver nature restoration policies and objectives – both of which are legal requirements under the Environment Act. Environment groups are calling on the Government to make crucial nature-friendly changes in an upcoming major overhaul of the planning system and give Local Authorities the resources needed to help meet key nature recovery targets by 2030.
https://www.wcl.org.uk/nature-friendly-planning-reform-needed.asp
Sources:
Text and links compiled by Emma King. Links accessed December 28th 2024.
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