World Economic Forum leaders pledge to plant 1 trillion trees
World Economic Forum governmental and corporate leaders in Davos, Switzerland have launched a plan to plant one trillion trees around the world.
Climate crisis
The climate crisis demands action — and action is happening. This archive tracks real progress: policy wins, clean-energy milestones, community resilience, and scientific advances that show meaningful change is possible. Stories here come from every corner of the world.
Scotland on track for 100% renewable electricity in 2020
If Scotland achieves its target of being 100 percent powered by renewable electricity next year, it would join a small group of countries who have already accomplished the same goal: Albania, the Congo, Iceland, and Paraguay.
China becomes world’s largest nation to plan phase out of single-use plastics
In 2019, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) stated that by the end of 2020 single-use plastic bags would be banned in all of China’s major cities. By the end of 2022, the plastic bag ban was to be extended to all cities and towns. As the world’s most populous nation and second-largest economy, this became the most significant plastic bag ban in history.
Microsoft pledges to be carbon negative by 2030
By 2030, Microsoft will be carbon negative. By 2050, they will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.
Half of U.K. universities have committed to divest from fossil fuel
Seventy-eight of the U.K.’s 154 public universities have joined the divestment campaign, either divesting or pledging to divest hundreds of millions from the fossil fuel industry.
Senegal is constructing wind farm that will supply electricity to 2 million people
The Taliba N’Diaye wind farm, West Africa’s largest, will be completed by mid this year and will supply 158MW of clean energy and increase the country’s energy supply by 15%.
California offers up to $9,500 to purchase electric vehicle
The incentives are up to $9,500 towards the purchase of a new or used plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, fully battery electric vehicle, or fuel cell electric vehicle and will be prioritized for low-income families.
Israel green lights hundreds of wind turbines in north
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz vowed that Israel will move into a coal-free era of power production by the end of 2025, five years earlier than originally targeted.
U.K. renewables outperform natural gas for first quarter ever
In the third quarter of 2019 renewable energy sources provided a record 38.9% of the country’s electricity — exceeding natural gas for the first time ever, which provided 38.8%.
Mainland Spain registers first coal-free day
Mainland Spain went coal free from 23:50 local time on 13 December until 21:20 on 15 December — making 14 December the first day of no coal burn since records began.