Eco-anxiety, climate issues, existential dread – green journalists often come across these terms and, frequently, feel them themselves.
When talking about the climate and environmental crisis, there is reason for concern, but when hopelessness becomes all-encompassing, apathy creeps in. Last year, three environmental educators, members of EcoTok, wrote an excellent article on how to combat eco-anxiety and the need to maintain hope, or "stubborn optimism".
The media has a significant role to play in the fight against climate change. Our task is to provide honest and accurate reports, rather than trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation or diminish the green reality. Our job is to show that there is hope!
Positive environmental stories in June 2022
I am offsetting my lifetime carbon footprint by planting a giant redwood
Euronews Green Deputy Editor Maeve Campbell (Maeve Campbell) meets Henry Emson (Henry Emson) from "One Life, One Tree" to plant a giant redwood in the UK.
Christians in Oxfordshire, England are being urged to protect the environment
Those carrying out confirmation or baptism ceremonies in the large Church of England diocese covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire will have to pledge to take action on climate change.
The Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, recently approved a revision of the official liturgy which includes the following lines: "Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth? With the help of God, I will."
Devices that protect the oceans from waste
Millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year, killing plants and animals. Companies around the world have developed new devices to help reduce plastic pollution in the oceans.
The Dutch company RanMarine has deployed several 157 cm wide water drones called WasteSharks, which capture waste and bring it back to land. According to RanMarine Technology, the drones can hold 160 litres of waste, floating plants, and algae.
Giant tortoise thought to be extinct found in the Galápagos Islands
This species was believed to have gone extinct more than a hundred years ago, with its only known specimen found in 1906. A female tortoise was found in 2019 on Fernandina Island in the Galápagos archipelago.
City of Leuven administration bans cars from the centre
In 2020, Leuven (Belgium) was named the European Capital of Innovation. It cleverly invested €1 million in an effort to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Leuven has become a cyclist's paradise, and cars have partially disappeared from its streets. It is the only city in Belgium where bicycles are the preferred mode of transport. Thanks to a good green mobility plan, the number of bicycles has increased by 40%.
Scottish village residents bought a nature reserve – now they are raising funds to double its size
In Langholm, near the Scotland-England border, the local community raised €4.5 million last year. They wanted to buy 2,100 hectares of land from one of the largest landowners in the United Kingdom. The villagers succeeded.
World's largest vertical farm being built in the UK, the size of 96 tennis courts
The United Kingdom is heavily dependent on imported food – this especially applies to fruit and vegetables. Almost half of the food consumed in the country is brought in from abroad. A company hopes to solve this problem by building the world's largest vertical farm in Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire). It is planned to open in the autumn of this year.
Entrepreneurs hope that this innovative solution will have a lower environmental impact than traditional agriculture and will allow certain crops to be grown 365 days a year. Perhaps we will see British-grown strawberries at Christmas. (...)
Photograph by Frank Horvat used