Youth & Climate: First Foods and the Fight to Protect Indigenous Lands

August 10, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3Bd4vc6jU&feature=youtu.be

“These lands have been here longer than humans have. They need a voice – and to share my voice on behalf of the mountains, the forests and the rivers is an honor and a privilege.”

Meet Katherine, an indigenous (Nimiipuu, Liksiyu, Numu) young person from Oregon who is using her voice to to raise awareness around the protection of First Foods and indigenous lands from the impacts of climate change.

Climate change could alter the growing conditions for First Foods, traditional roots and berries. Scientists project that air temperatures in the Pacific Northwest will increase 3°F by the 2040s, and even relatively small increases in temperature can alter conditions that sustain life. With temperatures changing too quickly for native plants to adapt, their range may shift north or to higher elevations for cooler temperatures. Some may become extinct.

Katherine currently works with the Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network – International to help lift and empower women’s voices in the climate movement.

Endangered Penguins of South Africa – 360

August 10, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment

The populations of African penguins, a species of penguins found along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia, are declining largely due to the depletion of fish stocks in the sea, and habitat encroachment. See them in their natural habitat and how the injured or abandoned of these seabirds are being rehabilitated.

Europe’s Melting Glaciers

August 10, 2019 / activist360 / Leave a comment

It is far too late to save the Alpine glaciers. And now, the dangers caused by tons of melting ice are rising sharply. Every year, climate change is destroying two of the currently 70 square kilometers of glaciers left in the Alps.

The permafrost in the Alps is thawing, and transforming what used to be sturdy slopes into loose screes. In addition, climate change is leading to significantly more extreme weather conditions every year, while heavy rainfall causes serious erosion. The result: avalanches and landslides like those in Bondo, Switzerland, or Valsertal in Austria.

In Switzerland, residential areas are shrinking as people are forced to leave their homes forever. The disappearance of glaciers as water reservoirs is already posing a major problem. Farmers in Engadine, who have been using meltwater for irrigation for centuries, are already facing water shortages. Last summer, they had to rely on helicopters to transport water to their herds in the Grison Alps. Above all, alpine villages depend on winter tourism to survive. Yet experts are forecasting that by mid-century, there will only be enough natural snow left to ski above 2,000 meters, which will spell out the end for about 70 percent of the ski resorts in the Eastern Alps. But instead of developing alternatives, lots of money is still being invested in ski tourism. Snow cannon are used to defy climate change, and artificial snow systems are under construction at ever higher altitudes. As usual, it’s the environment that is set to lose as the unique alpine landscape is further destroyed by soil compaction and erosion. Some municipalities are now working on new models of alpine tourism for the future. As global temperatures continue to rise, the cooler mountain regions will become increasingly attractive for tourists, especially in the summer.