Big Environmental Stories to Watch in 2021
Failed Green Recovery Post-Pandemic: Governments worldwide missed the opportunity to leverage pandemic recovery efforts to foster greener initiatives. Despite early promises, a minimal fraction of the $14.6 trillion global pandemic-recovery funding was allocated to sustainable projects.
Climate Awareness Increases: 2021 may be remembered as the year climate change solidified its presence in the American consciousness, driven by vivid examples of climate chaos such as wildfires, heatwaves, and floods.
All-electric Ford F-150 Launch: The introduction of Ford’s all-electric F-150 Lightning symbolizes a significant cultural shift towards sustainable transportation in a traditionally gas-guzzling market.
Legal Battles Over Fossil Fuels: Noteworthy legal victories against fossil fuel companies marked 2021, including a landmark Dutch ruling requiring Shell to significantly reduce its carbon emissions.
Deb Haaland’s Historic Role: Deb Haaland became the first Indigenous Secretary of the Interior, bringing renewed focus on environmental justice and stewardship of natural resources.
Continuing Biodiversity Crisis: The global extinction crisis persists, with insufficient action from world leaders to address the intertwined challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Colorado River Water Allocations Cut: For the first time, federal managers announced reductions in Colorado River water allocations due to severe drought, signaling major future challenges for water availability in the Southwest.
Sources:
Home. (n.d.). https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/most-important-environmental-stories-2021#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20time%20ever%20(difficult%20as%20that%20is%20to,by%2030%20percent%20by%202030
The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect nor represent the Earth Chronicles and its editorial board.
