“so we all (or at least, most of us) know that the Earth is polluted & ‘dying’ due to humans. theres so so much negativity, and its very depressing... has there been any positive, large changes recently for our planet?”
The positives are very much outweighed by the negatives, but they are there! I wouldn’t call them “large” changes, but at least they exist. Humanity is slowly, slowly coming to terms with the fact that we’re wrecking our home, and that we need to do something about it.
SO, A FEW GOOD THINGS:
The decision to give away hundreds of acres of public lands in Vieques has been vetoed
The Paris Agreement in 2015, the first ever universal and legally binding global climate deal
Two dams were removed from the Elwha River, and there has been an immediate boom in populations of endangered species and in the habitat - one of thousands of dam-removal projects scheduled
The Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane, is breaking records all over the place
Norway has a solar-powered bike path and France wants 1000km of solar road (and the US is mildly skeptical but intrigued)
Canada’s new PM is refocusing on science and tech at the university level, and just funded 135 new jobs in fisheries and oceans research
These may seem like minor things compared to the thousands of negative messages we get every day, but it’s not. Every step in the right direction turns the tide in our favour, as long as we’re loud enough, angry enough, and coordinated.
Honestly, what each individual does and does not do about the environment doesn’t make a huge difference. It’s the major corporations and governments that have the biggest impact. Decisions on what to make, how to make it, what to do with it when we’re done, and where - these are the things that can pump out millions of kilotonnes of pollution, or not. And, as we can see, they do listen, eventually. Just don’t stop talking about it.
