Each week we summarize three pieces of news that show the world trending in a greener direction. This week, Sweden closed it’s last coal-fired power plant… two years ahead of schedule! We believe it’s necessary to celebrate achievements like this to remind ourselves that our Earth-friendly actions do add up to global change. And hey, it’s just nice to read some good news.

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Climate crisis: Sweden closes last coal-fired power station two years ahead of schedule

By Harry Cockburn, The Independent, April 27, 2020

  • Sweden joins Austria and Belgium in completely removing coal from its energy mix by shutting down it’s final coal-fired plant two years ahead of schedule. Stockholm is now on track to run entirely on renewable or recycled energy by 2030.
  • Per the article: “France, Slovakia, Portugal, the UK, Ireland and Italy are expected to follow Belgium, Austria and Sweden and exit coal by 2025 or earlier.”
  • Anders Egelrud, chief executive of Stockholm Exergi, told the Independent: “Since Stockholm was almost totally fossil-dependent 30-40 years ago, we have made enormous changes and now we are taking the step away from carbon dependence and continuing the journey towards an energy system entirely based on renewable and recycled energy,” 

The bison calf taking the first step to rewild the Canadian prairies

By Leyland Cecco, The Guardian, May 1, 2020

  • For the first time since 1876, a wild bison calf was born in Wanuskewin heritage park in Saskatchewan, Canada.
  • European settlers reduced bison populations from 60 million to fewer than 600 in the 19th century, with devastating effects to the ecosystem and ingenious communities. Reintroduction efforts in Yellowstone, Banff, Elk Island and elsewhere have had various degrees of success.
  • Per the article: “There are numerous studies that show the impact bison recovery has for an ecosystem— all the way down to dung beetles, bird species, prairie dogs and carnivores,” said (Dr Gregg) Adams. “Bison affect the entire ecosystem from microbes to insects to mammals and humans.”

Clean Water Act Covers Groundwater Discharges, Supreme Court Rules

By Adam Liptak, The New York Times, April 23, 2020

  • In what some are calling “the clean water case of the century,” the Supreme Court ruled that “the Clean Water Act applies to some pollutants that reach the sea and other protected waters indirectly through groundwater.”
  • In the case, Maui County (backed by a Trump administration brief) argued the Clean Water Act does not protect “discharges” that reach protected waters through groundwater. The court disagreed in a 6-3 ruling.
  • Per the article: “But the decision was on balance a victory for environmental groups, as it allowed at least some lawsuits over groundwater discharges.“

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Feature photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash.