Why you, and why now - the new IPCC synthesis report (2023)

The 20th of March, the UNs climate panel (IPCC) launched their synthesis report on climate change. This is a compilation of the main findings from the reports published between 2018-2022. Climate scientist Jan S. Fuglestvedt, who has also contributed to the reports, held a presentation in Norwegian and presented the main findings.

The IPCC reports concerns the physical climate changes and the effects they have on nature and society, climate adaptation, emission reductions, absorption of greenhouse gases and means of mitigating the effects of climate change. The special reports concerns the 1,5 degree heating target, climate change and land areas and oceans and ice. The synthesis report combines the finding of these and puts them into context.

The IPCC reports concerns the physical climate changes and the effects they have on nature and society, climate adaptation, emission reductions, absorption of greenhouse gases and means of mitigating the effects of climate change. The special reports concerns the 1,5 degree heating target, climate change and land areas and oceans and ice. The synthesis report combines the finding of these and puts them into context.

The current status is that we are already at 1,15 degrees warming.

The first arrow says “"We are here”. The second arrow says “Will be passed within the next 10 years”. The third arrow says “Paris target”, and the fourth arrow says “This is where we are headed”.

This image shows future emission scenarios. Where darker pink and purple colours indicates a higher temperature. In order to not reach those scenarios - three things must happen.

1. Global Co2 emissions must be halved within 2030 to reach the 1,5 degree target.

2. Adaptation. All sectors and systems must adapt and find where they can cut emissions.

3. Financing. Some measures are smarter and more affordable than others. See list below.

To be able to close the gap it will take drastic changes in all sectors and systems.

This graph shows measures under 100 USD per ton CO2 that can be halved within 2030.

The UNs climate panel says that we have what we need to act on the crisis - but the speed needs to increase drastically! The choices we make this decade will affect life on this planet for millenias’s to come.

This is where you come in. Instead of feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by these facts - put your energy into action! Here are five smart ways for you to get an outlet for your climate frustrations/anxiety/numbness etc:

1. Join an organisation - chose one that’s local to you. If you’re under 26, Nature and Youth is a good choice. If you are a student, maybe Spire. Being part of something bigger than yourself will help you channel your concerns into something more concrete, and get an outlet that will help the cause.

2. Express how you feel about the climate. Make art, write poetry, letters to the editor, letters to your local politicians (remember Norwegians - we have an important election coming up in September).

3. Vote. Of course you vote, but this year, and the coming - vote with the graphs above in mind. Vote for a living climate and a living planet, for you and those who will come after you.

4. Talk. Talk with your fellow students, your colleagues, your neighbours, your family, your community. Talk about both your concerns, but also what you both do in your every day life to make it better. We need hope and inspiration.

5. Finally - act. It feels good to contribute physically, so make your own or join a beach clean up event this spring. Make a list each month of 5 things you will do for the environment and climate that month. It might be taking old clothes to recycling, starting to mend your old clothes, making a bee hotel, using more meat free recipes or using the bus instead of your car. The list is endless, be creative with this one.

Be kind to yourself in the process. Combating climate change is a lifestyle that we must all be a part of. Find ways that are sustainable for your life situation. And celebrate your wins along the way. The seeds you plant today will be amazing in the time to come.

Review of Bonnie Wrights "Go Gently"

Climate activist and actress, Bonnie Wright, most known for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter universe, has written a book that sets out to be “Actionable steps to nurture yourself and the planet”.

The book has a logical build up, from the “Go learn” chapter, where Wright highlights several aspects concerning the global climate movement, to chapters as “Go see” where the focus is more inwards to your own habits and lifestyle choices. Bonnie Wright writes that she has herself been involved with climate and social issues the past decade, and the book invites us intimately along her own journey, as she also has changed habits and practises at home in order to align with her values. I think the book is at its best when she writes in long form, in stead of the many short factual boxes. Wright also holds space for other voices in her book, which gives us many interesting perspectives, ranging from indigenous voices to members of the queer community.

Book cover of “Go gently” by Bonnie Wright

The following chapters, “Go organise”, “Go shop” and “Go cook” is exactly what they sets out to be - ways in which to incorporate our values as climate concerned humans in our daily activities. The chapters “Go keep” and “Go make” is very much centred around activities you can do at home. Bonnie Wright writes that she found that when she started to incorporate more of her values, like her passion for the ocean, by trying to reduce single use plastic in her own everyday life, it made her feel more aligned with her values.

In the last two chapters, I felt that the book was the most unique of the climate books I have read so far - “Go enjoy” which is about exercises to cultivate joy and connect with the planet and the last chapter “Go beyond”, which was the main reason why I bought the book - about finding your place in the climate movement. This last chapter offers several questions to reflect on. Bonnie Wrights main thought here is that there is not one right way to act when you are concerned and want to do something for the climate. There are luckily several, and as she highlights that different aspects of the book will hopefully spark some interest for you as a reader.

I think this book is a good introduction for someone who would like to find their place within the climate movement, or re-find it. And as Bonnie Wright says - remember to “go gently” on yourself while doing so. <3

World Environment Day

This years theme for the World Environment Day is biodiversity and restoration of natural habitats.

After the year we have all been through, and with the knowledge that loss of biodiversity is a contributing factor to the pandemic the world is still fighting off, - what better way to see how connected we are to nature, and how we can also help it! The official World Environment Day site offers many ideas on how we can contribute and be the #GenerationRestoration . For the same reason, the UN has called the decade we have now entered the The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

As I am always interested in how can we bring this down to earth, and make it easy to find ways to contribute to this, I want to share some ideas for how we as civil society and individuals can do our share:

• Make a seed ball and trow it somewhere on your way home from school/work/on your daily walk. Recipe in Norwegian here. For non-Norwegian readers, this is very easy. You simply make a ball of dirt/soil and put some seeds in it, and throw it in the side of the road.

• “Lazy-lawns” is one of the easiest way you can contribute to biodiversity at home. How do you do it? You simply let your grass grow, and give all the different flowers and weeds a chance to grow. This will help pollinators, like bees, have a better chance of survival. Which again helps us humans and everything in nature.

• Chose an area of nature close to your home and chose to love it and protect it. It can a an area close to water, or maybe your local walk? Make it a priority to hold this area free from plastic litter and other types of rubbish thrown in nature. If 1/5 people picks just 5 pieces of plastic in nature every day, 35 tons of plastic is removed from nature every day! Be that person.

• Plant a tree. Seeing something green from your window is very uplifting, and research tells us the benefits this can have to our mental health. Why not plant a tree from somewhere you can see every day, and enjoy watching it grow?

Beach Clean Up Week

With the start of Spring, it is also the start of more people spending time in nature, and sadly also, more garbage tends to fill up our natural surroundings. As a response to this, I am arranging a Beach Clean Up Week for the last week of May/ first week of June at my school.

I haven’t written so much about it, but this past year, I have been in charge of the Green Flag initiative at our school, which is the schools environmental program that aims to include everyone in a more sustainable everyday life. This year, our wonderful students democratically chose plastic pollution in the ocean as their yearly theme.

Building up to the Beach Clean Up Week, the students has learnt about the hasards of plastic in nature. If you yourself is either also a teacher, a parent, someone who works with children or young people, or simply wants to arrange your own Covid-friendly Beach Clean Up Week or day even, here are some of my tips :)

• Get an understanding for why you are doing it. It can be good to show children for example a video like this that is aimed at children.

• You can look into the facts of how long plastic litter lives in the ocean and talk about why this is a problem.

Miljøstatus.no

• You can spend time in nature to build up a feeling of responsibility and love for the nature that surrounds us and give us so much.

Anemonoides nemorosa

• And lastly, but also important; due to the still ongoing pandemic - use gloves and check with your kommune how you should dispose of the garbage. In Kristiansand, we will be handed gloves on the day and the kommune wants to pick up the full bags when we are done picking. This might be the case where you live as well, so it is worth looking it up at your kommunes website.

Every day can of course be pick up the plastic you find in nature day. For example yesterday, I walked past my local marina and saw a bottle of lighter fluid already floating in the ocean. I didn’t see it as an option to not pick it up and dispose of it.

Remember; every little thing you do counts, your actions matter, and psychologically, we tend to have a higher threshold to throw plastic in nature where there is none to begin with. Places that is already filled with litter does not make us feel so guilty, as someone else has already started. If all of us carry with us this mentality, that we will be the ones that keep our little area clean, then we are on a good way to a greener and more plastic free future.

Ways we can live more sustainable

Sifo recently published a very reader-friendly report on what we as consumers can do to live more sustainable in terms of our transportation-, agriculture-, heating-, clothing- and plastic consumption.

There are three main takeaways to how we can live more sustainable:
1. Replace a product with one with less environmental impact 💚
2. Change the way we consume
3. Reduce the amount we consume

Valuable tools that has proven useful in the long term to achieve this are:
- education on what is more sustainable 🎓
- knowledge on how to look after something📚
- Practical skills on how to repair f.ex clothes 🪡🧵

Structural changes is also needed from the authorities to make it easier for consumers to make these sustainable choices. ⚖️ ♻️ A combination of both individual choices and a society that makes it easier to choose the greener option is necessary. 🌱

I used this picture to illustrate this, because of the long lives of the garments I’m wearing. The hat is from at least 2012, the scarf🧣 is from 2016 and the jacket is borrowed for the occasion of a skiing trip from my mum! 🥰 I know it’s a very individual journey on the way to becoming more sustainable, and we are all at different stages on your journey, but we can find inspiration from each other and cheer each other forward ✨ It’s all the little choices that adds up to the whole 🌏

Greta

January has started the new year with several inspiring climate and environmental contents for us to get motivated by. One of them is the documentary “Greta”.

NRK recently published “Greta” where we follow Greta Thunberg from the early protests outside the Swedish Parliament, through the sailing trip over the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN climate summit in New York. This is a very close portrait of a very courageous girl who you have to admire. If more people were like Greta when it comes to the environment and climate, the world would be an even more extraordinary place.

It has been wonderful to follow her journey these last few years to see her message, which is amplifying what the climate scientific community has been trying to tell decision makers and leaders for years. However, it should not be necessary for someone to do this job. Decision makers and leaders should listen to climate scientists regardless of how it impacts their popularity or reelection opportunities. This is what separate politicians from true leaders. When I was 19, I attended the COP in Copenhagen. We used to say “Politicians talk, leaders act”. This is true in 2021 as well. We need action on behalf of the climate and environment for all living beings.

Styrofoam in ocean

I was recently on a little island at sea where bits of styrofoam had washed up. The bad thing about styrofoam is how it can multiply into so much micro-plastic and potentially be eaten by our friends 🐠 in the ocean

I was lucky since the styrofoam were still in fairly big bits, but it’s very scary to see how long it lives. The bits I found looked old, but styrofoam can actually live for 50 years in water (source: World Economic Forum)

After the styrofoam reach the water, it would start to break down into smaller pieces, creating the problem of micro-plastic. As you can see, it is better to pick the plastic before it breaks down, and hopefully before it enters the water all together

So please take with you your plastic, and also other peoples plastic, specially if places near water, as it can do so much damage there.

Use this time to mend your clothes

A nice and constructive activity to do these days is to repair your broken clothes. Usually it doesn’t take more than a few stitches and that hole in your favourite t-shirt is mended, or that button that’s loose is tightened or that hole inside the bottom of your winter coat - now is the time to fix it.

You’ve probably heard: reduce, reuse, recycle - but did you know that these are actually in prioritised order? So if you feel like you need a new item of clothes - you should remember the first R - reduce - do you have a similar looking item already in your wardrobe? (Chances are quite high for yes) then go to the next R - Reuse.

But what if it’s broken you say? I would say - either way mend it. Then you might start liking the item again, and you remember that loved clothe slast - or you go to the next R - Recycle - and you give the item to a charity that will make sure it gets a new life!

Because we should remember that it’s not just the thread and fabric that went into making this piece of clothing - someone made that item for you. When we have that perspective with us from the start, maybe we make better decisions before we buy fast fashion because fast fashion sucks.  it’s not good for the planet and ultimately it’s not good for us either.

So find your needles, a pair of scissors and some thread it the right colour and maybe put on a podcast to keep you company while sewing. So far, I’ve mended the broken arm velcro on my old jacket, and the holes in a sweater. Good luck fixing and being a green everyday hero! You can also look up @fash_rev on Instagram and find inspiration under #fashionrevolutionweek #fashionrevolution .

Velcro that needed mending

Plastic in the ocean - during covid-19

I still want to pick plastic found in nature or the water during this pandemic.

It’s just important not to touch your face before you have washed your hands.

A good tip that I read on how to achieve this is to always keep your hands under the height of your elbows when outside.

So instead of thinking about the thing you are not supposed to do (touch your face) you can think about where you should place your hands (below the height of your elbows).

I hope you are all healthy and safe and find purpose in matters close to home during these times.

Plastic bottle I found floating in the water

The climate journey

One of my colleagues recently reminded me that we are all on different stages in our environmental and climate journey. Some of us are maybe just waking up to several of the facts that the climate crisis is causing. Some of us are looking into the power we have as consumers. Yet others are turning their attention to the big polluters as big oil companies. 

None of these approaches are wrong. The only thing that is wrong is to deny the fact that the climate is changing, humans has caused it and humans need to alter their ways in order to sustain a liveable planet. 

Recently, a Norwegian Facebook group of climate deniers has grown rapidly, and their main cause is a joint irritation towards those of us who tries to do something about the climate crisis. 

Therefor my message is simple; if you hear someone speaking about climate related topics, or someone saying they want to do more - support them! We don’t need to be polarised within the climate movement. ‘Who is the best’ and ‘Who does the most right’. We need everyone on board and we must acknowledge that we really are on different stages in our journey, but seeing this, we can still all help. 

When I joined the climate movement, I was 16 and at a high school with roughly 800 students, we were a group of maybe 6 coming to the local Nature and Youth meetings. We were a small group, but we were part of a bigger network within both Norway and within Europe. 

Now, luckily, the climate cause is not such a niche. And that is wonderful! ✨ Let’s all do our part by speaking to someone who we think might be interested in this, and definitely support those we already know care.

Anbefaling av "Jordnært"

“Jordnært - Enkle tips til en mer miljøvennlig hverdag” er boken til søstrene Anette og Susanne Bastviken, som står bak bloggen og podcastet Radical Broccoli.

Først og fremst; jeg har elsket å lese denne boken! Den er både en kjempefin innføring i en grønnere livsstil og mer miljøvennlig og bærekraftig hverdag for de som akkurat har begynt sin grønne reise, men også kjempeinspirerende om du har vært på denne reisen en stund. Forfatterne deler også sine reiser for å bli grønnere, og det store funnet deres er kanskje det at de valgene som er gode for oss, også er de som er gode for planeten vår.

Boken er inndelt etter alle de kategoriene som vi som enkeltindivider kan påvirke vårt eget liv, som; mat, plastforbruket vårt, hjemmene våre, hygiene og velværeprodukter, klærene våre og transport.

Søstrene er vitenskapsbaserte og alle påstander i boken har vitenskapelige kilder, fra blant annet forskning på mat som Eat Lancet rapporten, til ulike miljøorganisasjoner. Søstrene er også plantebaserte, og oppskriftene i boken er også basert på dette. Selv om boken er solid bygget på fakta er den likevel lettlest, og veldig hyggelig, totalt uten å være fordømmende. Filosofien deres er at det er bedre at mange millioner mennesker tar mange gode valg for miljøet, enn at noen få mennesker er perfekte og gjør alt riktig.

Et spennende prosjekt søstrene deler med oss er hvordan det gikk da de skulle leve en måned uten plast. Mange så kanskje dette på Planet Plast på NRK i fjor. Etter å ha prøvd mitt lignende prosjekt med å ha shoppestopp på klær i et helt år vet jeg at kreativiteten og nytenkningen sånne prosjekter gir fører mange nye og bedre løsninger med seg.

Jeg kan på det varmeste anbefale denne boken til både mine grønne venner, og alle som er nysgjerrige og kunne tenke seg å bli grønnere.

The True Cost

I’ve just watched the Netflix documentary “The True Cost” and I cried. Very precisely, it sums up everything that is very unpleasant for us consumers to take in - that actual real humans, just like yourself, are making these clothes under the worst imaginable conditions.

The documentary was made in 2015, one year after the Rana Plaza accident, that killed 1138 factory workers in Bangladesh. As Andrew Morgan, one of the director of the movie says in this interview: “It’s something really important in this world that you have not considered, and you are a part of something intrical just by buying clothes, and as simple as just opening our eyes and our hearts to this idea, that it is hands, physical human hands that touch the things we wear, and that these hands are lives, and they matter”.

I will recommend this documentary to everyone I know who wears clothes, because every time we buy something, we make a choice to be part of the current system. Every time we chose to buy used, ethical, fair trade or ecological however, we are saying that we demand another world. That we do not want to be the buying force at the end of this chain that is ruining lives, the environment and eventually our planet.

Here is the trailer, but I am sure you either have Netflix, or know someone who does. So do watch it in full length, not just this short trailer. I am convinced that you can not remain unaffected afterwards. Thank you for caring.

Have a palm oil free Christmas

The festive season is soon upon us, and so is a lot of traditional festive food. In my everlasting investigation on how to live more sustainable, I’ve come to notice how much of the store bought food that still contains palm oil in Norway.

Palm oil production has a severe negative impact on the rainforest, as vast areas with a high bio diversity is mowed down to make room for palm oil plantations. This also impacts the animals who used to live there, and the indigenous that made their livelihood in the rainforest. If you would like to read more about the problem of palm oil (in English) you can follow this link to the site “Say no to palm oil"

Palm oil plantation harvesting

As an eco conscious citizen, you don’t want to contribute to the deforestation of the rainforest while you are enjoying your store bought ginger bread, therefore, I will give you a guide on how to steer clear of the palm oil this Christmas:

• In 2014, the Norwegian grocery store Rema1000 took a strong stand against palm oil and declared that no products with the brand “Rema1000” would contain palm oil. However, they continued to sell products that that already sold that contained palm oil, like Nutella. Therefore, I always check just in case. Rema1000 has committed to not bring in any new palm oil containing products to their assortment.

• The Norwegian Regnskogfondet (The rainforrest foundation) has a brilliant guide where you can type in most products and see how much, if any, palm oil it contains. Here is the guide. “Søk etter vare” means “search for item”, for instance you can search for a Christmas classics example; ginger bread biscuits. Luckily there are quite few store bought ginger bread boxes that contains palm oil. The ones to stay away from are: All four types of ginger bread bought at IKEA, and the one called Berthas sjokoladepepperkaker. This guide is really handy when in doubt. Also, it is super simple to just read at the back of the packaging.

• As more people are becoming aware of the problem with palm oil, manufacturers has started to label it in different ways. Here is a guide to different ways palm oil might be labeled.

• You want to double check new products by Freia, like the “snøballer”, as they often contain palm oil. After Rema1000 decided to ban palm oil, they gave Freia the option to replace the palm oil in their popular easter eggs with something else, something they did not do, which lead to Rema1000 deciding to not sell the popular easter eggs in their stores.

Deforestation caused by palm oil plantations

RSPO certified Palm Oil

You have probably read the phrase “RSPO certified Palm Oil” on products containing palm oil. This is the “Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which is a large, international group of palm oil producers, palm oil buyers, and environmental and social groups. According to WWF this initiative have taken steps in making the palm oil industry better.

However, Greenpeaces “Certifying Destruction” report shows that the RSPO is in fact not producing sustainable palm oil. The report uncovered how RSPO certified palm oil plantations was linked to deforestation. One of the reasons why RSPO certification is not working as it should, is because there are several loop holes to work around the conservation of the rainforest that it was set out to protect. If you want to understand more about RSPO, I recommend reading the report.

This is why RSPO certified oil is not a guarantee that the palm oil has not contributed to deforestation. Therefore it is better to avoid palm oil containing products altogether.

Have a joyful and palm oil free Christmas celebration. More tips on how to have a sustainable and eco friendly celebration will come.

My samoyed Kit looking forward to a new sustainable Christmas

Back to school, back to saving the environment

August is almost finished, and many of us is getting back into the routine of school, university and jobs. Here is a list of four tips for making your everyday life greener! For long term readers, you will remember the concept of how we can use habit building to incorporate more environmentally friendly habits in our daily routine. Basically what this means is; make it easier for yourself to follow up on the green choice you have already committed to doing. 

How to remember your reusable bag when grocery shopping: If one of your, like mine, green everyday choices is to use a reusable bag when you grocery shop - then always carry with you in your backpack or choice of carry on item a reusable bag. This way, you don't have to remember the action of finding it every singel time, and the amount of plastic you use will be drastically reduced.

Pick five peaces of plastic every day: Maybe you have seen the #5forhvalen on instagram? If you haven't the thought behind it is as simple as it is doable; if everyone pick up five items of plastic that they find in nature every day, it will have a massively positive impact on your everyday environment, and you stop it from reaching the ocean! Which makes you a climate hero! :D 

Plastic that me and my friends picked along the coast of Lofoten this summer to bring back to the mainland for recycling. 

Cutting down on your disposable plastic consumption: After watching NRKs brilliant "Plant plast" this spring (if you haven't already, it is highly recommended) you probably don't want to contribute to plastic problem that we are currently facing. If your daily routine includes picking up a coffee to go, then remember to put your reusable cup in your backpack, making the decision so much easier for yourself when you are already in line (and remember "I do have one of those! Only problem is, it's in my cupboard at home...) Most coffee shops also give you a discount if you remember to bring your own cup, so there's economical incentives for remembering as well. I bought myself a cup (for hot drinks) right before the start of the hottest summer recorded, but as temperatures finally are cooling down in Norway, I will soon get a use of it. 

Start of a new season - new green habits! Most likely, if you do read this blog, you are already either quite concerned about the climate and environment, but do you get an every day outlet for your passion? I find that it's very important for me personally to contribute in the ongoing battle against climate change on many different levels, and one way that I've benefitted from in so many ways is by being part of an organisation that works on climate related matters. Being part of an organisation, you both support the good work they are doing, and if you support, either with your time spent volunteering or with financial aid, you are contributing in helping the environment. It is also one of the most meaningful ways you can contribute, by saving the planet for the future generations to come. August/September is a great time of year to start out with new activities, so you know you've always wanted or you have always intended to do it. Let this be the autumn where you take your green passion to the next level and start advocating for it louder. After the summer we have had, it's visible for all to see that we don't have any time to waste. I will include a list of Norwegian environmental organisations (but for my international readers, many of them, like WWF and Greenpeace will have international chapters as well) 

List of environmental organisations you should look into: 

- Greenpeace

- Spire

- Natur og Ungdom

- Fremtiden i våre hender

- Naturvernforbundet

- WWF

- Bellona

- Utviklingsfondet

There are lots more, but do some research, find out which one best resonate with you, and what are the options of getting involved in your local chapter where you live/work or go to university. Becoming an active member in one of these groups could be the best decision you make this autumn. Have a happy green back to work/school! 

Good green habits in the summer

We've recently experienced summer like temperatures where I'm studying. This blog post is therefore a quick reminder to us all that we don't forget our good green habits over the summer months. 

1. Reusable bag. Remember to bring your reusable bag when shopping. It saves the environment unnecessary plastic, and by refusing, you are stopping the demand for plastic bags. Remember we talked about 5 R's? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Refuse. The trick is to leave the fabric bag in your bag/backpack so you don't need to make a conscious decision to bring it along each time, saving yourself the energy to remember.

2. Give away clothes you don't need. This blog has focused a lot on the clothing industry and for new readers; in 2017 I did a year of shop stop, here you can read my evaluation after one year had passed. By giving away clothes you dont need, you are both decluttering your own space, but more importantly, you are giving the clothes you don't need any longer to someone who will have real value of them. 

Translation of the text in the image "The dress that you give will give someone else an opportunity for a job", and "The trousers you are giving is saving the environment for 8 kg of CO2" and "The sweater you are giving will give warmth to someone who is freezing". 

3. Reusable water bottle/cup for hot drinks. I bought myself a KeepCup in 2014, which I recently learned also makes glass cups. However, my plastic one started smelling and tasting like plastic, so I recently invested in a glass one from the brand JocoCups. Building on research from among others, the climate psychologist Per Espen Stoknes, who I reviewed the book of: 'What we think about when we try not to think about global warming' ; one important aspect when it comes to changing habits/making greener choices, is to base our desired new habit on something we already like or are predisposition to liking. In less academic terms: Choose a cup you find pretty/good looking, and you are more likely to use it! 

My new glass Joco cup. 

4. Picking up plastic litter in nature. We know so much about the plastic problem by now, that we should all act on it whenever we see plastic laying in nature. Also, speak up against unnecessary usage of plastic, like in Norway helium balloons where recently banned on the 17th of May because enough people cared! Helium balloons are known for ending up in the ocean as marine litter.

17th of May plastic litter that can soon become marine litter. 

5. Leave the nature as you found it. In Norwegian there is a term called "sporløs ferdsel" which essentially means to not leave a trace where you've traveled in nature. In practical terms this means for example to not leave your disposable grill on the ground (or worse - dumped in the ocean) after you've used it. The simplest way is asking yourself; should nature look like this? If no, pick it up. 

Thank you for caring about our joint environment <3 

Rana Plaza and Talanoa Dialogue

Happy May Sunday, dear climateschool readers! I've had a short hiatus due to exam season starting up here at NTNU, but in just 6 weeks time I will have finished the teacher degree. In the meantime; climate-news does not take exam breaks. Therefore, this blog post will be a short summary of two important things that's been happening while I've been away reading pedagogy literature: 

- The 24th of April was the 5 year mark since the clothing factory Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh and 1138 textile workers died that day. Last year, I attended a meeting about the 4 year mark, and it was then announced that what needed to come in place was a binding agreement where the brands we know sign a uniform agreement of openness and transparency, so that an accident and working conditions like Rana Plaza can never happen again. The Future in Our hands has done a great job following the progress of this security agreement. However, they revealed that the giant IKEA has not signed this agreement. This is a huge shame, because the agreement works, and is already making a significant change in the life of the textile workers. To get a visual of how it was like to experience an ordinary day before the collapse of the Rana Plaza, The Future in our Hands has put together this short video.  

If you want to take action after knowing this, like I do, you can go to IKEAs facebook page and ask them to sign the agreement.  For example: (in Norwegian) "Kjære IKEA, skriv under den livreddende sikkerhetsavtalen for tekstilarbeiderne i Bangladesh!" (And you may also link to the Future in our Hands article) 

- There has also been a UNFCCC Climate change meeting in Bonn from the 30th of April - 10th of May. This was the start of the Talanoa Dialogue : "

"Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good. The process of Talanoa involves the sharing of ideas, skills and experience through storytelling.

During the process, participants build trust and advance knowledge through empathy and understanding. Blaming others and making critical observations are inconsistent with building mutual trust and respect, and therefore inconsistent with the Talanoa concept. Talanoa fosters stability and inclusiveness in dialogue, by creating a safe space that embraces mutual respect for a platform for decision making for a greater good.". 

A short recap of the outcome of this meeting: 

• There was progress made in the the Paris "rulebook"
• The next meeting will be held in Bangkok, so a negotiation text will be made to prepare for this session
• There is still key factors in the technical and financial negotiations that needs to be worked out

Thanks to ClimateTracker for the infographic: 

Earth Day 2018: End Plastic Pollution

Today, Sunday 22nd of April is Earth Day, where the mission is to end plastic pollution. Plastic pollution has luckily gained a lot of awareness this past year in Norway. On a recent survey by Norad, 7 out of 10 Norwegians answered that plastic pollution should be Norways most urgent environmental cause, and that Norway has a special responsibility as a sea nation. 

I worked with marine littering almost every day in Greenpeace, and have written some fact sheets about marine littering and micro beads. Fortunately, plastic in the ocean is so easy to get engaged in, as it is clearly so wrong. It also helps with great TV series like NRKs "Planet Plast". 

Also fortunately; there is so much we can do about it! First of all, we can have a close look at our own consumption and notice how much plastic, and especially disposable plastic, we use every single day, and then take the measures to reduce our overall plastic habit. But as we know, there is already so much plastic waste in the ocean. 

That is why in Norway, starting next week; its Beach Clean up Week! All over Norway, you can find your local beach and join in on cleaning your local beach for plastic. Off course, needless to say, but none the less - you can off course have every day of the year as beach clean up day! Whenever I am at home, on the South-Coast, and I see some plastic either already lying in the ocean, near the ocean, or on land, I pick it up, because eventually it all ends up in the ocean. 

There is also the recent trend of "plogging" where you jog and pick up plastic waste in nature at the same time. 

If you've ever walked a dog in nature, you know how easy it is for the dog to spot the plastic as something that is not belonging in nature. Two years ago, when I was walking my samoyed at home on a local beach, and I turned my head towards the horizon for 5 seconds, my dog had found a transparent plastic bag in the sea, and maybe mistook it for something edible, so when I turned back to look at my dog, she was half way inhaling the plastic bag. Luckily I got it out of her mouth in seconds, but it was absolutely horrible to witness and to think about what could have happened, and what has happened to so many animals living in the ocean. 

I hope the awareness created around plastic pollution will last, and continue to be at the forefront of peoples minds as we have a national and global "dugnad" (joint volunteer work) to end plastic pollution together. Happy Earth Day. 

Using habit building to incorporate a more environmentally friendly lifestyle

Catchy title, but that is what todays blog post will discuss. How can you make it easier for yourself to live by the environmentally conscious principles you know would benefit yourself and the environment? For me, I think these two guiding principles helps you a long way: 

1. Make it easy - meaning; instead of wanting to cut back on the plastic bags you get from the store, but always forget, because you forgot that morning that you would grocery shop after school/work, then make it easy for yourself and always carry with you a fabric bag. It weights nothing and it saves you a lot of guilt. 

2. Make the decision beforehand. With this principle, I mean; instead of always having to consider every new temptation as they come along, of course you will be exhausted, and living environmentally friendly will seem like a shore. There is such a thing called 'decision fatigue' which is basically when you use up all your mental capacity on tedious little tasks, and when faced with the decisions you actually have to make, you dont have enough energy to make them. Therefor, I am an advocate for already making the decision, and incorporating them into the way you intend to live by. Say your green new years resolution was to eat less meat, as we talked about two weeks ago, but now, some time has passed, and maybe the initial motivation that comes by starting a new habit has faded ever so slightly. That's when this principle applies. Say your goal was to cut meat entirely, but now you're tempted to break it, because it seems easier to just go with what's familiar. That is when you now remind yourself; no, I've made a promise to myself, because the better, greener version of myself knows this is something that is important to me to follow through, and this is something I know will benefit me and the environement in the long term, even though it would seem like it does not matter what decision I make right now. I used this principle a lot in the beginning of my year of ShopStop. 

If you thought this blog post was helpful, this is something I am quite interessted, and have more resources on. Hope you will have a green Sunday! 

ShopStop 2017 Evaluation

The year of Shop Stop came to an end. It's exactly a year ago today that I outlined what would be the premises of my Shop Stop 2017. I just reread it, and I can now answer some of my predictions: 

Was the hardest part being tempted all the time? No, in fact that part came very easy. I knew I had clothes for the different seasons, and it was also such a burden being lifted not having to follow the constant white noice of commercials, because I had my auto reply "Sorry, not this year". I did however come up with these guidelines midway in the project in order to limit the time you are putting yourself at risk of being affected by commercials. 

Did I want to just stroll along in clothing stores out of boredom? No, not the least bit! This part was really liberating as well, because same reply as above. I do think I have spent more time in nature, I have for sure freed up a lot of time that I know I would have spent otherwise. 

What about presents? There were no soft presents this year! Most people knew the project I had undertaken, and even though it was questioned, it was at least respected that this was my wish. 

Did I learn to knit after a pattern? No, I haven't knitted at all, haha. It hasn't been a need or desire in my life the past year. 

However, did I repair a lot of clothing this year? I sure did! That is the thing about not buying any clothing for a year - things break. Specially trousers. In the end, I had 3 out of 4 trousers that were torn, so I've had my repair kit out quite a lot. The same goes for the majority of my clothes, but that is also one of the many great reasons why we should repair our clothes! I had a lot of repair jobs around November, when I wrote this on why we should always repair. 

Did I get any insights to what I actually need? Yes, and this was quite interesting. By tracking what I thought I needed over all the different seasons, without buying anything new, I could really feel the change between just wanting something and actually needing it. When the project was finished for example, I actually needed new trousers. Knowing this difference in once life is actually one of the better outcomes I gained from the project. 

Were there any downsides to it? At one point in the spring, I did become quite bored of using the same two skirts, before I had access to the clothes I would use over summer. This however, was not a major thing. The greater concern was rather would I be able to sew through quite thick denim. It turns out, that is very doable. Its just a matter of really needing it. 

How did I end the year to celebrate? This might sound contradictory, but I actually gathered almost two full black trash bags with old clothes and gave them away at the start of the new year. It was clothes that I had been holding on to for way too long, and as always it felt really liberating to pass them on to someone who needs them more than me.  

Me being quite happy to give away clothes to a charity. 

What can others gain from my experiences? If more people question the choices if they should buy something, in stead of just first buying and then thinking, it can have an enormous impact. 

Will I continue to boycott the clothing industry? In fact, I will not. This is not because I suddenly think it is super great how the employees in factories are treated, but because I learnt from a seminar I attended in May (organised by "The future in our hands" - the organisation that helped make the "Sweatshop" series) that the factory workers actually does not want us to boycott their industry. When I first heard this, I felt that this project was counterproductive, but then I did want to have a years "gap" where I could properly read myself up and understand the situation better, and by not contributing felt like the right way to follow that path. However, as I wrote above, clothes fall apart, and sometimes actually beyond repair. This doesn't mean that I won't think twice about where I do get my clothes from. In November, it became public that H&M in fact burn sever amounts of the clothes they can't sell. This really makes you question their "ethical commitment". Luckily there are several other options on how to buy more ethically, and I will follow up with a new blog post on this in the time to come. 

It has been an interesting and fun year in many regards, and a lot of people has asked me about it, which I think is a super positive outcome. If anyone else feel inspired to do it for a month, six months or a full year, I can actually recommend it for the peace of mind if offers. 

New Year, New Green Resolutions!

2018 is here, and with it, new possibilities to do and be the best version of yourself, for yourself and the environment, if you let it. I am all about new beginnings at the moment, coming back to finish my last semester at the teacher studies course I'm taking at NTNU, leaving Greenpeace, for now. 

Let this be the year when you start living by your ideals. If you've been meaning to cut down on meat eating, or cut meat entirely, now is the time to do it.

What step have you been meaning to take in your own personal life to live a greener lifestyle? Have you thought about:

• Letting the car stand, and rather use public transportation or biking on your way to work? 
• Getting more involved in the environmental movement and becoming supporting member of an environmental organisation? 
• Using your voice and vote in elections to promote environmentally conscious politicians? 
• Reading yourself up on a seemingly big environmental topic, as Norwegian oil drilling? 
• Taken a closer look at your own carbon footprint? 

You are in luck, because there is no better time than the present to start taking one or more of these steps. This kind of thought process was part of my decision to make 2017 my year of ShopStop. The year is now finished, and my regular Sunday blogpost will be a review of how it went. 

Let 2018 come with all the new beginnings that follows.