 Energy
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Spain Going Renewable Photo: Markel Redondo, Greenpeace, via National Geographic
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Spain Aims To Be 100% Renewable By 2050
Spain's Social Democratic government, in order to meet its Paris Agreement commitment, is ushering in a new energy era -- it plans to have the country reliant on 100% renewable energy by 2050. They will do it by installing at least 3,000MW of wind and solar power capacity every year in the next 10 years ahead, which would cut their harmful air emissions 90% below their 1990 levels. Under the plan, coal mines will be shut coal mines, and workers will receive either early retirement benefits, re-training for clean energy jobs, and funds will also be spent to restore the mined lands. These actions will be partly financed by proceeds of auctions for emissions permits.
New licenses for fossil fuel drilling and fracking will be banned, and beginning in 2025, a fifth of the country's budget will be spent on mitigating the impacts of climate change. Christiana Figueres, a former executive secretary of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), praised the draft Spanish law because, “[i]t sets a long-term goal, provides incentives on scaling up emissions technologies and cares about a good transition for the workforce.”
Why This Matters: With all the gloom over the global inability to reduce fossil fuel dependence, it is great to see a nation taking positive steps toward a totally renewable energy economy -- and doing so in a way that does not harm people. The Axios Generate "tweet of the day" by Columbia University's Jason Bordoff puts it in perspective - there undoubtedly is a huge challenge ahead. We need to do everything we can to meet it. Which leaves us wondering what would it take for the U.S. to take this kind of bold action?
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 Climate Change
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US Will Fail to Lead on Climate at Upcoming UN Talks -- AGAIN
The Trump administration will once again push a fossil fuel agenda at the annual UN talks on climate change next month in Poland. Reuters reported that Trump's delegates will set up a side-event promoting fossil fuels much like they did last year. Instead of talking about American ingenuity in the renewable energy space or other low-carbon technologies, the Trump administration will instead focus on the benefits of burning fossil fuels more efficiently.
Climate activists condemned the Trump Administration's posture at last year's climate meeting -- it was not enough that the President decided to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement earlier. Things since then have only gotten worse. As the Hill explained, since last year, several Trump administration officials who supported keeping the U.S. in the Paris climate accords, though under different terms, have left the Administration. Some of their replacements, such as top economic adviser Larry Kudlow and national security adviser John Bolton, oppose the Agreement and the same is true for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Charitable organizations like Bloomberg Philanthropies stepped in the shoes of the federal government and showcased America's action on climate change at last year's meeting by organizing and paying for a pavilion for states, cities, and businesses working on climate change to show off their many accomplishments.
Why This Matters: As the first story today shows, our OECD peers continue to prioritize renewable energy and have maintained their commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement. For the United States to come to these meetings and push a fossil fuel agenda is nothing short of embarrassing. Americans overwhelmingly support research and deployment of renewable energy and our President should represent our desires abroad.
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 Sustainability
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Black and Blue Friday
Bucking the conventional business wisdom, for the fourth year in a row, REI will be closed on Black Friday. Though it was at one time a major sales day for the retailer, the company's CEO and president, Jerry Stritzke, told Business Insider that he believes that staying closed on Black Friday has actually helped the company's business. According to Stritzke, "We've stayed healthy partly because we've stuck with our core values — like giving our employees time to do what they love with the people they love during the holidays." The company began closing all of its stores on Black Friday in 2015, and it launched its #OptOutside campaign, giving employees a paid day off and refusing to process any online sales.
A smaller outdoor retailer, United by Blue, is doing something similar -- opening all their stores "late" -- at 11 am on Friday -- in order to encourage everyone to participate in an inaugural "nationwide DIY cleanup initiative, Blue Friday, to show that it only takes an empty trash bag, a pair of gloves, and a moment of your time to make an impact on our oceans." They hope their customers will join them and "find a local park — ideally near a waterway — and fill a bag with trash."
Why This Matters: Maybe it's just us, but Black Friday seems to be getting out of hand in recent years. Some stores even open on Thursday to get a jump on all the retail sales. We don't see many companies following these two and dialing back the madness. Our whole ODP team -- Monica, Miro, Madison, and Yoel -- will be spending time with family on Friday -- one of our few weekdays off from Our Daily Planet all year. We think we will #OptOutside, get in the United by Blue spirit and do some local trash cleanup on Friday, and instead start our holiday shopping on Small Business Saturday. If you spend some time outside on Friday -- picking up trash or just enjoying time outdoors -- send us a photo at info@ourdailyplanet.com. We will publish a few next week.
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 Oceans
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Ebeye, the most populated island in the Marshall Islands. Image: NASA
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For the Mashall Islands, Sea Level Rise Crisis Is Now
Most Americans believe climate change is a distant problem in time and space, but for the citizens of the Marshall Islands, the problem is much more immediate. National Geographic reports that today the Marshall Islanders face a "stark choice: relocate or elevate. One idea being considered is the construction of a new island or raising an existing one." The government of the small, island republic that was once a U.S. protectorate but which has been independent since 1986, is now seriously considering building up its islands through a combination of dredging sand from shallow areas and building new land out into the ocean to mitigate sea level that is already rising into existing structures.
President Hilda Heine is moving cautiously, making sure to involve the people in the decision-making. To build up high enough to be safe would be highly environmentally damaging to surrounding coral reefs, and extremely expensive, and would require the support of important allies such as the U.S., Taiwan, and Japan will be critical.
Why This Matters: While they are an independent nation, the close ties between the U.S. and the Marshall Islands will require U.S. involvement in solving the Marshall Islands' climate problems. Our government conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958, and we still operate a multi-billion dollar missile testing installation at one of the islands, Kwajalein Atoll, which is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The Marshall Islands are a critical part of our national defenses in the Pacific -- we cannot afford to let them -- literally -- go under.
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 Animals
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An achoque at a fisheries research center in Pátzcuaro. Photo: Adriana Zehbrauskas, The New York Times
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Sisters Saving Salamanders
By Tessa Cafritz
A convent of nuns in Mexico is undertaking a resurrection of its own -- of a strange amphibian species local to their region which they hope to save from extinction so that it can help save humans. According to National Geographic, a species of salamander unique to in Lake Pátzcuaro, Mexico, known as the Axoloti, is believed to have medicinal powers due to their ability to regenerate nearly every part of the body—even parts of the heart and brain. The secretion from the skin of the Axolotl (locally known as achoques) has been used by the nuns of Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud for over a century to make a syrup called jarabe that is believed to cure coughs, asthma, and anemia. The nuns keep and breed a captive population of approximately 300 salamanders in the convent to create the syrup but also now to keep the species alive as well.
In Mexico, 12 of the 17 axolotl species are endangered or threatened according to the Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The nuns are working with Dr. Gerardo Garcia, of the Chester Zoo, and the Michoacan University of Mexico to help their numbers rebound. Eventually, the goal is to reintroduce the achoques into the wild from the convent—when the lake’s currently poor water quality is addressed and they could again survive there. When asked about their work, head caretaker, Sister Ofelia Morales Francisco told The New York Times that “[t]he order is devoted to the research of theological and scientific knowledge in benefit of humanity,” part of their mission is “to work in favor of a more humane conscience full of love and justice for nature.”
Why This Matters: Amphibian species are declining faster than any other group of animals. According to IUCN, amphibian conservation research is vital now since almost 40% of the world’s amphibian species have been documented as in decline or already extinct – this is about 2,800 different species. Though salamanders are small, they are crucial to the ecosystems they call home and are even helping humans: their unique skin provides pharmaceuticals for fighting bacterial and viral infections and used as an aid for pain relief. As Thanksgiving approaches, we are grateful that there are extraordinary efforts like this one to preserve precious biodiversity for future generations. Amen, sisters!
To Go Deeper: We highly recommend The New York Times story and National Geographic's story (and don't miss their photos and other visuals) on this amazing work.
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 People
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Trump Pardons Turkeys Today - First of Many????
It is hard to resist making a joke about this "timeless" American tradition -- at least this year. It dates back to 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln granted one lucky bird clemency from Christmas dinner. The modern day practice began in 1947 with President Harry Truman, and the pardoning tradition persisted every year since, with this year's lucky birds, "Peas" and "Carrots" getting a reprieve. But who knows what other turkeys will get a similar lucky break in 2019!?!? With a report expected any time in the Justice Department's Russia investigation, it could be just the beginning of the pardoning season for the President.
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