This week’s good climate news

With so much still to do to slow warming and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, it’s important to fortify ourselves by celebrating wins along the way.

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An overhead vista shot of Barcelona, and honestly? I could really use a vacation

Mental health boost coming in Barcelona green spaces

A new plan could introduce more green spaces in Barcelona, and deliver mental health benefits to residents. The plan could increase green spaces by 5.7% and improve roughly 30,000 people’s emotional well-being, decrease mental health visits by 13% and reduce tranquilizer and sedative use by 8% each year.

“Green space is a huge and underutilized ally,” says Carolyn Daher, a public health specialist.

An overhead vista of a Gulf Coast beach which also feels like a pretty good vacation spot

Free curriculum to help teach students about rising sea levels

U.S. Gulf Coast states are on the frontlines of climate change, and many teachers report wanting to educate their students about sea level rise but feel unprepared.

A free curriculum developed by Mississippi State University Extension and Sea Grant uses a customized outline for each Gulf Coast state to equip teachers with the knowledge to educate their high school students.

An African forest elephant playing in mud, which is obviously not a vacation spot, per se, but someone could take a vacation to go see elephants

Rewilding could be big boost to climate

Increased conservation efforts, or “rewilding” to bring back key land and marine animals could deliver major climate benefits and limit the worst impacts of climate change.

Research suggests species like American bison, sea otters and African forest elephants “could facilitate the additional capture” of nearly 500 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2100. 

A person installing solar panels which really breaks my vacation theme on this page

US renewable power surpasses coal

In a U.S. first, renewable electricity surpassed coal in 2022, largely due to scaling up wind and solar capacity. The report by the Energy Information Administration predicts clean energy will continue to expand its reach in 2023.

Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma lead the U.S. in wind power, with California, Texas and North Carolina leading in solar.

A breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline, so we are closing it out on the vacation destinations

1,700 New York communities will get boost in climate funding

Officials in New York selected a set of more than 1,700 disadvantaged communities to receive funding and priority status for slashing pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, based on a variety of indicators, including sociodemographic factors, climate change risks and health vulnerabilities.

This is part of New York's plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.

Let’s take action on climate together