Dear friends, you too may overcomplicate things, then find yourself coming back to what you know works, perhaps with new wisdom from the journey. I'm going to come back to a simpler version of this email: a few thoughts in an intro, three picks just for you (if you're subscribed), a visual of the day, and the table of contents for the full collection.

"We don't learn from our experience, we learn from reflection on our experience," said early 20th century education leader John Dewey, in contrast with the educational orthodoxy in his time: authoritarianism and rote memorization.

As we contest an anti-earth wave of authoritarianism and educational push-back, perhaps we can come back explicitly to the power of learning together through reflection on our experience.

By the way, AK Press has free e-books available right now; I'm reading Andrea J. Ritchie's Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies, and it's excellent. Lots of valuable reflection on experience there.

In today's email, subscribers will find three updates our system selected just for you, from a collection of over 1,000 green tech and sustainability organizations.  If you want to see the full collection of today’s 41 total selected updates, here they come.

Visual of the Day

From AmazonWatch: "Santarém, Brazil – Today hundreds of Indigenous people and allies staged a daring protest, temporarily blocking barge shipping on the Amazon rainforest’s lower Tapajós River, to denounce the destructive impacts and growing threats of Brazil’s export-oriented agribusiness model in the region. Led by the Tupinambá Indigenous people, the 'Ancestral Outcry' action demanded the cancellation of the Ferrogrão 'grain railway' mega-project which would drive massive deforestation, rights abuses, and the destruction of this key Amazonian waterway."

There's a folder full of videos from the protest here.

Raquel Tupinambá: (Translated) "So, today we are here at Ilage, which is an island of stone and sand in the middle of the Tapajós River, right in front of our territory, where the Jacaré village is located. And we are here at the 7th Ancestral Cry. This is an event we have been organizing over the past seven years, an event to amplify the defense of the lives of our people and the Tapajós River as well."

Letter from the Tapajós River to the world: "This is the Tapajós River speaking. I lend the voice of the humans that live along me to ask for help from all of you. I want to continue being a river and not a dead waterway. With ports and soy barges, they want to transform me into a logistics corridor for the profit of foreign companies, but my true reason for existing is different: I am a corridor of biodiversity, life and ancestry! I am the Tapajós River and I want to be alive!"

Today's Updates

Table of Contents

• Agriculture (1 stories) - Water insecurity assessment framework launches

  
  

• Carbon (2 stories) - Forest pledges and G20 natural solutions target 3,370 MtCO2e cuts; Brazil, UK update COP29 commitments

  
  

• Circular (1 story) - Compostable palm leaf and bagasse plates emerge as sustainable dining alternatives

  
  

• Ecosystems (1 story) - Resilient Ecosystem Institute restores Yucatán pastures to tropical forests for carbon capture

  
  

• Finance (3 stories) - HAL, Adani, Suzlon lead Indian market gains while WattCarbon pivots to advance purchases; experts seek increased climate funding for African regions

  
  

• Grid (2 stories) - Utility cooperation and renewables integration reduce blackouts, with 5M customers restored post-hurricanes and 20% fewer outages in high-RE cities

  
  

• Indigenous (3 stories) - Munduruku people blockade Tapajós River against Ferrogrão railway; Indigenous delegates at COP29 reject self-funded adaptation plans and highlight tech access gaps

  
  

• Industry (3 stories) - Oritain teams with Singapore Fashion Council on fiber verification as DRC's Kolwezi faces severe health impacts from cobalt mining pollution

  
  

• Policy (22 stories) - COP29 faces pavilion spending criticism and delegate divisions, while Trump nominates pro-fracking CEO Chris Wright for Energy Secretary; G7 nations receive Fossil Award as climate finance talks stall

  
  

• Transport (1 story) - Healthcare worker's bicycle delivery brings vaccines to rural South Sudan communities

Agriculture

Water insecurity assessment framework launches

• A new tool to measure agricultural water insecurity (CGIAR) - A new 13-question assessment tool evaluates water insecurity in farming communities by measuring water adequacy, reliability, accessibility, and safety impacts.

Carbon

Forest pledges and G20 natural solutions target 3,370 MtCO2e cuts; Brazil, UK update COP29 commitments

• COP29 Week 1 Wrap-Up: an Article 6 win, Brazil and UK NDCs on the field, yet nature remains on the bench (Nature4Climate) - Global climate talks advance with a $10 billion forest pledge and carbon market framework, as Brazil and UK submit new climate targets during COP29's opening week.

• G20 could reduce emissions equal to India’s carbon footprint and benefit communities by investing in nature (Nature4Climate) - G20 nations could slash yearly emissions by 3,370 MtCO2e through natural climate solutions, matching India's entire 2023 carbon output.

Circular

Compostable palm leaf and bagasse plates emerge as sustainable dining alternatives

• Choosing The Right Eco-Friendly Disposable Plates For Your Party Needs (EcoSoul Home) - Eco-conscious consumers can now choose from palm leaf and bagasse disposable plates, which are 100% compostable and suitable for various dining occasions.

Ecosystems

Resilient Ecosystem Institute restores Yucatán pastures to tropical forests for carbon capture

• Planet Healers at the Resilient Ecosystem Institute (Climate Cleanup) - Mexican non-profit Resilient Ecosystem Institute is transforming degraded Yucatán cattle pastures into tropical dry forests while pursuing carbon storage funding.

Finance

HAL, Adani, Suzlon lead Indian market gains while WattCarbon pivots to advance purchases; experts seek increased climate funding for African regions

• Stocks To Watch: HAL, Adani Energy, Suzlon Energy, JSW Steel, Britannia (AMP Energy) - India's stock market sees notable shifts as HAL, Adani Energy, Suzlon Energy, JSW Steel, and Britannia emerge as pivotal players in the energy and industrial sectors.

• (More) Iterating on our Marketplace (WattCarbon) - Clean energy firm WattCarbon shifts its OpenEAC Exchange platform to focus solely on advance purchases that fund new projects, abandoning traditional carbon offset trading.

• The New Goal: How Can We Facilitate Financial Flows to Fragile Contexts in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel? (CGIAR) - Climate finance experts propose targeted solutions to boost funding access for Horn of Africa and Sahel regions, where only 5% of global climate investments currently reach vulnerable communities.

Grid

Utility cooperation and renewables integration reduce blackouts, with 5M customers restored post-hurricanes and 20% fewer outages in high-RE cities

• New study: More renewable energy on the grid may prevent severe blackouts (Nature Energy) - Cities with high renewable energy integration experienced 20% fewer severe blackouts across 2,000 outage events studied in 278 U.S. municipalities.

• Natural Disasters Bring Out The Best In Utilities (Forbes) - Coordinated equipment sharing and borrowed labor between U.S. utilities helped restore power to 5 million customers in the wake of Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Indigenous

Munduruku people blockade Tapajós River against Ferrogrão railway; Indigenous delegates at COP29 reject self-funded adaptation plans and highlight tech access gaps

• Brazilian Activists Block Tapajós River to Oppose Ferrogrão Mega-railway (Amazon Watch) - Indigenous protesters halt Brazil's Tapajós River in opposition to the Ferrogrão railway project, which could destroy 2,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest and violate native lands.

• Ecotourism or Exploitation? (Climate Generation) - Indigenous communities facing resource exploitation reject proposals requiring them to self-fund climate adaptations through ecotourism, reports COP29 delegate.

• Full Week 1 COP29 Reflections (Climate Generation) - Indigenous activist reports stark disparities in climate tech access between nations, as COP29 talks reveal deep rifts over proposed solutions and funding mechanisms.

Industry

Oritain teams with Singapore Fashion Council on fiber verification as DRC's Kolwezi faces severe health impacts from cobalt mining pollution

• Cobalt mining for green energy risks women’s reproductive health in DRC (Mongabay) - Mining pollution in DRC's Kolwezi has triggered a surge in birth defects, stillbirths, and infections among local women exposed to radioactive materials from cobalt and copper operations.

• DRC mines might be poisoning pregnant women (Mongabay) - Health officials report mining pollution from cobalt and copper operations in DRC's Kolwezi region is causing increased birth defects, stillbirths, and reproductive complications among local women.

• Singapore Fashion Council's 'Fashion Futures' - Oritain (Oritain) - Scientific verification firm Oritain partners with Singapore Fashion Council to combat fiber fraud through forensic testing of textile origins.

Policy

COP29 faces pavilion spending criticism and delegate divisions, while Trump nominates pro-fracking CEO Chris Wright for Energy Secretary; G7 nations receive Fossil Award as climate finance talks stall

• My Qualms With COP29, And Also, COP in General (Climate Generation) - A COP29 delegate has condemned the conference's lavish pavilion spending, suggesting the millions spent could better serve urgent climate negotiations.

• The Different Paths to COP29 (Climate Generation) - A youth delegate at COP29 in Baku reports deep divisions between climate activists and fossil fuel executives during climate negotiations.

• Trump’s Pick for Energy Secretary Is a Big League Fracking Executive (Heatmap News) - Energy industry veteran Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy and vocal fracking supporter, has been nominated by former President Trump to lead the Department of Energy.

• Nature-Based Solutions Commitment Tracker: nearly half of current pledges show no evidence of progress since COP 28 (Nature4Climate) - Global climate experts report only four new nature-based pledges since COP28, as 50% of existing commitments remain stagnant between Dubai and Baku conferences.

• Nature’s Newsroom: COP29 Highlights in Video (Nature4Climate) - Global climate talks at COP29 see Brazil and UK leading with ambitious pledges, while negotiations on carbon markets, methane, and forest protection remain unresolved after week one.

• Fossil of the Day awards at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan (Climate Citizen) - G7 nations and Italy earned COP29's first Fossil of the Day awards after impeding climate finance initiatives and growing fossil fuel deals with Azerbaijan.

• The future of the IPCC: Experts give recommendations as COP29 continues (Tyndall Centre) - Climate experts at UEA's Tyndall Centre propose key changes to IPCC's structure, calling for broader perspectives and more accessible reporting ahead of AR7's 2029 release.

• Q&A: The evolving science of ‘extreme weather attribution’ (Carbon Brief) - Scientists now employ advanced methods to connect extreme weather to climate change, with 100% of attribution studies finding human influence in recent years.

• CGIAR’s potential tangible contribution to continued Article 6.8 implementation (CGIAR) - Global research consortium develops rapid assessment tool to help nations meet Paris Agreement climate goals through non-market cooperation initiatives.

• British Gas Given Under the Radar Access to COP29 Climate Summit (DeSmog) - Top executives from British Gas and its parent company Centrica secured COP29 entry by registering through African NGO ACCARD, concealing their corporate roles.

• Chris Wright Nominated for Secretary of Energy (EDF) - Environmental advocates warn that Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright's potential appointment threatens America's $369 billion clean energy investments and global market position.

• Chris Wright Nominated for Secretary of Energy (EDF) - Environmental advocates warn that Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright's potential appointment threatens America's $369 billion clean energy investments and global market position.

• Lack of political will slows COP29 progress, but climate hope remains (Greenpeace) - Climate finance negotiations at COP29 stall amid political hesitancy, as activists demand developed nations pledge trillions and enforce polluter penalties.

• Taxing Big Oil would grow UN climate loss and damage fund by more than 2000%, analysis finds (Greenpeace) - A small tax on seven major oil companies could generate $15.02 billion for UN climate funds, boosting current funding by over 2000% in the first year.

• Flood wreckage confronts big oil and gas in global climate justice protests (Greenpeace International) - Climate activists worldwide challenge oil giants by displaying flood debris at corporate offices, pushing for new taxes to fund climate disaster recovery.

• The solution for the climate and plastic crisis are connected (Greenpeace) - Plastic production from fossil fuels could derail global climate targets as world leaders tackle both issues through parallel treaty negotiations, warns Greenpeace.

• Trump picks North Dakota governor to lead Interior (Politico) - President-elect Trump taps North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a former GOP rival, to head Interior Department, suggesting increased oil and gas development across federal lands.

• In an authoritarian regime it’s important to control the news — and here we go (SchwartzReport) - Independent news publishers express safety concerns after Trump advisor Kash Patel's remarks, as cyber attacks against media outlets rise.

• Webinar launch: Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction e-Learning Course (UNDRR) - UN agencies unveil a new multilingual e-learning course on disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction, complete with expert panel discussions.

• Climate storytelling: Why Article 12 of the Paris Agreement could unlock everything (We Mean Business Coalition) - Creative industries must spearhead climate storytelling through education and awareness campaigns, as mandated by Article 12 of the Paris Agreement, with essential government backing.

• Ethan Vue Shares Their Journey to COP29 (Climate Generation) - Minneapolis youth delegate Ethan Vue chronicles his journey to the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• The Importance of Climate Health, Youth Voices, and Global Community at COP29 (Climate Generation) - Stanford delegate Sohayla Eldeeb explored the links between climate change, public health, and youth activism during her address at COP29.

Transport

Healthcare worker's bicycle delivery brings vaccines to rural South Sudan communities

• The Staggering Success of Vaccines (Scientific American) - A dedicated health worker in South Sudan cycles 10 miles weekly to deliver vital vaccinations against polio, tetanus and COVID-19 to hundreds of children in remote communities.