the problem is, science has always been framed as a story of the big dogs. there’s a cultural misunderstanding that science belongs to the nobel type with a stiff white coat in a sterile lab. the cure for cancer is important stuff, but while they’re working on that, let’s pan the camera to joe who lives around the corner and just figured out how to power his house with a stream in the backyard. or susan from the town over, who rebounded a keystone frog population from close to extinction. not everyone will think these stories or people are interesting, but the ones that do will be inspired to create their own similar stories. enough of these types of stories have the potential to create an intertwining web of like-minded people with the same goal. is that better than a headline that grabs the attention of millions and then drifts into the cloud? maybe, maybe not. it’s comparing apples to oranges. but the story of an average person doing something phenomenal is much more relatable.

alaska was a place where local stories circulated almost as well as the ocean currents. yet, many alaskans live in complete isolation. the stories they share are all different but relatable because of their intense connection to the land. we can learn from this type of storytelling and reproduce it elsewhere by drawing this innate connection to “home” from people — even city dwellers. making science relatable through characters, scenes, and plot lines that are familiar and lovable can information accessible to even the most uninterested of crowds.

around the islands, the inside passage and gulf of alaska mix into upwelling currents, dispersing nutrients to create a productive and diverse ecosystem. kelp forests (top) and steller sea lions (bottom) make up part of this assemblage. 

in the early 20th century, sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the area. after reintroduction in the 1960s the otter population, along with humpback whale (top) and steller sea lion (bottom) populations, have swelled. one major project at the inian islands institute focuses on the impact an increase of large marine mammal populations has on the local ecosystem. other projects include ocean acidification research, the effects of climate change on yellow cedar, and research on a local species: the marbled murrelet.

back at camp, structures literally immersed in the forest reflect the integrative human relationship with nature that is instilled here. in modern times, very few parts of nature remain untouched by humans while dominant social thinking implies that humans remain untouched by nature. the inian islands institute recognizes and teaches the connection between social-system and ecosystem—and the fragile nature of this relationship.

the land is not connected to another town by road, and therefore must be almost entirely self-sufficient.

visiting researchers’ responsibilities are not bound to the lab; they must also contribute to tasks that accompany surviving off grid. this includes firewood and rain water collection, fishing and hunting, managing a hoop-house farm and hydro-electric system, and constant structural improvements.

a conglomeration of rusty propane tanks are the ghosts of energy’s past. the new hydroelectric system creates so much energy the institute does not know what to do with the surplus. one idea being thrown around is a hydro-powered floating research station in the middle of the lake.

empty beer bottles find a recycled home on the property. finding creative ways to give a second life to single use items of luxury fills the property with quirky details.

tibetan prayer flags, hummingbird feeders, old wind bells and buddha statues make the institute less of an institute, and more of a home.

layering scientific research upon a foundation of community instills a deeper connection to science and nature in young scientists than the values they may learn in a contemporary classroom.

there seems to be an invisible hand tugging from big oil, keeping a dying industry on the playing field at an unfair advantage.

our children’s trust, with a group of 21 young plaintiffs from all four corners of the country and everywhere in between, have called in the judicial branch as a referee. they hope to put a halt to irresolute treaties and talks; they’re calling for a concrete, national science-based climate recovery plan. 

“climate denial in court is perjury,” said jacob lebel, 21, a plaintiff in the case. “the courts are seen as a place where that dialogue, and that change, can still happen.” (full disclosure: lebel was a planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 for the 2016-17 school year, and a 2017 storyfest winner. he did not cover his court case while contributing to planet forward.)

spearheaded by human rights attorney julia olsen, lebel and the other young plaintiffs have filed the case juliana v. u.s., on the grounds that continuous administrations have ignored their own commissioned experts on the dangers that climate change poses to our nation.

the trust, a nonprofit organization, aims to elevate “the voice of youth to secure the legal right to a stable climate and healthy atmosphere for the benefit of all present and future generations.”

the case was filed in 2015 against the obama administration and federal government. the obama administration responded with a motion to dismiss. meanwhile, big oil interest groups intervened on behalf of the defendants, and have subsequently withdrawn. the motion to dismiss was denied, and accompanied by a withdrawal from the case by big oil. a court date was set for february 2018. but the change in administration brought forth a petition for writ of mandamus — a final attempt to dismiss the case — and the proceedings were once again put on hold. however, on march 7, the petition for writ of mandamus was denied by the ninth circuit court without prejudice, and the case will move forward on oct. 29.

a long history of governmental indifference

the case itself is relatively new, but its history extends back centuries. according to the case, the united states has emitted 25.5% of the world’s cumulative carbon dioxide emissions from within its borders between 1751 and 2014. scientists have known since the late 19th century that the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would elevate the earth’s surface temperature.

in the mid 1960s, the administrations of both presidents lyndon johnson and richard nixon were warned by advisors that increased carbon dioxide levels would adversely affect the livelihood of american citizens. then, in the late 80’s, the director of nasa testified before congress that effects from carbon pollution in the atmosphere were already being observed.

a report from the environmental protection agency (epa) submitted to congress in the early 1990s concluded that reductions in carbon dioxide emissions were the only way to stabilize the climate. following the epa report, the congressional office of technology assessment (ota) delivered to congress a comprehensive conservation, energy-supply, and conservation package that could lower carbon dioxide emissions 35% from 1987 levels, and save the federal government $20 billion per year.

the senate responded by ratifying the united nations framework convention on climate change (unfccc) with a vague objective: the “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”

almost 30 years and countless non-binding treaties later — including the recent paris accord — we are still at a standstill with the implementation of a national carbon dioxide emission reduction plan. instead, the total u.s. production and consumption of fossil fuels has increased and public lands have been leased excessively for the production of fossil fuels, much of which has been driven by federal subsidy money, according to the lawsuit.

“we don’t want the courts themselves to make policy, we’re not asking for a carbon tax per se, or a particular policy, because that’s the job of congress and that’s the job of the president’s office and the agencies,” lebel said.

the aim of the case is to create a concrete emissions reduction goal that is legally binding. from there, it is the job of the executive agencies to decide how to reach this goal.

local representation based on climate science

just decisions, however, are not possible without accurate representation. a lot of the decision making power for local energy projects comes down to a non-elected, politically appointed board of five commissioners at the federal energy regulatory commission in washington d.c., according to lebel.

lebel’s frustration with the federal energy regulatory commission starts in his backyard in oregon, where the jordan cove natural gas pipeline was proposed to run on land a mile off the border of his family farm. eminent domain allows the government to seize private land for public use in situations that would benefit the public, as long as the landowners are justly compensated. the concept was originally for public utilities that the majority of the public benefitted from without destroying vital resources. the landowners affected by this pipeline would be monetarily compensated, but lebel and others — republican and democrat alike — agree that the land has intrinsic value worth more than a payoff.

if the majority of the community benefits from a project like this, and it doesn’t destroy vital resources or endanger the community to a high degree, there would not be as much opposition as there is today on these pipeline projects like standing rock and jordan cove, according to lebel. seeming indifference from the commissioners prompted lebel to become more involved in agency meetings and eventually led him to a five day fast in washington, d.c. to raise awareness of the issue.

“perhaps these should be elected commissioners if they’re holding this much power over our energy system,” lebel said.

the national oil economy is driven by projects such as these; projects where local residents have no representation in the decision making process.

“we want the climate science to be recognized and implemented at the highest levels of the government,” lebel said.

another young person involved in the jordan cove fight reached out to lebel and asked if he would like to join him in a case challenging the u.s. government’s fossil fuel policy with other youths across the country. our children’s trust started from a local, grassroots level; many youths in the case have similar experiences with local energy projects or indirect effects of climate change that have degraded the environment around them.

for lebel, on the west coast, this involves more intense fire seasons, for plaintiffs in louisiana and florida this involves more intense flooding. regulating carbon dioxide emissions top-down from a federal level could result in more concrete local solutions.

court legislation as a catalyst for change

throughout history some of the most progressive change has happened when polarization has brought an issue to its breaking point. lebel says that brown v. board of education is an inspiration to this case; the public will wasn’t quite there yet for desegregation but the courts stepped in to defend the rights that were being violated.

according to the yale program on climate change communication, 74% of the u.s. population does support the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant. the climate science has convinced the people, and now the government and private sector need to catch up.

“there’s real, tangible, constitutional rights being violated here through our government’s actions and historical actions,” lebel said.

the lawsuit holds the executive agencies and private sector accountable for these constitutional violations while allowing freedom in the implementation of these goals. climate change extends beyond the realm of fossil fuel emissions: from deforestation and soil degradation to over-consumption and ecosystem collapse. it is a multifaceted problem that garners a multifaceted solution. however, to lebel the root of the problem stems from something simple.

“i actually don’t believe that our problem is that climate change is too complex, the problem is that there’s no will to act,” he said. “there is a deliberate indifference, there is a deliberate ignorance of what these decisions at the level of our government and policies are doing to my generation, to our children’s generation, and to our entire planet: our entire life support system.”

actively looking for pocket parks made me realize just how many there are in d.c. as i leave my house, i can see at least five on new hampshire avenue before the washington circle. i thought maybe it would be difficult to find greenery outside of a coffee shop, but there was a tiny pocket park outside of the first coffee shop i walked by on k street.

pocket parks offer a chance to take shelter from human activity, along with the birds and squirrels. the city has a number of coalitions and community organizations to keep pocket parks well maintained so every one has the chance to escape every once in a while. you can look for your local park organization or start one here.

of course, we are still far away from seeing green tree frogs in our parks. the green city utopia of today is more focused on reviving caterpillar populations and pollinators with native plants. the utopia of tomorrow will re-establish bird biodiversity. the next century may bring a fully integrated city, but until then pocket parks are the stepping-stones we need for a healthy, biodiverse urban environment.

“wait you can grow quinoa? i thought it came from a factory,” she said.

as axum aptly puts it, we are a farming illiterate society. we are largely disconnected from the cultivation of our food; for many finding a bug in their salad or chunk of dirt on their apple can be apocalyptic to their day. 

however, axum and others at the university of d.c. college of agriculture, urban sustainability, and environmental science (causes) are growing a new generation of students who eagerly want to regain and share this ‘dirty knowledge’ about where our food comes from, and in the process fix the food insecurity issues that stem from this disconnect from agronomy.  

the issue of food security is often framed as a far off problem reserved for developing countries; however, many low-income areas of the u.s. are largely cut-off from access to fresh food. keisha jordan williams, a graduate student and research assistant at causes, is from ward 7 of d.c., where there is access to only two grocery stores with fresh food. unlike others from ward 7, williams spent her childhood in the countryside learning her grandma’s ‘farming science,” which she describes as “you grow, and you eat.”  now, williams is learning the specific scientific processes behind agriculture, so she can teach other people from ward 7 to how to grow, and eat, fresh produce.  

as climate change poses another threat to food insecurity by disrupting our food production; we need new innovators in the realm of farming. 

as a research assistant to dr. matthew richardson, caitlin arlotta is working on a project that looks at the efficiency of growing tropical crops in d.c. they are testing different varieties of sweet potatoes and hibiscus to determine which produces the highest yield and nutrient content. as climate change creates warmer, wetter winters in d.c., the climate is expected to mimic a current tropical climate, so they are hopeful these plants will be more tolerant to those changes.

but how do you put generations of farming knowledge and years of climate agriculture research in a 3-minute video? maybe the goal isn’t to educate people on the science behind agriculture, but to get people interested in the first place. growing food doesn’t have to take place on a 500-acre farm, and teaching people that it is feasible to grow their own food may help bridge the gap between cultivation and consumption.

if you’ve ever seen a viral doomsday movie, you’ll know that microbes are able to evolve and adapt to their environments very quickly. this is partly due to their quick growth, and partly due to the fact that they can actively pass “good” genes to other microbes around them. however, their adaptation skills can be manipulated in a positive way. their rapid evolutionary growth also allows scientists to engineer ordinary microbes to do extraordinary things for the environment.

here are five ways microbes can help us be more sustainable:

recycling efficiency

as bacteria assimilate to a plastic filled world, some have evolved enzymes that break down the chemicals in common plastic and turn it into food. ideonella sakaiensis is able to break down a thin film of pet plastic in a little over six weeks. these bacteria are so easy to find that even 16 year olds have isolated certain strands of plastic eating bacteria that decompose a toxic plasticizer.

however, this doesn’t mean it’s now ok the throw your plastic water bottle into the ocean. more genetic research must be done to make the enzymes strong enough to break down plastic in larger amounts. yet, it does give hope for making our recycling practices more efficient.

electricity generation

renewable energy isn’t always clean, in the literal sense of the word. in biogas generators, specialized methanobacterium thrive in vats of cow manure and organic field waste. these are the same bacteria found in the stomachs of ruminants, which produce methane gas through anaerobic digestion. methane is generally regarded as bad for the environment, but when captured it can be used as a substitution for energy from natural gas. it’s basically composting on steroids.

in germany, microbes produced 50 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2015. that’s enough to power 500 billion incandescent light bulbs, which is almost 6,000 times the entire population of germany.

carbon dioxide fixation

through a process called carbon fixation, microbes are able to metabolize greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and store them as sugar in plant matter. the most common microbes that do this are called mycorrhizal fungi, which live in symbiosis with plant roots to store up to 70 percent of organic carbon from leaf litter.

scientists are beginning to understand how to nurture plants with specific fungi to maximize carbon fixation. through specialized mycorrhizal fungi partnerships with trees, canada is already burying 20 mtco2e per year, which is the carbon equivalent of almost 22,000 pounds of coal burned.

pollution cleanup

scientists are able to ‘program’ bacteria to break down heavy metal pollutants in contaminated soils through a process called bioremediation. this process can be done on-site, and the products are usually harmless – carbon dioxide, water, and cellular biomass.

the practice is fairly common, and it is used to remedy pollution from industrial waste in groundwater to large oil spills. dechloromonas aromatica is used to break down benzene, a common ground and surface water contaminant, while pseudomonas putida is used for the bioremediation of naphthalene, a product of petroleum refining.

fertilizing crops

droughts, flooding, and temperature changes are all common symptoms of climate change. however, research shows that soil bacteria controls a large part of crop drought resistance and growth efficiency. bacillus sp. and paenibacillus sp. microbes most likely have contributed to plant adaptation in harsh conditions, such as dry mountainsides, by aiding in resource acquisition. the efficiency of a plant’s resource acquisition lies heavily on water uptake, so using these microbes on crops can have similar drought resistant effects.

initiatives in africa explore the use of a nitrogen fixing bacterium that would help plants with the uptake of nitrogen, the limiting nutrient in most crops. the program involved more than 230,000 small farmers in 11 different countries. using natural microbes to fertilize makes crop efficiency practices more accessible throughout areas hit hard by climate change.

in many cases microbes are already helping the planet in underrated ways. technological developments and advanced genetic engineering make microbiological innovation a major player in climate change mitigation.