Featured Solution

Increasing Plant-Rich Diets

The global livestock market contributes to climate change in two ways: animal gas emissions (farts) that release potent methane into the atmosphere; and tropical deforestation to clear space to grow animal feed. Project Drawdown considers global adoption of a more plant-rich diet one of the top five solutions to stopping climate change.

One Step: Plant-Rich Diet

Commit to Meatless Mondays for 2023! Post pics of all of the yummy plant-based meals you make or eat – #planeteersolutions. Pay attention to how many servings of meat you avoid consuming and how that translates to a lower-carbon diet.

Featured Solution

Adopting Clean Transportation Options

Fossil-fuel powered transportation – planes, trains, and automobiles – contribute an estimated 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing opportunities for safe and equitable alternative transportation options and expanding infrastructure for electric vehicles are two major ways we can cut fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One Step: Park the Car

Commit to getting around using a non fossil-fuel burning mode of transportation at least one day per week for the next year (2023!). Post pics of yourself on bicycles, buses, roller skates, etc. – #planeteersolutions. Keep track of how many trips you take avoiding fossil fuels and how that translates to a low carbon lifestyle.

Featured Solution

Eliminating Single-Use Plastic Items

Plastic is a petroleum-based product, meaning we extract fossil fuels to make it. It’s estimated that about ⅓ of plastic produced is used one time, then disposed of — what we refer to as single-use plastics (SUPs). This includes items like plastic straws, disposable food packaging, grocery bags, etc. It’s also estimated that only about 10% of plastic produced is recycled. What’s not recycled is either discarded into a landfill, is incinerated (burned), or ends up in our environment. Many single-use plastic items can be easily declined or replaced with reusable products.

One Step: Avoid SUPs in Eating & Drinking

Commit to avoiding food-service based single-use plastic items — plastic straws, cups, bottles, utensils, take-out containers, etc – in 2023. Post pics of yourself using reusable alternatives – #planeteersolutions. Keep track of how many times you decline a SUP item and how much plastic that keeps out of circulation over the course of a year.

Featured Solution

Stop Deep Seabed Mining

Close to ¾ of the ocean is considered “deep sea” where light does not reach and the water remains dark and cold. This deep sea zone (deeper than 200 meters) is largely unexplored, though it certainly contains its own ecosystems with unique biodiversity. Spanning the bottom of this deep sea is the seabed floor, and one thing that IS known is that there are rich deposits of valuable minerals and metals such as copper, nickel, aluminum, manganese, zinc, lithium, and cobalt. These are important inputs for technology such as batteries and cell phones. There is a lot of interest in mining for these deposits, but there is not a lot of scientific research on the potential impacts of this mining activity. Scientists are concerned that seabed mining could send ancient carbon – sequestered on the ocean floor – as well as other metals into the water column, accelerating ocean acidification and causing other ecological problems. 

First Step: Send a Letter to the ISA Encouraging them to Hold on Commercial Scale Mining Until Scientists Know More

If we want to ensure the ocean remains a healthy ecosystem and carbon sink, we need to be careful about creating new problems without research. Join the coalitions of ocean advocates calling on the ISA to hold on commercial permitting for deep sea mining until more research has been done to understand the impacts and consequences for our ocean and planet. 

Centering HEART in the Work

Climate change is a global problem, but it is disproportionately affecting some communities and people more than others because of systemic racism and other historically rooted injustices. Planeteer Alliance also recognizes that climate change is causing a notable degree of anxiety and depression, particularly in young people engaged in this work. For these reasons, the Planeteer Alliance centers the HEART Element in all we do — leading with hope and empathy; acknowledging where injustices exist; inviting and amplifying voices that have been silenced and marginalized (including youth voice); celebrating history, culture, and different ways of knowing; respecting differences in places and context for solutions; and honoring the role of art and creative expression in creating change. 

Join Planeteer Alliance to become part of a global community of young people centering equity & justice in climate action.