Positive Shift for a Flourishing Planet, Part 1 of a Multi-part Series

Many scientists and environmental groups worldwide have raised serious concerns about the detrimental effects of greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation for industrial animal-people-raising operations. In Brazil, a federal court has imposed severe penalties to end this destructive practice. In August 2024, a Brazilian animal-people-raising factory was ordered to pay a US$50 million fine for its destruction of the Amazon rainforest. In the next wonderful effort to prevent deforestation, Releaf Paper, a company in Ukraine (Ureign), has found an innovative way to turn dead leaves into biodegradable products. In the next effort to protect Mother Nature, a partnership between the National Trust and a UK government-funded initiative launched a project to plant approximately half a million trees around 20 locations in England. A total of 519 hectares of woody habitats were created to improve the lives of various animal-citizens.

In December 2024, New Mexico’s Water Quality Control Commission voted to protect 250 miles (about 402 kilometers) of sections of streams and rivers against water degradation caused by pollutants, heavy metals, temperature changes, and other types of environmental threats.

In December 2024, during the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) held in Namibia, up to 150 representatives of nations were present to address concerns about the global crisis of biodiversity loss. The participants discussed scientific topics related to biodiversity, such as the classification of various flora and fauna, and expressed concern about declining global biodiversity rates. Dr. Behrens says, “Livestock farming is disastrous for biodiversity and is the biggest driver of biodiversity loss worldwide […] A plant-based diet helps reduce CO2 emissions in several ways […] and reduces other environmental impacts [as well].”