Weekly Updates

News and Insights

• They call him “Yoda for scientists.” But to Bio4Climate’s Jim Laurie, John Todd has always been a wonderful mentor, and a friend.
  
  They first met at the New Alchemy Institute in 1988, when John was building systems of bacteria, microbes, plants, fungi, and animals—self-organizing communities capable of breaking down toxic wastes from agricultural and septage lagoons.
  
  It changed the trajectory of Jim’s career as a scientist, steward, and curious mind.
  
  Guided by John’s breakthroughs in these eco-machines, Jim went on to design and construct his own living ecosystems, capable of breaking down toxic industrial pollutants like ammonia, chloroform, and BPA.
  
  In 1995, John Todd designed an EPA-backed Vermont Eco-Machine housed in a greenhouse, and Jim moved to Vermont to operate it. That greenhouse treated municipal sewage to a high standard, even through the bone-chilling New England winters.
  
  These were not just experiments in biology; they were critical turning points for Jim, moments when he saw firsthand that nature, when nurtured (if not always fully understood), could often repair humanity’s worst environmental damage.
  
  John’s words still guide Jim to this day. “When you include all kingdoms of life, nature is self-organizing and relentless.”

• Last week we talked about the arrival of new data painting a clearer picture of what we already know: that the planet’s land is drying out—and fast. Soil moisture levels are dropping across large parts of the Earth. And not just in historically dry regions, but in places once thought to be stable too. 
  
  The data shows where the land is drying. But it doesn’t tell the full story of what happens next, or how we can fix it…

Events and Community

• Our Looming Water Crisis: Is It Already Here?
  
  Join Taunton Area AAUW for a free virtual conversation with a few familiar faces exploring the urgent realities of the global water crisis, and what we can do about it.
  
  Featuring author Judith D. Schwartz, Voices of Water Director Zuzka Mulkerin and Bio4Climate Associate Director of Regenerative Projects Alexandra Ionescu in conversation together on nature-based solutions for restoring water cycles, building resilience, and protecting this most essential resource.
  
  Open to all with an interest in water, ecosystems, and climate solutions.
  
  Register Here for Our Looming Water Crisis

• Essex County, Mass. | What does it mean to love a forest?
  
  Join author & forester, Ethan Tapper, at Veasey Park to explore the deep connection and meaning behind loving a forest on May 5th, 2025.
  
  Tapper, author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, will lead an exploration of what it means to care for forests and other ecosystems at this moment in time.
  
  Prior to Ethan’s talk, at 6:00, all are invited to tour the new Miyawaki Forest on the Veasey property with Massachusetts Master Gardener, Dianne Plantamura.

News and Insights

• Over the last two decades, satellites have revealed something that we’ve been ringing the alarm bell on for some time: the planet’s land is drying out—and fast. Soil moisture levels are dropping across large parts of the Earth. And not just in historically dry regions, but in places once thought to be stable too. 
  
  The culprit isn’t as simple as “less rain.” Rising temperatures are causing more evaporation, and human activity, like deforestation, agriculture, and land degradation, is making it harder for the soil to hold on to water. 
  
  That water doesn’t just vanish. It flows downstream, into rivers, and eventually into the ocean. When land dries out, it loses its ability to cool itself, feed plants, and support ecosystems. And once that cycle breaks, it gets harder and harder to bring the water back.
  
  But we CAN bring the water back.

Events and Community

• Our Looming Water Crisis: Is It Already Here?
  
  Join Taunton Area AAUW for a free virtual conversation with a few familiar faces exploring the urgent realities of the global water crisis, and what we can do about it.
  
  Featuring author Judith D. Schwartz, Voices of Water Director Zuzka Mulkerin and Bio4Climate Associate Director of Regenerative Projects Alexandra Ionescu in conversation together on nature-based solutions for restoring water cycles, building resilience, and protecting this most essential resource.
  
  Open to all with an interest in water, ecosystems, and climate solutions.
  
  Register Here for Our Looming Water Crisis

• Online | Bio4Climate is proud to co-host the 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit this June, centered on the theme, “Resilience Through Relationships.”  Thursday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT
  
  This theme reflects a fundamental truth: thriving ecosystems depend on strong relationships—between species, landscapes, and people. Advocating for beavers means fostering connections across different perspectices, listening to concerns, and working together to find solutions that benefit both communities and ecosystems.
  
  In-person attendance available in Des Plaines, Illinois. 
  
  Whether you join us online or in person, we hope to see you there!

News and Insights

• What happens when you bury a highway? Madrid Río is a transformative ecorestoration project that revitalized the Manzanares River corridor in Madrid, Spain, by rerouting a section of the M-30 highway underground and rewilding the river it once traversed, becoming a benchmark for urban ecological recovery. And in a city particularly susceptible to temperature extremes as the planet warms, the project demonstrates the value of investing in nature-based solutions to keep the city, and all who spend time there there, livable and cool. 
  
  Want to learn more about Madrid Río?
  Check out our short video on Instagram!
• At the recent R-Futures Conference, ecological designer Zach Weiss presented From Dreamer to Doer, a talk focused on practical pathways for restoring local water cycles. Drawing from recent scientific insights and on-the-ground experience, the presentation outlines how water cycle restoration can reverse drought, reduce the risks of floods and fires, and support the return of healthy, abundant ecosystems.

Events and Community

• Oberlin, OH | Join Peace Community Center for a screening and group discussion of the film, Regenerating Life. Sunday, April 6, 1 pm to 4 ET
  
  Regenerating Life takes an ecological look at the environmental crises and, by challenging the prevailing climate change story, offers new, attainable solutions. It also features a cameo by our own Jim Laurie 😉
  
  Contact organizers for more information.
• Online | Bio4Climate is proud to co-host the 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit this June, centered on the theme, “Resilience Through Relationships.”  Thursday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT
  
  This theme reflects a fundamental truth: thriving ecosystems depend on strong relationships—between species, landscapes, and people. Advocating for beavers means fostering connections across different perspectices, listening to concerns, and working together to find solutions that benefit both communities and ecosystems.
  
  In-person attendance available in Des Plaines, Illinois. 
  
  Whether you join us online or in person, we hope to see you there!

• Did you see that the United States just shut down a national tree-planting initiative that helped communities mitigate increasing heat, flooding, and climate collapse across the country?
  
  With heat intensifying each summer, and government support drying up, our work together just became even more urgent. Areas without trees will be sweltering as concrete and asphalt soak up the sun and reflect back heat.
  
  Learn more about how our Miyawaki Forest Program is helping local community groups to plant these dense, biodiverse forests in the schoolyards, vacant lots, and urban heat islands that need them most.
• How Native Plants Help Reclaim Water Resilience in Kansas City
  
  In Kansas City, Carl Stafford and My Region Wins! are using native planting as a tool to address two growing environmental challenges: stormwater runoff and future water insecurity. Through its Go Green Campaign, the organization is encouraging residents, business owners, and community groups to explore the role that native grasses and plants can play in improving local water cycles and restoring ecological balance.
  
  The initiative also invites reflection on the cultural and historical dimensions of urban landscaping, challenging the legacy of non-native species like Kentucky bluegrass, and making space for art, equity, and ecological restoration to intersect.
  
  Learn more and pre-order your own native plants
• Join Katya Stupina for an upcoming Planetary Boundaries Fresco workshop to understand the bigger picture and gain a systemic perspective. This interactive workshop will help you make sense of the complex relationships between biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate, and how we can act to keep the planet within a safe operating space.
  
  Grounded in the Planetary Boundaries Framework — a scientific model that defines the thresholds within which humanity can thrive — the workshop explores the root causes of ecological breakdown and the collective steps we can take to secure a safe, just, and resilient future.
  
  Register for the upcoming workshop on Saturday, April 12

• Virtual/Des Plaines, IL | Bio4Climate is proud to co-host the 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit this June, centered on the theme, “Resilience Through Relationships.”  Thursday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT
  
  This theme reflects a fundamental truth: thriving ecosystems depend on strong relationships—between species, landscapes, and people. Advocating for beavers means fostering connections across different perspectices, listening to concerns, and working together to find solutions that benefit both communities and ecosystems. 
  
  Whether you join us online or in person, we hope to see you there!

• International Forest Day, International Water Day, International Rewilding Day. It’s been a week of days. A little overlooked perhaps in the shadow of these larger, more thematic days? World Frog Day, celebrating “natures tiny guardians.”
  
  “They outlived dinosaurs, weathered ice ages, and adapted to shifting climates. Yet today, despite their incredible resilience, frogs stand on the brink of disaster. These small, unassuming creatures do far more than fill the air with their evening croaks. They control insect populations, provide food for countless predators, and serve as nature’s bioindicators because they are sensitive to environmental changes long before these become crises.
• Wet wood doesn’t burn. New York Times: Many California Trees Survived the Wildfires. Here’s Why.
  
  “The trees survived because they are filled with water: The roots draw moisture from soil and transport it through branches to its leaves. When the fires erupted in January, trees in Los Angeles had been especially nourished after two previous rainy winters. All that water makes burning a living tree akin to trying to start a campfire with wet logs”, Dr. Jacobsen said.
  
  For good measure, we tried a little experiment on this at home (though we can’t exactly condone playing with fire at home, even for science).

• Virtual/Des Plaines, IL | Bio4Climate is proud to co-host the 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit this June, centered on the theme, “Resilience Through Relationships.”  Thursday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT
  
  This theme reflects a fundamental truth: thriving ecosystems depend on strong relationships—between species, landscapes, and people. Advocating for beavers means fostering connections across different perspectices, listening to concerns, and working together to find solutions that benefit both communities and ecosystems. 
  
  Whether you join us online or in person, we hope to see you there!

• A Familiar Voice | Building upon this year’s Midwest Beaver Summit theme, the relationships we culvivate with eachother are just as important as those we build with nature and the environments around us. If you tuned into This American Life last week, you may have heard a few familiar voices; Harriotte and Frank are both students in Jim Laurie’s Biodiversity 12 class!

• Wherever you are in the world, we hope spring is starting to find you (or autumn, for our southern hemisphere friends). And we think the change in season is a good time to take stock in nature’s ability to heal not just planet, but ourselves as well. 
  
  Kiley Price for Inside Climate News writes, “Exposure to green spaces can improve mental health, speed recovery and relieve pain…But climate change and human activities could disrupt this effect.”
  
  We hope you find the time and space to get out for a stroll or dig a little in the dirt this weekend!
• We already know that trees bring the rain. But new research demonstrates how deforestation in the Amazon doesn’t just reduce rainfall, it redistributes it. During wet seasons, deforested areas see a slight increase in rain due to shifting air circulation, but rainfall drops significantly in areas surrounding the bare ground, disrupting regional water cycles. In the dry season, rainfall decreases everywhere, as fewer trees mean less moisture released into the air.
  
  So you see, protecting forests isn’t just about the trees. It’s about safeguarding water, climate, and the intricate web of life itself.

• Boston | The 19th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) is coming to the Somerville Theater on April 12, hosted by Greater Boston Trout Unlimited. Enjoy screenings of 10 curated fly fishing films from around the world to get you ready for the upcoming fly fishing season. This year’s event features with a diverse lineup of films that highlight remote locations, unique challenges, and the passionate anglers who pursue them. Grab your tickets or learn more today!

• You’ve probably heard about keystone species. But what about a keystone molecule? Molly Herring writes in Quanta Magazine about the profound impact rare compounds, termed “keystone molecules,” can have on ecological interactions. 
  
  “The biological world is awash in chemical signals…If the message is powerful enough, the impact can ripple out across an ecosystem.”
  
  “’One small, simple molecule can be tying together these seemingly unrelated species and whole ecosystem processes,’ said study author Patrick Krug, a marine biologist at California State University, Los Angeles.”
• What do you see below? No, it’s not an abstract painting. It’s a map. 
  
  A new study from UFZ reveals that there is hidden order to the chaos of a forest. These distinct patterns shape how different forests grow, creating the conditions for thousands of species to thrive side by side. In tropical forests, animals spread seeds far from parent trees, reducing competition between the same species. In temperate forests, trees tend to cluster together, benefiting from underground fungal networks that help protect young saplings. 
  
  So what do you think, is this the map of a tropical or a temperate forest?

• After a U.S. Senate Committee hearing this week, just a few swing votes could make or break the so-called “Fix Our Forests Act” (H.R. 471). This logging bill, disguised as wildfire “management,” enables industrial deforestation in the name of fire prevention by giving loggers a way to bypass critical environmental protections. 
  
  Help defend our forests by signing and sharing our petition to put your support on the record. We’ve done a social post about this too

• Remote/Northern Virgina | Join ACT! for the next Climate Friendly Friday on March 14 at 7:00 PM ET, featuring Doug Tallamy, renowned environmentalist, entomologist, and author of Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope. Doug will inspire us to create Homegrown National Parks by transforming our own yards into thriving ecosystems.
  
  Join live via Zoom or attend our on-campus watch party for an immersive experience. Be in the first 20 to RSVP for the in-person party and receive a free packet of native plant seeds to start your own green space! 
• Providence | Got prickly pear cacti on your mind? The 2025 Living Landscapes Learning series by Prickly Ed’s Cactus Patch brings together local experts to reimagine our own outdoor spaces in ways that boost biodiversity, absorb carbon, and connect us to nature. Through science, design, and creativity, these fun and practical workshops help transform our own spaces into thriving, eco-friendly havens. 
  
  Learn more and register. Next workshop March 14

• Reintroducing wolves to the Scottish Highlands could restore ecosystems and help fight climate change. A research team from the University of Leeds explains their findings in depth, but the gist is that the wolves would naturally control booming red deer populations, allowing native forests to regrow and sequester around one million metric tons of CO₂ annually. 
• Breaking News from our friends at the Devon Wildlife Trust! The British government has moved to allow beavers to live wild across English rivers for the first time in centuries. Hear directly from Devon Beaver Project Lead Matt Holden below! 

• We don’t wade into politics very often. But every so often, a piece of legislation comes along that strikes right at the heart of everything we know to be true about the power of biodiversity in nature. 
  
  Now making its ways through the U.S. Senate, the so-called “Fix Our Forests Act” (H.R. 471) is a logging bill disguised as wildfire “management,” enabling industrial deforestation in the name of fire prevention by giving loggers a hall pass to bypass critical environmental protections.
  
  Help defend our forests by signing and sharing our petition to put your support on the record. 

• Remote | Calling all Climate Educators and Communicators! Do you use games and simulations to educate your students about climate change, solutions and justice? 
  
  Join Solve Climate 2030 on Tuesday March 4 at 9 am or 8 pm to learn how to participate in the first Worldwide Climate and Justice Games Day April 11, 2025 during Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week 2025. 
  
• Long Island | The North Fork Environmental Council  will host a special three-part screening of Regenerating Life on March 13, 20, and 27 from 5:00-6:30 PM in Southold. Each session includes a film segment and a conversational exploration of tangential topics like Zero Waste, Circular Economy, and Systems Thinking. Light refreshments provided. Contact NFEC to register. 

• Robin Wall Kimmerer recently sat down with Yale Environment 360 to discuss her new book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.
  
  “The language of natural resources suggests that we own them, that we deserve them, whereas I want to remember that it’s a gift. We haven’t earned berries. We have not earned oxygen to breathe. We can’t buy it. It is not a commodity. It’s not a natural resource. To me, it’s a gift from the natural world.“
  
• Earth is warming, so why is it so cold? Martin Keubler of DW explains that climate change impacts regions differently. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than other areas, and some scientists believe this rapid warming might be weakening key wind systems, like the lower jet stream and the upper polar vortex, that normally confine extreme cold to the far north.
• How can we leverage the power of fungi, microbes, and plants to reduce erosion, clean up pollutants, and promote natural recovery?
  
  Southern California’s recent fires, along with the risks of debris flows and widespread contamination, have raised serious concerns about protecting homes and ecosystems. Danielle Stevenson and the new The Center for Ecological Remediation (CAER) present “Strategies for Bioremediation of Fire-Impacted Sites in Southern California“, a webinar conversation with bioremediation practitioners & scientists. We hope to see you there! Wednesday, February 26, 7–9pm EST
  
• This one’s for our Providence folks! Break free from “Lawn and Order” with Prickly Ed’s Cactus Patch and the 2025 Living Landscapes Learning Series! This event series brings together local experts to reimagine our own outdoor spaces in ways that boost biodiversity, absorb carbon, and connect us to nature. Through science, design, and creativity, these fun and practical workshops help transform our own spaces into thriving, eco-friendly havens. 
  
  Learn more and register. Next workshop Feb. 27.

• On Valentine’s Day exactly 10 years ago, Bio4Climate Restoration Biologist & Futurist Jim Laurie uploaded this photo from his camera to his computer for a closer look. Earlier he’d watched a critter leave a neighborly message, a trail of “hearts,” in the sidewalk snow.
  
  What creature do you think left them? Send us your guesses!
  
  And in the meantime, explore more curiosities with Jim in his new course, Earth Alive: Exploring Our Home. Classes begin February 26.
  Enroll today!

• At the heart of climate action is a fundamental question: Who controls the land, and how is it cared for? In recognition of Indigenous Women’s Day in New Mexico, Indigenous leaders, youth, and activists gathered to reaffirm what many scientists increasingly recognize, that protecting Indigenous sovereignty and listening to leadership are critical to safeguarding biodiversity and mitigating climate change.
  
  “It is time to restart our sacred relationship with the land and honor our matriarchal societies,” said Jolene Tsinnijinnie (Navajo and Kewa Pueblo). 
  
• Let beavers be beavers. A million dollar wetland restoration project in Czechia was mired in bureaucracy and delays. A group of beavers took matters into their own paws and re-engineered the landscape in days. Watch our quick recap below, or read here to learn more. 

• Bio4Climate’s Associate Director of Regenerative Projects, Alexandra Ionescu, will present on Miyawaki forests at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum on February 23rd from 2 to 3 PM, introducing attendees to the micro forests we’ve helped establish in Massachusetts! While the event is sold out, you can register for the waitlist.

• In 2023, record-breaking warming was linked to a global decline in Earth’s ability to reflect sunlight, caused by reduced low-level cloud cover (Goessling et al.). The exact cause of the reduced cover remains unclear, but a team of analysts led by Anastassia Makarieva suggests that disruptions in global biospheric functioning could be a contributing factor, noting the significant drop in cloud cover over the word’s great forests, as seen below.
  
  “The good news is that the recent extra warmth could wane if the forests partially self-recover. With the many unknowns remaining, we urge more integrative thinking and emphasize the importance of urgently curbing forest exploitation to stabilize both the climate and the biosphere.”

• Bio4Climate’s Associate Director of Regenerative Projects, Alexandra Ionescu, will present on Miyawaki forests at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum on February 23rd from 2 to 3 PM, introducing attendees to the micro forests we’ve helped establish in Massachusetts! While the event is sold out, you can register for the waitlist.
  
• After taking Bio4Climate’s “Systems Thinking and Scenario Building” course in 2022, Erling Jorgensen wanted to share his learnings in a fun way that people with little training in biology and science could connect with. The result is “Journey of An Apprentice,” a written and visual essay about Life. Join Seacoast NH Permaculture for a fireside chat with Jorgensen on Thursday, February 20.  
  
• Climate action requires…action! Here’s a dispatch from Dianne Plantamura in Massachusetts about “The People’s Forest” at Veasey Park:
  
  “A new Miyawaki forest rises from rubble at Veasey Park after 160 volunteers planted 1800 trees in Groveland, emerging from what was a plot of invasive vines. Thanks to startup funds by the Groveland Community Preservation and corporate grants, the area is now known as ‘The People’s Forest.'”
  
  Do you have a project in your community or even your own backyard you’d like to share?  Contact Us!

• The new Transformative Change Report makes clear that “Fundamental shifts in how people view and interact with the natural world can help accelerate the system-wide changes needed for a more sustainable world.” Truth is, there’s a lot we can do to kickstart that change.
  • Educate your Neighbors. Host a talk at the library or local coffee shop on the vital importance of wetlands, grasslands, and forest ecosystems.
  • Keep water on your property. Install rain barrels, rain gardens, and gray water systems.
  • Green your community. Cool your town with biodiverse Miyawaki forests, pocket parks and rain gardens.
  • Support regenerative farmers directly through farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture. 
• Check out this update from Mother Trees on their seed bank project, made possible in part by support from Bio4Climate. They help farmers, community leaders, and forest stewards restore degraded landscapes. 

• On Sunday, March 9, Bio4Climate is teaming up with a handful of our Northern Virginia community partners to host renowned entomologist and best-selling author of Nature’s Best Hope, Doug Tallamy, in conversation on creating habitat in our own backyards. Learn more or rsvp!.
• Attention Suffolk County! Our friends at the North Fork Environmental Council are hosting a screening of John Feldman’s film, “Regenerating Life,” on February 8. We’re obviously big fans of the film (you might recognize a few familiar cameos), but so much of the material around farming and mitigating wildfires is particularly prescient right now. 
• After taking Bio4Climate’s “Systems Thinking and Scenario Building” course in 2022, Erling Jorgensen wanted to share his learnings in a fun way that people with little training in biology and science could connect with. The result is “Journey of An Apprentice,” a written and visual essay about Life. Join Seacoast NH Permaculture for a fireside chat with Jorgensen on Thursday, February 20.  

• No single industry impacts our world more than farming. Our industrial farms could be carbon sinks. Instead, most emit significant amounts of carbon. They could double as water-rich oases of biodiversity, preventing both flooding and drought. Instead, many contribute to both. 
  Join us for Food & Farming: How Farming Impacts Our Water, Wildlife, Climate, Health & Economy, taught by Hart Hagan. This 8-week course runs Thursdays from February 6 – March 27, live on Zoom.
• It’s not too late to register for Jim Laurie’s free seminar on January 29th! From starting your own microgarden to restoring large, fire-scarred landscapes, increasing water infiltration, and supporting wetlands, this dialogue hopes to inspire actionable solutions for Earth’s most pressing challenges. Email us to get the link.
• After taking Bio4Climate’s “Systems Thinking and Scenario Building” course in 2022, Erling Jorgensen set out to understand how life processes work and how they can be restored, and he wanted to share his learnings in a fun way that people with little training in biology and science could connect with. The result is “Journey of An Apprentice,” a written and visual essay about Life. Join Seacoast NH Permaculture for a fireside chat with Jorgensen on Thursday, February 20. 

• What if you could help change farming practices, transforming them into systems that build healthier soils that capture carbon, grow nutrient-rich food, and strengthen our communities’ resilience to climate change? As a citizen, shopper, or gardener, you have the power to make an impact. Join us for Food & Farming: How Farming Impacts Our Water, Wildlife, Climate, Health & Economy. This engaging 8-week course runs Thursdays from February 6 – March 27, live on Zoom.
• Mark your calendars! Join us for a free seminar on January 29th with Bio4Climate Restoration Biologist and Futurist, Jim Laurie, as we explore practical ways to heal our planet. Whether you’re a first-timer or a long-time student of ours, join us for a shared experience that will leave you with new tools, ideas, and a deeper connection to our living planet. Email us to get the link.
• We’re global! Check out our new Global Outreach page, documenting our support for organizations around the world. After extensive research conducted in collaboration with Linsey de Jager, our Ecological Research Intern in South Africa, we are excited to introduce you to a cohort of organizations doing important, impactful work on the ground across localities. 
• Why do some areas burn worse than others? Often times the answer has a lot to do not with the water we pour on a fire after it’s started, but the water already in the ground before the first ember falls. Check out this clip from Jon Feldman’s film, Regenerating Life, on the efficacy of restored, intact ecosystems. 

• There’s a lot to unpack behind the fires raging through Los Angeles County. But right now, efforts to contain the blaze continue as people evacuate, animals seek refuge, and firefighters work around the clock. Our friends at Earthrise Studio said it right; “When crisis hits, community answers.” If you’re looking for ways to support the Los Angeles community right now, Earthrise has aggregated a few on Instagram. 
• Wildfires have become more frequent and devastating, affecting communities, economies, and ecosystems worldwide. In a hot, dry world, it makes sense that forests are more flammable. Wetter wets and drier drys can increasingly lead to hydroclimate volatility—or climate ‘whiplash’—with profound implications for flooding and, yes, wildfires. Learn more at Bio4Climate about how wildfires have changed over the last 10 years, and what pieces of the puzzle policy solutions tend to miss. 
• The World Meteorological Organization officially announced on Friday that 2024 was, globally, the hottest year on record. Little surprise there; we know we live on a warming world. That’s why we need to work with nature to mitigate the damage; plants and healthy ecosystems play a pivotal role in cooling the Earth. Learn more about how #NatureCools at Bio4Climate. 

• If you’ve got “take down the Christmas tree” on your to-do list this weekend, consider giving it a chance to support life beyond the season. From creating habitats for freshwater fish to enriching soil in gardens, your tree can be repurposed in ways that nurture ecosystems in your community. Be on the lookout for local lake habitat drives and mulch programs, or even more creative reuse options—like crafting coasters or natural sprays. 
• How much nature do we need? So asks Dr. Anastassia Makarieva to ring in the New Year. “We should protect wild nature as a working mechanism for climate stabilization…All ecosystems that are still capable of self-regeneration must be protected from our exploitation as much as possible. Stop taking from them. They are our gold standard, our ultimate treasure.”  
• As we look ahead to another year championing nature-based solutions, we look back on a year of growth, curiosity, and Life. Whether you’ve joined us online, on the water, or out in a forest, thank you for being a part of our community last year. Here were just a few of our favorite moments. 

• Look, we’ve all been there. When your work and passions are rooted in care for the earth, it’s hard not to feel deflated sometimes. But as the year comes to a close, it’s important to take stock in the progress made around the world. This weekend, we’re reading Wild Hope’s 10 Conservation Stories that Gave Us Hope in 2024. Whether it’s a global story or something in your own backyard, we’re curious: what would you add? What gave you hope this year?
• Did you catch our shoutout from Post Carbon Institute senior fellow Richard Heinberg in Resilience Mag? “Destruction of habitat—as a result not just of climate change, but industrial agriculture, deforestation, and urbanization as well—is driving native species to the brink. Simply planting trees, if they’re non-native, may not help much and can even make the situation worse. In contrast, native trees and shrubs provide a food forest for birds and insects that would otherwise go hungry. The folks at Bio4climate have more ideas along these lines.”
• Nature-based solutions must be a global priority. A new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services explores just how interconnected global crises are with the natural world, using data to detail the extent to which biodiversity loss exacerbates issues of food and water security, public health, and climate change.

• If you haven’t noticed, we talk a lot about the water cycle here. And for good reason–from the soil to tree-top canopies, healthy ecosystems are fuel for the local and global water cycles that keep things cool. But it’s not just about rain and evaporation. A research team led by the Alfred Wegener Center found that much of 2023’s record high temperatures could be attributed to declining low-cloud cover in key regions, reducing the planet’s ability to reflect light and heat back into space.  
• “…and it did all of that with the wings of an owl, the belly of a penguin, and the nose of a kingfisher.” The more-than-human world has learned what works in context over billions years. Biomimicry is the practice of studying and emulating nature’s forms, processes, and systems to solve our own challenges, ideally in a way that creates conditions conducive to all life. Even if you’re not building a bullet train, you can learn from nature in your own ecosystem – consider how other species harvest water, capture energy, recycle materials, form symbiotic relationships. What can you learn from them? 
• There’s so much to love in this interview with Zoë Schlanger (author of The Light Eaters, required reading for Bio4Climate’s recent Biodiversity 11 course). But what sticks with us right now is how she bottles the desire we all have to connect with and understand the world around us, “I think that words are all we have, and for those of us who are not super acquainted with scientific jargon, we have to use these words like ‘language’ and ‘intelligence’ and ‘desire’ to talk about plants, in part because these are the metaphors that we have at hand. It’s the closest thing we can understand that gives us this little bridge of understanding between plants and ourselves.“

• New! Story and science convene in this recent conversation between adventurer and photographer Jon Waterman, and climate scientist Flavio Lehner. Buckle up for a journey into the Arctic and its threatened future, led by the experiences and research of those studying it. The full episode is available now, produced in collaboration with the GBH Forum Network. 
• We champion ecorestoration initiatives around the world, but we still believe that the best place to start is right in your own backyard! Join permaculture instructor Andrew Millison on a tour of his 15-year-old food paradise in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and discover how five key principles transformed his urban backyard into a vibrant, life-filled oasis brimming with abundance.
• What we’re excited for: the December 19 virtual premiere of Beaver: A Medicine of Possibility, co-created by Beaver Institute and Indigenous Led, will explore what beavers have to teach us about ecological healing and reconnection. Directed by Laurie Hedges with narration by Lailani Upham, the film spotlights beavers’ crucial role in climate resilience, Indigenous culture, and ecosystem restoration. A live Q&A will follow; rsvp required.

• There’s still time to enroll in Bio4Climate’s new course, Trees & Forests: wildlife, wildfires, water & climate change. This 8-week course, taught by Hart Hagan, begins December 5 and dives deep into the power of forests to absorb and hold billions of metric tonnes of CO2, and nurture water cycles.
  
• “The greatest risk we face is the temptation to surrender to helplessness…I may not be able to save the zebras and the leopards, but I can help save the zebra swallowtail butterflies and the giant leopard moths. I can do that, at least in my own small yard, by nurturing the host plants they need to reproduce.” In her New York Times essay, Easing the Biodiversity Crisis One Flowerpot at a Time, Margaret Renkl makes an impassioned plea for biodiversity’s capacity to make a difference, and our ability to help by starting with our own backyards.  
• A small village in Romania is home to one of Europe’s most successful bison rewilding projects. Since 2014, 170 bison have been reintroduced to the Southern Carpathian Mountains after a 200 year absence. The short film, Zimbrul (Romanian for “bison”), explores their role in shaping this particular ecosystem and emphasizes the importance of participatory rewilding strategies. Scientists found that this herd alone could store enough CO2 to offset the emissions of 43,000 cars annually, underscoring how animal activity can enhance a given ecosystems’ capacity for carbon storage.

• It can be difficult describe and convey our fascination for this ecosystem, that is in a way hostile but also very fragile,” says Polar Bears International climate scientist Flavio Lehner. Join us this Monday, Nov. 25, for a conversation on the science and the stories reshaping the Arctic with Lehner and Patagonia author and explorer Jon Waterman. 
  
• Our world doesn’t work without forests. The “earth’s lungs” are home to 80% of land-based species, absorb and hold billions of metric tonnes of CO2, and nurture water cycles. And they’re in trouble. Trees & Forests: wildlife, wildfires, water & climate change is a new 8-week course from Bio4Climate, taught by Hart Hagan. Registration is open now for December enrollment!
  
• Get a bird’s eye view of the difference our Miyawaki forests can make. This interactive page from the City of Worcester explores both of our Miyawaki forests in the city and provides fresh perspectives for understanding how they can cool, green, and beautify the urban landscape while creating space for nature to thrive.
  
• “I like to imagine the moment of liberation for a molecule of carbon dioxide. Imagine being held tight for centuries in the embrace of an ancient tree, locked up in lignin until… the gasp of a fungus-eating beetle sets you free to become a free-floating molecule, a thing of the air, a part of something vast and fluid. Is that how the spirit leaves the body? Released from the weight of wood, into the afterlife of cedars, there is no boundary between the sacred and the mundane.” Robin Wall Kimmerer reflects on the death of a tree during a recent a visit to the Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon.