The new president of Costa Rica has announced a plan to ban fossil fuels and become the first fully decarbonised country in the world. Carlos Alvarado, a former journalist, told a crowd of thousands during his inauguration speech on Wednesday this week: “Decarbonisation is the great task of our generation and Costa Rica must be one of the first countries in the world to accomplish it, if not the first.”

He added: “We have the titanic and beautiful task of abolishing the use of fossil fuels in our economy to make way for the use of clean and renewable energies.”

Discover a world of inspiration.

Subscribe to Positive News magazine

Alvarado explained that the country will begin to implement a plan to end fossil fuel use in transport by 2021, the 200th year of Costa Rican independence. The president had arrived at the ceremony in San Jose on board a hydrogen-fuelled bus.

“When we reach 200 years of independent life we will take Costa Rica forward and celebrate … that we’ve removed gasoline and diesel from our transportation,” he is reported to have said.

The news has been welcomed by environmentalists around the world, who say it sends a powerful message to other nations. Erik Solheim, head of UN environment, tweeted about the announcement, adding: “A zero-carbon future is possible!”

We have the titanic and beautiful task of abolishing the use of fossil fuels in our economy to make way for the use of clean and renewable energies

Others have been more cautious, saying the move needs to happen slowly to allow the country’s burgeoning clean transport market to develop. The move towards clean energy is not likely to face a significant backlash because the country has no significant oil or gas industry. However, car ownership is on the rise in Costa Rica. The Independent reported that, according to data by the National Registry – the country’s records agency – there were twice as many cars registered as babies born in 2016.

Featured image: Alvaro Hernandez

Be informed. Be inspired.

Subscribe to Positive News magazine

The post Costa Rica plans to ban fossil fuels in bid to become world’s first decarbonised country appeared first on Positive News.

The city of New York plans to divest $5bn (£3.7bn) from fossil fuels and sue some of the world’s most powerful oil companies for their contribution towards climate change.

Officials in the city have set a goal of divesting New York’s $189bn (£140bn) pension funds from fossil fuel companies within five years. They say it would be “among the most significant divestment efforts in the world to date”. New York’s announcement brings the total number of global divestment commitments to 810 institutions representing more than $6tn (£4.5tn) in assets.

Be informed. Be inspired.

Subscribe to Positive News magazine

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city has filed a lawsuit against five major fossil fuel companies – ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell and ConocoPhillips – for climate damages. New York seeks damages for the impacts of climate change on the city that have reportedly already amounted to billions of dollars, and the billions necessary to prepare for rising sea levels, more powerful storms and warmer temperatures.

In 2012 Superstorm Sandy became the second-costliest storm to date at more than $65bn (£48.2bn) in damages.

We’re bringing the fight against climate change straight to the fossil fuel companies that knew about its effects and intentionally misled the public to protect their profits

“New York City is standing up for future generations by becoming the first major city in the US to divest our pension funds from fossil fuels,” said mayor de Blasio. “At the same time, we’re bringing the fight against climate change straight to the fossil fuel companies that knew about its effects and intentionally misled the public to protect their profits. As climate change continues to worsen, it’s up to the fossil fuel companies whose greed put us in this position to shoulder the cost of making New York safer and more resilient.”

“New York City today becomes a capital of the fight against climate change on this planet. With its communities exceptionally vulnerable to a rising sea, the city is showing the spirit for which it’s famous: it’s not pretending that working with the fossil fuel companies will somehow save the day, but instead standing up to them, in the financial markets and in court,” said Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, a global movement that aims to inspire the world to tackle the climate crisis.

The message of today’s historic announcement is unmistakable: investing in fossil fuel companies is a high-risk, bad bet

Naomi Klein, author and activist, said: “Emanating from the financial capital of the world, the message of today’s historic announcement is unmistakable: investing in fossil fuel companies is a high-risk, bad bet. New York City is now leading cities and states to not only divest from fossil fuel companies but also insist that the corporations that profit from destabilising our shared planet pay for the mess they knowingly created.

“As of today, the entire fossil fuel sector finds itself under a cloud of huge potential court-imposed costs, as well as the growing global momentum of investor flight. That means no matter how many oil and coal leases the Trump administration hands out, the economics of new drilling will make less and less sense. This is very good news.”

The magazine and movement that’s changing the news for good.

Join as a Positive News subscriber

The post New York divests from fossil fuels and files climate lawsuit against major polluters appeared first on Positive News.

Fossil fuel divestment is huge. What started as a small grassroots campaign in US colleges in 2012 is now a global phenomenon with people and organisations from all around the world committing to withdraw investments in the fossil fuel industry. As a result, an estimated $50bn (£31bn) will be taken out of the fossil fuel industry over the next five years.

The premise is simple: by withdrawing fossil fuel investments, organisations are limiting industry’s ability to exploit finite natural resources while simultaneously showing the world they object to a practice that is leading us on a path towards catastrophic climate change, destroying ecosystems and negatively impacting human health.

But what has this got to do with the media? Well, as the age of burning fossil fuels needs to come to an end, so does the era of overly negative media.

Though negative news may have less obvious consequences than the excessive use of fossil fuels, its implications for society are widespread and deep-rooted.

Every day we are bombarded with stories of conflict, death and destruction with seemingly no hope of resolution. Of course we should report on important issues such as war, crime and human rights abuses, but we also need to point to what is being done to tackle these problems. At present, the media too often presents an unbalanced view of the world.

“More than 220 institutions have divested from fossil fuels so far, how many of us will ‘divest’ from negative media and become part of a positive alternative?”

Not only this, but research is emerging that suggests negative news stories have a detrimental impact on wellbeing and sense of social agency. A recent study from the University of Southampton asked respondents to rate their moods before and after reading negative stories and found higher levels of anxiety, pessimism and demotivation afterwards. Denise Baden, one of the study’s researchers and associate professor at Southampton Business School, argues that this is an ethical issue that both the media industry and society must consider when producing and consuming news.

With most of us reading the news on regular basis, imagine the potential long-term implications for society as a whole.

As Positive News editor Seán Dagan Wood said at an Action for Happiness event in March: “We are reaching peak negativity in the news.”

But it’s not enough to simply stop a problem. Alternatives are needed to bring about real positive change. As many of those divesting from fossil fuels are instead investing in sustainable options such as renewable energy, alternative media solutions must be supported.

So what’s the solution? It’s clear that we need more balance. A more positive and constructive approach presents a more accurate picture of the truth and informs people how they can help make the world better.

Already progress is being made with Al Jazeera, the Huffington Post and the New York Times all beginning to introduce solutions-focused stories, plus the Constructive Journalism Project has recently started running workshops for university students.

But Positive News is taking this one step further. Building on our 22 years at the forefront of solutions-focused journalism, we’re now giving you the chance to #OwnTheMedia by launching a community share offer.

Like what you’re reading? We want our readers to #OwnTheMedia. Support Positive News by becoming an owner now: www.ownthemedia.org

With the majority of the media owned by just a few (70% of the UK’s media market is controlled by just three companies), we feel a more democratic approach is crucial in bringing about a more accountable solutions-focused media. And what better way to do that than to offer ownership of the paper to you, the readers?

This means that, as our readers, you don’t have to be passive consumers of news, but actively participate in the kind of news you want to see.

Most of us don’t hold direct investments in fossil fuels, but we do buy newspapers, subscribe to magazines and read advertisement-funded content online. We don’t have to necessarily ‘divest’ from other sources of media. But by buying shares in Positive News you are not only making a statement against overly negative news, but most importantly, saying that you want an active shift towards a more positive, reader-led media.

More than 220 institutions have divested from fossil fuels so far, how many of us will ‘divest’ from negative media and become part of a positive alternative?

The Positive News community share offer runs until 8 July 2015. To buy shares visit www.OwnTheMedia.org.

The post Why it’s time to divest from negative news appeared first on Positive News.