DENVER – As the New Year approaches, many Americans will be focusing on what resolutions they'll make to do things differently in 2018.

Climate scientists at the University of California at Davis say one option is to help slow climate change by adopting a low-emissions diet.

Maya Almaraz, a postdoctoral researcher at the university, says while people may feel helpless when it comes to an issue as large as a warming planet, the data show that personal decisions really can have a big impact.

"We make food choices every day,” she points out. “It's an individual choice, so you may make them based on how you want to look or what you want your health to be. Or you can choose to make them based on how you want to impact the planet."

Almaraz says the single biggest move you can make, in terms of diet to reduce methane and carbon pollution, is by putting less meat on your plate.

She points out by eating fish instead of steak, you'll produce an eight-fold reduction in emissions, and switching to beans or lentils drops your footprint to almost zero.

Almaraz adds that the good news is you don't have to go vegan to make a difference. She suggests instead of eating meat twice a day, try cutting that down to once a day.

She contends if enough people reduce their meat consumption, that decision alone could offset the emissions from all cars on the road today.

She explains every step that goes into meat production has an impact on global warming.

"When you produce a hamburger, what that takes is a lot of feed for those cows, so that requires a lot of land,” she states. “Cut down some forests, you grow corn, you grow oats, you grow barley – that requires a lot of fertilizer."

Almaraz recommends trying out the so-called Mediterranean diet, which includes lots of nuts, beans, fish, but also chicken once a week and red meat once a month.

In addition to lowering your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, she says a global adoption of a Mediterranean diet could help cut global warming by up to 15 percent by 2050.




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DENVER -- As offices and businesses begin to open their doors after COVID-19 shutdowns, a new guidebook offers ways for CEOs and other commuters to lower their carbon footprints.

Transportation recently eclipsed power generation as the single largest contributor of greenhouse-gas pollution in Colorado.

Carlos Fernandez, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, said as companies consider making telework permanent and other policy changes, the guide provides detailed best practices for reducing the number of cars on the road.

"This handbook will provide a wide range of transportation options on how to be really thoughtful about establishing the 'new normal,'" Fernandez explained.

For work that can't be done from home, the handbook addresses practical challenges for incorporating public transportation, bicycles, electric vehicles and carpooling into organizational culture. Companies can offer workers free or discounted public transportation passes, and monthly cash payments if they opt out of a parking permit. Firms also can help bridge critical last-mile gaps by shuttling workers to and from transit stops in a company van.

Reducing climate pollution from the transportation sector is widely seen as essential to meeting goals set at the Paris climate accord, and scientists warn that less than a decade remains to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Fernandez agreed major structural changes will be needed to meet climate deadlines, but he noted the guide offers ways for individuals and businesses to make significant contributions.

"A lot of that can be done through legislation, but what are the best practices?" Fernandez asked. "I would tell you Driving Change is one of those examples that actually each of us individually can contribute."

The guidebook, "Driving Change, The Colorado Employer's Guide to Green Mobility," is the first of a series aiming to address greenhouse-gas emissions in various sectors. It was produced by The Nature Conservancy in Colorado in partnership with the Colorado Forum.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Much of South Dakota will see a familiar weather pattern this week: very hot temperatures and little precipitation.

With more research connecting climate change to conditions like these, forecasters say extreme weather is becoming more customary.

The U.S. Drought Monitor labeled nearly 70% of South Dakota in severe to extreme drought this week.

Mike Gillespie, hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, expects little change over the next month. He said while the region is not always grappling with extreme heat or bitterly cold temperatures in the winter, recent history is telling.

"Much of the state has had two or three of their wettest years, as well as a couple of their driest years, in the last ten," Gillespie reported.

Not only do the current conditions pose direct health risks to vulnerable populations, Gillespie noted they impact water quality and water supplies, which affects farmers through irrigation and their livestock by potentially increasing the chemical levels in their water supply.

A 2020 study from Clemson University found climate change will result not only in more floods, but more dry seasons and water evaporation.

Separately, a 2019 study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned climate change will make extreme heat patterns hotter and longer in the future.

Gillespie suggested in the meantime, people should do all they can to minimize the impact.

"Don't water your yard three or four times a week, limit your car washing, limit your water use as much as you can," Gillespie outlined. "And conserve that water so that it's there for whatever's needed in these drier periods."

At the same time, he advised residents living in flood-prone areas to find ways to better protect their homes from rising water during wetter seasons.

As for dry weather, the "States At Risk" project predicted by 2050, South Dakota could see as many as 35 dangerous heat days each year. It currently averages 10 per season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The state's Environmental Management Commission this week green-lighted a plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants. The proposal sets the stage for North Carolina to join the eleven-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

But reducing air pollution is just one component of restoring healthy environments and communities, said June Blotnick - executive director of Clean Action and Innovation to Restore the Environment or CleanAIRE NC, formerly known as Clean Air Carolina.

She said her organization has shifted its focus, and its name, to include a broader scope of work that focuses on key determinants of public health.

"Over the years," said Blotnick, "it's become so much more clear to us that climate-change equity and public health are all interconnected issues, along with air pollution."

Last month the Environmental Protection Agency announced it's allotting $50 million dollars in funding to help low-income and communities of color most impacted by pollution and the climate crisis, including more than $5 million to increase monitoring near low-income communities' drinking water sources for toxics and hazardous metals.

Blotnick pointed to CleanAIRE NC efforts to partner with communities such as those in Charlotte's Historic West End, to collect data on the health effects of air pollution. She said it's critical to mobilize North Carolinians to advance solutions through local action and policy.

"Working closely with the community on implementing strategies that will reduce the heat-island effect for example," said Blotnick, "filter air pollution through green infrastructure, and other measures to protect health."

Blotnick said the state's doctors, nurses and other health professionals also have stepped up to recognize climate change as a public health emergency, and have formed North Carolina Clinicians for Climate Action, a group aimed at helping patients identify and adapt to air pollution and climate impacts.