The World We Want Special Issue: In Depth
- A Vision for the Environment
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A Vision for the Environment
Why you can trust us
< 1 MIN READ
Feb 19, 2020
Devastating fires, floods, and drought across the globe in 2020 mobilized the U.S. to go all-in on renewables. Energy in 2030 flows from a decentralized grid of local wind, hydro, and solar facilities. The transition has been a just and inspiring one: Former fossil fuel industry workers retrained in green technology, so power is generated by and for local communities.
Transportation in electric vehicles and a far-reaching network of high-speed public trains join formerly disconnected populations. Indigenous tribes are recognized for their generational stewardship of the continent, and now lead environmental governance and policy. Collaboration between these leaders and local innovators bolsters the rural and urban infrastructure necessary to withstand rising seas and extreme weather.
The oceans are recovering after sustainable, accessible replacements for plastic are adopted globally. Regenerative agricultural and irrigation practices prioritize the health of soils and waterways. Food and water are protected public goods, distributed to all people to remedy sweeping inequities and large-scale food waste. Access to nature is universal, and often prescribed by doctors to improve well-being and reconnect with the Earth. With the rights of nature protected by the constitutions of every nation, healthy forests are expanding every year, sequestering more carbon and supporting the many species that call them home.
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Breanna Draxler
is a senior editor at YES!, where she leads coverage of climate and environmental justice, and Native rights. She has nearly a decade of experience editing, reporting, and writing for national magazines including National Geographic聽online and Grist, among others. She collaborated on a climate action guide for聽Audubon Magazine that won a National Magazine Award in 2020. She recently served as a board member for the Society of Environmental Journalists and the Northwest Science Writers Association.聽She has a master鈥檚 degree in environmental journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder. Breanna is based out of the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people, but has worked in newsrooms on both coasts and in between. She previously held staff positions at聽bioGraphic, Popular Science, and聽Discover Magazine.
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