UN Climate Summit Ends in a Whimper as Major States Snub Calls for Action | The Epoch Times

A handful of major states resisted pressure on Dec. 15 to ramp up efforts to combat global warming as a U.N. climate summit came to a delayed close.

The planet doesn't need money, it needs behavioural change: Sonam Wangchuk | The Week

Sonam Wangchuk has stopped ironing his clothes. This renowned innovator and Magsaysay Award-winning environmentalist feels smart crease is an indulgence one can do without in order to help the planet. As he says, the power saved from ironing his clothes could power four rural households.

China reassigns 60,000 soldiers to plant trees in bid to fight pollution | The Independent

China has reportedly reassigned over 60,000 soldiers to plant trees in a bid to combat pollution by increasing the country's forest coverage.  A large regiment from the People's Liberation Army, along with some of the nation's armed police force, have been withdrawn from their posts on the northern border to work on non-military tasks inland. The majority will be dispatched to Hebei province, which encircles Beijing, according to the Asia Times which originally reported the story. The area is known to be a major culprit for producing the notorious smog which blankets the capital city.

Good News: This Year's Monarch Butterfly Migration Is Larger Than We've Seen in Recent Years | Better Homes & Gardens

Every autumn, monarch butterflies migrate across the U.S., heading south (and in some cases, west) for the winter. They are one of the few butterfly species that makes such a long migration—it can be up to 3,000 miles, and they often travel in such large groups that they fill the sky with their orange-and-black wings and blanket vegetation when resting. But over the past two decades, their numbers have been steadily declining, to the point that this insect is being considered for the endangered species list. Since 1997, when an estimated 682 million monarchs swooped through the air, the population has dwindled as low as 25 million monarchs in 2014 before rebounding to 150 million in 2016. So when reports of this year’s migration seem to indicate more of these winged wonders than usual, it could be a sign that their populations are continuing to make a comeback.

Germany to close all 84 of its coal-fired power plants, will rely primarily on renewable energy | Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Berlin — Germany, one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, will shut down all 84 of its coal-fired power plants over the next 19 years to meet its international commitments in the fight against climate change, a government commission said Saturday.