Climate action in your own backyard
Over 80 percent of Americans believe human-caused greenhouse gasses contribute to global warming. Three-quarters of us want the government to do something about it. But less than 10 percent of us are taking action – typically by reducing our personal energy consumption, recycling, buying electric cars, or converting to solar power.
All good things to do, but they will do nothing to fight global warming.
Climate change is the most serious crisis humanity has ever faced. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe by the day. We need to take urgent and aggressive action, but the national climate conversation has become so politicized and toxic, most of us are disengaged or feeling hopeless.
How about some good news for a change? Anyone can fight global warming, and it’s easy to do.
Most of the climate debate focuses on rapidly reducing manmade greenhouse gas emissions–e.g., from power generation, transportation, buildings, and high polluting industries, which is critical! But these will take decade, require aggressive regulation across most sectors of the economy, and seriously restrict our personal lives.
By focusing on radical and highly unpopular policies, we’ve missed the easiest, fastest, cheapest, and most popular ways to fight global warming at massive scales. By protecting, restoring, and better managing the ecosystems that sustain life on earth – forests, grasslands, soils, and wetlands – we can stop global warming and enjoy the many benefits these ecosystems provide. Like fresh air, clean water, healthy foods, wildlife, and global cooling in a hotter world.
There is near universal support for protecting nature among political parties, socioeconomic and demographic lines, and sectors of society. There are tens of millions of people and organizations working to make their communities better places to live, but it has been nearly impossible to harness that energy to have impact at a globally significant level.
Until now.
Recent breakthroughs in technology, advanced data analytics, and expertise make it possible to rapidly scale up nature-based solutions to climate change, one community at a time, learning from some of the top experts and practitioners in the world
The Copernicus’s Project mission is to empower communities to fight global warming by protecting and restoring nature. We give people and organizations tools to quickly create community conservation plans and target actions to where they will have maximum impact
Any one with a cellphone can become a Climate Actionist and discover hundreds of opportunities to make a big difference.
Starting in your own backyard.
The good news climate story
Almost everything we hear about stopping climate change requires massively reducing manmade greenhouse gasses – e.g., transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy, radically redesigning our transportation systems, improving energy efficiency, and imposing onerous regulations on high-polluting industries.
These changes will take decades and–contrary to what you hear–we are out of time. Extreme weather events and natural disasters are devastating communities and will become more frequent and more severe over time.
By focusing on radical changes to the economy and personal lifestyles, we’ve missed the fastest, cheapest, and easiest ways to fight climate change at massive scales. Nature-based climate solutions start from the ground up, require minimal regulation, and millions of passionate people and organizations are doing this right now.
Protecting, restoring and better managing critically endangered ecosystems will spur economic growth, improve human health and wellness, make our communities stronger, and prepare us for a much harsher world.
Game-changing technology in the palm of your hand
Recent breakthroughs in technology, advanced analytics, and expertise–combined with widespread adoption of digital media and exponential growth of open-source data platforms, can make local communities a powerful force for good.
Our technology platform can turn anyone with a cellphone into a citizen scientist, ecologist, land use planner, or community organizer. Our easy-to-use tools are powered by cutting-edge technology used by the government, universities and academics, large conservation NGOs and business – satellite imaging, LiDAR, GIS, remote sensing, millions of data layers, and artificial intelligence.
We know what to do, where to do it and how to do it and we have tens of thousands of case examples to draw upon.
Even modest changes in the status quo can make an enormous difference over 30- to 50-year timeframes. Not only can we capture and sequester vast amounts of carbon but we can also stop desertification and provide clean water, food, jobs, and biodiversity to communities around the world.
It takes all of us
Within a 50-mile radius of New York City are some of the most important and critically endangered ecosystems in the U.S. Thousands of organizations – ranging from municipal, state and federal agencies; to conservation NGOs; to businesses; to sports enthusiasts, to youth groups – are working hard to improve the local environment.
Become a Climate Actionist and we’ll connect you to the people and organizations that best match your interests.
What are nature-based climate solutions?
Nature-based climate solutions fight global warming by protecting, restoring, and better managing critically endangered ecosystems that sustain life on earth. We focus on three broad categories of ecosystems that store five times more carbon than the entire atmosphere and provide critical ecosystem services like fresh air, clean water, healthy food, jobs, wildlife, global cooling and protection against climate change.
We provide our members with everything they need to:
Keep forests healthy and let them regrow naturally
Learn MoreKeep forests healthy and let them regrow naturally
Planting trees does nothing to stop global warming. It’s the biggest oldest trees that absorb and store the most carbon dioxide. Cutting down or degrading a forest releases most of that carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years. At the same time we kill off the vast carbon sinks they provide and the land typically gets converted to high greenhouse-producing industries like agriculture, buildings, industrial waste, or infrastructure.
Dramatically improve soil health
Learn MoreDramatically improve soil health
Soils absorb and store vastly more carbon than any other ecosystem, nearly three times more than the entire atmosphere. Healthy soils and vast networks of mycelium are the foundation of life on earth. Agriculture, the fossil fuel industry, construction and heavy industry are killing our soils and they are killing us. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the climate around depends on protecting, restoring, and maintaining healthy soils.
Protect wetlands – freshwater, marine coastal, peatlands and permafrost
Learn MoreProtect wetlands – freshwater, marine coastal, peatlands and permafrost
Melting sea ice and permafrost, warming oceans, absorption of excess carbon dioxide, and radically changing weather patterns and ocean currents are the biggest threats to humanity. Most of this is well beyond our control and billions of people will be displaced, lose their countries and their livelihoods, and be forced to adapt to a much harsher world ahead. Despite the bleak outlook there are many things we can do to protect and restore these critical ecosystems.
Keep forests healthy and let them regrow naturally
Learn MoreKeep forests healthy and let them regrow naturally
Planting trees does nothing to stop global warming. It’s the biggest oldest trees that absorb and store the most carbon dioxide. Cutting down or degrading a forest releases most of that carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years. At the same time we kill off the vast carbon sinks they provide and the land typically gets converted to high greenhouse-producing industries like agriculture, buildings, industrial waste, or infrastructure.
Dramatically improve soil health
Learn MoreDramatically improve soil health
Soils absorb and store vastly more carbon than any other ecosystem, nearly three times more than the entire atmosphere. Healthy soils and vast networks of mycelium are the foundation of life on earth. Agriculture, the fossil fuel industry, construction and heavy industry are killing our soils and they are killing us. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the climate around depends on protecting, restoring, and maintaining healthy soils.
Protect wetlands – freshwater, marine coastal, peatlands and permafrost
Learn MoreProtect wetlands – freshwater, marine coastal, peatlands and permafrost
Melting sea ice and permafrost, warming oceans, absorption of excess carbon dioxide, and radically changing weather patterns and ocean currents are the biggest threats to humanity. Most of this is well beyond our control and billions of people will be displaced, lose their countries and their livelihoods, and be forced to adapt to a much harsher world ahead. Despite the bleak outlook there are many things we can do to protect and restore these critical ecosystems.