A Thanksgiving Message from TriplePundit

We’re close to wrapping up our November coverage, and we’ll be pausing our business and sustainability news during the long Thanksgiving weekend, resuming again on Monday, November 28.

In the meantime, we do have a few things to be thankful for as the long holiday weekend approaches. So, until we return next week, here’s where we have been seeing some hope.

Finally, a climate fund for developing countries

Back in 2009, poor countries were promised funds at the COP15 negotiations in Copenhagen for climate adaptation and mitigation. Such a commitment is only fair, as wealthy countries have been spewing emissions while developing nations have had to cope with the fallout. 

Though details are still murky, during the waning hours of the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, negotiators found agreement on launching a loss and damage fund that would provide financial aid for the world’s poorer nations that are now suffering the most adverse effects of climate change. This development is one of the larger accomplishments at this year’s global climate negotiations, a saga that has generated its share of criticism — and deservedly so.

Indigenous voices are finally being heard

Indigenous communities have long been shunned at the global climate conferences, a decision that is as racist as it is shortsighted, as these communities offer ideas on how we can all become better stewards of the earth. “Although the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has become a big supporter of land tenure for Indigenous and local communities — acknowledging the effect that it has on sustainable practices — little has been done to bring about actual change,” TriplePundit’s Riya Anne Polcastro wrote earlier this month.

Well, there is a slow but steady shift going on. More women’s advocacy groups, for example, are speaking out loudly in support of Indigenous people’s rights and supporting these communities’ efforts at securing their fair share of climate financing. A new standard for ensuring land and resource rights for Indigenous communities also emerged during COP27.

A secondhand idea we like for the Sunday after Thanksgiving

The apparel industry has been a huge driver of environmental degradation over the past several decades. This time of year is a stark reminder of how commercialism is pushing the planet toward a collision course with climate change: Just note the enduring popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. True, Small Business Saturday is a compelling alternative. Giving Tuesday is also worth noting, though it’s become less about nonprofits and more about the privately-owned companies that profit from people’s generosity by skimming off a portion of those funds.

But what about Secondhand Sunday? The popular online marketplace Poshmark has an answer: a day during the long U.S. Thanksgiving weekend that is dedicated to “supporting secondhand sellers, circular fashion and the planet.” Poshmark is calling on people to buy used instead of new this coming Sunday, November 27, and is also asking them to share their best finds on social media with the hashtag #SecondhandSunday.

With those three trends trending to a more positive direction, we’re off for the long holiday weekend. Do you have a trend you think has defined 2022? You can always shout out on Twitter. In the meantime, we wish you a most meaningful holiday with your friends, family and loved ones.

Image credit: Joseph Gonzalez via Unsplash