The latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report on Climate Change Mitigation, released by the UN on April 4, combines hope and urgency. “The decisions we make now can secure a livable future,” said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee. “We have the tools and know-how required to limit warming.” “It’s now or never, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 C,” added IPCC Working Group III Co-Chair Jim Skea.

Circular economy — “using materials more efficiently, reusing and recycling products and minimizing waste” — is one of the solutions highlighted in the IPCC’s April 4 press release. Rotarians have huge potential to catalyze circular economy by teaching our networks how its strategies save money and reduce emissions. This issue highlights how Rotarians are advancing circular economy in Turkey, Australia, the United States, and Canada.

Also in this issue: exciting events at the Rotary International Convention in Houston, the huge success of ESRAG’s April World Environment conference organized by the ESRAG chapters from Eastern Europe to South Asia, and other opportunities this spring. Watch for an email from ESRAG Chair Richard Randolph, MD, about the Zones 28 and 32 environmental conferences in Bermuda and Alaska.

May this Earth Day be the start of breakthroughs!

Photo by ESRAG Plastics Solutions Chair Lori Cloutier: Gary Nakamura and Kimi Kinoshito are part of the Rotary Club of Poulsbo’s Trash Talk Task Force, in the US State of Washington. The Task Force has collected 40,000 pounds of polyethelene to be made into decking and park benches instead of going into landfills.