ITRC PNW Transformational Resilience Network

By Katie Surma, Inside Climate News, June 22, 2021 A panel of 12 legal experts from around the world on Tuesday released a proposed definition for a new international crime called “ecocide” covering “severe” and “widespread or long-term environmental damage” that would be prosecuted before the International Criminal Court in the Hague, alongside genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. The panel’s announcement was seen by environmentalists and international...

By Bob Doppelt, Undark, June 24, 2021 I T WAS 80 DEGREES outside in Oregon’s Southern Willamette Valley, the record drought continued, and a red flag warning had been issued to alert residents to beware of wildfires. No, it was not autumn, when wildfire season has historically occurred in the region. It was April 16, when it should have still been cool and pouring rain outside. The surprising wildfire warning seemed to have everyone on edge, fearful about what might happen to them, their...

" In the context of the US return to the Paris Accord on Climate Change, President Joseph Biden issued an executive order (EO) requiring a multi-agency report on climate change and its impact on human mobility ( White House, 2021 ). The report is to focus on forced migration, internal displacement, and planned relocation. Among the issues the EO stipulates will be addressed are the international security implications of climate-related movement; options and mechanisms to protect and, if...

Editor’s Note: Do you have a story of a local community creating programs to help their members recover from climate change disasters? Send us your story of a resilient community to editor@kindredmedia.org. We’re honored to feature Thrive , a healing initiative of the North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF), a collaboration of people, organizations and agencies in Butte County, California, whose mission is to address the impact of trauma across generations. In the wake of the devastating...

All mental health and social service leaders are urged to read the attached article Preparing for Climate Overshoot Requires Quickly Expanding Our Mental Health System . It describes: How this decade or early next global temperatures will likely surpass the 2.7 F temperature threshold that unleashes extremely destructive and possibly irreversible impacts on the planet and society (climate scientists call this "climate overshoot") How, if we remain unprepared, the climate overshoot will...

No matter where you are in the world, one thing ties people together: We all gotta eat. But the ways people go about producing food can have disastrous consequences for the environment. With climate change already breathing down our necks, many are now pointing to sustainable methods of farming like regenerative agriculture as a blueprint for the future. Modern agriculture has led to a number of issues worldwide. For example, monoculture farming — where you use a single plot of land to just...

The next free 1 hr. webinar on the new ITRC Mental Wellness and Resilience Policy is in less than 2 weeks: on Thursday , March 25 from 12 noon to 1:00 pm Pacific Time (3:00-4:00 pm Eastern Time--US & Canada) (Note: this webinar was originally scheduled for March 18). To Register for the Webinar go to the ITRC Website: http://www.theresourceinnovationgroup.org/ Why the Urgent Need for a New Approach to Foster Mental Wellness and Resilience? The skyrocketing mental health and psychosocial...

From Healthy Places by Design, March 2021 NEW REPORT Socially Connected Communities Solutions for Social Isolation In recent decades, people in the United States and around the world have experienced soaring rates of social isolation, with profound impacts on community health and well-being. Healthy Places by Design, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has released a new report that reframes the conversation about isolation and outlines five recommendations for creating...

From Colorado State University, Science Daily, February 5, 2021 New research from the Colorado State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, published in Nature Scientific Reports , has found hospitals and schools are interdependent, suggesting their collective recovery must be considered in order to restore a community in the wake of disaster. Because hospitals and schools are so integral to a community's well-being, Associate Professor Hussam Mahmoud and Ph.D.

The Hill magazine today published my Commentary calling on the Biden Administration and Congress to recognize the urgent need to link their efforts to address both the pandemic and climate crisis with community-based population-level initiatives to prevent and heal mental health and psychosocial problems. It can be found here: https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/540152-pandemic-and-climate-solutions-will-fail-without-a-major-focus-on Building community-based, culturally-grounded,...

Please see information below regarding the Prevention Institute’s upcoming peer learning forum on trauma-informed approaches during catastrophic events taking place on Wednesday, February 17 th from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM . Registration link below. Join Feb. 17 peer learning forum on trauma-informed approaches during catastrophic events What does it mean for a city or other local government to be trauma-informed and what might this look like during the COVID-19 pandemic? Agencies and...

January has seen major progress toward protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , thanks to the organizing power of three distinct communities—Indigenous activists, TikTok creators, and the makers of an unfinished documentary film—that came together toward a common goal. “To be honest, it’s not easy going into places, talking to people that will never understand how spiritually and culturally connected we are to our land, to our water, and to our animals,” says Bernadette Demientieff,...