Pope Francis says he will attend COP28, a first by a pontiff & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Friday, November 3, 2023 “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ― Henry David Thoreau Pope Francis Says He Will Attend COP28, a First by a Pontiff Pope Francis said he will attend the United Nations COP28 Climate Change Conference. The meeting in Dubai is the first time a pope will attend the UN [climate summit]( since they started in 1995, reported Reuters. [Read More]( Related: [Pope Francis Urges World to Speed Up Transition to Renewable Energy]( Wind Power Takes $5.6 Billion Hit in the U.S. as Ørsted Scraps Two Projects Multinational energy company [Ørsted]( has stopped development on two [offshore wind]( projects in the U.S., saying impairments related to the projects could be as high as $5.58 billion, reported Reuters. [Read More]( Related: [‘An Unstoppable Force’: Wind and Solar to Produce More Than a Third of Global Power by 2030, Report Says]( Simple Diet Swaps to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Improve Your Health Making drastic dietary changes to lower your [carbon footprint]( and improve your health may seem like a big undertaking, but a new study identifies a few simple [food]( swaps you can make that can have a big impact. [Read More]( Related: [Plant-Based Eating 101: Everything You Need to Know]( WWF Report Finds 1.6 Million Acres of Great Plains Grasslands Destroyed in Just One Year An analysis of crops and croplands has found that 1.6 million acres of grasslands in the Great Plains of the U.S. and Canada were destroyed in just one year, in 2021. The amount of grassland plowed during this time is about the size of Delaware, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported. [Read More]( Related: [Grasslands Build Biodiversity and Resilience Over Centuries]( Invasive Species 101: Everything You Need to Know Whether an animal, a plant or a microbe, an invasive species generally describes a living thing that has not historically lived in a given region. An invasive species by definition has a decidedly negative ecological or economic impact on the habitat it has entered, according to the [U.S. Department of Agriculture](. That could be because it lacks natural predators in the area, so it eats a lot of prey that other native predators in the ecosystem rely on. Or perhaps it crowds out other species for space or necessary resources, killing off a vital crop that regional farmers sell. [Read More]( Related: [Invasive Yellow-Legged Hornet Spotted in Georgia Is a Honey Bee Predator Related to ‘Murder Hornets’]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](