Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an alarming report forecasting the effects of global warming above 1.5°C when compared to pre-industrial levels. The IPCC whitepaper predicted massive forest fires, widespread drought and increasingly violent storms in the coming decades, and called for the complete elimination of the use of fossil fuels by 2050. Given the dire outlook, it's tempting to succumb to despair and inertia. However, local environmentalists are both calling for positive action and taking steps in their personal lives to help address the problem. According to the Star Tribune, among those working on small-scale solutions is Jessica Hellmann, Director of the Institute on the Environment, a Consortium member. Prof. Hellmann's family has installed solar panels on their St. Paul home; she is renowned for her advocacy of not simply working to stem climate change, but also plan for adaptation in the face of a warmer planet. “The narrative is that we’re going to have to … sit in the dark in a cave. The life that alternative technologies can provide is pretty enriching,” she said. Read the entire article here.