Fewer prisoners make a cooler world

With every passing day, climate change is handing us a thrashing, no contest. While world leaders continue to make tall promises at every climate meeting - another massive jetpacked jamboree is coming up in Azerbaijan later this year - and yet squabble over funds, clean tech, who's gonna do what..., climate change just smirks, does an eye roll, and lobs yet another curveball, knocking us flat. The latest climate challenge is the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Alaska. Built in 1969 on what seemed like solid ground, this prison had been holding up fine - until August 2022, when heavy rains turned the land beneath it into a soggy mess. The ground gave way, and while no prisoners made a break for it Escape From Alcatraz-style, the American state is now spending $9.5 million to patch up this overcrowded facility. It's a bit like throwing good money after bad.

So, clever climate activists have another idea: instead of expanding and refortifying ageing prison infrastructure against climate threats, why not reduce the prison population and invest in growing climate resiliency? So, we now have a surprising new addition to our climate mitigation toolkit - decarceration. It's an unexpected twist but, hey, what's the harm in trying it? We're all climate prisoners anyway, and it might just be the fresh start we need. Remember, there's no Prison B.