Lula’s narrow re-election in Brazil means the world has dodged a climate bullet. But with the right wing dominant in Congress, the victory remains tenuous.
Lula’s narrow re-election in Brazil means the world has dodged a climate bullet. But with the right wing dominant in Congress, the victory remains tenuous.
EUobserver is proud to have an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series “Briefed” hosted by Léa Marchal. The podcast is available on all major platforms.
Find the full transcript below:
The European Commission has unveiled its plan to help Europe adapt to climate change. But as extreme heat and climate disasters become the norm, the plan offers very few binding commitments.
So what does it actually change? Let’s start with what’s on the table. The commission is proposing a law that would require all 27 member states to work from the same reference scenario for rising temperatures. And, based on that, to adopt national adaptation plans.
The idea is to stop countries from redoing their own analyses and justifying what their actions are based on. From now on, the shared assumption would be: 1.5 degrees of warming by 2030, 2 degrees by 2050, and 3 degrees by 2100.
There is already something notable here: this scenario is more pessimistic than the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global warming well below 2 degrees.
The European commissioner for climate, Wopke Hoekstra, gave an explanation ot that:
“It would be unwise not to prepare for the scenarios science puts on the agenda: so scientists are saying 1,5 might do more or less for now, but by 2050 you’re looking at 2 degrees. And by 2100, you’re looking at 3. so I would argue we need to do 2 things: one is staying close to 1,5 and make sure if there is an overshoot, we bring things down, and at the same time, let’s not contemplate and wait but let’s prepare also for a hollow future, that is also the logic of the proposal.”
Now, this assumption is also at the source of another criticism: the EU isn’t doing enough to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the first place.
At yesterday’s press conference, a journalist asked the commissioner how he could defend the Paris Agreement while the EU was lowering climate ambitions at the same time. Because in recent years, the EU has watered down several key measures of the Green Deal.
Think of the rollback on the end of combustion-engine cars, the suspension of the regulation on methane emissions, or the one on imported deforestation. In parallel, the commission is no longer proposing new legislation to cut emissions.
Now, moving to the proposition in itself, will they really help countries to prepare for climate events to come, starting by with the next summer?
Not immediately. The package will make it easier to share useful data with national authorities, notably thanks to Copernicus, the EU’s Earth observation programme.
The commission will also publish a catalogue of adaptation solutions, available to everyone.
So overall, the package is mostly about exchanging information and ideas, and about commitments to implement national adaptation plans. It also streamlines some existing work, which is always useful.
But what the commission does not do is force member states to take concrete action, or let’s say, to show tangible results.
The Climate Law already requires countries to have adaptation plans. But those plans don’t come with quantified targets. Whether it’s about adapting soils, making buildings more resilient to heat, or protecting vulnerable people.
This is something the Greens in the European Parliament regret. German MEP Kai Tegethoff warns that the risk is to end up with plenty of information about the risks, and then do nothing about them. He is calling for binding targets.
And then, there’s one last thing: money. The commission hasn’t announced any new funding for adaptation.
So: technical tools and encouragement, but no obligations and no cash. Commissioner Hoekstra even highlighted the amounts already allocated in the current budget, and in the proposal for the next one.
But as we know, negotiations on the next long-term EU budget are heading towards cuts. So it is unlikely that there would be an increase in the budget for climate measures.
This transcript was updated on 29 October to correct MEP Kai Tegethoff’s nationality to German.
Climate change should formally be declared a global health emergency, experts have warned after they found that impacts on human health are outpacing the action countries are taking.
Why is the Editor-in-Chief of the BMJ calling for the phase-out of fossil fuels and cuts in defence spending? When did this once prestigious medical journal become a Left-wing propaganda rag, asks Paul Homewood.
More householders are disconnecting from the gas network or moving into homes without piped gas. But a rule change could mean higher gas bills for those who are stuck with gas.
Michael Bowen first became a Walt Disney World bus driver at 44, and later returned at 50.
Courtesy of Michael Bowen
Michael Bowen started his career in church work, which he found unfulfilling and lacking stability.
Driven by a love for Disney and a desire for change, he decided to make the move to Florida at 44.
After a hiatus due to personal reasons, he returned to his job as a Disney bus driver this year.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Bowen, a 51-year-old Walt Disney World bus driver and Disney content creator behind the YouTube channel "Incognito Mouse." It has been edited for length and clarity.
Most of my adult life, I worked in the church. I went to university and Bible school to become a minister. I went into this line of work thinking it would make someone else happy, and didn't really think about what would make me happy.
At one point, I ended up working at a smaller church that could not pay a full-time salary, so to support myself, I got a part-time job as a school bus driver.
In 2017, I took a vacation to Florida and visited Disney World. I remember sitting there on the last day of my vacation, in the beautiful, warm sun, by the pool, with palm trees beside me, and dreading going back to the stormy weather in New Jersey.
I felt I had to make some kind of change, or I was going to sentence myself to a miserable life.
I realized I could work as a bus driver for Disney
I first visited Disney World in 2013. I had thought it was strange — a bunch of adults, no kids, going to Disney. Yet, even on that first trip, I thought, man, what could I do to work here? There's no Disney church.
By the second time I went in 2017, I had followed Disney a lot more and saw it wasn't just for children. Now, as a school bus driver, I thought, "Oh, they do have bus drivers, and that is a legitimate career. I could actually do that."
Michael is a huge Disney fan.
Courtesy of Michael Bowen
I love Disney, and my ex-wife did, too. As huge Disney fans, we thought, why not go live in the most magical place on Earth and work there?
In 2020, at 44, I first moved to Florida
I was living out of state when I applied to be a bus driver at Disney. It's very difficult to get into it. It took several months to get to the interview, and I needed a Florida driver's license before I could get the offer.
I moved to Florida in January of 2020. After I got my license, I was put on a waiting list until a bus driver position became available. It wasn't until February 15 that I finally got the call to start the role.
For the first time in my life, I had a really stable job with all the benefits that some smaller churches aren't necessarily able to give: paid time off, pensions, retirement, things like that.
In particular, I had health insurance for the first time in a long time, and I was really happy.
Michael driving a bus at Disney World.
Courtesy of Michael Bowen
I was convinced I was going to drive for Disney for the rest of my life and retire there. But in May 2022, I chose to leave after experiencing a difficult separation and divorce. I remember when I was leaving, I got the offboarding email, and it was the most gut-wrenching feeling that I had ever had.
I moved to Oregon, but I always wanted to move back
I decided to move to Oregon. I drove a city bus and things like that, but I wasn't happy.
During that time, I met another woman, now my wife, who was a big Disney fan like me. I rebranded my YouTube channel from church content to Disney around 2019, and started posting about being a Disney cast member in 2020. We met through the YouTube channel and decided to move to Florida together in 2025.
As before, I had to wait almost a year for a job opening at Disney. In the meantime, I worked for a different company contracted to drive the buses for Universal Studios.
Finally, in April 2026, at 50, I returned to Disney as a bus driver.
It's not seen as the most prestigious job, but I love it
For me, being a Disney bus driver is wonderful, but I feel like it's not the most prestigious job. Often, when people ride the bus, it's seen as just a way to get to the park.
However, it has its special moments. Once, there was a little boy visiting with his parents who, as he was getting on the bus, showed me two little toy buses. His mother told me he loved the buses so much and was so excited to show them to me. Little things like this just make my day, seeing people so excited.
Michael inside a Disney World bus.
Courtesy of Michael Bowen
I can enjoy all the magic of Disney and go to the park whenever I want. So it's the best of both worlds.
Walt Disney said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." If you'd have told me that I was going to do something like this several years ago, I would have said, " There's no way — it's not possible. I'm too old. I don't have the finances. I don't know what I would do."
But life is too short. If you are not happy or you want to do something else, you have to make it happen.
As Fortis expands its facility along the Fraser, local air pollution is expected to worsen.
Emissions from the site of a recently approved LNG expansion in Metro Vancouver are projected to exceed Canadian ambient air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide, a harmful pollutant, according to company reports.
Last month, the provincial and federal governments approved FortisBC’s plan to further expand Tilbury, its decades-old LNG facility in North Delta, helping to turn it from a domestically focused, small-scale operation into a large export-oriented facility.
The province described the newly approved expansion as a “clean energy” project.
During the commissioning phase and when the facility’s equipment is malfunctioning, nitrogen dioxide levels in parts of Richmond, Delta and Vancouver are projected to be between three and 16 times above Canada’s guidelines for maximum hourly emissions. That estimate doesn’t include the cumulative impacts of emissions from Tilbury’s other, already approved expansions at the site.
During ongoing operations, Fortis predicts the site and associated marine traffic will slightly exceed national standards for average annual nitrogen dioxide levels, indicating the potential for long-term, chronic exposure. Those exceedances are expected to extend across schools, homes and child-care centres in southern Richmond.
Those elevated annual levels are expected even after factoring in significant reductions in the project’s predicted nitrogen dioxide emissions from yet-to-be-determined mitigation efforts Fortis says it will employ. If those mitigation efforts are unsuccessful, Tilbury’s emissions could be even higher.
The company has not yet made its final investment decision to proceed with the project, and some permits are still pending, but the recent approvals signal the federal and provincial governments are willing to allow the expansion to proceed.
The Tilbury expansion “has the potential to deliver significant economic and environmental benefits for B.C., and jobs for British Columbians,” Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions Adrian Dix said in a press release announcing the project’s approval.
But Tilbury’s projected nitrogen dioxide emissions suggest potential health implications from the expanded facility.
According to Canada’s Environment Ministry, long-term nitrogen dioxide exposure can increase susceptibility to respiratory infections, increase risks of developing asthma, affect cardiovascular health, lead to reproductive issues and increase the risk of premature death.
In an emailed statement, FortisBC told the Tyee: “The Tilbury Phase 2 LNG Expansion project will be built and operated in accordance with all municipal, provincial, and federal guidelines.” It added that the project must meet regulatory requirements by various levels of government.
A provincial spokesperson said government communications staff are unable to comment during the ongoing election period.
Emissions are predicted to increase
The Tilbury facility has produced LNG on site since the 1970s, relying on the liquefied fuel’s condensed form to store enough gas near the province’s urban centre to boost the region’s energy supplies during cold snaps. It was a low-profile operation, producing a small amount of LNG per year, mostly to supply local demand.
Just over a decade ago, Fortis began moving its expansion forward in a piecemeal fashion. The company first applied to build a new, bigger storage tank and to increase its liquefaction capacity in a project it called Phase 1A. In 2024, the province also approved the company’s plan to build a marine jetty that would allow export tankers into the river for the first time. This July, the province provided a regulatory exemption to support another expansion of the site’s storage and liquefaction capacity that Fortis has dubbed Phase 1B. The newly approved Phase 2 project will further expand liquefaction at the site, increasing the facility’s total production to 3.5 million tonnes of LNG per year.
LNG facilities like Tilbury use energy-intensive compressors to turn natural gas into a liquid state. Fortis plans to power its compressors with electricity, reducing some emissions during the process. But the company didn’t decide to electrify its hot oil heater, citing uncertainty about energy supply and the cost of power connection upgrades.
In the section of its application discussing its decision to choose gas to power its oil heater, Fortis wrote that “although electrification is seen as a ‘green choice’ and may reduce public opposition to the proposed project, early analysis suggests that there may not be adequate electrical power available to support the proposed project without significant capital upgrades.”
Fortis wrote that the upgrades could compromise the project’s schedule and commercial viability.
Other new components will also produce emissions, including a ground flare stack and acid gas incinerator. Together with the hot oil heater, these parts of the project are expected to produce the bulk of the expansion’s anticipated nitrogen dioxide pollutants.
“Just because you use electric compressors doesn’t mean you have zero emissions,” said Tim Takaro, a physician and researcher with Simon Fraser University and a member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Pollutants from those systems will add to an already compromised airshed, Takaro said, noting that the region has one of the highest concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the province.
“They’re already stretched in terms of air quality,” Takaro said.
Although Fortis describes Tilbury’s ground flare as “totally enclosed,” the facility will include a 200-metre open stack surrounding a low flare, meaning its exhaust will still enter the airshed.
When added to the existing pollution in the airshed, Tilbury’s Phase 1A and 1B expansions are anticipated to push nitrogen dioxide levels in the surrounding area above the federal government’s threshold for acceptable emissions, indicating possible short-term, acute exposures.
The company’s estimated maximum nitrogen dioxide emissions during commissioning and malfunctions are predicted to significantly exceed regulatory limits beyond the project’s immediate vicinity, including areas of Richmond, Delta and Vancouver and other parts of Metro Vancouver up to 11 kilometres from the project.
These kinds of disruptions have been ongoing at Canada’s only major LNG facility, LNG Canada, leading to high rates of flaring and bursts of black smoke — a sign that uncombusted or partially combusted gas is being released into the airshed.
Those unburned pollutants are particularly dangerous because they can include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, a potent carcinogen that has no safe threshold, said Dr. Melissa Lem, a Vancouver family physician and past president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Fortis’s application said its production of volatile organic compounds in the airshed would be “negligible.”
According to Fortis’s application, it expects to vent unburned gas from the facility during mechanical disruptions and during commissioning, when the company expects it will not yet have its flare system installed.
When existing emissions and emissions from Tilbury’s various expansions and associated marine traffic such as LNG tankers are combined, the site is estimated to produce average annual nitrogen dioxide levels slightly exceeding national guidelines, indicating sustained long-term exposure to the pollutant near the facility.
The projections assume potential reductions from a set of mitigation measures for the Phase 2 expansion. According to Fortis, these measures “are not intended to represent final design commitments or regulatory conditions.” Fortis added that it is “exploring an emissions mitigation strategy” to meet air quality standards. The province called for an air quality management plan in its list of conditions for approving Tilbury’s application, including details on how it plans to reduce emissions and the technologies it plans to use.
Climate concerns
Besides local pollution, Lem noted that Tilbury’s forthcoming climate emissions would also have consequences for human health.
Additional emissions from Tilbury’s Phase 2 expansion and its associated upstream gas fracking activity are expected to produce about one million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, around 13 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s total target emissions by 2030.
About 800 people die prematurely every year in Vancouver due to air pollution, according to Tyee reporting from 2021. Pollution from wildfire smoke made more likely by climate change is a large part of the city’s air hazards.
“The fossil fuel industry doesn’t have to deal with patients on the frontlines when climate change drives all these harms,” Lem said. “Doctors and nurses, we are on the frontlines when wildfire smoke rolls in and people are having asthma attacks and high risk of anxiety and depression.”
Lem said the federal and provincial governments’ recent Tilbury approval is a mistake.
“If they were adhering to science, they would not be approving new fossil fuel projects like this Tilbury project,” she said.
Safety risks
The project’s location alongside the narrow, heavily trafficked Fraser River has also raised safety concerns among locals, including from Kelly Greene, the NDP’s MLA for Richmond-Steveston, a riding located just downriver from the Tilbury site. Greene, who was also the province’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, cited her opposition to the project in a statement announcing she would not seek re-election.
“While no industrial activity is without risk, my work in emergency management taught me that low-probability events can still have profound impacts, particularly when they occur in densely populated or environmentally sensitive areas,” she wrote in a statement posted to LinkedIn.
“I remain deeply concerned about risks posed by the Tilbury LNG shipping channel and have advocated for better safety standards for a decade.”
Like Greene, Richmond Coun. Michael Wolfe worries about the safety risks from Tilbury’s riverside locale.
“It’s just a remarkably challenging environment for boats,” he told The Tyee.
The Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators advises that vessels carrying LNG avoid “long, narrow inland waterways… due to greater navigation risk.”
Alhough Tilbury’s operations are long-standing, the expansion project means international LNG carriers will enter the Fraser for the first time. Fortis’s application estimates the tankers will be about 300 metres long — roughly the size of three football fields.
Spills and explosions related to LNG production remain rare, but when they occur, their consequences can be profound. Supercooled and compressed LNG can explode when it comes into contact with water and rapidly changes from liquid to gas.
When it leaks, LNG can remain as heavier-than-air vapour that can travel long distances before it dissipates. Under certain conditions, that vapour can ignite if it contacts an ignition source, as it did at the Freeport LNG facility in Texas in 2022.
Wolfe noted that Tilbury sits adjacent to a jet fuel terminal on the other side of the river. “If one of these sites has a major event, it’s going to compromise all the other ones in the area,” he said.
“It’s absolutely crazy to think that people will do that and not care about the future generations.”
Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere rose to new record highs in 2025, locking in climate impacts that will persist for centuries to come, the United Nations has said.
In the Daily Sceptic's final exclusive extract from Chris Morrison's new book on the 'climate crisis': trying to run a modern economy on windmills is insane, but eye-watering sums from green billionaires say it isn't.
The latest climate pledges put forth by nations will cut global greenhouse gas emissions just 6% by 2035, a UN report has said, weeks before COP31 talks in Turkey.
Disputes Over the 1.5-Degree Celsius Limit Highlight Deep Divisions as Countries Prepare for the Summit in Türkiye.
From Nov. 9 to 20, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Antalya, Türkiye, bringing together world leaders, government negotiators, scientists and civil society representatives to coordinate international action against climate change.
The major event in global environmental governance will unfold amid efforts by major oil producers to delay the publication of new reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and prevent more ambitious measures to reduce emissions.
The divisions were already evident during the preparatory negotiations in June in Bonn, Germany, where countries such as Saudi Arabia clashed with the European Union (EU) and small island states, which defend maintaining the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold as the benchmark for assessing emissions reduction commitments.
At those meetings, representatives of countries vulnerable to the climate crisis denounced attacks on science by governments with interests in fossil fuels.
Fiji’s chief negotiator, Sivendra Michael, explained that some countries had tried to remove references to the IPCC, the leading authority on the subject, and the 1.5-degree Celsius limit from the documents.
“For Fiji and our Pacific neighbors, 1.5 degrees is not an abstract goal. It is the threshold that determines whether our islands will remain habitable. The IPCC allows the world to understand why that threshold matters and what is needed to avoid exceeding it. It is the backbone of our climate diplomacy. Removing science from the text does not change the science. It only weakens the decisions intended to respond to its findings,” Michael said.
Several sources agree that Saudi Arabia and India, among others, were among the countries that challenged those references, while Riyadh went so far as to invoke the goal of keeping warming below 2 degrees Celsius without mentioning the more ambitious 1.5-degree Celsius limit.
The difference is significant: The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 by nearly 200 countries, establishes a commitment to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Although both thresholds are part of the same agreement, scientists warn that every additional tenth of a degree of warming increases the risk of extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and irreversible damage to ecosystems.
The #UnitedNations said that the window has closed to stop the earth from heating above 1.5 degrees celsius, a target set by leaders at the #ParisClimateConference in 2015.
But, it says that it is still possible and worthwhile to limit the overshoot as much as possible, because… pic.twitter.com/ZdMlfzHSrG
The confrontation has also spread to the IPCC, the leading international scientific body on climate change, which on Friday, Oct. 16, suspended its meeting in Addis Ababa without reaching an agreement on the publication schedule for its next major report.
The deadlock, which has lasted nearly three years, threatens to prevent the scientific assessment from being available before the end of 2028, when countries will have to review their progress in meeting the Paris Agreement.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and India, and at times China and Kenya, argued that more time was needed to prepare the reports and facilitate the participation of scientists from developing countries, which have fewer resources available to take part.
Opposing them, a coalition of European, Latin American and African states, along with small island states, called for an accelerated timetable so that upcoming negotiations would have access to the IPCC’s scientific findings.
Some analysts consider expanding the participation of scientists from developing countries a positive step but point out that countries such as Saudi Arabia, which has a record of resisting climate commitments, have used obstructionist tactics at IPCC meetings, where the timetable is adopted by consensus.
The window has closed; this year's #EmissionsGap report states that overshoot of 1.5°C is now inevitable.
What's needed to limit the overshoot to 1.7-1.8 °C & return to 1.5°C requires gov'ts to step up. 🌎greenhouse gas emissions must drop 45% by 2035 compared to 2025 levels.… pic.twitter.com/lH7uIoC3I2
The most vulnerable countries reject the idea that better scientific representation and the urgency of taking action are incompatible goals. “Delaying essential climate science is a betrayal of vulnerable developing countries,” said Adao Soares Barbosa, chair of the Least Developed Countries Group, which brings together more than 40 states, most of them in Africa.
“It is very concerning that the integrity of the IPCC and the available science are being eroded,” said Cosima Cassel, an expert at the E3G think tank. She called for the new reports to be available before the 2028 global stocktake to avoid relying on outdated assessments.
The dispute coincides with a warning from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that current climate commitments are insufficient and the planet will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming in the coming years. Under current policies, warming would reach 2.8 degrees Celsius this century.
UNEP considers it still possible to limit peak warming to between 1.7 and 1.8 degrees Celsius and return to 1.5 degrees Celsius or below by 2100, but doing so would require much deeper emissions cuts and the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.
“Exceeding the threshold does not change the goal,” Michael said, warning that every additional tenth of a degree would mean more damage to the Pacific.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and high waves to the states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.
On Sunday, the Mexican government deployed a liaison and coordination mission to several Pacific coast states as Category 1 Hurricane Vance, on the five-category Saffir-Simpson wind scale, approaches the country’s western coast.
The National Coordination of Civil Protection said the storm is expected to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and high waves to the western states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.
Authorities urged residents in those states to remain alert to official warnings. They also advised those living near or traveling close to riverbanks, streams, or water channels to assess their surroundings and evacuate immediately to higher ground at the first sign of rising water.
“It is crucial to avoid crossing—whether on foot or by vehicle—flowing water, flooded streets, or submerged bridges, as the force of the current can sweep away both people and vehicles,” stated the National Coordination for Civil Protection (CNPC).
Tracking the center of Category 1 HURRICANE VANCE on 2026-10-25 UTC from GOES-West (true color night + colorized infrared) pic.twitter.com/eeKxrTJfP9
At 9 a.m. local time, Hurricane Vance was located about 440 km southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan and 510 km southwest of the resort city of Acapulco in Guerrero.
The storm is moving northwest at 7 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gusts of 150 kph, and is expected to bring rain of 50 to 75 millimeters in the four affected states.
The rainfall could also trigger landslides, cause rivers and stream levels to rise, and lead to overflowing waterways and flooding in low-lying areas.
Kate McNeil opened All the Tropes, a romance bookstore, six weeks after quitting her job.
Despite concerns about market saturation, All the Tropes thrives as a niche community destination.
Passion, perseverance, and local support helped McNeil launch her business.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kate McNeil, a 41-year-old small-business owner based in Atlanta. It's been edited for length and clarity.
I joined an online group of fellow romantasy readers, looking to connect with other people who also enjoyed my favorite form of escapism. That group had over 2,000 members, and it was difficult to feel a sense of community. Eventually, it broke off into local chapters.
After COVID, I didn't know of any dedicated space for these same readers to meet in Atlanta. That's how I started the journey to opening the first romance bookstore in my neighborhood. In the two years since I opened, more romance bookstores have opened up, including one less than two miles away.
I thought I'd retire from my teaching job
When I launched All the Tropes bookstore, I was working a job I thought I'd retire from. I taught theater at Decatur High School for six years. My students always came first. I didn't want those kids to feel like I wasn't present or that they didn't have my undivided attention, so the bookstore was a back-burner idea for a few years.
I'd get home from rehearsal at 11 p.m., conduct business research until 2 a.m., then get up at 6 a.m. and go to work the next day and teach.
I took my time to gain a full understanding of the market, but there were still challenges
I learned about dealing with publishing companies and book distributors, connected with local artists to showcase their work, and reached out to local authors. One of the biggest challenges was finding a place for the store.
I knew that I wanted to stay on the east side of Atlanta because I lived in Kirkwood and felt very connected to the community.
In 2024, I found a location a four-minute walk from my home, and I knew it was time to make my idea a reality. In May of that year, I quit my teaching job and prepared to open the bookstore by the end of summer on Romance Bookstore Day.
I had 6 weeks to get the store ready for opening day
I received the keys to the bookstore six weeks before the day I planned to open. The timeline I had for opening day came with a lot of risks. I had cashed in my retirement fund, quit my job, and had a large preorder of "Onyx Storm" before there were bookshelves in the store.
There were many times my friends and I didn't leave the store until 4 a.m. A local artist painted the shop; I printed my merchandise at a local shop in Kirkwood; and I created the fabric wall. There were many nights I had doubts that All the Tropes would come to fruition.
I was a mom with two young kids opening a niche business that, to my knowledge, would be the first in the state, but I was prepared. I had my accounts with publishers, and my branding was complete. Perseverance, my husband, my village of friends, and an invested community got me to opening day.
All the Tropes opened August 17, 2024, on Romance Bookstore Day. In the span of a few months, I went from a passionate high school teacher to the owner and operator of a romance bookstore.
An increase in niche romance bookstores in the city concerns me
Even in a city like Atlanta with several thriving independent bookstores, I wonder about the percentage of residents who read for fun and, more specifically, read romance. While becoming a general indie bookstore would allow me to sell so many other things, I still believe All the Tropes can continue to thrive in a niche market, despite oversaturation.
Unlike a large book retailer, All the Tropes is a destination spot people can come from out of town to visit. Our social presence and promotion of local writers and artists also offer something unique to readers.
All the Tropes could pivot to general fiction, but so far, more stores opening has not impacted store traffic or sales.
4 Things helped me turn my business idea into a reality
All the Tropes continues to thrive because of my original vision of creating a community space for romance book lovers to connect. We now have eight active book clubs and continue to see consistent revenue.
Passion, trusting my gut, therapy, and a supportive group of friends are the reason I was able to turn an idea I brainstormed late at night into a successful niche business ready to grow.
We are now ready for a larger space and to expand our three-person team.
Do you have a unique small business story to share? Email the editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.
Green blobbers want us to stop drilling because the North Sea is running dry – so why the panic about oil and gas extraction? The answer is that it’s as much about politics and punitive taxes as geology, says Ben Pile.
The Albanese government signed a $680,000 contract with Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour to provide meeting rooms for several pre-COP events in September, while pre-COP in Fiji cost more than previously reported.
Matthew Kelson knew he wanted to stay in Japan and decided to open a movie theater.
Provided by Matthew Kelson
Matthew Kelson, now 43, grew up in Michigan and opened his first cinema in his 20s.
He went on to work for Netflix in Los Angeles before getting transferred to Japan in 2020.
After leaving his job at Netflix in 2024, he renovated a kindergarten and founded a cinema in Japan.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Matthew Kelson, now 43, who was transferred by Netflix from Los Angeles to Tokyo and is now the founder of CineYama, an independent cinema in Uenohara, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. His words have been edited for length and clarity.
Japan isn't new to me. In middle school, I spent two weeks living with a host family as part of an exchange program. I returned a couple of times as an adult.
I was working at Netflix in Los Angeles when the company relocated me to Japan in 2020. I was based in Tokyo for two years before moving to Uenohara, a small town about an hour and a half by train from Tokyo. I still spent time in the capital for occasional meetings and traveled extensively across Asia for screenings. Otherwise, I worked remotely from home. After a company restructuring, I left Netflix in 2024.
I wanted to stay in Japan. My daughter was six months old when my wife and I moved, and my son was born three years later. We thought it was a great place for them to grow up. I started thinking about how I could utilize my expertise in cinema and give back to the community.
He moved to a small town about an hour and a half by train from Tokyo.
Provided by Matthew Kelson
While scouting for locations, I came across an abandoned kindergarten. In 2024, I started plans to turn the old school into a cinema. And in December, I got my permanent residency in Japan through the highly skilled professional fast-track program. A year later, I formed my company and spent another year renovating before opening a cinema in March.
Building my career in film
I spent most of my childhood in Michigan, in the Detroit area. My father was a professor of international business. He traveled for work often. It got me curious about the world around me.
At 23, I came across the Detroit Film Center and took a filmmaking course. A year later, I became a teacher and worked as a projectionist there. Through that, I started working at an independent art theater in the Detroit suburbs. I started as an usher, then became the theater manager.
Within the two years of working there, I fell in love with the film world. At 25, I renovated an old school's auditorium into a theater in Michigan using my savings. The theater ran for two years, but after disputes with the landlord, it closed.
I was looking for a fresh start, so in 2011, I moved to Los Angeles. At first, I knocked on the doors of all the film distributors I'd worked with until I met some people at an independent film distribution company. I joined as an intern and worked my way up. I landed a job on Netflix's creative team two years later.
Kelson acquired permanent residency in Japan and spent the following year renovating.
Provided by Matthew Kelson
The journey to opening a cinema in Japan
Getting the permit to renovate the abandoned kindergarten was a long process. I had to negotiate with officials at city hall and the residents about how I'd use the building, establish the company, deal with fire and health regulations, and construction in a language I don't speak fluently.
I learned that pushing harder is not necessarily what gets things done in Japan. It was about patience, building trust, and showing people that I was serious and that the project wasn't going to disappear in six months.
CineYama was a kindergarten before it was transformed into a cinema.
Provided by Matthew Kelson
There were days when I wondered why I had chosen to make my life so difficult. But every milestone, from getting the building, the inspection, installing the projector, and finally opening the doors, made me more determined.
When the cinema first opened, the elderly residents seemed cautious. After a preview, they told me they were impressed to see the place cleaned up and put back into use. It's important for me to have screenings that kids and families can come to and enjoy the space.
CineYama, an independent cinema, opened in March.
Provided by Matthew Kelson
Tickets cost 1,500 Japanese yen, or about $9.50. We offer a discount to seniors and residents. I stick with showing content that is harder to find elsewhere, so that it gives viewers a perspective on other ways of life and culture.
It's mostly family-run. I manage the operations, and my wife helps out sometimes. My kids stamp the tickets when they're around.
Popcorn and snacks at the cinema.
Provided by Matthew Kelson
Living up to the challenge
Opening the theater in the US was different from doing it in Japan. I was in my 20s, had little money, and was just figuring things out in Detroit. The one in Japan came after 15 years of working in film distribution, creative production, and international screenings.
It's been exciting living over here, having the cinema, and meeting people from all over the world. While life in the US would've been much easier, I like the challenges in Japan. That's why I was at Netflix for so long, because it wasn't an easy job either. I learned life in hard mode.
Andy Burnham looks set to defy Ed Miliband and give the go-ahead for drilling in the North Sea's Rosebank oil field, as the Treasury's money troubles threaten to trump Labour's Net Zero ambitions.
From beaches to old-growth forests, wind farms are destroying the environment in the name of saving it, says Sandra Bourke. Greens are turning their backs as reckless renewables industrialise the natural world.
Login
, X
, and VK
.
