Food Tank
By Danielle Nierenberg and Alonso Diaz
With record high unemployment, a reeling global economy, and concerns of food shortages, the world as we know it is changing. But even as these shifts expose inequities in the health and food systems, many experts hope that the current moment offers an opportunity to build a new and more sustainable food system.
<p>To understand what it will take to move forward, Food Tank has compiled its summer reading list to delve into the issues that affect our food system today. These 20 books provide insight into food access and justice in Black communities, food relief and school nutrition programs, the effects of technology on global food supply chains, the relationship between climate change and food production, and much more.</p>
1. Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity by Priya Basil (forthcoming November 2020)
<p>Priya Basil explores the meaning of hospitality within a variety of cultural, linguistic, and sociopolitical contexts in this short read. Basil uses her cross-cultural experience to illustrate how food amplifies discourse within families and touches on the hospitality and the lack thereof that migrants and refugees experience. <em>Be My Guest </em>is at once an enjoyable read and a hopeful meditation on how food and hospitality can make a positive difference in our world.</p>2. Biodiversity, Food and Nutrition: A New Agenda for Sustainable Food Systems by Danny Hunter, Teresa Borelli, and Eliot Gee
<p>In <em>Biodiversity, Food and Nutrition</em>, leading professionals from Bioversity International examine the positive impacts of biodiversity on nutrition and sustainability. The book highlights agrobiodiversity initiatives in Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey, featuring research from the <a href="https://www.bioversityinternational.org/research-portfolio/diet-diversity/biodiversity-for-food-and-nutrition/" target="_blank">Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Project </a>(BFN) of the <a href="https://www.bioversityinternational.org/alliance/" target="_blank">Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT</a>. Through this analysis, the authors propose that the localized activities in these countries are not only benefiting communities, but are transferable to other regions.</p>3. Black Food Geographies: Race, Self-Reliance, and Food Access in Washington, D.C. by Ashanté M. Reese
<p>In <em>Black Food Geographies, </em>Ashanté Reese draws on her fieldwork to highlight community agency in response to unequal food access. Focusing on a majority-Black neighborhood in Washington, DC, Reese explores issues of racism, gentrification, and urban food access. Through her analysis, she argues that racism impacts and exacerbates issues of unequal food distribution systems.</p>4. Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice edited by Hanna Garth and Ashanté M. Reese (forthcoming October 2020)
<p>Access, equity, justice, and privilege are the central themes in this forthcoming collection of essays. The food justice movement often ignores the voices of Black communities and white food norms shape the notions of healthy food. Named for Black Lives Matter, <em>Black Food Matters </em>highlights the history and impact of Black communities and their food cultures in the food justice movement.</p>5. Diners Dudes & Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture by Emily J.H. Contois (forthcoming November 2020)
<p>In <em>Diners, Dudes & Diets</em>, Emily Contois looks at media's influence on eating habits and gendered perceptions of food. Focusing on the concept of dude foods, the book follows the evolution of food marketing for men. In doing so, Contois shows how industries used masculine stereotypes to sell diet and weight loss products to a new demographic. She argues that this has influenced both the way consumers think about food and their own identities.</p>6. Feeding the Crisis: Care and Abandonment in America’s Food Safety Net by Maggie Dickinson
<p>The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is essential for individuals who face food insecurity on a daily basis. Still, the program fails to reach many, including those who are unemployed, underemployed, or undocumented. <em>Feeding the Crisis</em> provides a historical overview of SNAP's expansion and traces the lives of eight families who must navigate the changing landscape of welfare policy in the United States.</p>7. Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege, and Neoliberal Stigma in Food Pantries by Rebecca T. de Souza
<p>In <em>Feeding the Other</em>, Rebecca de Souza explores the relationship between food pantries and people dependent on their services. Throughout the work, de Souza underscores the structural failures that contribute to hunger and poverty, the racial dynamics within pantries, and the charged idea of a handout. She argues that while food pantries currently stigmatize clients, there is an opportunity to make them agents of food justice.</p>8. Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato by Rebecca Earle
<p>In <em>Feeding the People,</em> Rebecca Earle tells the story of the potato and its journey from a relatively unknown crop to a staple in modern diets around the world. Earle's work highlights the importance of the potato during famines, war, and explains the politics behind consumers' embrace of this food. Interspersed throughout are also potato recipes that any reader can try.</p>9. Food in Cuba: The Pursuit of a Decent Meal by Hanna Garth
<p>In <em>Food in Cuba</em>, Dr. Hannah Garth looks at food security and food sovereignty in the context of Cuba's second largest city, Santiago de Cuba. Throughout the work, Garth defines a decent meal as one that is culturally appropriate and of high quality. And through stories about families' sociopolitical barriers to food access, Garth shows how ideas of food and moral character become intimately linked.</p>10. Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain
<p>Scholar, speaker, and strategist Marcia Chatelain provides readers insight into the ways fast food restaurants expanded throughout Black communities. Dr. Chatelain traces their growth during the 20th century and their intersection with Black capitalists and the civil rights movement. This book highlights the dichotomy between fast food's negative impacts on Black communities and the potential economic and political opportunities that the businesses offered them.</p>11. Honey And Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper by Andrew Coté
<p>In <em>Honey and Venom,</em> Andrew Coté provides a history of beekeeping while taking the reader through his own trajectory in the industry. A manager of over one hundred beehives, Coté raises colonies across New York City, on the rooftops of churches, schools, and more. Coté's<em> </em>passion for beekeeping comes through clearly as he narrates the challenges and rewards of his career.</p>12. Life on the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont by Teresa M. Mares
<p>Agriculture, immigration, and Central American and Mexican farm workers may conjure ideas of the Mexico-U.S. border, but in <em>Life on the Other Border</em>, Teresa Mares gives a voice to those laboring much farther north. Mares introduces the readers to the Latinx immigrants who work in Vermont's dairy industry while they advocate for themselves and navigate life as undocumented workers. This is an inspiring read that touches on the intersection of food justice, immigration, and labor policy.</p>13. Meals Matter: A Radical Economics Through Gastronomy by Michael Symons
<p>In <em>Meals Matter</em>, Michael Symons argues that economics used to be, in its essence, about feeding the world but has since become fixated with the pursuit of money. Symons introduces readers to gastronomic liberalism and applies the ideas of philosophers like Epicurus and John Locke to the food system. Through this approach, he seeks to understand how large corporations gained control of the market and challenges readers to rethink their understanding of food economics.</p>14. No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg
<p>Greta Thunberg addressed the United Nations at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit and has since been a global symbol of environmental activism. Her community organizing and impassioned speeches are uncompromising as she argues that climate change is an existential crisis that needs to be confronted immediately. <em>No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference </em>includes Thunberg's speeches and includes her 2019 address to the United Nations.</p>15. Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It by Tom Philpott (forthcoming August 2020)
<p>In <em>Perilous Bounty</em>, journalist Tom Philpott critically analyzes the centralized food system in the U.S. and argues that it is headed for disaster unless it sees some much-needed changes. Philpot argues that actors within the U.S. food system are prioritizing themselves over the nation's wellbeing and provides well-researched data to back up his claims. Providing readers insight into the experiences of activists, farmers, and scientists, this is a great read for those starting to learn about the state of the country's food system and for those who are already deeply involved.</p>16. Plucked: Chicken, Antibiotics, And How Big Business Changed The Way The World Eats by Maryn McKenna
<p>In this exposé on the chicken industry, acclaimed author Maryn McKenna explains the role antibiotics played in making chicken a global commodity. <em>Plucked </em>makes it clear that food choices matter and show how consumers' desire for meat, especially chicken, has impacted human health. McKenna also offers a way forward and outlines ways that stakeholders can make food safer again.</p>17. Stirrings: How Activist New Yorkers Ignited a Movement for Food Justice by Lana Dee Povitz
<p>Between 1970 and 2000, food activists in New York City pushed to improve public school lunches, provide meals to those impacted by the AIDS epidemic, and established food co-ops. In <em>Stirrings</em>,<em> </em>Lana Dee Povitz draws on oral histories and archives to recount the stories of individuals who led these efforts. She highlights the successes of grassroots movements and reminds readers of the many women leaders in the New York food justice movement.</p>18. The New American Farmer: Immigration, Race, and the Struggle for Sustainability by Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern
<p>In <em>The New American Farmer</em>, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern offers a look at farm labor in the U.S. Although most farm owners are white Americans, farm workers are overwhelmingly immigrants and people of color. In this book, Minkoff-Zern details the experiences of farm laborers who are becoming farm owners themselves and outlines the many barriers that workers must overcome during this transition. Through interviews with farmers and organizers, Minkoff-Zern shows that these farmers bring sustainable agricultural practices that can benefit our food system.</p>19. The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren
<p>Hope Jahren breaks down climate change for readers in an accessible and data-driven book. <em>The Story of More </em>explains<em> </em>how greenhouse gas emissions and consumption of natural resources in developed nations exacerbate climate change and outlines the consequences of these actions. Although she argues that the planet is in danger, she also provides a variety of everyday actions, like decreasing meat consumption, that consumers can take to make a difference.</p>20. Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry
<p>Author, chef, and food justice activist Bryant Terry provides readers with over a hundred recipes to create approachable and flavorful vegan dishes, without relying on meat alternatives. This book is a wonderfully practical recipe book that begins with a list of recommended tools, is organized by ingredients, and even includes a music playlist. Vegans and non-vegans alike will appreciate Chef Terry's <em>Vegetable Kingdom</em>.</p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Make+this+summer+a+season+of+reflection+and+self-education+with+Food+Tank%27s+reading+list+%E2%80%94+new+and+important+books+from+%40AMReese07%2C+%40GretaThunberg%2C+%40EmilyContois%2C+%40BryantTerry%2C+%40DrMChatelain%2C+and+more&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoodtank.com%2Fnews%2F2020%2F07%2Ffood-tanks-summer-2020-reading-list%2F&via=foodtank"><span></span></a>
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Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the UN and chair of the Global Center on Adaptation, is seen speaking during a press briefing on the upcoming Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 to be held Jan. 25 and 26. Sem van der Wal / ANP / AFP/ Getty Images
Political leaders from around the world appeared online for the first Climate Adaptation Summit on Monday aimed at preparing the planet for the effects of the climate crisis.
<p>The list of speakers included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The summit is being hosted by the Netherlands.</p><p>The host nation launched the event by announcing a pledge to pump €20 million ($24 million) into a fund to help the world's least-developed nations adapt to changes related to the climate.</p><p>A further €100 million ($121 million) has been earmarked to support sustainable farming in <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/vegetable-gardens-against-climate-change/a-44723671" target="_blank">Africa's Sahel region</a>.</p>
<p>The current and former heads of the UN Antonio, Guterres and Ban Ki-Moon, are also taking part in the meeting in order to produce an "adaptation action agenda."</p><p>U.S. President Joe Biden's newly appointed climate envoy John Kerry was also set to talk during the summit.</p><p>Kerry said on Thursday that he lamented the "wasted years" under Donald Trump's presidency when little was done to slow climate change.</p><p>One of Biden's first acts after entering the Oval Office was to sign an executive order to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/biden-signs-series-of-orders-recommits-us-to-paris-climate-accord/a-56295226" target="_blank">bring the U.S. back into the Paris Agreement</a>.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="Deutsche%20Welle" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- 'All Hands on Deck' Declares Ban Ki-moon at UN Climate Summit ... ›
- Climate Summit Aims to 'Take Ambition to the Next Level' - EcoWatch ›
- UN Urges World Leaders to Declare 'Climate Emergency' at Virtual ... ›
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Kidney stones are hard deposits that form in the kidneys. They are produced when minerals and salts, most commonly calcium oxalate, crystallize in the kidneys, creating hard, crystal-like stones. If you've ever had a kidney stone, we're sure you won't want to repeat the experience!
Ideally, you never want to have to go through this painful process. Fortunately, several steps and natural treatments can be used to reduce the chances of suffering them. In this article we'll examine how these annoying solidifications originate and how to treat them effectively and quickly with natural remedies.
<h1>What are Kidney Stones?</h1><p>Kidney stones are solid mass made up of tiny crystals. One or more stones may occur at the same time in the kidney or ureters. The stone formations can consist of calcium oxalate, phosphates, or cystine. Stone formation occurs when urine is high in certain crystal-forming substances. The stones have to travel through the<a href="https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/calculos-renales" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> urinary tract</a> to leave the body, which is known as eliminating kidney stones, something that can be utterly painful. </p><p>Deposits made of calcium are the most common ones, and they can be formed by combining with phosphate or carbonate. But there are also calcium oxalate stones, which involve a nutrient present in certain foods like spinach and vitamin C supplements. These can be recurrent in people suffering from small intestine diseases, increasing the risk of kidney stones.</p><p>The crystals can turn into stones over weeks or even months, so you may not have symptoms until the stones move down the tubes called ureters, through which urine empties into your bladder. This is why it is possible to have kidney stones without you noticing any discomfort at the beginning.</p><p>However, the main symptom is intense pain that begins and disappears suddenly. This acute pain can be around the abdominal area or a side of the back, and sometimes it spreads to the groin area. Some more advanced symptoms include an abnormal color of urine or blood in the secretion, shivering, fever, nausea, and vomiting.</p><h1>Kidney Stone Treatments</h1><p>Before trying any home remedies, it is necessary to speak with a doctor, especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions or you are taking prescription medication.</p><p>Kidney stones that cause serious problems can be treated with a technique called "<a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/kidney-stones/treatment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy</a>," which is a technique that can break up these stones from outside the body, allowing them to pass out through the urethra more easily. However, occasionally, surgery may be necessary.</p><p>For those who can spontaneously pass a stone, the conventional treatments are pain relievers and drinking lots of fluids. But if you already know that you frequently suffer from "silent" stones or those that do not cause symptoms, they can be mainly treated with preventive dietary measures alone. These methods include increasing fluids, modifying your diet, and taking medications or supplements that alter urine chemistry.</p><h1>Natural Remedies for Kidney Stones</h1>
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<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNTg2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDQzMjk0NH0.CxfL9p37i28Dy7o2jgWQJWmuVpvzqO8CAG2cNMVSQR0/img.jpg?width=980" id="76bf5" width="1280" height="733" data-rm-shortcode-id="285757819a14c127c005969d90fa605e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Joff Lee / The Image Bank / Getty Images</small></p>
<p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><h3>Water<br></h3><p>Make sure you are constantly hydrated. Drink enough liquid to generate at least<a href="https://soycomocomo.es/especialista/marc-verges/calculos-renales-o-piedras-en-el-rinon" target="_blank"> 2.5 liters</a> of urine daily. If you do not drink enough, the chances of developing deposits are more significant, and, therefore, the formation of stones will increase. If you avoid products from the processed food industry, you will already reduce sodium consumption, which is responsible for increasing urinary calcium excretion and present in high quantities in almost every preservative additive. Drinks such as sodas are a big facilitator for the formation of stones. This is why water—at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day—is the number one aid in both preventing and expelling kidney stones. </p><h3>Chanca Piedra</h3><p>This amazing herb, native to South America, is one of the best <a href="https://disolvatol.com/?ref=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">natural remedies for kidney stones</a>. It is rich in minerals that cleanse and detoxify the body, and it has been used for decades by the ancestral healers of Peru with wonderful results and a very low incidence of side effects. It is also used for the treatment of cystitis and urethritis resulting from the presence of calculi in either the kidney or bladder. </p><p>If you buy a Chanca Piedra product and aren't sure of its source, it's likely that it's not as potent as it could be. It's essential to choose reputable supplements to really take advantage of all the benefits and to be sure of its safety. <a href="https://disolvatol.com/?ref=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Disolvatol</a> is a supplement that uses 99.8% purity grade Chanca Piedra, making it an all-natural, safe, and effective herbal supplement designed to support kidney health.</p><h3>Apple Cider Vinegar</h3><p>Apple cider vinegar contains citric acid, which can help dissolve calcium deposits. Two tablespoons of pure apple cider vinegar mixed with 8 ounces (0.24L) of water can <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319418" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce the symptoms of kidney stones</a> and prevent their development. This mixture should be drunk several times a day and can be most effective when consumed before meals.</p><h3>Lemon Juice</h3><p>Citric acid consumption increases diuresis, and this benefits renal filtration. Therefore, juices that contain citric acid, such as lemon juice, have a diuretic effect and can help us for two reasons. The first is that they leave less calcium available in the urine, and the second is that 60% of the patients with kidney stones have a low level of citrate in the urine, which is responsible for preventing crystals from forming.</p><h3>Basil</h3><p>Basil contains compounds known to help stabilize uric acid levels, and since it contains acetic acid, it helps to dissolve existing stones too. By simply drinking one teaspoon of basil extract or pure juice a day for two weeks, you can pass your stones safely and naturally without surgery or drugs. Also, it can help prevent and treat possible future kidney stones.</p><h3>Pomegranate Juice</h3><p>Buying whole pomegranates and eating their seeds, or squeezing them for juice, is the easiest way to get the health benefits of this fruit. Pomegranate juice also contains compounds that decrease urine acidity, making it difficult to form stones. The astringent and antioxidant properties of pomegranates are believed to reduce the chances of developing kidney stones and facilitate their elimination.</p><h3>Olive Oil</h3><p>Olive is the fruit of one of the most ancient trees on earth. Its cultivation goes back at least eight thousand years. It is a natural remedy for kidney stones. Because olive oil contains a high amount of monounsaturated fats, it is an excellent alternative to facilitate the removal of kidney stones by lubricating the urinary tract.</p><p>A 5-ounce (0.15L) glass first thing in the morning and another in the late afternoon, ideally at the same time as other herbal or home remedies, can reduce pain and discomfort.</p><h3>Kidney Beans</h3><p>These small red beans provide a robust and nutty flavor and are a natural remedy against forming kidney stones. Kidney beans are rich in nutrients that can affect the uric acid cycle, preventing calcium oxalate crystals.</p><h3>Dandelion roots</h3><p>Dandelion root and honey blend have been used as folk remedies for kidney stones for more than 100 years. It contains compounds that increase the production of bile and urine, which helps eliminate waste from the body. It is recommended to take 3 to 4 cups daily in the form of tea or juice.</p><h3>Horsetail</h3><p>Horsetail is one of the most prevalent kidney stone natural home remedies used by holistic practitioners for years due to its apparent ability to increase urine flow. The standard dose of horsetail is 1 g in capsule or tea form up to three times daily. </p><h1>How to Prevent Kidney Stones</h1>
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<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNTg2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjU1ODkxMn0.G66cYOkdqw3LptrRSvhBVhMf15l-h4NfR0LSrnrdGTQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="a433a" width="1280" height="735" data-rm-shortcode-id="2f756fac28c9901c6ba3c575aa132a38" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">ericsphotography / E+ / Getty Images</small></p>
<p>Among the most common causes of kidney stones is a diet too rich in foods such as animal protein, bacon, dried legumes (peas, chickpeas, etc.), chocolate, cocoa, coffee, products with excess phosphorus or calcium.<br></p><p>Also, vitamin deficiency (in particular vitamins A), the acidity of the urine, or inflammation of the pelvis can play a role in kidney stones. Considering this, the primary tool to prevent kidney stones is to follow a healthy lifestyle, especially a <a href="https://vinculando.org/remedios_naturales/remedios_caseros_para_calculos_renales_calculos_biliares.html?format=pdf" target="_blank">diet based on</a> vegetables, and abundant fruits, especially pears and grapefruit. Avoid eating foods that are <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-kidney-stone-diet-not-as-restrictive-as-you-may-think" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">high in oxalate</a>, salt, and animal proteins, as well as eggs, strong cheeses, and alcohol.</p><h2>When to Consult With a Doctor</h2><p>Kidney stones are most common in men between the ages of 40 and 60. In many cases they can cause severe pain in the back, lower abdomen, or the side below the ribs. If not treated quickly, they can damage your kidneys, and they can even lead to a kidney infection, urinary tract infection, or complete kidney failure if they are left too long. It's a good idea to see a healthcare professional long before any of these complications arise.</p><p>If you have already been diagnosed with a blockage due to a stone, its expulsion should be confirmed either by trapping it in a filter during urination or with a follow-up X-ray under the supervision of a qualified doctor. Some cases could even require immediate surgery. Remember, having no pain does not in any way confirm or guarantee that the stone has already passed.</p><p>Warning signs that should be evaluated by a doctor include persistent lower abdominal or lower back pain lasting more than four weeks, fever, chills, or vomiting.</p><h2>Prevent the Formation of Kidney Stones Naturally</h2><p>We can use natural aids in the form of <a href="https://disolvatol.com/?ref=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">supplements</a>, herbs, or specific foods to help decrease kidney stones and improve urine diuresis. The best way to deal with kidney stones is to prevent them in the first place with naturally available nutrients and supplements. Knowing how to take advantage of the magical tools that Mother Nature puts at our disposal can make a tremendous difference in our well-being and lifestyle.</p><p><em><strong>Sarita Vanegas</strong> is a writer based in Medellín, Columbia, where she covers environmentally-friendly products, natural health, and plant-based remedies. A former Baselang teacher, she is also passionate about learning languages and exploring other cultures.</em></p>
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Environmental activists holding cilantro attend a protest in Zucotti Park on Earth Day on April 22, 2014 in New York City. John Moore / Getty Images
The devastating reality of the coronavirus pandemic has increased people's hunger for good news, as The New York Times reported April 14, leading to significant increases in Google searches and follower counts for good news accounts. Just in time, Covering Climate Now (CCNow) is here to meet that need with a week of coverage devoted to climate solutions.
<p><br/></p><p><br/></p>
<p>The week of coverage, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/earth-day" target="_self">Earth Day</a>, will run from April 19 to 26. It will amass stories from CCNow's more than 400 partner news organizations—with a total audience of nearly two billion people—to shine a light on how we can collectively address the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, from technological innovations like solar panels to policy moves like carbon pricing to activism and local and corporate initiatives.</p><p>"Whatever stories your newsroom decides to tell, our collective effort will constitute a solution in its own right," <a href="https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/climate-beat/announcing-our-april-week-of-coverage" target="_blank">the organization wrote</a>. "As the Canadian climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe says, the most important thing to do about climate change is to talk about it."</p>
<div id="d982b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="95ab909bbce0c99db59b8b735b4b4ee6"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1235535143114137603" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Journalists & @CoveringClimate partners! Join
our next joint coverage week (April 19-26) focused on Climate Solut… https://t.co/kONfvP8f6s</div> — Covering Climate Now (@Covering Climate Now)<a href="https://twitter.com/CoveringClimate/statuses/1235535143114137603">1583409507.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>CCNow <a href="https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/about" target="_blank">was founded</a> in April 2019 by the <a href="https://www.cjr.org/" target="_blank">Columbia Journalism Review</a> and <a href="https://www.thenation.com/" target="_blank">The Nation</a>, in association with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, in an effort to improve the quantity and quality of climate coverage. It helps its partner news organizations do this by providing best practices and story ideas, hosting conferences, sharing climate stories that partners can republish for free, publicizing its partners' best climate content and organizing coverage weeks like this one.</p><p>Its first coverage week was held during the lead-up to the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and generated at least 3,640 stories, according to the <a href="https://www.cjr.org/covering_climate_now/climate-journalism-collaboration.php" target="_blank">Columbia Journalism Review</a>. News outlets said the week succeeded in encouraging them to run more climate stories than they otherwise would have.</p><p>"We ended up doing more than two dozen stories that wouldn't have run except for this initiative," a senior editor at Bloomberg told the Columbia Journalism Review.</p>
<p>CCNow's <a href="https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/partners" target="_blank">partners</a> range from major wire services like Bloomberg and Reuters to local newspapers and magazines, plus websites like BirdWatching and Literary Hub. EcoWatch is also a partner.</p><p>There are <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3c75266def8a6d2dd23159/t/5e98806ae098a07bd78e5f38/1587052652029/CCNow+April+WoC+Preview_FINAL+%28Apr+16%29.pdf" target="_blank">lots of solutions stories</a> planned for the coming coverage week. Some examples include:</p><ul><li>A Guardian story about Microsoft's plan to go "carbon negative" by 2030.</li><li>A Nation interview with Michael Pollan about whether psychedelics can treat climate grief.</li><li>A Reuters profile of a Hong Kong restaurant that runs without food waste.</li><li>A Times of India piece about how the coronavirus lockdown is leading to cleaner air.</li></ul>
<p>"In the coming days, the Covering Climate Now partners will collectively publish hundreds of stories on climate solutions to create a groundswell of hope at a moment when the world feels bleak," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/19/the-guardian-joins-forces-with-hundreds-of-newsrooms-to-promote-climate-solutions" target="_blank">The Guardian wrote in its coverage announcement</a>.<br></p><p>But the coverage will still be rigorous.</p><p>"To be clear, highlighting solutions does not mean cheerleading or drifting into activism," CCNow wrote. "Our role as journalists is to report, to explain, to analyze, and to hold the powerful to account. But it is high time the media framing of the climate story shifts from a paralyzing gloom and doom to a clear-headed focus on how to get out of this mess."</p>
<p class=""><em>This story is published as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story</em>.</p>From Your Site Articles
- Media Coverage of Climate Change Increased in 2019 - EcoWatch ›
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Trending
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on January 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker-Pool / Getty Images
President Joe Biden signed a sweeping executive order Wednesday to address the climate crisis.
<p>The order set out a bold plan to prioritize climate action for both domestic and international policy while moving away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>, creating jobs and emphasizing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/environmental-justice" target="_self">environmental justice</a>.</p><p>"In my view, we've already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis and we can't wait any longer," Biden said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-before-signing-executive-actions-on-tackling-climate-change-creating-jobs-and-restoring-scientific-integrity/" target="_blank">press briefing</a>. "We see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bones, and it's time to act."</p><p>The Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad endorsed numerous actions, including:</p><ol><li>Hosting a Leaders' Climate Summit to boost international climate ambition ahead of the next UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties.</li><li>Determining new national emissions reduction goals per the terms of the Paris climate agreement.</li><li>Developing a financial plan to help developing countries act on and adapt to the climate crisis.</li><li>Creating a National Climate Task Force to shape the domestic response across agencies.</li><li>Working to ensure a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035.</li><li>Ensuring all federal vehicles are electric.</li><li>Increasing renewable energy production on federal land and waters, with a goal of doubling offshore wind power by 2030.</li><li>Pausing all oil and gas leases on public lands.</li><li>Ending fossil fuel subsidies.</li><li>Creating a Civilian Climate Corps.</li><li>Crafting a plan to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030.</li><li>Tasking fossil fuel workers with plugging methane gas leaks and handling other restoration work.</li><li>Creating a White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council to address the needs of communities that have been disproportionately harmed by pollution.</li><li>Mandating that 40 percent of federal climate investments are directed to marginalized communities.</li></ol>
<p>Also on Wednesday, Biden took executive actions to emphasize the importance of evidence-based decision making across the federal government. He created a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-presidents-council-of-advisors-on-science-and-technology/" target="_blank">President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology</a> and a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/memorandum-on-restoring-trust-in-government-through-scientific-integrity-and-evidence-based-policymaking/" target="_blank">Task Force on Scientific Integrity</a>. These actions follow attempts by the Trump administration to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-censorship-trump-2639315251.html" target="_self">dismiss mainstream climate science</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/national-climate-assessment-scientist-trump-2648849642.html" target="_self">interfere with government researchers.</a></p><p>"It is the policy of my Administration to make evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data," Biden wrote in the memorandum creating the scientific integrity task force.</p><p>Biden's actions were met with enthusiasm by environmental groups.</p><p>"The Biden-Harris administration has rolled out the most ambitious plan for a<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JustClimateFuture?src=hashtag_click" target="_blank"> #JustClimateFuture</a> in our nation's history," the Natural Resources Defense Council <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/status/1354502885774655490" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p>
<p>The youth-based Sunrise Movement, meanwhile, noted that the executive order included many items they <span style="background-color: initial;">had been fighting for,</span> including the emphasis on green jobs and environmental justice.</p><p>"Seeing this type of action from the Biden administration is great but also just the beginning of what we need to fully address and stop the climate crisis," the group <a href="https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1354603918555312130" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p><p>However, the Indigenous Environmental Network <a href="https://twitter.com/IENearth/status/1354539231910223876" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">felt more cautious</a>. The group applauded the pause on fossil fuel extraction, but said it would wait to celebrate until extraction finally ended. </p><p>"As for Biden's pledge to address climate and environmental justice, we are optimistic about the chance to work with his administration in those endeavors, but we stand by our principles that such justice on these stolen lands cannot be achieved through market-based solutions, unproven technologies and approaches that do not cut emissions at the source," the group wrote.</p>
<p>The fossil fuel industry was predictably less pleased. The Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies in the Western U.S., immediately filed a lawsuit against the pause on new fossil fuel leases, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/climate/biden-climate-executive-orders.html?campaign_id=51&emc=edit_MBE_p_20210128&instance_id=26488&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=88631294&section=topNews&segment_id=50446&te=1&user_id=d8eb7cee9d3c5ab39515239b6ec54d19" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p><p>"Penalizing the oil and gas industry kills good-paying American jobs, hurts our already struggling economy, makes our country more reliant on foreign energy sources, and impacts those who rely on affordable and reliable energy," Anne Bradbury, president of the American Exploration and Production Council, said in a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/biden-suspends-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-series-of.html" target="_blank">statement reported by CNBC</a>.</p><p>However, Biden and his top climate advisors pushed back against the oft-repeated assertion that climate action is bad for U.S. workers.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/01/27/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-special-presidential-envoy-for-climate-john-kerry-and-national-climate-advisor-gina-mccarthy-january-27-2021/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remarks to the press</a>, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry noted that fossil fuel jobs could take a toll on the workers who performed them.</p><p>"[Y]ou look at the consequences of black lung for a miner, for instance, and measure that against the fastest-growing job in the United States before COVID was solar power technician. The same people can do those jobs, but the choice of doing the solar power one now is a better choice," he said.</p>
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Greta Thunberg to Cross the Atlantic by Emissions-Free Boat to Attend UN Climate Summits
30 July 2019
Climate
Sailor Boris Herrmann (L) with Svante Thunberg and Greta Thunberg (R). Photo: Birte Lorenzen
By Andrea Germanos
Sixteen-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will head to the Americas next month, and, keeping in line with her climate commitment not to fly, she announced Monday that she will make the voyage by fossil fuel emissions-free boat.
<p>The roughly two-week long trip will begin mid-August and will take off from an undisclosed location in the UK and land in New York City. Thunberg will attend events including the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York in September and the UN climate summit known as COP25 in Santiago, Chile. The trip will take place while she's on a sabbatical year from school.</p><p>Thunberg posted the development on Twitter.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Good news!<br>I’ll be joining the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, COP25 in Santiago and other events along the way.<br>I’ve been offered a ride on the 60ft racing boat Malizia II. We’ll be sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the UK to NYC in mid August.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UniteBehindTheScience?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UniteBehindTheScience</a> <a href="https://t.co/9OH6mOEDce">pic.twitter.com/9OH6mOEDce</a></p>— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1155764342274629632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The boat, the Malizia II, is "a foiling sailboat built in 2015, which is fitted with <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar" rel="noopener noreferrer">solar</a> panels and underwater turbines to generate electricity on board the vessel," according to a <a href="https://www.borisherrmannracing.com/news/greta-thunberg-to-sail-across-the-atlantic-on-malizia-ii-to-continue-climate-campaign-in-the-americas/" target="_blank">statement</a>. It will be captained by professional sailors Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi, who is the grandson of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.</p><p>Casiraghi, in <a href="https://team-malizia.com/en/greta-thunberg-will-cross-the-atlantic-on-malizia-ii/" target="_blank">statement</a>, praised Thunberg's climate activism and said his team was "proud to take Greta across the Atlantic in this challenging mode of transport."</p><p>"I believe in bringing awareness about rising global emissions and pollution due to human activity. Convincing governments and international institutions to make the step and enforce laws that will protect mankind and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" rel="noopener noreferrer">biodiversity</a> is of the utmost importance for the future of humanity. Greta is an ambassador who delivers a fundamental message both for our society and for the survival of future generations."</p><p>"I respect Greta's courage to take on this adventure and fully commit, sacrifice and fight for probably the greatest challenge of humanity," he added.</p><p>Thunberg, for her part, framed the upcoming UN events as pivotal moments in the fight to tackle the climate crisis.</p><p>"The <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/" rel="noopener noreferrer">science</a> is clear," she said in a statement. "We must start bending the emissions curve steeply downwards no later than 2020, if we still are to have a chance of staying below a 1.5 degrees of global temperature rise. We still have a window of time when things are in our own hands. But that window is closing fast. That is why I have decided to make this trip now."</p><p>The youth activist also drew attention to the steady and ongoing stream of climate protests recently waged by young people and their allies.</p><p>"During the past year," said Thunberg, "millions of young people have raised their voice to make world leaders wake up to the climate and ecological emergency. Over the next months, the events in New York and Santiago de Chile will show if they have listened. Together with many other young people across the Americas and the world, I will be there, even if the journey will be long and challenging. We will make our voices heard."</p><p>"It is our future on the line, and we must at least have a say in it," she said. "The science is clear and all we children are doing is communicating and acting on that united science. And our demand is for the world to unite behind the science."</p><p>Joining Thunberg and the co-skippers on board will be Greta's father, Svante Thunberg, and filmmaker Nathan Grossman, who will document the voyage.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">'It Is Time to Rebel': Listen to Greta Thunberg on New Track From British Pop Rock Band The 1975 <a href="https://t.co/YKOPpfkFax">https://t.co/YKOPpfkFax</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Climatecrisis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Climatecrisis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gretathunberg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gretathunberg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Extinctionrebellion?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Extinctionrebellion</a> <a href="https://t.co/W2k9zcKozi">pic.twitter.com/W2k9zcKozi</a></p>— Renewable Search (@RenewableSearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RenewableSearch/status/1154729490452340736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/29/deliver-fundamental-message-survival-future-generations-greta-thunberg-sail-atlantic?cd-origin=rss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The coal-fired Belchatow Power Station is seen on November 29, 2018 in Rogowiec, Poland. Sean Gallup / Getty Images
European Union leaders reached an eleventh-hour agreement Friday to reduce the bloc's collective greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent of 1990 levels by 2030.
<p>The deal, hashed out over a negotiation all-nighter, managed to reconcile differences between wealthier Western European countries and Eastern European countries such as Poland that are still heavily dependent on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/world/europe/eu-climate-emissions.html#:~:text=E.U.-,Agrees%20to%20Slash%20Carbon%20Emissions%20by%202030,substantial%20reduction%20than%20previously%20proposed" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p><p>"Europe is the leader in the fight against <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate change</a>," European Council President Charles Michel tweeted Friday morning, <a href="https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1337296150580383744" target="_blank">announcing the news</a>.</p>
<div id="9cdc2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="97b83cd67a1260727f1519ae627fa752"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1337296150580383744" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Europe is the leader in the fight against climate change. We decided to cut our greenhouse gas emissions of at lea… https://t.co/65Pq9FHyn1</div> — Charles Michel (@Charles Michel)<a href="https://twitter.com/eucopresident/statuses/1337296150580383744">1607671222.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The deal comes after the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greta-thunberg-eu-climate-law-2645391457.html?rebelltitem=1" target="_self">drafted a law</a> in March that would make the 27-country bloc carbon neutral by 2050. Activists like Greta Thunberg criticized the plan for setting a benchmark so far in the future. While Thunberg also thought 2030 was too far of a target, analysts told The New York Times that Friday's deal makes the EU's 2050 target more credible.</p><p>European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen championed the new deal.</p><p>"Today's agreement puts us on a clear path to climate neutrality in 2050," The Guardian reported her saying. The agreement was also reached in time for von der Leyen to announce it at a virtual <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/virtual-climate-summit-2020-2649465278.html" target="_self">UN climate meeting Saturday</a>, The New York Times reported.</p><p>The deal came after the bloc failed to agree to a less-ambitious 40 percent emissions reduction target in October. Two key factors bridged the gap between coal-dependent members and the rest.</p>
<ol><li>The deal was reached after the EU agreed on a $2.2 trillion budget Thursday evening that includes funds for transitioning away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>.</li><li>The negotiators agreed to make the target a collective one so that each country will not be held to the same standards, and countries with more diverse energy sources can compensate for slower transitions from coal-dependent states.</li></ol><p>"We have an agreement which on the one hand allows us to realize the E.U. target, and on the other creates conditions for a just transition of the Polish economy and the energy sector," Polish minister of climate and environment Michal Kurtyka told The New York Times.</p><p>The deal will also focus on accelerating the transition to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicle" target="_self">electric vehicles</a> and mandate an investment of $420 billion a year this decade for decarbonizing the energy sector, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/eu-summit-climate/eu-leaders-clinch-deal-on-tougher-2030-climate-goal-idUSKBN28L0N3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p>
<p>The deal will now need to be approved by the European Parliament, which supports a more ambitious emissions reduction of 60 percent by 2030.</p><p>"It is important not to be fooled into thinking that a net target of 55 percent is sufficient," Jytte Guteland, the parliament member taking the lead on climate legislation, <a href="https://twitter.com/JytteGuteland/status/1337317060376932352" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted Friday</a>. "I have a strong mandate from the elected representatives in the European Parliament to push for more climate ambition. I intend to do that when we meet and negotiate."</p><p>The Guardian reported that the new commitment means that the EU now has one of the leading climate plans of any major economy. Still, several activists agreed with Guteland that the deal did not go far enough.</p><p>"Governments will no doubt call it historic, but the evidence shows this deal is only a small improvement on the emissions cuts the EU is already expected to achieve. It shows that political convenience takes precedence over climate science, and that most politicians are still afraid to take on big polluters," <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Greenpeace EU</a> policy advisor Sebastian Mang told The Guardian.</p><p>Colin Roche, <a href="https://www.foeeurope.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth Europe</a> climate justice coordinator, also said the EU should be more ambitious in its goals in order to meet its commitments under the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a>.</p><p>"Our leaders must go further to deliver Europe's fair share of global action to cut carbon and live up to the agreement they made in Paris five years ago," Roche told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/11/eu-leaders-agree-on-55percent-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reduction-target.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>. "Meanwhile if this new target is to be meaningful, planned new EU infrastructure spending must cut out all fossil fuels now."</p>
<p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p><span></span></p>From Your Site Articles
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5 Years After Paris: How Countries’ Climate Policies Match up to Their Promises
10 December 2020
Climate
Environmental activists protest during the UN Climate Action Summit, aimed at reinvigorating the faltering Paris agreement, on Sept. 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
By Morgan Bazilian and Dolf Gielen
This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement – the commitment by almost every country to try to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.
It's an ambitious goal, and the clock is ticking.
<p>The planet has already warmed by about 1°C since the start of the industrial era. That might not sound like much, but that first degree is <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank">changing the planet</a> in profound ways, from more extreme heat waves that put human health and crops at risk, to rising sea levels.</p><p>Bold visions for slowing global warming have emerged from all over the world. Less clear is how countries will meet them.</p><p>So far, countries' individual plans for how they will lower their greenhouse gas emissions don't come close to adding up to the Paris agreement's goals. Even if every country meets its current commitments, the world will still be on track to warm by more than 3°C this century, according to the United Nations Environment Program's latest <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank"><em>Emissions Gap Report</em></a>, released Dec. 9. And many of those commitments aren't yet backed by government actions.</p>
<img
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<p>The COVID-19 pandemic's economic slowdown likely reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/emissions-gap-report-2020" target="_blank">about 7% this year</a>, but that temporary dip will have very little effect, the report notes – unless countries prioritize a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/28/eu-green-recovery-package-sets-a-marker-for-the-world" target="_blank">green recovery</a>.</p><p>This fifth anniversary of the Paris agreement was intended to be a progress check, with countries expected to increase their commitments. But because of the pandemic, the meeting and negotiations were postponed to November 2021. A smaller online <a href="https://www.cas2021.com/latest/events/2020/12/12/climate-ambition-summit" target="_blank">Climate Ambitions Summit</a> is planned this year on Dec. 12 instead.</p><p>Despite the delay, some big goals have been announced. In particular, more countries are now committing to reach net zero carbon emissions by midcentury. The U.S. is also expected to rejoin the agreement next year under President-elect Joe Biden.</p><p>But how well-grounded are these climate commitments in actual budgets, policies and regulations? As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sfI-c0YAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">energy</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DAwwVkwAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">policy experts</a>, we have both been involved in global climate negotiations, technology analysis and policy design for the last two decades, and we have watched the national commitments for signs of progress.</p>
<h2>Ambitious Goals, But Missing Actions</h2><p>The Paris agreement's formal goal is to stay "well below" 2 degrees of warming. That's based on political negotiations and scientific research <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that models the increasingly harmful effects</a> rising temperatures will have on today's economies, agriculture and environment.</p><p>The sooner the world's emissions trajectory starts downward, the smoother the transition will be.</p><p>The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea each announced goals in recent weeks for reaching net zero carbon emissions by mid-century. But the detailed plans for how they will get there are largely missing.</p><p>Chinese President Xi Jinping drew global praise when he announced in September that his country's emissions – the highest in the world – would <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/china-carbon-emissions-420967" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">peak earlier than expected</a>, before 2030, and that China would strive to be carbon neutral by 2060. How and whether that happens will depend heavily on <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-politics-carbon-plan/xis-carbon-neutrality-vow-to-reshape-chinas-five-year-plan-idUSKBN27B08B" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the country's next Five Year Plan</a>, due in March. The leadership's priorities include expanding clean energy, but right now, China is still the world's largest coal user, and coal accounts for three-fifths of its energy supply.</p><p>South Korean President Moon Jae-in offered <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkora-environment-greenewdeal/south-koreas-moon-targets-carbon-neutrality-by-2050-idUSKBN27D1DU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more detailed goals</a> in November when he ordered government officials to develop a road map for transitioning to cleaner energy and carbon neutrality by 2050. He said his country would invest $7 billion in green projects, launch a carbon tax to encourage companies to reduce their emissions, and stop financing overseas coal plants. But those ideas, too, fall short of carbon neutrality in an economy that relies on energy-intensive industries.</p><p>The European Union is farther ahead. It established a net zero objective some time ago along with scenarios for how to get there. This summer, the EU also put climate-friendly projects at the heart of its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-summit-climate-change-factbox/factbox-how-green-is-the-eus-recovery-deal-idUSKCN24M19V" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pandemic recovery strategy</a>. EU member states are now expected to develop long-term strategies for 2050 and revise their <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-strategy/national-energy-climate-plans_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrated national energy and climate plans</a> through 2030.</p><p>The UK has announced a new 68% emissions reduction target for 2030. Meeting <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this target</a> will require the UK to double its efforts compared to the last three decades.</p>
Progress Toward Net Zero
<p>Two countries have achieved net zero emissions, largely due to their tiny populations and thick forests that store more carbon than the country emits. Six countries have net zero carbon targets in law. Five plus the EU have proposed legislation. Several others have targets in policy documents or under discussion.</p><img
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data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NDk5OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY4MDg5NDQyNH0.GpNuEsiHN9ctURhDN-bxPlh6W0eWPXVdyOhyDXCdolA/img.png?width=980"
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Data as of Dec. 7, 2020. Table: The Conversation / CC-BY-ND. Source: Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit Net Zero Tracker. Get the data
<h2>The Big Picture</h2><p>Overall, the current "nationally determined contributions" – the plans that countries submit to the UN spelling out how they will meet the Paris agreement – fall far short. A <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emissions-gaps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">five-fold acceleration in emissions reductions</a> is needed to come close.</p><p>Just days before the Ambitions Summit, <a href="https://climateactiontracker.org/climate-target-update-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only 13 countries had submitted new targets</a>, and seven had announced they would not update their targets or resubmitted old targets. However, nearly half of high-emitting countries have indicated they will raise their mitigation ambitions by the end of next year.</p><p>Twenty-one states and regions have set <a href="https://www.theclimategroup.org/AnnualDisclosure2020" target="_blank">long-term targets</a> to reduce their emissions by 75%-90%, but how these will be met is not clear, a recent analysis found. Most <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/10/22/cities-are-pledging-to-confront-climate-change-but-are-their-actions-working/" target="_blank">pledges by cities</a> are similarly aspirational.</p>
Countries With the Most CO2 Emissions From Fossil Fuels
<p>In 2019, the world's six largest CO2 emitters together accounted for 51% of the global population and 67% of total CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.</p><img
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data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk0NTA0MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDYyOTUzNX0.5E0QJkVAhSXI56gRcCHYzLAxKu6x7-KBkNngebchYyY/img.png?width=980"
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Chart: The Conversation / CC-BY-ND. Source: European Commission. Get the data
<h2>Ramping up Fast</h2><p>Even if established clean technologies like renewable energy are at the core of the transition, the pace of change required to meet the Paris goals remains daunting. Socioeconomic issues will also have to be put front and center.</p><p><a href="https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Sep/Reaching-Zero-with-Renewables" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Net-zero solutions</a> are technically conceivable for a range of energy-intensive industries, agriculture and transport methods, but the speed and scale at which they would have to ramp up to meet a 2050 deadline is formidable.</p><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2019.01.006" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Our analysis</a> found the deployment of renewable power would need to accelerate two- to three-fold. Global renewable energy use would need to go from around 20% of energy today to 65% by 2050, and from 28% to 85% of the power sector. Electric vehicle use would have to skyrocket, from less than 10 million EVs today to more than 1.5 billion by 2050.</p>
<h2>Filling in the Gaps</h2><p>To finance these transformations, investors need to be confident that the world is committed to a cleaner future. Perceived risk will drive up costs, and uncertain or delayed government action <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01312-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are big risks</a>. International financial organizations, along with green banks and development banks, have an important role to play in encouraging private investment.</p><p>Moving from a focus on high-level goals to detailed pathways will help.</p><p>The global climate talks can continue to help by focusing on the specifics of the national commitments, ensuring they are detailed, well-designed and budgeted, and updated regularly.</p><p>The international community will also need to support countries that need assistance. Climate change is not the primary priority for most jurisdictions – though it is an existential crisis for some, including some small island states. That needs to be acknowledged and built in to the goals and planning.</p>
<p>
<em>Morgan Bazilian is a professor of public policy and director of the Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines.<br/>
</em><em>Dolf Gielen is a Payne Institute fellow, at the Colorado School of Mines.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Dolf Gielen works for IRENA, an Intergovernmental Agency that advises its members on energy transition and climate. Morgan Bazilian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-years-after-paris-how-countries-climate-policies-match-up-to-their-promises-and-whos-aiming-for-net-zero-emissions-151722" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Doomsday Clock Moves to 100 Seconds Before Midnight Due to Threats of Nuclear War and Climate Change
24 January 2020
Science
The Doomsday Clock is now at 100 seconds to midnight. EVA HAMBACH / AFP via Getty Images
The Doomsday Clock is now 100 seconds to midnight, partly because of the climate crisis.
<p>That's the closest the clock has moved to the apocalypse since it was first started in 1947 to warn of the dangers of nuclear war, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51213185" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>.</p><p>"It is 100 seconds to midnight. We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds – not hours, or even minutes," President and CEO of the <a href="https://thebulletin.org/" target="_blank">Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists</a> Rachel Bronson said in a <a href="https://thebulletin.org/2020/01/press-release-it-is-now-100-seconds-to-midnight/" target="_blank">press release announcing the time change Thursday</a>. "It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency – an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay."</p>
<div id="e5501" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OU3EDQ1579874709"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1220523613113073664" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today, the Bulletin set the #DoomsdayClock closer than ever: It is 100 seconds to midnight. Read the full Clock sta… https://t.co/TjMcABm3Zv</div> — Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (@Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)<a href="https://twitter.com/BulletinAtomic/statuses/1220523613113073664">1579830480.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first nuclear bomb, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/23/799047659/the-end-may-be-nearer-doomsday-clock-moves-within-100-seconds-of-midnight" target="_blank">according to NPR</a>. It has 13 Nobel laureates on its board, which determines how close humanity is to annihilation each year, using the Doomsday Clock to raise awareness of global threats. This year, they were joined in the decision by the Elders, a group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela who work independently for peace and human rights, according to the press release.</p>
<p>"The Doomsday Clock is a globally recognized indicator of the vulnerability of our existence," Elder and former Irish President Mary Robinson said at the annual clock-unveiling ceremony, as NPR reported. "It's a striking metaphor for the precarious state of the world, but most frighteningly, it's a metaphor backed by rigorous scientific scrutiny."</p><p>The two groups made their decision to move the clock closer to the zero hour based on the two threats of nuclear war and climate change, compounded by the rise of false information online and the refusal of world leaders to act on these critical issues.</p>
<p>"Civilization-ending nuclear war — whether started by design, blunder, or simple miscommunication — is a genuine possibility. Climate change that could devastate the planet is undeniably happening. And for a variety of reasons that include a corrupted and manipulated media environment, democratic governments and other institutions that should be working to address these threats have failed to rise to the challenge," the bulletin wrote in a <a href="https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/" target="_blank">statement</a> explaining its decision.</p><p>On the nuclear front, the group cited several concerning foreign policy developments. These included increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which has continued to stockpile uranium after the U.S. pulled out of a nuclear deal. The group also mentioned the official end of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which has led the U.S. and Russia to begin developing previously banned weapons.</p><p>When speaking of climate change, the group called out the government of the U.S. for withdrawing from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a> and the government of Brazil for weakening protections for the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/amazon-rainforest" target="_self">Amazon rainforest</a>. But it also spoke of the general failures of world leaders to make any significant progress at either September's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/un-climate-action-summit-2640575796.html" target="_self">UN Climate Action Summit</a> or December's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/cop25-results-failure-2641606525.html" target="_self">COP25 in Madrid</a>.</p>
<p>The Doomsday Clock was set to two minutes to midnight in 2018 for the first time since 1953, when both the U.S. and the Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs. In 2019, the clock stayed at two minutes, but this year the bulletin decided to move it forward even further.</p><p>The group did say that there were things world leaders and citizens could do to move the clock backwards again. When it comes to the environment, they recommended that world leaders recommit themselves to the goals of the Paris agreement and that U.S. citizens pressure their government to acknowledge climate change and to act to address it.</p><p>"We ask world leaders to join us in 2020 as we work to pull humanity back from the brink," Robinson said in the press release. "The Doomsday Clock now stands at 100 seconds to midnight, the most dangerous situation that humanity has ever faced. Now is the time to come together – to unite and to act."</p>
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Greta Thunberg takes part in the Fridays for Future climate strike in Turin, Italy on Dec. 13, 2019. FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP via Getty Images
Sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg doesn't have any time for climate deniers, even if they are the president of the United States.
<p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cn3h" target="_blank">BBC Radio 4</a> Monday, she said she would not have spoken to President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> if she had had the chance during the UN <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-action-summit" target="_self">Climate Action Summit</a> in New York in September.</p><p>"Honestly, I don't think I would have said anything. Because obviously he's not listening to scientists and experts, so why would he listen to me?" Thunberg said, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/30/greta-thunberg-trump-climate-change-un-summit?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1hnk9_yGey29mvPjfx1VQmMOWvRRaieno4CnNn9gvpNsGXcze1ru_05VM#Echobox=1577722858" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. "So I probably wouldn't have said anything, I wouldn't have wasted my time."</p><p>Trump has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-begins-withdrawal-paris-agreement-2641223963.html" target="_self">moved</a> to withdraw the U.S. from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a> and he once <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-rejects-us-climate-report-2621629346.html" target="_self">dismissed</a> his government's own National Climate Assessment with the words, "I don't believe it."</p><p>While the activist and the president didn't speak at the summit, Thunberg <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greta-thunberg-speech-trump-2640574963.html?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4" target="_self">was caught on camera glaring at Trump</a> when he arrived at the UN, and the death stare went viral.</p><p>The next day, Trump seemed to mock Thunberg's emotional UN speech in which she accused world leaders of failing to act on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>.</p><p>"She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" he tweeted.</p>
<div id="4a90c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="02SOE01577804709"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1176339522113679360" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see! https://t.co/1tQG6QcVKO</div> — Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/1176339522113679360">1569296172.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Thunberg then pushed back by changing her Twitter bio to read "A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/24/greta-thunberg-trump-twitter-bio" target="_blank">The Guardian reported at the time</a>.</p><p>Trump and Thunberg sparred again on the social media platform in December after Thunberg was named <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greta-thunberg-person-of-year-2641568276.html" target="_self">TIME Magazine's Person of the Year</a>.</p><p>Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1205100602025545730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1205100602025545730&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-mocks-16-year-old-greta-thunberg-a-day-after-she-is-named-times-person-of-the-year%2F2019%2F12%2F12%2Ffc66f406-1cda-11ea-8d58-5ac3600967a1_story.html" target="_blank">tweeted</a> that her win was "ridiculous" and that she "must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!"</p><p>Thunberg once again changed her bio to read "a teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend," <a href="https://time.com/5756873/greta-thunberg-president-trump/" target="_blank">TIME reported</a>.</p><p>The activist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/bolsonaro-thunberg-indigenous-rights-2641567205.html" target="_self">trolled</a> far-right Brazilian President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jair-bolsonaro" target="_self">Jair Bolsonaro</a> in the same way after he called her a "brat" for speaking up about the murder of indigenous land defenders in the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/amazon-rainforest" target="_self">Amazon rainforest</a>.</p>
<p>In the interview Monday, Thunberg addressed the attacks she had weathered from world leaders.</p><p>"[T]hose attacks are just funny because they obviously don't mean anything," she said, according to The Guardian. "I guess of course it means something – they are terrified of young people bringing change which they don't want – but that is just proof that we are actually doing something and that they see us as some kind of threat."</p><p>Thunberg's remarks came as she guest-edited the radio station's <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07z5h48" target="_blank">Today program</a>.</p><p>Also during the program, Thunberg had a chance to speak to renowned nature broadcaster <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/David-Attenborough" target="_self">David Attenborough</a> for the first time.</p>
<div id="fd2f6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="EY1KMJ1577804710"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1211565610590769152" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">What happened when... @GretaThunberg met David Attenborough for the first time?
#r4today |… https://t.co/rsND6g7YSa</div> — BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBC Radio 4 Today)<a href="https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/statuses/1211565610590769152">1577694726.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The pair expressed their admiration for each other and their work. Thunberg said she had been inspired by Attenborough's documentaries, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-thunberg/i-wouldnt-have-wasted-my-time-on-trump-says-greta-thunberg-idUSKBN1YY0PV?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwAR05X65WnKvsQ38Q1hBbsPkSFR9uWyzjozJujkLsUu2OOjF3bn6r4nGxL7g" target="_blank">according to Reuters</a>.</p><p>"You have aroused the world," Attenborough told Thunberg.</p>
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Yard owner Ped Rossiter removes spare parts from a old, end-of-life Ford Transit as it is processed at Pylle Motor Spares and Metal Processing, a licensed scrap yard near Somerset in the UK in 2017 when the UK government had announced its ban on the sale of petrol and diesel powered cars and vans from 2040. The move followed similar pledges in France and has seen a number of car manufacturers offering substantial savings or 'scrappage' deals on new cars if customers trade-in older more polluting cars. Matt Cardy / Getty Images
Britain announced that it will ban sales of new diesel and gasoline powered cars in 15 years last week. That was five years earlier than expected, but necessary for the UK to reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a statement from the prime minister's office, as CNN reported.
<p>The UK's Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps, revised that number this week, when he told BBC Radio 5 Live it could happen by 2032, adding there would be consultation, as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51474769?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story" target="_blank">BBC reported</a>.</p>
<p>"Michael Gove announced the original 2040, the Prime Minister last week said actually we would like to do that by 2035 at the latest," Shapps said in the interview, as the <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1241215/petrol-diesel-car-ban-transport-secretary-grant-shapps-electric-cars" target="_blank">Express reported</a>. "We have said 2035 or even 2032. That's in consultation, we will say 2032-2035."</p>
<p>The 2032 target puts the UK in line with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Scotland" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scotland</a>, which, three years ago, pledged to ban sales of new combustion engine cars by 2032. However, Scotland does not have the authority to ban new cars, so it plans to phase out the need for combustion engines, by reducing the number of gas stations and adding many more charging stations, as the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51474769?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story" target="_blank">BBC</a> reported.</p>
<p>Glasgow, in Scotland, will host COP26 later this year, and the UK government is laying out its environmental proposals in the build-up the November UN conference, as the BBC reported. </p>
<p>The proposed ban also includes hybrid cars, so the only sales that will be allowed are fully electric or hydrogen cars and vans, according to the BBC.</p>
<p>Predictably, representatives from the automotive industry have balked against the timeline, raising concerns about whether the government would continue to subsidize sales of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" rel="noopener noreferrer">electric vehicles</a>, a dearth of charging infrastructure, and potential job losses, as CNN reported.</p>
<p>"It's extremely concerning that government has seemingly moved the goalposts for consumers and industry on such a critical issue," Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said in a statement, as CNN reported. "With current demand for this still expensive technology still just a fraction of sales, it's clear that accelerating an already very challenging ambition will take more than industry investment."</p>
<p>The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders's numbers show that while electric car sales rose 144 percent last year in the UK, they make up less than two percent of the total number of cars on the road, as the Express reported. In 2019, nearly 1.5 million new combustion engines cars were sold in Britain. Only 37,000 electric cars were sold. </p>
<p>Since charging infrastructure is not in place yet, many car buyers have anxiety about running out of a charge and being stuck. In his interview, Shapps sought to ease anxiety by assuring the public that additional infrastructure for electric cars was part of the government's budget.</p>
<p>"We have domestic car producers and we want to help them to transition so we are doing a lot of work," Shapps said in his interview, as the Express reported. "In fact tomorrow I'm meeting with the car manufacturers on this very subject. We are putting in about £1.5billion at the moment and there is more to come."</p>
<p>Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that no driver will be more than 30 miles away from a charging station. Yet, a considerable investment is needed to make that claim a reality, according to the Express.<a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1241215/petrol-diesel-car-ban-transport-secretary-grant-shapps-electric-cars" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p>The commitment pairs the UK with several countries phasing out greenhouse gas emitting combustion engines, including <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Norway" rel="noopener noreferrer">Norway</a>, which wants all new passenger cars and vans sold in the country to be zero-emission vehicles by 2025, and India, which has called for new cars sold there to be powered by electricity by 2030, as CNN reported.</p>
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UK Government Plans to Lead Global Coalition Against Illegal Logging and Deforestation
13 February 2020
Politics
The UK government is looking to take charge of a major crackdown on the illegal and largely unregulated plundering of forests in developing nations. The UK plans to form a coalition of developing countries to combat the practice as part of its duties as host of the UN's COP26 climate summit in November, as The Guardian reported.
<p>The illegal clear-cutting of forests for timber, palm oil, cattle ranching, or mining and drilling exploration is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, but many countries where the worst offenders are lack the institutional tools to stop the practice. The UK's Department for International Development will lay out its plans to support strengthening the rule of law, support responsible forest-management, and provide law enforcement help to stop illegal logging, as <a href="about:blank" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>The plans come at a time when help is desperately needed from policy makers, since many of the world's wealthiest companies have made no public commitment to stop illegal <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a> in their supply chain, according to a new report from UK-based <a href="https://www.globalcanopy.org/what-we-do/supply-chains/forest-500" target="_blank">Global Canopy</a>, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-companies-forests/half-of-top-businesses-lack-commitment-to-prevent-supply-chain-deforestation-report-idUSKBN2062T0" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.</p>
<p>The Global Canopy report called Forest 500 looked at 500 companies and financial institutions that have the most effect on tropical forests. It tracks their practices and their self-reporting on commitment to tamp down on deforestation. The study yielded some disturbing results that show the need for government action.</p><p>Global Canopy found that 40 percent of the 350 companies that produce, trade, use or sell the largest amounts of six key commodities made no public declaration to prevent deforestation in their operations and supply chains, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-companies-forests/half-of-top-businesses-lack-commitment-to-prevent-supply-chain-deforestation-report-idUSKBN2062T0" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported. Some of the companies that have not made such a declaration include Amazon and luxury fashion groups such as Capri, which owns Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.</p>
<p>The numbers for banks were worse. Nearly 70 percent of the 150 banks and investment houses funding the companies have been silent about deforestation, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-companies-forests/half-of-top-businesses-lack-commitment-to-prevent-supply-chain-deforestation-report-idUSKBN2062T0" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. The offenders include four of the world's five biggest asset managers — BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street and Fidelity Investments.</p><p>The UK government is hoping the coalition built at COP26 will reverse the trend.</p><p>"The illegal timber trade robs the earth of trees, which not only help stop <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a>, they also play a critically important role in maintaining the world's threatened <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a>," said Zac Goldsmith, a minister for international development, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/13/uk-lead-global-fight-illegal-logging-deforestation-cop-26" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported. "This is a huge success story for the UK and for the world, and sets the scene for what we hope will be a successful year of international cooperation in the run-up to COP 26."</p>
<p>A new amount of cooperation and commitment on a global scale is needed. After all, the UK tried to curb illegal deforestation nearly six years ago. In that move from September 2014, the Department for International Development sought to enhance relationships with companies and farmers in developing countries to create multinational supply chains free from unsustainable deforestation, according to a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-tackle-deforestation-in-developing-countries" target="_blank">government announcement</a>.</p><p>And yet, six years later, illegal deforestation is a growing problem on a troubling trend line.</p><p>"The picture as a whole is quite bleak obviously, with deforestation rates still rising," said Sarah Rogerson, author of the Forest 500 study, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-companies-forests/half-of-top-businesses-lack-commitment-to-prevent-supply-chain-deforestation-report-idUSKBN2062T0" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported. "Clearly something is not working and that's basically because there is not a sector shift."</p><p>Zak Goldsmith pointed out that the UK's efforts have made some positive steps, noting that UK intervention led to the prosecution of an illegal logger in Indonesia and helped China strengthen its commitments to ending the trade, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/13/uk-lead-global-fight-illegal-logging-deforestation-cop-26" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p><p>"These are vital steps towards making sure there is no safe harbor for illegal timber anywhere in the world," he said, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/13/uk-lead-global-fight-illegal-logging-deforestation-cop-26" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported. "The UK will continue to work with China, Indonesia and our other international partners to protect the world's forests for future generations."</p>
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Countries Pledge to Reverse Destruction of Nature After Missing Biodiversity Targets
28 September 2020
Politics
A sea turtle and tropical fish swim in Oahu, Hawaii. M.M. Sweet / Moment / Getty Images
By Ajit Niranjan
Leaders from across the world have promised to turn environmental degradation around and put nature on the path to recovery within a decade.
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<p>"We are in a state of planetary emergency," the 65 leaders, who include German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, wrote ahead of a UN <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> summit on Wednesday. "We commit ourselves not simply to words, but to meaningful action and mutual accountability."</p><p>The commitments, which come two days before a UN biodiversity summit in New York, include eliminating <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastic</a> leakage to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a> by 2050 and <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/the-time-has-come-for-humanity-to-go-through-its-next-evolution/a-53589043" target="_blank">incentivizing banks and businesses</a> to value the natural world. The leaders identify unsustainable production and consumption as a key driver of environmental crises that "require urgent and immediate global action."</p><p>But strongmen leading some of the world's biggest polluters — <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/climate-emissions-paris-agreement/a-55044341" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S., China, India, Russia and Brazil</a> — are not among the signatories.</p>
<h3>Missed Targets</h3><p>The pledge follows the September publication of a landmark assessment of biodiversity which showed humanity had failed to fully achieve any of the 20 global biodiversity targets set by the UN ten years ago. Just six of them had been "partly achieved," the report said. For one goal, on protecting <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/great-barrier-reef-suffers-third-mass-bleaching-in-5-years/a-52921894" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coral reefs</a>, the world was found to be moving in the opposite direction.</p><p>Data from individual governments shows that a third of national biodiversity targets, which are set by the countries themselves, are on track to be met or exceeded. But these are less ambitious than the UN targets and less than a quarter match up well with the global goals to protect nature.</p><p>The vision for biodiversity set out in 2010 is only achievable if the world responds to "compelling evidence" that "transformative change" is required, said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity, which prepared the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) report.</p>
<h3>Global Decline in Biodiversity</h3><p>The charge sheet is long. Pollution from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/environment-conservation-plastic-oceans/a-54436603" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plastics</a> and pesticides have not been brought down to safe levels. Governments still subsidize businesses that <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/insect-apocalypse-dying-ecosystem-species-loss-a-52160360/a-52160360" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">damage ecosystems</a>. Coral reefs, which are dying across the world, are struck by the triple-threat of human action: climate change, pollution and overfishing. Some of those drivers are getting worse.</p><p>And even where there is progress, it is rarely enough. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/illegal-logging-mining-threaten-an-amazon-river-community/a-45631645" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deforestation</a> should have been halted by now, but has only been cut by a third, with Asia and Europe gaining forests while Africa and South America lose them at a faster rate.</p><p>Conservation efforts have saved species like the Puerto Rican amazon parrot and the Mongolian Przewalski's horse. But they have failed to keep others like the Western Black Rhino or the Christmas Island pipistrelle from being wiped out forever.</p><p>While the big trends in biodiversity loss were already known, the UN report included "systematic analysis" on how well the world has achieved the 2010 targets, said Josef Settele, an ecologist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Germany, who contributed research to the report but was not involved in writing it.</p>
<h3>Conservation Progress</h3><p>"There is also some brightness," Settele added. "The things we are doing are not completely in vain."</p><p>For instance, almost 100 countries have incorporated biodiversity values into national accounting systems. Over the last 20 years, the world has increased the share of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/mauritius-oil-spill-compensation-pay/a-54725675" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">protected areas</a> from 10% to 15% on land and from 3% to 7% in water.</p><p>There are now more fish in waters managed by good fishing policies. Governments are increasingly eradicating invasive species from islands. And since 1993, conservation actions have prevented the extinction of between 28 and 48 bird and mammal species, according to a study published this month in the journal <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12762" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Conservation Letters</a> — though many remain highly threatened and may still become extinct.</p><p>"The progress toward conserving life on earth has been much greater than it would have been [without action]," said Thomas Brooks, chief scientist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, who was a co-author of the Conservation Letters study but was not involved in the GBO. "The absolutely key question is how to scale up from where things currently are, in terms of responses, to meet targets comprehensively."</p>
<h3>Protecting Wildlife, Not Just Individual Species</h3><p>The way to get that scale, according to the GBO report, is by "mainstreaming" the opportunities and responsibilities from protecting nature. That means every level of society — from individuals and local communities to businesses and national governments — would need to factor biodiversity into their economic decisions.</p><p>Like climate change, ecological collapse is happening at breakneck speed. A 2019 report by IPBES, the UN panel of biodiversity experts, found that humans are altering the natural world at an "unprecedented pace" and threatening 1 million animal and plant species with extinction.</p>
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<p>Scientists say both issues require systemic changes, but individual actions can help. Agriculture is one of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. A study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2705-y" target="_blank"><em>Nature</em></a> this month found that more than two-thirds of future biodiversity losses could be avoided by conserving and restoring land, reducing food waste and switching to more plant-based diets.</p><p>They are among many actions laid out in the GBO report to reduce and eventually restore lost biodiversity.</p><p>If we do not act faster, said Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Program, "biodiversity will continue to buckle" under the weight of overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive alien species and changes to land and sea. "This will further damage human health, economies and societies — with particularly detrimental effects on <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/environment-nature-rights-indigenous-activism-legal-personhood/a-52186866" target="_blank">indigenous peoples</a> and local communities."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/global-biodiversity-outlook-targets-extinction-summit-new-york-pledge/a-54932895?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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- The UN Wants to Protect 30% of the Planet by 2030 - EcoWatch ›
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- European Top Court Upholds French Ban on Bee-Harming Pesticides - EcoWatch ›
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