Climate Change

Companies going quiet about their climate efforts is becoming a massive global trend

Szilvia Szabó — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 09:13:09 +0000

Companies going quiet about their climate efforts is becoming a massive global trend

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Climate Communication

Climate Action

Climate Change

Business

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Climate Communication

In recent years, business climate communication has become a spotlight issue to fight off greenwashing, and watchdogs are regularly fining companies for misleading marketing and advertising activities, as has happened lately to Shell with one of their public campaigns on green energy.

Besides, new regulations are shaping the landscape as the EU Parliament and Council new rules are coming to ban generic environmental claims and provide consumers with better product information from 2026.

All these changes seem to put too much pressure on companies, making them afraid to go public about their climate initiatives or plans.

According to the latest Net Zero Report released in January by South Pole, a global organisation supporting companies to achieve net zero emissions, the majority of surveyed companies are intentionally keeping quiet, decreasing their climate communications, otherwise known as 'greenhushing', despite increasing investment in carbon management and climate action.

Data collected from climate-conscious companies revealed that 70 per cent of them admit to 'greenhushing', which is present across nearly every major sector worldwide, from fashion to tech, consumer goods, oil and even environmental services.

The report explored why companies choose not to publicise their climate strategies or goals and deliberately decrease or cease external communications around them by surveying over 1,400 companies with dedicated sustainability leads across 12 countries and 14 sectors.

Reflecting on the result, John Davis, Interim CEO of South Pole, said:

“It reveals that regulation, industry requirements on reporting on climate goals and heightened scrutiny from various stakeholders are the core reasons for companies keeping quiet about their climate goals and progress.”

Scaling down communication happens despite most surveyed respondents (81 per cent) claiming to be on track to meet their net zero goals and recognise the value of communicating climate action.

John Davis, Interim CEO of South Pole. Image source: South Pole

Consumer goods companies marketing food, beverages, and household goods were more likely to be `greenhushing` (86 per cent), more than the oil and gas industry (72 per cent).

Controversially, 93 per cent of surveyed companies see communications as crucial to commercial success, and nearly half (46 per cent) say that customer demand is the number one reason to pursue net zero targets for the third year in a row.

Yet, they are holding back on connecting climate action and communication.

Besides customers, the desire to have better oversight of supply chain risks and to future-proof operations are the leading drivers for pledging net zero goals, surpassing the need to stay ahead of the competition.

Drivers to set net zero company targets over the years. Image source: Net Zero Report 2024, South Pole

Nearly half (44 per cent) of surveyed businesses claimed that due to lack of clarity and changing regulations, they find it more difficult than before to communicate about their net zero plans and actions despite the vast majority (81 per cent) of companies saying it is good for their bottom line.

The study showed that 2025 to 2030 is the most common net zero target year range, which raises some questions about delivering meaningful results.

The Net Zero Report found that over three quarters (76 per cent) of researched companies claim to be increasing their budgets to meet their net zero targets, and the vast majority say they feel like they are “on track" to meeting targets.

“Our latest research shows that too many companies in the surveyed cohort are working towards highly optimistic, possibly even unrealistic, net zero target dates of by 2030 or earlier.

The coming years will either bring unprecedented industry transformations or deep disappointments,”

says Franziska Sinner, Senior Director of Climate Strategies at South Pole.

She adds:

"What remains crystal clear today, however, is that corporate leaders must step up and speak up if we are to make a dent in this terrifying climate challenge.”

According to another research by Net Zero Tracker, the number of company net zero targets has risen by more than 40 per cent in 16 months from 2022 to 2023 based on numbers from assessing 1000 companies' net zero targets from the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest companies.

However, only 4 per cent of these commitments meet the revised ‘Starting Line criteria’ set out in 2022 by the UN Race to Zero campaign, aiming to have clear and specific measurements and actions in place for carbon offsetting, reduction, and reporting progress.

This resonates with results based on analysing South Pole’s proprietary database of 77,000 listed companies, showing that only 8 per cent have set a net zero target, with 92 per cent having no targets or progress.

The data collected by South Pole in the Net Zero Report for the fourth year strongly suggests that most companies struggle to find the confidence to go public about their carbon management mainly because of their fear of scrutiny by stakeholders, regulatory requirements, and lack of guidance on best practices.

The lack of communication can jeopardise progress on climate action in the business community since there will be no best practices to follow or lessons to learn from.

Headline Image by DilokaStudio on Freepik

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January 2024

Why was a Shell green ad banned in the UK?

Bronagh Loughlin — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:56:38 +0000

Why was a Shell green ad banned in the UK?

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greenwashing

Climate Change

Topic

Climate Communication

News Analysis by Institute of Sustainability Studies.

Shell, the global group of energy and petrochemical companies, has come under fire for an ad campaign that promoted the company’s green initiatives. The ad campaign was banned for not reflecting that a majority of the business is based on environmentally damaging fossil fuels like petrol.

They ran a TV, YouTube, and poster campaign pushing renewable electricity, car charging points, and wind initiatives. One of the ads read, “From electric vehicle charging to renewable electricity for your home, Shell is giving customers more low-carbon choices and helping drive the UK’s energy transition. The UK is ready for cleaner energy.”

The Anglo-Dutch oil company has shared its goals to become a net zero-carbon energy business by 2050. However, it has also announced it will continue to grow its gas business by over 20 per cent over the next five years. Green campaigners worry that whilst Shell has set a climate strategy, it may still increase its emissions in the coming decade.

Why was the ad banned in the UK?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated the Shell ad after campaigning group Adfree Cities made a complaint.

ASA is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media, adopting the Advertising Codes created by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP).

Over the past number of years, they have been increasingly focused on environment-related advertising issues and cracking down on advertisements that include misleading environmental claims and social responsibility.

The advertising authority has also banned ads in the UK by Spanish oil company Repsol and Malaysia’s Petronas for not offering complete information on their carbon reduction strategies and activities.

In 2022, the authority banned other “misleading” ads, such as Tesco's plant-based burger ad, a Persil advert, and two HSBC adverts.

How did Shell respond to the ads being banned?

In response to the ad being banned, Shell spoke out, stating that the goal of the ads was to raise awareness of the variety of lower-emission energy products it offers.

They also said that mentioning high-carbon Shell products in the ads would have been counterproductive and would have diluted the impact of the ads’ positive sustainability message.

Shell defended their claims and critised the decision to ban their ad. Image: Photographic Services, Shell International Limited

The ad being banned resulted in the energy company criticising the ASA’s decision.

They said the decision to ban their ads was shortsighted and that the decision would risk slowing the UK’s desire to switch to renewable energy.

Additionally, Shell claimed that people are aware that the company produces gas and oil they depend on today because when they fill up at their petrol stations across the UK, it is under the very recognisable Shell logo.

The ASA responded that although most consumers associate Shell with energy products derived from fossil fuels, they are also aware that businesses in these sectors are trying to reduce emissions in response to the climate emergency.

hey continued by saying that advertisements like these risk misleading consumers if companies exaggerate the role that low-carbon initiatives would play in the future as part of the overall balance of an organisation’s activities.

Summary

The ads stated that 1.4 million homes in the UK are utilising 100 per cent renewable electricity from Shell and that they are fitting 50,000 electric vehicle chargers across the globe by 2025 and are working on wind electricity, which will power 6 million homes.

ASA ruled that the nature of the ads gave the impression that low-carbon energy products comprised a significant portion of the energy products Shell invested in and sold in the UK last year or were likely to do so in the future.

While Shell claims it had good intentions in sharing the available alternatives, the ASA cited Shell’s 2021 Sustainability Report, revealing that its operations produced 1,375 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Investing in wind energy is amongst Shell`s future strategic plans to provide sustainable energy sources. Image: Photographic Services, Shell International Limited

Headline image: Photographic Services, Shell International Limited

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September 2023

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Why do ambitious changemakers upskill in Climate Entrepreneurship?

Bronagh Loughlin — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 17:21:41 +0000

Why do ambitious changemakers upskill in Climate Entrepreneurship?

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Choosing a trailblazer postgraduate course focusing on climate action is becoming a top choice for innovators wanting to make a positive impact in Ireland.

The first course of its kind, the Postgraduate Certificate in Climate Entrepreneurship hosted by Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workplace in Dublin, offers students a hands-on learning experience to tackle climate change with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Applications are currently open until the 16th of August for this part-time, blended learning experience delivered in person and online, with teaching lessons held two evenings per week.

This unique course was developed in collaboration with the School of Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin and is now kicking off for a second year to equip participants with knowledge and tools to handle both the opportunities and challenges arising from the climate emergency.

Professor Quentin Crowley, Course Director and the Director of Trinity College’s Centre for the Environment, speaks about who the programme is suitable for:

“A key aspect of the course is that it is very multidisciplinary because climate change is very systemic and is not something that will be solved with one solution.

We need different actors, sectors, and thinkers, so regardless of your background, we encourage you to apply.”

The course aims to provide an integrated approach to preparing students for the opportunities and challenges emerging from the climate crisis.

Professor Quentin Crowley, Climate Entrepreneurship Course Director at Tangent, Trinity College Dublin

All those who wish to turn their climate action ambitions into reality can develop their lateral and critical thinking skills in this course, enabling them to take innovative approaches across numerous fields.

Graduates will have the creative confidence to transform ideas into solutions.

Shanna May Breen, a past student from the first intake, shares why she decided to apply for the Climate Entrepreneurship programme:

“I’m a creative, my background is in theatre making. Around four and a half years ago, I became quite worrisome in terms of climate issues. I started developing projects that looked at climate to make that intelligible for me."

Shanna took her idea even further and developed a business called Tree Zero.

Shanna May Breen, graduated from the first Postgraduate Climate Entrepreneurship course.

"I’m not only a Climate Artist now, but I’m also a Climate Entrepreneur.”

Since the course’s completion, she has been developing this product alongside Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers programme with top sustainable European designers.

The course is best suited to those who want to actively address climate change and equip themselves with the creative confidence and innovation skills to transform their ideas into solutions.

The content covered in the classes is centred around three main modules, including systems innovation for positive climate action, entrepreneurship opportunities in climate adaptation and mitigation, and climate enterprise development.

Caithriona McCarthy, another graduate of the course, speaks about why she decided to join: “For the last 10 years, I’ve been teaching sustainable horticulture and sustainable agriculture in the west of Ireland."

Participating in the Climate Entrepreneurship course helped Caithriona McCarthy to design a climate education programme for children. Image: Edible Landscape Project

"As a result of doing the Climate Entrepreneurship course, we were able to better communicate our message,” McCarthy adds.

She quickly adopted her learning, and by the time Caithriona finished the course, she had designed a climate education programme for children focusing on system thinking with her team.

Joining the Climate Entrepreneurship course will help students be better prepared to reduce the future social and economic costs of the climate crisis while encouraging communities, businesses, and individuals to play their part.

Caithriona also highlights the added value of working in teams:

“I think the group work was brilliant because we were so motivated and that made us work well with each other. I’ve stayed in touch with groups I’ve worked with and bounced ideas off them too.”

Those on the programme benefit from access to leading academics and a world-class entrepreneurial community as well as exclusive networking opportunities with regular guest talks by industry leaders, masterclasses, and events.

About the content, Shanna May Breen adds: :

“I think the course is so interesting that you are eager to log on and meet up each evening.

It was a very active course to participate in, and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

The Postgraduate Certificate in Climate Entrepreneurship will begin in September 2022 and runs until March 2023.

Springboard+ covers 100% of course fees for eligible, unemployed applicants, and those who are employed pay just 10% fees at €375 for a level 9 qualification from Ireland’s leading university.

You can learn more and submit your application here.

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August 2022

What makes changing the world so difficult?

Sinead Connolly — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:02:24 +0000

What makes changing the world so difficult?

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Despite having the evidence and realising the need for change to address the grand societal challenges of our time, it is still not happening at the pace and scale you would expect. But why?

You can put together a long list of why making change happen is difficult. It is complex and requires more data, discussions, planning, resources, and so on.

But one of the simplest and most overlooked reasons is that in order to change the world, we need to first change on a personal level. And this is more complicated than it sounds.

Before even moving forward to explore the nature of change, we should take a step back to understand the term better. Based on the definition of Addison-Wesley (1991), Change is situational, like a new boss, a new team role, a new policy. While Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external, transition is internal.

Therefore, whenever we are talking about personal change, we need to look at the process of transition.

We deal with infinite changes throughout our lifetime, which can be great or small, anticipated or unforeseen. Whether positive or negative, any transition may mean a period of adjustment. Accepting the new reality is even more difficult if it is unexpected or out of our control.

The whole process is problematic because it is a loss of the familiar, and our initial reaction can be one of shock and resistance.

In order to understand how people react to change over a period of time, we can draw on the expertise of the Scott and Jaffe Change Grid Model. Cynthia Scott and Dennis Jaffe developed this model and first introduced it in their article, ‘Survive and Thrive in Times of Change’ in 1988. The model, which has been attributed to psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief Model, shows a progression of four stages as people react to change.

There are different emotional reactions to each stages of processing change.

The reason for drawing a parallel between change and grief is because letting go of the old is experienced as a form of grieving. Another element to add to the mix of why it is challenging to start change.

The first stage of this model is Denial, which can take the form of ignoring the change, downplaying it or acting as if it will never happen.

The next stage, Resistance, is driven by fear of loss. In this phase, feelings of anger, bitterness and frustration will abound. People will resist moving forward as they don’t believe there is anything to gain from making a change.

Eventually, this is followed by the Exploration phase, when we have accepted that the change is unavoidable and new methods are finally explored.

Finally, the Commitment stage is characterised by a focus on the future and a pledge to the new mode of living/operating.

The above mentioned original concept developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in the 1960’ has been adopted and further elaborated by change management practitioners to help leaders manage people while introducing changes in organisations.

The seven-phase transition or change curve is a valuable tool in the hands of modern leaders if they aim to deliver change, create a new status quo and engage their team along the way. This model can also be a powerful tool in understanding the ignorance and resistance to change regarding climate action.

Rather than blaming people for their inaction, we can look at ways to help them overcome the challenges associated with the different stages of transition.

Since the first humans walked the earth, we as a race have been adapting to and evolving to suit and shape our surroundings. Modern humans survived because we developed a unique combination of physical and behavioural characteristics, many of which other early human species also possessed, though not to the same degree.

As we mourn the many losses of the pandemic and face the uncertainty of the climate crisis, it’s natural to fear further upheaval or change.

However, whether we want it or not, change is the only constant and living a full life means accepting the challenges along with the celebrations.

Challenges offer opportunities for greater connections and growth; from that new vantage point, we can re-evaluate where we want to go.

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June 2022

Short film to amplify the voices of women in climate negotiations

Business Spirit News reporting — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 14:13:00 +0000

Short film to amplify the voices of women in climate negotiations

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Campaign organisation ‘SHE Changes Climate’ has released a video highlighting the need for gender-balanced climate negotiations to mark International Women’s Day.

Activist not-for-profit ‘SHE Changes Climate’ has launched a short film to raise awareness about gender inequality in addressing the climate crises and inspire action to get more women at the top decision-making level.

Producers hope to amplify the missing voice of women in climate negotiations by featuring eight influential female climate change-makers.

Campaign organisers say that research shows that women are most likely to drive climate initiatives.

Yet, they are still not represented adequately at climate negotiations.

One of the female leaders appearing in the short film, Atossa Soltani, Director of the Sacred Headwaters Initiative, describes her experience with climate action:

“When I look at the forest protection movement, when I look at community organisations, when I look at amazing projects that are helping protect forests, the vast majority are led by women.”

Atossa Soltani, Director of the Sacred Headwaters Initiative; Image: SHE Changes Climate

According to a United Nation’s report, women are disproportionately suffering from the impacts of climate change, and 80% of people displaced by climate crises are also women.

“The climate crisis affects us all, yet the perspectives on, and decisions about how to tackle the crisis have been made mainly by men,” says Bianca Pitt, Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate.

“Enough is enough. Women must be represented in climate negotiations.”

Official trailer - SHE Changes Climate

Campaigners call on world leaders to implement the Gender Action Plan from COP25 Climate Conference and deliver on their commitment to promote gender equality in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process.

“When more women are elected to parliament, stronger environmental bills are passed and they’re enforced more strongly, more strictly,” Joycelyn Longdon, Founder of Climate in Colour, explains the importance of gender-balanced decision making.

The film, created by Earth Minutes and Visionary Pictures and sponsored by Clim8 Invest is available to watch for free on WaterBear, a streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet.

The movement behind the film is empowered by SHE Changes Climate, a global non-profit organisation that seeks to bring awareness to the crucial role of women in accelerating just climate action.

Headline image: SHE Changes Climate, featuring Joycelyn Longdon, Founder of Climate in Colour.

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March 2022

Where are the women from the COP26 climate conference?

Bronagh Loughlin — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 09:45:25 +0000

Where are the women from the COP26 climate conference?

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The SHE Changes Climate activist campaign calls for 50:50 gender balance in all climate decision making, highlighting that only 16% of the COP26 UK Leadership team are women.

The SHE Changes Climate activist campaign revealed that only 16% of the COP26 Climate Conference Leadership team are women and calls for change to have at least a 50% representation of diverse women at their top levels, now and in the future.

The movement aims to bring inclusiveness and diversity to the COP26 negotiations and all future discussions on climate change.

To achieve that, they have launched the #5050Vision campaign, calling for all parties to be represented in decision-making because it affects all parties.

We caught up with Co-Founder and Co-Conspirator Antoinette Vermilye to learn more about their plans to achieve their 50:50 vision.

Antoinette shares more about the SHE Changes Climate movement: “It is a campaign that firstly targets the UK as the host country of this year’s COP to bring an equal representation of women to its leadership team.

This time a year ago, there were zero women on it. Less than 50 days before COP26, we only had three women comprising 25% of the top-level team.

Antoinette Vermilye, Co-Founder and Co-Conspirator of the She Changes Climate campaign

We are demanding more diversity and inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability to the COP26 negotiations.”

Organisers are inviting people to join the campaign online by using a digital toolkit and supporting the cause through a GoFundMe page.

On 9th November they will held a SHE Changes Climate Day, presenting live panels and interviews at The Pipe Factory, in the art district of Glasgow.

Antoinette explains why it is crucial to address the lack of representation in this and any future COP and propose solutions:

“Generally, male-dominated perspectives lean towards decisions made through a narrow lens that tends to be more economical and technological biased rather than leveraging the wisdom of indigenous peoples and nature-based solutions.

We are actively excluding the perspectives of the majority of stakeholders, such as gender, youth, diversity groups.

Doesn't it make sense to have all parties bringing their own experience, expertise, and perspectives to the ingredients of a solution?”

According to the 2021 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report, it will take 145.5 years to attain gender parity in politics globally if don't take action.

Antoinette explains further: “Women are on the frontline of climate change, often portrayed as victims, usually due to socio-economic conditions that are defined by a patriarchal society. Despite bearing the brunt of climate change consequences, women display remarkable resilience and resourcefulness.

But women are not being given a chance to speak or demonstrate their perspectives. They are systematically underrepresented at all levels of decision making."

It has been estimated that advancing gender equality could add $12 trillion to the global economy.

Women disproportionately suffer the impacts of disasters, severe weather events, and climate change because of cultural norms and the inequitable distribution of roles, resources, and power, especially in developing countries.

A UNDP report showed that “80% of people displaced by climate crises are women".

Founders of SHE Changes Climate believe that for all life to survive on this planet, we need a balanced representation of all humankind; making crucial decisions about our future, the future of our children and the future of every living thing on this planet.

They are committed to ensuring women - across a broad spectrum of ethnicity, class, disability, age, etc - are in these roles to make the crucial decisions to save humanity.

SHE Changes Climate was founded in late 2020 by Antoinette Vermilye, Bianca Pitt and Elise Buckle, with the aim to bring diversity and inclusiveness, transparency and accountability to the COP negotiations on Climate Change.

They started out in December 2020, by sending an open letter to the UK Government, calling on them for greater accountability and transparency on male/female parity on the UK COP26 leadership team.

The letter has been supported by over 450 male and female environmental leaders and gained significant visibility for the topic.

Read a full interview with Antoinette Vermilye from SHE Changes Climate in the Winter 2021/22 edition of the Profit with Purpose Magazine >>

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November 2021

„Listen up, people!” – says the dinosaur to save humanity from extinction while delivering climate message

Business Spirit News reporting — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 16:15:20 +0000

„Listen up, people!” – says the dinosaur to save humanity from extinction while delivering climate message

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The UN's new short film features a dinosaur with global celebrities urging world leaders to take climate action.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is taking an unprecedented turn in the history of climate crisis communication by bringing a talking dinosaur to speak up at the United Nations’ headquarters, urging global leaders to scale up climate actions.

His main message ‘Don’t choose Extinction’ is part of the numerous efforts the UN is taking to make the upcoming COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow matter and force leaders to commit to more ambitious climate actions.

In their new ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign, a velociraptor, a figure well-known from the Jurassic Park Hollywood movie, bursts into the iconic UN General Assembly Hall, famous for history-making speeches by leaders from around the world.

The dinosaur starts delivering a speech to a shocked audience, filled with influential decision-makers and diplomats, telling that “it’s time humans stopped making excuses and started making changes” to address the climate crisis.

‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign by UN to raise awareness about the climate crisis.

“At least we had an asteroid. What’s your excuse?”

the dino continues with a warning, referring to the popular theory explaining the extinction of dinosaurs 70 million years ago.

Frankie, the speaking dinosaur, goes on to highlight how financial support for fossil fuels through subsidies is irrational in the face of a changing climate.

‘The film is fun and engaging, but the issues it speaks to could not be more serious,”

said Ulrika Modéer, Head of UNDP’s Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy.

UNDP research released as part of the campaign shows that the world spends an astounding US $423 billion annually to subsidise fossil fuels for consumers – oil, electricity generated by burning other fossil fuels, gas, and coal.

To put the amount into perspective, with this money, every person in the world could easily get the COVID-19 vaccinations or pay three times the annual amount needed to eradicate extreme global poverty.

Frankie, the dinosaur, is urging global leaders to scale up climate actions.

To better distribute the message, global celebrities are voicing the dinosaur in numerous languages, including actor Jack Black in the English version and other actors like Eiza González (Spanish), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Danish), and Aïssa Maïga (French).

This first-ever film to be made inside the UN General Assembly using computer-generated imagery (CGI) alongside the communication campaign hope to make it easier to understand the somewhat complex issue of Fossil Fuel Subsidies and climate emergency.

Modéer adds:

“The UN Secretary-General has called the climate crisis a ‘code red for humanity.’ We want the film to entertain, but we also want to raise awareness of just how critical the situation is. The world must step up on climate action if we are to succeed in keeping our planet safe for future generations.”

The public is invited to take action as well, and the campaign aims to educate people while giving them the chance to make their voices heard.

While we are facing devastating climate predictions, the ‘Don’t Choose Extinction” campaign emphasises that this is not inevitable.

If we join forces, we still have a shot at limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and avoiding a catastrophic scenario.

Creating the short film and bringing Frankie, the dinosaur, alive is an example of how collaboration can raise awareness about the climate crisis and inspire change.

The production involved Activista Los Angeles (a multiple-award-winning creative agency), David Litt (US President Barack Obama’s speechwriter) and Framestore (the creative studio behind James Bond, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers End Game).

The digital ecosystem that empowers people to take action as part of the campaign was built by Wunderman Thompson.

In addition, Mindpool produced a collective intelligence engagement tool for the online platform.

The PVBLIC Foundation, an innovative non-profit organisation, provides strategic communications and media support for the campaign.

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October 2021

World Water Week calls for massive transformation to address pressing global water issues

Business Spirit News reporting — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 11:40:11 +0000

World Water Week calls for massive transformation to address pressing global water issues

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Water

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Sustainable Development Goals

Climate Change

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Water

Conference

‘Building Resilience Faster’ is the central theme of the leading annual conference on global water issues.

The leading annual conference on global water issues, World Water Week, is held 23-27 August as a free, online event focusing on the theme Building Resilience Faster.

Top experts, politicians, business leaders, intergovernmental organizations, and grassroots groups from more than 150 countries will come together to discuss and co-create solutions that can help solve water-related challenges.

Participants will get the chance to choose from over 300 digital sessions to explore how water can help us tackle the most significant global challenges, such as the climate crisis, poverty, and the loss of biodiversity.

“We want World Water Week to be an action platform engaging all,”

said Henrika Thomasson, Director of World Water Week at Stockholm International Water Institute, organizer of this global gathering.

For the past 30 years, World Water Week has been a powerful movement for change, and it is also an important stepping stone leading up to global climate events such as the COP 26, the UN Climate Change Conference in November this year.

According to experts, freshwater is one of the nine planetary boundaries that should not be crossed. Image: Pexels

In his keynote, Professor Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research described how humans are dangerously altering Earth’s life support systems.

One example is how human activity is linked to climate change and loss of biodiversity that also impacts freshwater.

Rockström and his team have identified freshwater as one of the nine planetary boundaries that should not be crossed.

“Freshwater must be integrated within the climate agenda,” Rockström said.

“We must first meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, but then transform towards a safer future within planetary boundaries.”

Highlights of the Week include the royal award ceremonies for the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize and Stockholm Junior Water Prize, which is honouring individuals and organizations for extraordinary water-related achievements.

Sandra Postel received the Stockholm Water Prize 2021 for her long and outstanding work to make sense of complex water-related issues.

Postel was one of the firsts to warn of a global water crisis in the early ’90s and to call for the conservation of water-based ecosystems.

She keeps inspiring decision-makers to find new solutions to water scarcity, climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Water is the basis of life – and it is finite.

Figuring out how to meet humanity’s needs for water while enabling freshwater ecosystems to thrive is now an existential challenge because those ecosystems support the web of life to which humanity belongs.

We can all play a part in rising to this challenge,” said Postel on being awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2021.

Sandra Postel received the Stockholm Water Prize 2021

The World Water Week is hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) that aims to strengthen water governance for a just, prosperous, and sustainable future.

The Institute focuses on a range of research and development topics within and around water that supports decision-makers worldwide.

Headline image: Abigail Keenan, Unsplash

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August 2021

How can carbon offsetting fix climate and communities at one go?

Sinead Connolly — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 17:17:20 +0000

How can carbon offsetting fix climate and communities at one go?

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Creating 'climate smart communities' while cutting back on carbon emissions proved a viable model to tackle the climate crisis.

Carbon offsetting enables individuals and organisations to reduce their carbon footprint by purchasing verified carbon credits, which essentially means investing in offsetting projects that independent third parties manage and monitor.

Renewable energy, bio-diversity protection, community projects, clean water, and improved cookstoves are examples of offsetting projects offered by various organisations that reduce emissions and transform communities worldwide.

“It’s a global issue,” explains Ciara Feehely, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Vita, an Irish NGO that is in the business of creating sustainable, climate smart livelihoods with rural communities in East Africa.

“It doesn’t matter where you take that tonne of carbon out of the atmosphere. Every time you buy a carbon offset, you have a global impact.”

Empowering the people of East Africa through community-led development based on equality and sustainability, and tackling climate change by transitioning to renewable energy and leveraging existing resources, has been the driving force behind Vita’s work.

“The woman is at the centre of all our programs and always has been,” explains Feehely.

“Relieving her burden is important. A woman can spend 16-30 hours a week gathering sticks for a fire, to cook food and sanitise water.”

Creating climate smart communities in East Africa is the main focus of Vita Ireland. Image: Vita Ireland

Working in Ethiopia and Eritrea for the last twenty years, Vita knew how critical fuel-efficient stoves and access to clean water are to the quality of life while positively impacting the climate and the environment.

Monetising carbon savings

With that in mind, they launched the Vita Green Impact Fund in 2015 to monetise carbon emissions savings to benefit the local community and the environment.

The focus of this social impact investment vehicle was on balancing economic development and climate justice.

Vita’s investors were looking for environmental and social impact, along with the security of verifiable carbon emissions savings, independently accredited by The Gold Standard.

They raised €2 million for the Fund and used the investment to finance water programs and supply homes in East Africa with fuel-efficient stoves.

“We reached 311,000 people with clean water or clean cooking,” explained Feehely.

“With the €2 million that we spent, we actually generated 2 million carbon offsets.

It’s a very cost-effective model because there is no commercial leakage since we retain the ownership right up until the point of sale.”

Vita was able to repay their investors with a modest return and invested the profit back into the community that had generated the carbon offsets in the first place.

Following on from the success of their pilot scheme, they are currently raising €27.5 million to reach at least 4 million people with life enhancing and climate mitigating initiatives.

Empowering women

One of Vita’s most critical carbon offsetting and community programs is the repair of broken water pumps.

Water pumps installed in the ’80s and ’90s had fallen into disrepair, and with no access to materials or parts, villagers were unable to fix them.

Efficient cooking and access to clean water can help reducing carbon emission and improve quality of life. Image: Vita Ireland

Local access to clean water reduces the need for women and children to walks miles to find water, and most crucially, eliminates the need to resort to sharing water sources with animals.

Without access to clean water, the dirty water must be boiled to sterilise it.

This typically means a lot of firewood is required as fuel for the stove, which leads to mass deforestation.

The need to cut down trees for fuel can be reduced by making clean water available, thus putting less strain on the local environment.

Saving trees has an immediate impact on the atmosphere, a fully grown tree absorbs anywhere between 10 and 50kg of CO2 on average per year.

Another of Vita’s flagship offsetting programs was the introduction of fuel-efficient stoves.

Open stoves in cooking are an inefficient and dangerous activity that emits tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every year.

Those who operate open stoves often suffer health implications relating to the eyes, heart and lungs.

Using modernised versions results in a reduction of approximately 50% of carbon emissions compared to the traditional stone stoves.

Looking into the future

To makes sure that these are not stand-alone actions they also run sustainable forestry programmes in tandem with their development projects.

For example, each recipient of a fuel-efficient stove will get some saplings.

These are grown on a plantation in the village, and local women are taught how to manage the trees sustainably to ensure reduced carbon emissions and better energy security for all of the community.

Feehely believes that greenwashing is no longer an option because of increased regulation and transparency.

“It’s going to be expensive to be an emitter in the future, even for big organisations.

Creating carbon and damaging the planet is going to cost your business money, and it’s going to detract from your brand.”

Headline image: Vita Ireland

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EU Green Deal climate package set out to fundamentally change lives and businesses until 2030

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 16:29:46 +0000

EU Green Deal climate package set out to fundamentally change lives and businesses until 2030

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Making Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent is the primary goal of the recently introduced EU Commission proposal package.

The European Commission adopted a package of proposals on 14 July to apply significant changes in the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

The goal is to make Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent until 2050 by embracing the European Green Deal in the next decade.

The proposal introduced by the European Commission is presenting the legislative tools to deliver on the targets agreed in the recently adopted European Climate Law.

These changes aim to fundamentally transform the European economy and society to create a fair, green and prosperous future.

The European Commission on delivering the European Green Deal

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said:

“The fossil fuel economy has reached its limits.

We want to leave the next generation a healthy planet as well as good jobs and growth that does not hurt our nature.

The European Green Deal is our growth strategy that is moving towards a decarbonised economy.

Europe was the first continent to declare to be climate neutral in 2050, and now we are the very first ones to put a concrete roadmap on the table.

Europe walks the talk on climate policies through innovation, investment and social compensation.”

The package introduces a comprehensive and interconnected set of proposals that will enable the necessary acceleration of greenhouse gas emission reductions until 2030.

The specific targets are a combination of new strategies applied in various sectors.

Plans are mainly focusing on emissions trading to new sectors and a tightening of the existing EU Emissions Trading System; increased use of renewable energy; greater energy efficiency; a faster roll-out of low emission transport modes and the infrastructure and fuels to support them; an alignment of taxation policies with the European Green Deal objectives; measures to prevent carbon leakage; and tools to preserve and grow our natural carbon sinks.

What to expect as part of the new plans:

The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) puts a price on carbon and lowers the cap on emissions from specific economic sectors every year. The Commission proposal aims to reduce the overall emission cap further and increase its annual rate of reduction. This would mean to phase out free emission allowances for aviation and include shipping emissions for the first time in the EU ETS. Besides, a separate new emissions trading system is set up for fuel distribution for road transport and buildings. The Commission also proposes to increase the size of the Innovation and Modernisation Funds.

Phasing out free emission allowances for aviation is part of the EU Green Deal proposal; Image: John McArthur, Unsplash

Member States should spend the entirety of their emissions trading revenues on climate and energy-related projects. A dedicated part of the revenues from the new system for road transport and buildings should address the possible social impact on vulnerable households, micro-enterprises and transport users.
The Effort Sharing Regulation assigns strengthened emissions reduction targets to each Member State for buildings, road and domestic maritime transport, agriculture, waste and small industries.

By 2035, the EU should aim to reach climate neutrality in the land use, forestry and agriculture sectors; Image:Randy Fath, Unsplash

Member States also share responsibility for removing carbon from the atmosphere, so the Regulation on Land Use, Forestry and Agriculture sets an overall EU target for carbon removals by natural sinks, equivalent to 310 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030. National targets will require Member States to care for and expand their carbon sinks to meet this target. By 2035, the EU should aim to reach climate neutrality in the land use, forestry and agriculture sectors, including also agricultural non-CO2 emissions, such as those from fertiliser use and livestock.

Stronger CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans will accelerate the transition to zero-emission mobility by requiring the average emissions of new cars to come down by 55% from 2030 and 100% from 2035 compared to 2021 levels. As a result, all new vehicles registered as of 2035 will be zero-emission. To ensure that drivers can charge or fuel their cars at a reliable network across Europe, the revised Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation will require Member States to expand charging capacity as well.

This will require charging and fuelling points at regular intervals on major highways: every 60 kilometres for electric charging and every 150 kilometres for hydrogen refuelling.

The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation requires that aircraft and ships have access to clean electricity supply in major ports and airports. The ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative will oblige fuel suppliers to blend increasing levels of sustainable aviation fuels in jet fuel taken on-board at EU airports.
A revision of the Energy Taxation Directive proposes to align the taxation of energy products with EU energy and climate policies, promoting clean technologies and removing outdated exemptions and reduced rates that currently encourage the use of fossil fuels.

A new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will put a carbon price on imports of a targeted selection of products to ensure that ambitious climate action in Europe does not lead to ‘carbon leakage'.

Instead of pushing carbon-intensive production outside Europe, this regulation will ensure that European emission reductions contribute to a global emissions decline.

It also aims to encourage industry leaders outside the EU and international partners to take steps in the same direction.

Sharing responsibility evenly across different sectors and Member States, and providing additional support where appropriate is critical in making these changes happen.

A new Social Climate Fund was also proposed to ensure a fair social transition and provide dedicated funding to Member States.

This support would help citizens finance investments in energy efficiency, new heating and cooling systems, and cleaner mobility.

The Social Climate Fund will provide €72.2 billion of funding to Member States, for the period 2025-2032; with a proposal to draw on matching Member State funding, the Fund would mobilise €144.4 billion for a socially fair transition.

Together, our proposals will spur the necessary changes, enable all citizens to experience the benefits of climate action as soon as possible, and provide support to the most vulnerable households. Europe's transition will be fair, green and competitive,”

said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal about the new proposal package.

Headline image: Paul Hanaoka, Unsplash

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July 2021