Climate Action

Trailblazer collaboration sets new narrative for investing in climate action

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 14 May 2024 15:23:36 +0000

Trailblazer collaboration sets new narrative for investing in climate action

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While Ireland has the optics of being a green island, it has one of the lowest rates of forest coverage in the European Union.

According to the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, the country witnessed a drastic decline, with only 1 percent of native woodlands remaining compared to 80 percent six thousand years ago.

This might strike as an environmental issue far away from business as usual. Still, a newly forged alliance between a local family business and a charity writes a different narrative.

The Canopy shopping centre in Sligo facilitated a unique collaboration when its owners decided to acquire nearly 90 acres of land for restoration to support Hometree, a charity dedicated to establishing and conserving permanent native woodland.

Situated along the Easkey River in South Sligo, this land is a unique blend of peatland, blanket bog, pockets of ancient Hazelwood, and species-rich grassland.

Ray Ó Foghlu, Hometree's Development Lead, says: "We hope this location will become a showcase site for us and local landowners will see what is possible.

We have plans for a farmer outreach programme here, providing information and financial support for woodland creation along the Easkey River, besides other educational and community programmes.”

Bird`s eye view of the land along the Easkey River in South Sligo to be restored by Hometree. Image:Vincent Monahan, Duck Upon Rock Productions

Hometree's mission to restore Ireland's ancient oceanic woodlands aligns perfectly with The Canopy`s aim to go beyond the obvious when it comes to sustainability in its business strategy.

Neil Monahan, Director of The Canopy, says they were already familiar with the charity`s work.

When a piece of land became available, they started designing a project that could benefit the environment and people locally, in addition to the business sustainability element of managing their carbon footprint.

“Carbon offsetting can seem distant, but we can make it more relatable with this model. We are also in a unique position to create something entirely new, which can also provide learnings and data to other companies,”

Neil says.

He recalls that initially, they didn`t realise the magnitude of this project and all the positive `side-effects` that later justified their investment on multiple levels.

“At first, it was more about land restoration and planting. Then we realised the added benefits of having such rich biodiversity on site that we can further enhance and the opportunity to use this site for education and community engagement.”

Ray adds that as a science-led organisation, Hometree is now working on establishing the ecological baseline for this area by doing walkovers and surveys in addition to using drones and low-orbit satellites so they understand what`s there right now, allowing their expert team to draw up a tailor-made restoration plan.

He also emphasises that with these types of lands, preventing carbon from being released is the biggest win with restoration.

Ray Ó Foghlu (left) and colleague, Jon Dunt (right) from Hometree. Image: Vincent Monahan, Duck Upon Rock Productions

“It`s like putting a cap on a bottle since peatlands are slow to capture carbon but quick to release it,” Ray says, adding that globally, only 3% of the land is covered by peatland, but it holds 30% of the carbon, making degradation a significant threat."

Currently, they are planning for a 12–24 month period, putting measurable indicators into place so they can integrate the learnings to develop the project further.

Besides the positive environmental and community impact, Neil highlights that it makes perfect business sense since their new branding introduced in 2023 revolves around sustainability.

“We carefully designed the interior spaces of the shopping centre, integrating live plants and trees, even adding a green street within the facility where people can enjoy this environment all year round. We are also implementing solar panels to harness renewable energy besides exploring other areas to improve our sustainability.”

They also actively engage with small, sustainable local businesses and facilitate programmes to engage visitors through art, awareness weeks, educational exhibitions, and other events.

Neil admits that they are on the journey to fully explore the potential of a larger-scale sustainability strategy that would help them properly measure their impact across all main activities and engage their stakeholders, especially the shops operating in the centre.

Still, these initiatives have already proven that taking climate action locally as a business brings multiple direct and indirect benefits, including cost efficiency, brand awareness, and customer engagement.

Therefore, they are committed to building on these initial steps and continuing to make a positive impact, including their land restoration project, which they envision as a long-term collaboration with Hometree that can transform local communities and help with climate mitigation.

When asked how the land could look if they succeed, Ray says he would be glad to feel wet under his foot walking these lands instead of dry and crunchy, to see a great variety of native birds returning alongside other species, and to see a site buzzing with life.

He adds that involving farmers is crucial to making this a reality. In the past 2.5 years, he has worked with hundreds of farmers on land restoration and biodiversity projects.

“I believe observation is the beginning of devotion – you have to see it to fall in love with something. In this case, once we can make farmers see what they have on their farms and understand the benefits, it can change their perspective, and they could become advocates for nature with an additional sense of pride.”

Ray hopes that this specific project at the Easkey River will act as an accelerator by delivering tangible results, feeding into their work to restore 4000 acres of native land through facilitating natural regeneration.

Although significant funding and dedicated resources will be needed to achieve their overall goals with the Wild Atlantic Rainforest project, the first steps are promising.

Headline image: Ray Foley and Jon Dunt from Hometree / Photo by Vincent Monahan, Duck Upon Rock Productions

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Meaningful local climate actions spotlighted in UNDP`s new campaign

Szilvia Szabó — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:58:01 +0000

Meaningful local climate actions spotlighted in UNDP`s new campaign

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The Climate Action Explained new video series was launched by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to take viewers on a world tour featuring viable and scalable climate solutions from all corners of the world to spark action.

The four episodes available on YouTube, hosted by UNDP’s Goodwill Ambassador and actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, cover specific topics representing high-demand and high-opportunity areas of impactful and ambitious climate action.

They focus on how forests can help fight climate change, sustainable energy, climate adaptation and youth inclusion, featuring solutions from 12 countries across five continents, including Cambodia, Ghana, Georgia, Egypt, Panama, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe.

How do we adapt to climate change? - Climate Action Explained video series

“The climate crisis can feel overwhelming and scary, but we do have the solutions we need to address this challenge head-on,”

said Cassie Flynn, Global Director of Climate Change at UNDP, regarding the campaign.

She added that “what we now need is to boldly scale up these solutions, together.”

In the climate adaptation episode, a citizen of Tuvalu, a country comprised of nine islands in the South Pacific, illustrates the devastating impact of flooding, which has damaged the homes of many community members living in more exposed areas.

Finance Minister of Tuvalu Seve Paeniu says the only way for his country to protect its shores and people is to reclaim land, build upwards, and rehabilitate the coastal foreshore, which they started to work on in their capital city.

The case of Tuvalu serves as a chilling preview of the challenges many coastal nations will face as sea levels continue to rise due to climate change, reinforcing the urgency of finding effective adaptation strategies.

The journey takes viewers further to Kenya, where water scarcity is an everyday battle – another issue already affecting many people worldwide.

Yvonne Nyokabi, UNDP Kenya Project Officer, explains that involving local communities and harnessing their knowledge is crucial in finding viable adaptation strategies while ensuring the livelihood of these communities.

Another well-known topic that still lacks mainstream solutions, explored in the Climate Action Explained video series, is “How do forests help fight climate change?”

Local voices from Ecuador share the fact that they lost over 60 per cent of their forests due to agriculture and other activities, which caused environmental damage and provoked social challenges involving indigenous tribes

How do forests help fight climate change? - Climate Action Explained video series

The Life Plan program that is implemented there supports local people in making informed decisions about managing their environment and lives in a way that restores and protects natural habitats while allowing them to stay connected with their heritage and make a living.

Deforestation is far from being an isolated issue, and Ghana is one of the many countries facing this challenge.

The campaign spotlights how they are working to restore and protect over 300,000 hectares of land to maintain sustainable forestry management that would help not only people now but also generations to come.

Finding clean energy sources is a top priority in making a low-carbon economy a reality, and the “What does clean energy look like?” episode highlights challenges alongside available scalable solutions.

In the series, the need for electricity is showcased through a hospital in Zimbabwe that requires access to energy 24/7 to meet the needs of its patients and save lives.

This hospital and hundreds of other facilities have benefited from the “Solar for Health” program, which provides solar panels to generate electricity and lower emissions.

The campaign also emphasises the importance of including young people in climate action, as they will be the ones dealing with the impacts of climate change.

How are young people becoming climate leaders? - Climate Action Explained video series

An example from Georgia features a youth inclusion project that trains Young Climate Ambassadors through a program encouraging participants to implement small-scale but impactful projects in their local communities.

This can be as simple as bringing attention to underutilised parks to inspire people to reconnect with nature and enhance their overall well-being.

Additionally, case studies from India and Panama point out the vital role of education and making information accessible to youth of all ages, highlighting that this is not at all evident to be included in state-provided educational programs.

The Climate Action Explained video series is part of UNDP’s efforts to ignite public conversation and mobilise action on climate change ahead of the COP30 climate negotiations, which will be held in Brazil in 2025.

“By presenting the solutions already available in developing countries around the world, Climate Action Explained aims to show that meeting climate targets is possible if we set the right priorities and deliver the right support – from climate finance to knowledge to technology - needed to implement them,”

says Mehmet Erdogan, Communications Lead at UNDP Climate Hub.

He adds that depending on the interest and support in this trailblazer video series, the organisation hopes to produce more episodes in the future, as there are many more stories to tell and issue areas that are demonstrating impact.

The video series is also underpinned by the work of UNDP’s flagship initiative, Climate Promise, and the newly established UNDP Climate Hub, which delivers the UN Systems’ most extensive portfolio of support on climate action in nearly 150 countries worth over $2 billion in grant financing.

Headline image: Getty Images

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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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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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„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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