Climate Action

How is Dublin utilising parks to make the city greener and more resilient?

Bronagh Loughlin — Fri, 17 May 2024 08:16:34 +0000

How is Dublin utilising parks to make the city greener and more resilient?

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Sustainable City

Urban Planning

Dublin

Topic

Sustainable City

As cities grow, access to open green spaces within the city is at a premium, and research has shown that we need nature for our well-being.

Green cities have become a buzzword in the last few years, and this has shifted the approach to designing and managing projects within the Parks Services at Dublin City Council.

These types of cities prioritise environmental sustainability by integrating green spaces and developing sustainable infrastructure in our urban environment besides implementing sustainable water management practices, permeable paving and green infrastructure that mitigate flooding and conserve water resources.

On top of the environmental benefits, cities should champion green spaces, which have been linked to improved mental health and reduced stress levels.

Deirdre Prince, Landscape Architect and Parks Officer for the Central Parks District in Dublin City Council (DCC), works on park projects in the Central District area and highlights that any available green space with the built environment has to work very hard to deliver for all stakeholders.

“The challenge is to incorporate as many environmental uses as efficiently while still creating beautiful spaces for people to enjoy, whether it is creating areas for pollinators, implementing Suds (Sustainable Urban Draining Systems), growing trees to absorb particulate matter or creating amenity space for the public,”

she explains.

Green spaces in cities are essential to mitigate climate risks and improve people`s well-being. Image: Canva

Dublin City Council Parks Services are already protecting the natural environment and driving biodiversity in various ways.

They are increasing the urban tree canopy, creating green or wildlife corridors within the city, incorporating green infrastructure into urban planning projects, and eliminating the use of pesticides to protect pollinators and other beneficial insects.

“One area I feel we should pay attention to is the identification of locations within our city that could have potential for habitat restoration, such as wetlands, canals, and riparian zones along rivers and streams. In the current climate, landscape architects need to consider a range of factors to create resilient and sustainable landscapes,” Deirdre shares.

She stresses the importance of designing landscapes that are resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as increased temperatures, extreme weather events, drought and flooding.

“We need to select planting which is drought-tolerant or dry-loving to withstand periods of low or no rain,” Deirdre adds, noting that it also involves incorporating more green infrastructure to manage storm-water run-off and designing adaptable spaces that can withstand changing environmental conditions.

John Stack, Senior Executive Engineer at the Protection of Water Bodies office in Dublin City Council, shares that under the Water Framework Directive, EU member states are required to develop River Basin Management Plans, and each project involves measures and actions to improve water quality.

He also works on several projects that involve nature-based solutions, all of which are at different stages.

One of these is the Santry River Restoration and Greenway Project, a legislative initiative that envisions the future of the Santry River as an attractive river park flowing through North Dublin as an integrated green-blue landscape for ecology and amenity.

“This landscape will become the backbone of a new green infrastructure project to facilitate nature, pedestrians and cyclists and form a route from the biosphere of Dublin Bay to St Anne’s Park to Dublin’s winter hinterlands at Sillogue.”

To ensure that the project met people's needs, they invited locals and communities from the planning phase to suggest what they would like to see in this area and express their concerns. In saying that, he points out that there is hesitancy and apprehension about leveraging nature-based solutions rather than traditional methods due to a lack of understanding of the concept.

“One of my key objectives is to complete some nature-based demonstration projects so that people can just go and look at them. Once they see the benefit of something, they definitely become more open to change,”

John further explains.

He adds that there are situations that allow them to adopt nature-based solutions, but often, they still have to use traditional methods alongside them to meet planning requirements.

John sees the monetary value of preserving and enhancing natural habitats, biodiversity, and clear water, highlighting the importance of a multi-objective approach to handling interconnected issues.

“Where we have habitat loss, we have climate issues, where we have urbanisation, we have biodiversity issues, so it tends to grow wings quite easily.”

Besides water-related considerations, landscape design also has to factor in sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by planting more trees and other vegetation that store carbon.

One of Deirdre`s favourite projects she worked on in recent years was the development of a new park, Bridgefoot Street Park. This park is located in the Liberties area of Dublin City Centre and was designed by Dermot Foley Landscape Architects.

“Not only was it exciting to create a brand-new park in an area with a large deficit of access to green open spaces, but the park was also built using a variety of reused building materials and materials on the site.”

Construction phase of Bridgefoot Street Park in Dublin. Image: Dublin City Council

The aim was to create a playful and exciting urban landscape for all ages while transforming a hard landscape site in the city centre with sustainability at its core.

To stay true to their mission and reduce the amount of construction waste going into landfills, most materials used were moved from other building sites in Dublin.

In the end, 180 new trees, in addition to a mixture of herbaceous and ground-cover planting, have been planted in the park, increasing the urban canopy and assisting in reducing carbon emissions due to the uptake and storage of carbon.

These trees provide much-needed shade for park users and increase the space for biodiversity within the city.

Re-used materials on the surface at Bridgefoot Street Park. Image: Dublin City Council

Deirdre adds: “The Bridgefoot Street Park design highlights some important sustainability objectives, demonstrating how we can help to reduce our carbon impact in the design of new public spaces and also how to change the public perception of secondary raw construction materials.”

In 2023, the park development won the prestigious Landezine International Landscapes Award (LILA) in the Public Landscapes category.

The jury highlighted the reasons for selecting this project:

“Bridgefoot Street Park is a story about public space, community participation, circular economy, and ecological measures, and, above all, it is a project that well reflects our growing care for social and environmental issues of urban open space in the 21st century.”

In addition to creating a new green urban area, locals also have a sense of ownership while enjoying the playground and community garden, which adds value to a development like this.

“We have no choice but to move in this direction, and working with nature is the key to achieving climate targets and creating more liveable and sustainable cities.”

Bridgefoot Street Park is an award-winning development in Dublin, demonstrating the integration of nature-based solutions and sustainability in a city environment. Image: Dublin City Council

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Szilvia Szabó ⬤ Author

Journalist, Editor

Making water matter in Ireland

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:38:19 +0000

Making water matter in Ireland

Tags

Water

Education

Topic

Nature

Water is a fundamental element in our lives, just as crucial as air, land, and other natural resources. We are interconnected and reliant on water in numerous ways, and our lives are bound to it, yet it is easy to overlook its importance.

Elaine Moynihan and Katie McShane, Co-Founders of Irish not-for-profit WiseWater, were at the forefront of this year`s UN World Water Day, celebrated on March 22nd every year.

They organised a local beach clean-up and formed a giant peace symbol made up of the collected trash and people participating to “make a stand together to preserve, protect and care for our water environment.”

Elaine Moynihan (left) and Katie McShane (right), Co-Founders of WiseWater

Elaine reveals that in just one hour, about forty participants had filled over twenty big bags with rubbish from the beach.

This eye-opening experience about plastic pollution inspired many of them to pledge to change their purchasing habits, realising the significant role their individual actions can play in avoiding plastic.

Beyond pollution, a report published in 2022 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland found that the water quality of rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal areas in the country continues to decline, with only just over half of the surface waters in satisfactory condition and able to sustain healthy ecosystems for fish, insects, and plants.

Explaining their approach to connecting people with water, Elaine shares that they believe that to make people want to care for and protect our environment, they first need to have a relationship with it.

“In Ireland, we often take water for granted, but we would like to raise awareness about the importance of behaviour change in terms of water usage and preserving our water environment”

The mission of Wise Water is to combine the vital connection between personal well-being and preserving our water environment through educational activities provided to schools, community groups and workplaces.

Elaine and Katie built on their passion for all things water as they both live by the west coast of Ireland and love to plunge in the refreshing Atlantic throughout all seasons, besides surfing and rowing from time to time.

They emphasise that water teaches invaluable lessons such as receptivity and reflecting our thoughts and actions, adding that water`s adaptability and resilience underscore the importance of social connections, and just like humanity and the planet, water is vulnerable and requires care in times of rapid change.

Young people getting involved in citizen science with WiseWater at Ballinaspittle river. Image: WiseWater

Each WiseWater workshop intertwines the crucial link between human well-being and the conservation of our water ecosystems,” Elaine explains.

One of their flagship programmes is a six-week water and wellness course designed for 5th and 6th class students where young participants engage in fun activities, experiments, and system-thinking discussions while learning about various facets of well-being.

“First, they gain insights into the many reasons why some wells are bubbling with fresh water and others are stagnant. By learning this, we then explore how we keep our own water bodies well.”

Activities include water in a sound bowl, which shows how water responds to sound and the introduction of Dr Wallace J. Nicolas' blue-mind concept, supported by extensive research showcasing water's calming effect on the mind.

By understanding the blue-mind and red-mind concept, where blue indicates feeling calm and red is feeling stress, students gain a practical tool for maintaining overall well-being as well.

Another exercise includes the `one well` approach, which helps children better conceptualise global water usage through a simple visualisation.

As part of this activity, students also work in groups, creating fictional households to calculate water usage and how they could manage it if they had to walk to bring water to cover their needs, such as showering, flushing toilets or cooking.

Elaine shares how they design these programmes to get children more involved: “Participants engage in citizen science by utilising the `kick sampling` technique to explore macroinvertebrates – small aquatic animals like insect larvae, snails, and beetles – that serve as reliable indicators of water quality.

The session begins with a biodiversity game to illustrate the interconnectedness of all life forms.

Then, we divide them into different groups and explain the sampling and how the different creatures will indicate the health of the river.

According to Elaine, the real added benefit of taking classes outside is the high level of engagement as they experience the science and the joy of the investigative process, leading them to new discoveries with this hands-on learning.

Besides working with school groups, Katie and Elaine also host `Source to Sea` programmes to connect cultural heritage with water and people.

These trips aim to support relationships and stewardship within a community for their local river, giving them an opportunity to explore the natural environment while learning about their own feelings and connections.

“Often described as the arteries of the land due to their life-giving properties, rivers are a living connection to past generations,” Elaine says.

The `Source to Sea` programmes organised by WiseWater aim to connect cultural heritage with water and people. Image: WiseWater

“Every river has a rich story that can be interpreted through different lenses, so even though we travel as a group, visiting a river source is a unique experience for everyone.”

She adds that by exploring the past through a river source, landmarks, geology, archaeological sites, folklore, songs, and much more emerge, telling unique aspects of the river's story and how it shapes not just the catchment it flows through but also the people and nature that live alongside it.

Elaine believes that in our time, rivers also reveal a story of sustainability, human influence, and a call to action to mind them for nature and future generations.

“While many view water as a commodity, at WiseWater, we advocate for a deeper connection, recognising its intrinsic value beyond mere utility.”

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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

Tags

Climate Action

Nature-based Solutions

Nature Conversation

Collaboration

Topic

Climate Action

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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Climate Communication

Topic

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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Irish beach clean-up to amplify ‘Water for Peace` message as part of global UN movement

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:48:16 +0000

Irish beach clean-up to amplify ‘Water for Peace` message as part of global UN movement

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As part of the United Nations World Water Day, celebrated on March 22nd every year, Irish not-for-profit WiseWater will host a special beach clean-up event on Saturday, March 23rd, at Garrylucas Beach in County Cork.

The central theme for this year`s global event is `Water for Peace`, and the organisers of this local gathering aim to join the movement by collecting rubbish at the beach and forming a large peace symbol made up of the trash and people participating.

Elaine Moynihan, Co-Founder of WiseWater, says:

“We want to make a stand together to preserve, protect and care for our water environment.

Our event is about sending the message that ‘every drop counts’, and together, we can create waves of positive change.”

Elaine Moynihan and Katie McShane, Co-Founders of WiseWater

This year, the UN has chosen this specific theme to highlight that water can create peace or spark conflict and that water scarcity, pollution, or unequal access can cause disputes between communities and countries.

They highlight that as the climate crisis escalates and global populations grow, we must conserve and protect water resources as we depend on them to ensure public health, operate food and energy systems, and create economic productivity with environmental integrity.

According to the 2022 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, roughly half of the world’s population was already experiencing severe water scarcity for at least part of that year.

With this special event, creating a giant symbol of peace, Elaine hopes to bring heightened awareness to water and ripple out to make waves of changing our relationship with water.

Young people getting involved in citizen science with WiseWater at Ballinaspittle river. Image: WiseWater

She emphasises that “the sea relentlessly regurgitates plastics and debris, remnants of our human consumption” and that we need to better look after our most precious resource, water.

Elaine adds:

“In Ireland, we often take water for granted, but we would like to raise awareness about the importance of behaviour change when it comes to water usage and the importance of preserving our water environment.”

Explaining their approach, she says they believe that to make people want to care for and protect our environment, they first need to have a relationship with it.

Therefore, they invite people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in this community event, enjoy a day out, and help with the beach clean-up while becoming part of the movement.

Anyone interested in joining, only need to show up at 11.00 on Saturday, March 23rd at the Garrylucas Beach in County Cork.

WiseWater also offers educational workshops for schools, community groups, and workplaces to raise awareness and inspire change by making a connection between our personal well-being and the preservation of water habitats.

Some of their activities include investigating the water quality of local rivers or streams, organising `source to sea` expeditions and connecting communities to local wells through cleanups and discoveries.

Their team has hosted many beach clean-ups in the past and arranged for the rubbish to be collected with Cork County Council, just as will be the case on this occasion.

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Can we rely on carbon offsetting to reach net-zero goals?

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:59:40 +0000

Can we rely on carbon offsetting to reach net-zero goals?

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Carbon offsetting is a method that enables companies, individuals, and countries to minimise their climate impact. An organisation or individual can purchase carbon credits to account for the carbon they emit due to their activities.

These carbon credits are obtained by investing in projects that reduce or remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as tree planting, restoring natural ecosystems, and protecting forests.

Carbon offsetting enables business leaders to consider their carbon footprint as a form of accounting. Their emissions are then their expenditure, and the carbon offsets they purchase act as their revenue.

Essentially, businesses should try to break even yearly to transition to net zero.

The idea of carbon offsetting was created by the United Nations when they realised the challenge of reaching net zero at the Kyoto Protocol in 1992.

Verified and certified carbon credits are traded at the carbon market, allowing companies, governments, and other organisations to address their greenhouse gas emissions.

What offsetting offers isn’t bad: renewable energy for poor communities and tree planting are great initiatives.

However, some argue that they are a distraction from meaningful climate change solutions and that offsetting fuels greenwashing and unsustainable behaviour.

There are also doubts that offsetting may not be entirely effective at cancelling out emissions.

Although tree planting is a popular choice and widely used, it is not a straightforward equation that would completely cancel carbon emissions.

For instance, a newly planted tree can take up to 20 years to capture the amount of CO2 a carbon offset scheme promises.

With this in mind, we would need to plant and protect a significant quantity of trees for decades to offset just a fraction of worldwide emissions.

Different tree species have various absorption capacities, but in general, it is considered that six mature trees can store about 1 ton of CO2.

According to calculations shared by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), it would take 640 trees per person to account for all American emissions, which adds up to more than 200 billion trees.

To plant those trees, you need to find available and appropriate lands to start with, which would be a challenge in itself, not to mention keeping those trees healthy and alive for a long time.

Trees are more like time capsules for keeping carbon from entering the atmosphere since when they decay, they release most of the carbon they store.

Besides, newly planted trees must reach maturity before becoming formidable carbon sinks, need proper care and protection over their lifetime, and should be accounted for carbon release when decomposing.

Research has also determined that carbon offsetting may not be an effective sole strategy for tackling our carbon problem.

A study for the European Commission looked into the UN-sanctioned offset projects and discovered three-quarters of projects were unlikely to have resulted in additional emissions reductions.

Additionally, just 2 per cent had a high likelihood of being classed as additional.

There is also worry that carbon credits are being used as excuses to put off systemic reforms to produce green and clean energy.

Others have argued it doesn’t work at all since emissions levels are too high to possibly offset, and it is also challenging to calculate the real impact of offsetting programmes.

A Guardian-led investigation in 2023 unveiled that two-thirds of the most popular top 50 emission offsetting projects are overpromising and underdelivering on actual impact in terms of cancelling our emission.

The rest of the projects looked problematic or could not be determined definitively due to a lack of credible available data.

According to AlliedOffsets, the most comprehensive emissions trading database, these popular global offsetting programs span twenty countries, dominantly in developing regions, including forestry schemes, hydroelectric dams, solar and wind farms, waste disposal and greener household appliances schemes.

However, a vast number of these carbon offsetting schemes do great work for important causes like protecting wildlife, providing developing countries with energy-efficient technology and investing in green energy.

There are also promising innovative solutions for capturing carbon, like producing biochar, turning carbon dioxide into energy, and capturing carbon into concrete or storing it in rocks.

A new area to explore is how to embrace ocean-based solutions in carbon offsetting.

New research commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) shows that ocean-based climate solutions can deliver up to 35% of the annual greenhouse gas emission cuts needed in 2050 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C.

These include ocean-based food production, renewable energy, reduction of transport, and embracing blue carbon ecosystems (mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and tidal marshes) that can store up to 5 times more carbon per area than tropical forests and absorb it from the atmosphere about three times as quickly.

Considering the pros and cons, it seems that carbon offsetting is more of a plaster than a cure for the problem.

We need these kinds of actions, but we also must recognise that carbon offsetting cannot solve our carbon issue alone.

Efforts should be focused on drastically reducing emissions while keeping the world’s forests and other ecosystems healthy and growing.

Headline image: Getty Images

This article is published in collaboration with the Profit with Purpose Magazine.

To read more insights regarding carbon management, you can download the latest digital edition of the magazine that further explores topics such as carbon offsetting, regulations and more.

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Five misleading assumptions about addressing carbon emissions

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 16:27:45 +0000

Five misleading assumptions about addressing carbon emissions

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In the lead-up to COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will take place from 30 November until 12 December 2023, there are a lot of talks regarding how to reach net zero emission targets.

Although carbon management has become mainstream in the business sector, there is still much confusion and urban legends about what to do with our carbon footprint. This overview explores the most common assumptions about the carbon case.

1 / We can offset our way out of climate action.

Even though it might seem like a simple math equation that we use offsetting to cancel out emissions, it is more complex than that.

Carbon offsetting is far from being a flawless process, with many controversial issues and a lack of reliable scientific evidence on its actual short and long-term impact.

A recent investigation by the Guardian and researchers from Corporate Accountability analysed the top 50 emission offset projects - those that have sold the most carbon credits in the global market.

Using a thorough analytical method, they claim that “78% of them were categorised as likely junk or worthless due to one or more fundamental failing that undermines its promised emission cuts”.

The rest of the projects looked problematic or could not be determined definitively due to a lack of credible available data.

The shocking revelation is that the projects marked as “junk or overvalued” made up almost a third of the global voluntary carbon market, raising the question of whether carbon offsetting benefits are exaggerated across the whole portfolio.

It is compelling to look at carbon credits as the ultimate solution.

Still, the best way forward is to reduce emissions as much as possible and look for offsetting through critical analytical lenses that ensure the best outcome.

2 / Becoming carbon neutral is the end goal.

While reaching the point where you are balancing off what your company emits is a great starting point, it is not enough to improve our situation in terms of reverse engineering climate change.

Image: Getty Images

Settling to cancel out the total amount of carbon emissions you produce will not be sufficient in the long term to future-proof your business. It is great to start with net-zero carbon goals focusing on specific activities, which means that no carbon was emitted, therefore, there is no need to capture or offset.

Aiming for maximum reduction of environmental footprint and offsetting more than the overall emission of your business, or in other words, becoming carbon negative, is where things will get better.

3 / AI solutions will solve all climate challenges.

Leveraging AI in carbon management has great potential. For instance, data analytics and predictive algorithms can help companies better understand and manage their energy usage, transportation, and manufacturing processes to model and measure their Scope 1 and 2 emissions accurately.

According to a study by the European Union, the use of AI and machine learning in energy management systems could result in energy savings of up to 15% in commercial buildings.

AI-driven applications can also contribute to managing Scope 3 emissions through supply chains by optimising connections and material usage between different stakeholders, and experimental projects are looking at implementing blockchain-based carbon tracking systems.

Putting more effort into using predictive analytics is also an area of interest since it can model future carbon emissions and identify potential areas of improvement.

This means that based on previous data and patterns, AI can present different carbon footprint scenarios, allowing decision-makers to choose the one that best fits their strategic goals.

On the other hand, experts and researchers warn that using AI has its own environmental footprint that cannot be overlooked.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, found the training process for a single AI model can emit more than 626,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, which is about the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 62.6 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for a year.

Empowering the process of training AI and using it on a large scale requires a lot of energy, and global companies like Microsoft refuse to share relevant information regarding resources used in powering these solutions.

Swedish researcher Anders Andrae has forecasted that data centres could account for 10% of total electricity use by 2025.; Image: Unsplash

Using AI in addressing climate change could be a valuable tool that organisations utilise with a footnote that it must also be vetted with the same principles as any other activities with environmental impact.

4 / Planting more trees is the ultimate solution for offsetting carbon emissions.

Trees are natural carbon absorbers commonly known as the easiest, most environmentally friendly way to offset carbon emissions.

Different tree species have various absorption capacities, but in general, it is considered that 6 mature trees can store about 1 ton of CO2.; Image: Unsplash

To plant those trees, you need to find available and appropriate lands to start with, which would be a challenge in itself, not to mention keeping those trees healthy and alive.

Experts agree that while planting new trees is beneficial and needed in fighting climate change, protecting and nurturing existing forests with complex ecosystems is best.

Also, there is the issue that trees are more like time capsules for keeping carbon from entering the atmosphere since when they decay – whether in a wildfire or being chopped down and burnt – they release most of the carbon they stored.

Embracing professional forest management is an excellent tool in the box, but looking at tree planting is far from being a quick fix for offsetting.

5 / Digital tech companies should not worry about carbon emissions.

The hidden environmental impact of digital tech companies is not in the spotlight that much, and it is easy to assume that since a company does not produce physical products, it has a small role in lowering carbon emissions.

However, the reality is that they should be on the radar for ramping up climate actions through their operation and the tools or resources they use.

Data centres used by small and large tech companies are essentially massive warehouses packed with servers consuming electricity primarily generated by fossil fuels, like power plants that burn coal.

It is estimated that 30% of data centres run on a 24/7 basis, often resulting in energy wastage of around 5-10% of their total capacity.

All digital services, from sending emails to running video conferences, use energy that accounts for emissions, and putting together all the small amounts emitted through these activities could sum up to a considerable volume.

Based on Our World in Data report, the information technology used to manage and maintain digital services can be between 2 and 3 per cent. ; Image: Unsplash

There are various ways to manage digital companies' carbon footprint.

An interesting approach from Facebook was moving some parts of its IT infrastructure to northern Sweden, where the naturally cold environment helps reduce the energy needed to keep servers from overheating.

Switching to cloud-based solutions that operate more energy-efficiently is a popular choice for environmentally conscious companies to reduce their footprint.

Besides energy usage, there is also the question of using computers and other electronic devices, considering their overall environmental footprint from production to waste.

Headline image: Getty Images

This article is published in collaboration with the Profit with Purpose Magazine.

To read more insights regarding carbon management, you can download the latest digital edition of the magazine that further explores topics such as carbon offsetting, regulations and more.

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