Natural Climate Solutions
Weekly Briefing
Welcome to Nature4Climate's Weekly Briefing, which summarises content from international media outlets (and our partner organisations) on stories, developments and events that relate to natural climate solutions from 9 to 15 September, 2020. Our editorial policy is to circulate articles and opinion pieces whether we agree or disagree with viewpoints represented. Please submit NCS jobs, news, reports and events for the newsletter to info@nature4climate.org.
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Nature For Life Hub
In nine days the Nature for Life Hub will bring together more than 300 heads of state, business leaders, youth activists, and more to call for the essential systemic transformations and key messages that must be fed into UN biodiversity and climate-related discussions. You can explore the theme of each day of the hub below. Be sure to tune in for N4C's opening session at 9am on the 24th of September.
24 September: SDG DAY – Celebrating the value of nature in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
25 September: BUSINESS AND FINANCE DAY – Greening our wallets in development, finance and business
28 September: GLOBAL AMBITION DAY – A planetary response to our planetary emergency
29 September: LOCAL ACTION DAY – Celebrating the power of local action, and the role of local communities in our planetary response
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Featured News
How the ‘climate assembly’ says the UK should reach net-zero
Carbin Brief, 10 September
More than 100 randomly selected members of the public in the UK have been meeting (both in the real world and virtually since the lockdown began) to listen to advice from climate experts before coming up with a list of recommendations for how the country should reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The "climate assembly" was asked to reach decisions involving complex trade-offs on topics such as how we travel, what we eat, what we buy, how we generate electricity and how we use the land, and their report was released last week. There was widespread media coverage of the assembly's findings, but most of it glossed over the findings related to NCS. As Carbon Brief notes, "Natural solutions – and particularly afforestation and forest management – were the most popular approaches. The strong support for forestry came despite the fact that, according to Watson, during the process the “uncertainties” around such “nature-based” solutions were emphasised. Some participants did mention the possibility of trees providing long-term storage."
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Animal Populations Fell by 68% in 50 Years and It’s Getting Worse
Bloomberg, Eric Roston, 9 September
Bloomberg reports on the findings from a new World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London report on the disastrous loss of biodiversity the planet is experiencing. The report cites land-use and oceanic activities as the leading causes for this loss of life with climate change, invasive species, and overfishing and hunting as contributing factors. The Guardian, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Mongabay and others also cover the report.
On a related note, The Guardian shares a report from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds finding the UK has failed to reach 17 out of 20 UN Biodiversity Targets. The report claims the gap between rhetoric and reality has resulted in a “lost decade for nature”.
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What’s an intact forest worth? The tricky task of quantifying Canada’s nature-based climate solutions
The Narwhal, James Wilt, 9 September
The Narwhal dives into carbon offset markets for nature-based solutions in Canada to help clarify how these projects are working to make standing trees more valuable than lumber. This is part six of their Carbon Cache series. Also on the topic of valuing natural ecosystems: The National covers an interview with economist Dieter Helm who claims Scotland's natural capital can be used to lead its coronavirus recovery. Financial Times shares an opinion piece from former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson calling for a new asset class that values natural resources like trees and healthy soils. Dow shares a press release that their "Valuing Nature" program with The Nature Conservancy that has worked to develop tools that help evaluate and measure the value of nature-based projects along with process improvements and valuing natural capital assets.
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Biofuels are a controversial climate solution. Could they still help save the planet?
Grist, Emily Pontecorvo, 11 September
Grist covers two recent studies trying to clarify if biofuels are truly climate solutions. The first study finds that biofuels do provide a clear contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions but ignores factors like biodiversity loss and economics. The second study analyzed how bioenergy and carbon capture technologies could drive up food prices as arable land might be converted from farming to bioenergy crops if prices rise. Mongabay releases a video on "Why biomass burning isn't a climate solution".
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'Effective today': Google vows to 'eliminate entire carbon legacy'
BusinessGreen, James Murray, 14 September
BusinessGreen covers Google's announcement that the company has offset its carbon emissions since 2007 and is moving towards operating on carbon-free energy by 2030. BBC environmental analyst Roger Harrabin questions Google's offsetting claim as the majority of their offsets have come from preventing methane release at farms. Google has reportedly monitored Natural Climate Solutions, "But the science is still contested."
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Wildfires will be more common in a warming world
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SOME GOOD NEWS
oneworld - the parent organization for 13 of the world's largest airlines including American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and Qatar Airways - announces its group's commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
NPR reports that California will allow inmate firefighters to have their records expunged, clearing the path for them to be eligible for firefighting jobs upon release. The state has had to increasingly rely upon inmates trained to be firefighters to combat wildfires but would not allow them to seek firefighting roles for employment upon release in the past.
BusinessGreen reports that winemaker Accolade has been certified carbon-neutral across its core brands.
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The average decrease in vertebrate animal populations since 1970.
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#Together4Forests
Conservation International has launched a new campaign to respond to the EU's public consultation on actions to tackle the EU's forest destruction footprint. From the Amazon to the Asian rainforests, the EU is responsible for more than 10% of global forest destruction. Take a moment to fill out this online form to add your voice calling for the EU to take action and eliminate it's global deforestation footprint today. |
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NATURE JOBS
In this section, we'll be posting NBS-related jobs as a service to the community. If you have an opportunity you'd like featured in the newsletter, please send the details to us.
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Featured Commentary
I Need You to Care That Our Country Is on Fire
The New York Times, Charlie Warzel, 9 September
Opinion writer Charlie Warzel pleads with his fellow Americans not plagued with wildfires to take the climate-fueled disasters as a threat to them as well.
End of the polar bear by the 2030s, another major pandemic in the 2080s… and a sixth mass extinction by 2100
The Daily Mail, Sir David Attenborough, 12 September
Sir David Attenborough channels what a future without biodiversity will mean for future generations if society's current course is not corrected.
The Times view on saving wildlife: Living Planet
The Times, 10 September
The Times publishes an editorial demanding action on the worsening biodiversity crisis while there is still time to act.
Salvage opportunities can lock up carbon, restore forests more quickly
The Hill, Bill Imbergamo, 11 September
Bill Imbergamo, Executive Director of the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, argues that more action should be taken to harvest dead trees to reduce the impact of wildfires and take action on climate change.
American environmentalism’s racist roots have shaped global thinking about conservation
The Conversation, Prakash Kashwan, 2 September
Prakash Kashwan highlights how racism inherent within the conservation movement in the United States has become intertwined with global conservation organizations and efforts.
How Pressuring Corporations Can Save the Amazon from Destruction
Yale E360, Glenn Hurowitz, 10 September
Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz shows how corporate pressure can drive lasting impacts to protect forests in Southeast Asia can be applied to the Amazon.
Government proposals to combat overseas deforestation can and must be strengthened
BusinessGreen, Kerry McCarthy, 12 September
Kerry McCarthy MP argues that loopholes in the Environment Bill must be closed if the UK is to take responsibility for its global deforestation footprint.
Protecting half of the planet is the best way to fight climate change and biodiversity loss – we’ve mapped the key places to do it
The Conversation, Greg Asner, 8 September
Greg Asner of Arizona State University shares his latest research, the “Global Safety Net” that identifies the exact regions on land that must be protected to achieve a global deal for nature.
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Mapping the Evidence of Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation
The Oxford Nature-Based Solutions Initiative published new research mapping the effectiveness of nature‐based solutions for climate change adaptation. "The review investigates nearly 400 scientific studies including both real-world cases, and modelled scenarios. Of the real-world cases, most nature-based interventions (59%) were found to reduce climate impacts such as flooding, soil erosion and loss of food production". The research is the first global systematic review of the effectiveness of nature-based solutions.
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Media Round-Up
Natural Climate Solutions and Nature4Climate Partners
Senior Democrat joins calls for new conservation corps
E&E News, Emma Dumain, 10 September
Lessons from the Intergenerational Webinar on Nature-Based Solutions Implementation in Africa
Youth4Nature, 2 September
Covid-19 helps put SDGs more than 60 years behind schedule
Responsible Investor, Vibeka Mair, 11 September
Shaping up forest and landscape restoration initiatives
Forest News, Julie Mollins, 7 September
Towards accurate, open and transparent forest data
UN REDD Programme, 9 September
Do celebrity endorsements really help environmental campaigns? We found no evidence
Business Green, Alegria Olmedo, Dan Challender & Diogo Veríssimo, 14 September
This interactive map shows the key places that must be protected to curb climate change
Fast Company, Adele Peters, 9 September
Deforestation
In the Amazon, forest degradation is outpacing full deforestation
Phys.org, Tommaso Jucker, 11 September
Experts question integrity of Indonesia’s claim of avoided deforestation
Mongabay, Hans Nicholas Jong, 8 September
Threatened species caught in crossfire of ongoing land conflict in Myanmar
Mongabay, Aimee Gabay, 10 September
Reforestation
African ministers call for investment in Great Green Wall to aid Covid-19 recovery
Climate Home News, Chloé Farand, 7 September
Negative Emissions Technologies
Bipartisan coalition calls for 'USE IT Act' in defense bill
E&E News, Jeremy Dillon, 11 September
IEA calls for scale-up of hydrogen, carbon capture
E&E News, Miranda Willson, 11 September
Agriculture and Soil Health
In-depth Q&A: What does the global shift in diets mean for climate change?
Carbin Brief, Josh Gabbatis, 15 September
Interactive: What is the climate impact of eating meat and dairy?
Carbon Brief, 14 September
How Fertilizer Is Making Climate Change Worse
Bloomberg Green, Paul Tullis, 10 September
Pope teams up with Slow Food founder for environment appeal
The Washington Post, Nicole Winfield, 12 September
Hamburgers are hard on the planet. These cattle ranchers are trying to change that
CNN, Danielle Wiener-Bronner, 10 September
For European chemical giants, Brazil is an open market for toxic pesticides banned at home
Mongabay, Pedro Grigori, 10 September
Solent's 'nitrate trading' trial aims to get developers building again
BusinessGreen, Tom Gockelen-Kozlowski, 15 September
Wetlands
Study shows Falkland Islands' potential to become carbon negative
Phys.Org, 14 September
Mangrove loss has fallen dramatically, but the forests are still in danger
The Washington Post, Gabriel Popkin, 12 September
How artificial salt marshes can help in the fight against rising seas
The Guardian, Patrick Greenfield, 9 September
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New Science, Research, Policy and Tools
Common ground : restoring land health for sustainable agriculture
IUCN Global Ecosystem Management Programme, September 2020
Financing Resilient Agriculture: How agricultural lenders can reduce climate risk and help farmers build resilience
Environmental Defense Fund, September 2020
Sustainable Palm Oil: Trade and Key Players between Indonesia and China
Proforest, September 2020
Vulnerability of hop‐yields due to compound drought and heat events over European key‐hop regions
International Journal of Climatology, September 2020
What Drives the Erasure of Protected Areas? Evidence from across the Brazilian Amazon
Ecological Economics, September 2020
Mapping the effectiveness of nature‐based solutions for climate change adaptation
Global Change Biology, September 2020
Brazilian Amazon Fires Intensify in September
Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project, September 2020
Strategy for halting and reversing biodiversity loss revealed
UN Environment Programme, September 2020
Managing Land‐based CDR: BECCS, Forests and Carbon Sequestration
Global Policy, September 2020
Lessons for Jurisdictional Approaches From Municipal-Level Initiatives to Halt Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
Forests, Trees, and Agroforestry, September 2020
Living Planet Report 2020
World Wildlife Fund, September 2020
Robust paths to net greenhouse gas mitigation and negative emissions via advanced biofuels
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 2020
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Lucy Almond, Director and Chair of Nature4Climate
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