How to Get Private Capital to Protect Nature – Without Greenwashing

31.10.2020

ocean_okean_coast_obala_beach_plaža — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jakob Owens)

“Innovative finance” is the newest buzzword used to find ways to channel money – especially private money – to nature-based solutions. But bringing nature and private investors together in a sustainable and lasting way is easier said than done.

I love nature and, especially, I love the ocean. For about 12 years now, I have worked as a conservationist trying to find pragmatic solutions for how to conserve, protect, restore and ensure sustainable use of natural resources and their ecosystems. More recently, I started to learn about private financing, now a very “hot topic” in the conservation world. The main message I have gleaned is: there is not enough public and philanthropic money available to fund nature conservation, and even if those amounts are drastically increased (which they should be) over the next few years, we still need private money to close that “funding gap”.

Then, engaging more within the finance world, I learned: There is enough private money that could potentially go to conservation, but not enough projects that can absorb private capital and are at a scale that makes sense from a private investors’ point of view.

For many projects involving the active conservation and/or restoration of ecosystems, it becomes very challenging to provide a well-developed business plan, with a clear return on investment. Especially in the coastal and marine space, we see very promising deals, yet they primarily include technologies (e.g. around by-catch reduction) or plastic-related activities. All are urgently needed, yet don’t solve the problem of how we will get private money to pay for active, direct nature conservation and restoration. Because where is the financial return in that?

Private actors engaging in nature conservation isn’t new at all. For corporate social responsibility (CSR) reasons, big and small companies have long supported conservation projects. The interest from private-capital investors is certainly also there. The emergence of a flurry of new impact investments funds is proof of that on one hand, and the engagement of multilateral development banks in nature-based solutions on the other hand. But they want, compared to pure CSR, a return on investment. And this is where it becomes tricky.

Some might argue: Do we actually need private capital to pay for the conservation, protection and/or restoration of nature? I would argue: given the above-mentioned “funding gap”, yes we do. But this is not to say that we only need private money. Some projects can simply not be paid for by return-on-investment private capital. Also, the engagement with private finance needs to happen around sound environmental and social safeguards (ESS). Especially now that it has become clearer what so-called nature-based solutions are and are not.

Nature-based solutions are put forward as nature’s contribution to meet societal challenges, including climate-change mitigation and adaptation, as well as food security. The UN, big corporates, small NGOs, countries all around the globe, and also the private finance sector, embrace such solutions and want to invest in them. But what has to always be avoided at all costs is greenwashing, especially if private money is involved. Yes, private money needs to come into play, but it should go without saying that only projects with active conservation, protection and/or restoration of ecosystems ought to claim, “We are investing in nature-based solutions.” The goal is to have projects conforming to the eight criteria of the IUCN Global Standard on NbS.

Which brings us back to the lack of a clear project pipeline. As part of my work at IUCN, we have been trying to identify and support investable projects in the coastal and marine space, with clear nature-based solutions. Most are linked to the well-established revenue-generating activities around sustainable natural resources management (fisheries and aquaculture), carbon trading and tourism. We received many outstanding conservation project applications, yet without a clear (or only very early stage) business plan nor the right partnerships to engage with private capital. We have also received fascinating applications from start-ups, proposing new technologies and requesting help with how to include nature-based solutions into their business concept as a whole, and finance structure in particular.

Both established projects and startups merit support “to get further off the ground”, in terms of technical assistance as well as seed/grant funding. But neither is the silver bullet in terms of getting finance to conservation at scale.

Investment projects with nature-based solutions need innovative and creative project developers and entrepreneurs; risk-taking investors, NGOs that apply high ESS, and constructive government authorities. And ideally, back-up from government entities, in a blended finance format, to support such projects through dedicated technical assistance as well as seed funding.

This journey is not a quick one, especially if it is to be one with long-lasting impacts. Bringing a diverse set of stakeholders and interests together isn’t done overnight. It’s about constant learning, adjusting of expectations, and finding compromises without losing environmental, social and ethical standards.

Luckily, there are a lot of willing actors – from all bases – out there. The signs are extremely positive: from new (ocean) investment funds to established fund managers adding nature-based solutions prominently to their new business endeavours as well as “mainstreaming” through their more traditional investment portfolios.

And the final point: Engaging with private finance is not to let governments, or CSR- and philanthropic-driven funding, off the hook. Especially this year we have seen the need to invest in nature, from all angles, to support a healthy environment for all. We heard a lot about “build back better” – some argue “build forward better” is a more suitable slogan – we cannot allow ourselves to go back to normal and only make it a bit better. We need to have much more visionary, forward-looking thinking that includes nature at its core, from policy-making all the way to private investment. And let’s lead with continued support for those visionaries, in all the shapes and forms in which they might arise.

The World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform is searching for solutions that protect, restore and support the ocean and its blue economy. For more information, visit UpLink.

Source: World Economic Forum

Locust Control Campaign Covers Millions of Hectares, But the Voracious Pest is Still a Threat in East Africa

30.10.2020

desert-locust-skakvci — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Questions and Answers with Keith Cressman, FAO’s Senior Locust Forecasting Officer

Why are we seeing a resurgence of Desert Locust in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula?

Well, as we predicted, climatic conditions are driving this new round of locust activity. In many areas, rains came early, triggering earlier than usual reproduction; other areas continue to get steady rains, which sparks locust breeding. Large swathes of Yemen that are inaccessible are also key locust breeding grounds – basically a reservoir for the pest.

We always knew that seasonal change in winds plus these rains would spark another uptick in activity. And that this activity would be significant, given the high numbers of locusts that have been present in the region since January. So though large scale control operations have significantly improved the situation, locust populations remain in the region – especially in remote, hard to reach areas where surveillance or control operations are not possible.

Early and ongoing rains have led to a new cycle of breeding and fresh swarms are forming in Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. Immature hopper bands have also been identified in Eritrea, The Sudan and Saudi Arabia and are likely to form new swarms. The winds over the northern portion of the Horn of Africa are now starting to blow southwards again raising concerns they could again reach Kenya later in the year.

Does this mean that efforts to control the upsurge have failed?

Quite the opposite. A massive humanitarian disaster has been averted. With international support coordinated by FAO, over 1.1 million hectares of land in 10 countries have been surveyed and treated for locust infestation since January. When you add in locust control efforts outside of East Africa and Yemen, 2.3 million hectares of land have been controlled this year.

These operations have prevented the loss of 2.3 million tonnes of cereal – enough to feed more than 15 million people a year – in countries already hard hit by acute food insecurity and poverty. And our efforts have blunted impacts to an estimated 1.1 million pastoralist families, as well.

It’s important to remember, by the way, that efforts to contain the last large Desert Locust upsurge, in Africa’s Sahel region, lasted two whole years, from 2003 to 2005. The scale of the challenge and the time required to contain it should not be underestimated.

The Sahel was once again under threat of locust invasion earlier this year. How are things there now? And in Southwest Asia?

There’s been great progress in both those regions. Southwest Asia was indeed facing a huge locust upsurge earlier in the year but thanks to intensive locust control operations by India, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, the upsurge has effectively been extinguished there. Kenya experienced its worst outbreak in 70 years, but has now largely contained the locusts to just one northern county. The threat to the Sahel and West Africa has been averted, which is great news for a region wrestling with other threats to food security.

But even in those areas of East Africa where the threat persists, countries are today in a far stronger position to manage and contain the infestations than they were just 10 months ago. National capacities have been significantly strengthened. All the pesticides that are needed to carry out controls has been sourced and deployed across the region. Countries now have fleets of aircraft and ground vehicles for surveillance and control in place and operating. FAO is now helping them scale up fleets again ahead of the winter rainy season.

For us this strengthening of capacity is a major accomplishment. as the goal has not just been to scale up control operations, FAO has prioritized building the capacity of governments to manage locusts. Countries now have in place capacity that just did not exist before, or that was insufficient to meet the threat of this uncommonly large upsurge.

What needs to happen now to contain this renewed locust activity?

When it comes to this pest, perseverance and consistency are key. This is a pest that is endemic in the region and then can explode when the right variables come together. Desert Locusts reproduce like wildfire in good conditions, their numbers growing by a factor of 20 with each 3 month reproductive cycle. Suppression and containment are the goals. We want to see the swarms diminish and the locust return to their solitary, non-threatening life cycle phase..

The planning and action that governments are taking with FAO support remains solid: Survey, target, control consistently – and at scale. There will be no overnight victories. The locust campaign must be sustained over the long haul and this will take time.

Apart from aerial control operations, governments must maintain and increase their control efforts using ground survey and control teams, and reporting with eLocust3, an innovative tool that enables data to be recorded and transmitted in real time via satellite to FAO and national locust centres.

Source: FAO

This Initiative Can Give City Trees a Second Life – and Create Jobs

30.10.2020

street_light_ulična_rasveta — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Bertrand Gabioud)

The city is a difficult place for a tree to survive. Compared to their counterparts in the countryside, urban trees generally get less water, suffer more intense heat, compete for space with unyielding infrastructure and frequently become riddled with disease and pests. As a result, many cities are stuck with a lot of dead trees every year.

Cities and private contractors cut them down and usually turn them into firewood, mulch or haul them to the landfill. Often, cities replant fewer trees than they remove, leading to a net loss in canopy cover over time.

However, these trees don’t have to go to waste. “Reforestation hubs” are an exciting model that will save these trees from landfills and instead find new uses for them, such as repurposing for furniture or flooring. This can help cities deal with dead trees while saving money, creating new jobs, addressing long-term public health goals and mitigating climate change at scale.

The urban wood opportunity

Restoring trees to the United States landscape offers big benefits for the climate and communities alike. The scale of the opportunity is staggering: landscapes across the United States alone could support 60 billion new trees. This would sequester up to 540 million tons of CO2 per year — equivalent to replacing 117 million gasoline cars with electric vehicles running on clean electricity. The United States could plant an estimated 400 million of these trees in cities. Capturing this opportunity will take financial resources and concerted effort by a variety of public and private partners.

While waiting for government funding or voluntary private sector finance to kick in at a meaningful scale, cities across the country hold a massive and untapped resource. However, this resource is going to waste — literally.

Every year, 36 million trees come down in cities across the United States due to old age, disease and new development, resulting in economic losses up to $786 million each year. Much of this wood could become valuable products, but instead often gets chipped, thrown in a landfill or burned as firewood. Rethinking urban wood waste could be an unexpected climate and economic solution, turning a burden on the climate and city budgets into a financial engine for reforestation across the broader landscape.

This opportunity is the impetus for the concept of reforestation hubs, pioneered by Cambium Carbon, Cities4Forests and the Arbor Day Foundation, which will be working with city officials to create the nation’s first reforestation hubs by 2022 through a TNC Natural Climate Change Solutions Accelerator Grant.

drvo — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Pedro Kummel)

What is a reforestation hub?

In their simplest form, reforestation hubs are public-private partnerships that save cities money and generate revenue to plant and maintain more trees by diverting downed urban trees from landfills. Instead of going to waste, downed trees are sorted and turned into their highest and best use like furniture, cross-laminated timber, lumber, flooring, compost or mulch. This saves cities money and generates revenue to plant and maintain more trees, building a vibrant circular economy and allowing cities to better combat climate change. In the process, reforestation hubs also support public health and economic growth by creating jobs in green infrastructure through employing people at mills, nurseries and new planting initiatives.

Despite the value urban wood can provide, critical obstacles stand in the way of utilizing them. Cities lack the infrastructure to make fallen trees valuable, and wood product supply chains are not structured around urban wood products. Addressing these two gaps is the first step in creating a functioning reforestation hub. Doing so will require investments in sort yards and mill infrastructure to process incoming wood waste, bringing together city officials, urban millers, artisans, furniture makers, biochar facilities and composting operations. Additionally, it will require building value chains that connect these urban wood ecosystems to the broader market.

Urban wood champions are chipping away at this vision, but with slow progress. Building a reforestation hub requires immense collaboration, and urban wood is a complex raw material to build consistent supply chains around. Reforestation hubs break this log jam by bringing together four ingredients:

1. City-level commitments to divert wood from city agency and contractor operations, buy urban wood for city operations and establish long-term planting plans.

2. Private finance from philanthropic and impact investors for necessary infrastructure.

3. A market incubation platform that drives consumer awareness and leverages technology to connect buyers and sellers.

4. A social impact mission that reinvests profits from the new urban wood economy into tree planting in reforestation hub cities and the surrounding landscapes.

This vision builds on the work of the Baltimore Wood Project, which creates furniture and other high-value products from dead urban trees and reclaimed lumber from houses facing demolition. Baltimore created a network of suppliers and buyers of reclaimed lumber and invested heavily in Camp Small, a sort yard that can process their existing waste stream and turn it into value.

Growing new opportunities for city trees

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Josh Withers)

Reforestation hubs not only bring value through using dead trees, but by creating a path for planting new trees in cities. This comes with numerous public health benefits, including purifying air and water, helping to reduce respiratory disease and decreasing heat. Trees also increase stormwater retention to ease stress on city sewer systems.

Tree canopy health often follows wealth and racial lines in cities, depriving underserved communities of these benefits. Reforestation hubs, by applying the principles of tree equity, can provide funds to improve tree health and plant more trees that benefit these communities. They can also provide new employment opportunities through the markets created for previously under-utilized urban wood.

Making the most of fallen trees

With the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, cities may face pressure to defer tree maintenance and replanting, despite the many benefits urban trees provide. At the same time, well-planned reforestation holds the potential to improve the respiratory health of residents and increased urban tree canopies can help cities meet their climate goals. Reforestation hubs offer a multitude of benefits, building new revenue to help fund tree care and planting as well as providing a path to financing broader tree-work in cities. As a result, reforestation hubs have immense potential to become economic, public health and climate boons for cities in the face of intersecting crises.

United States cities and NGOs looking for assistance in developing a reforestation hub can apply to receive pro-bono assistance by October 30 here. Stay up to date on this exciting work and encourage your city to join the movement here.

Source: World Economic Forum

Iowa’s Largest Solar Power Plant Nearly Finished

29.10.2020

construction-solar — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Solar power continues to plow forward thanks to record-low costs that have followed a long, long slide (or at times avalanche) in solar panel prices. This week we got news of Iowa getting its largest solar power park to date.

Renewable energy company Clēnera and RES (Renewable Energy Systems) have teamed up on a 127.5 megawatt (MW) solar project in Louisa County, the Wapello Solar project. It will produce enough electricity for around 45,000 homes, but with the electricity sold to the local utility, the Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO).

“We are thrilled to work with Clēnera on this milestone project, as we look to strike a meaningful balance with energy cost, reliability and stewardship for our members,” said CIPCO CEO and Executive Vice President Bill Cherrier.

“Energy produced by the sun provides an excellent complement to wind energy. The energy we purchase from Wapello Solar will be produced during our daily and seasonal peak demand times. This is an innovative way for us to offer reliability and efficiency to CIPCO’s energy portfolio.”

The solar power plant should go into operation by the end of 2020. RES is the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) partner on the project. “RES, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, commenced construction in July 2020 and will employ over 280 workers at the peak of construction, many of whom will be locally hired,” a press release notes.

Here are a few more facts about the project:

Construction started in June.
The project has hired 200+ construction workers.
It’s expected to create $5.2 million in tax revenue.

Source: Clean Technica

Fao Calls for Stepping up Forest and Landscape Restoration

29.10.2020

drought-dry-suva zemlja — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Efforts to restore the world’s degraded forests and landscapes must be scaled up to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, said FAO in a new publication released today.

Land and forest degradation are among the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Globally, 25 percent of the total land area has been degraded. To safeguard the future of our planet, major actions are needed to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.

The importance of land and forest restoration is highlighted in a new edition of FAO’s quarterly forestry publication Unasylva, launched today at the Global Landscapes Forum Biodiversity Digital Conference: One World – One Health.

Entitled Restoring the Earth: the next decade, the latest edition also underlines that considerable progress in forest and landscape restoration has been made in the last ten years.

To date, 63 countries and other entities have committed to restoring 173 million hectares – an area half the size of India – and regional responses such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) and Initiative 20×20 in Latin America are making significant advances.

However, the publication argues that much more needs to be done at the national, regional and global scale to meet commitments under the Bonn Challenge, which aim to restore 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands by 2030, and other international pledges.

“Forest and landscape restoration is about much more than trees: it has social and economic benefits such as improving human well-being and livelihoods, and contributes to many of the Sustainable Development Goals, including mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity,” said Mette Wilkie, Director, FAO Forestry.

New initiatives

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Patrick Hendry)

The new edition of Unasylva outlines a series of new restoration initiatives and programmes aimed at increasing funding, empowering local stakeholders and enhancing technical assistance for forest and landscape restoration.

The publication also presents technical approaches, such as Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), to increase the adoption of forest and landscape restoration, and underlines the factors that underpin its implementation.

Among positive stories highlighted is China’s success in reversing centuries of forest degradation and loss thanks to political leadership, multi-stakeholder involvement and an adaptive management approach.

Unasylva also profiles Northern Kenya’s community conservation movement, which shows that land restoration is most successful when peace, governance, enterprise and wildlife conservation are also addressed.

Case studies in Brazil, Cambodia, Madagascar and Sao Tome and Principe meanwhile illustrate the range of options for institutional coordination mechanisms in forest and landscape restoration. Examples from the Niger and Burkina-Faso showcase the importance of local government and community’s empowerment for planning and financing restoration and sustainable land management.

Action needed

The publication also outlines actions needed to realize the momentum offered by the upcoming UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) to upscale forest restoration across hundreds of millions of hectares.

These include developing comprehensive business cases for governments and private-sector investors, new policies and legislation to support investments in restoration, and protocols for restoration tailored for specific landscapes.

Effective monitoring at the global, landscape and project scales is also essential for keeping restoration on track.

“Societies worldwide will need to be convinced of the global restoration imperative by rational economic argument, compassion for current and future generations, and an emotional connection to nature,” according to the authors of one article in the journal.

About Unasylva

Unasylva is an international journal of forestry and forest industries and FAO’s longest running periodical, existing since 1947. Its goal is to bring globally significant developments in forestry to a broad range of readers – such as policymakers, forest managers, technicians, researchers, students and teachers.

Each issue involves authors from every region of the world and from a variety of academic and research institutions, other United Nations (UN) agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society.

Source: FAO

The Global Transformation of the Electricity Sector Requires Greater Efforts to Ensure Security of Supply

28.10.2020

electric-cables-energetski-sistem — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

New IEA report offers recommendations for how to respond to evolving challenges for electricity systems from growth of variable renewable electricity, cyber threats and extreme weather events.

The electricity sector, which plays a large and growing role in energy systems around the world, is undergoing its most dramatic transformation since its creation more than a century ago. The importance of electricity is only set to increase in the years ahead, calling for a more comprehensive approach to electricity security to meet evolving challenges such as cyber threats, extreme weather events and rapidly growing shares of variable electricity generation from wind and solar power, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency.

The report, Power Systems in Transition, is the first major global study to examine in depth these three key areas for the future of electricity security at the same time and offer recommendations for addressing them in a way that supports the acceleration of clean energy transitions globally.

“Energy security is at the heart of the IEA’s mission because it is critical for social wellbeing, economic prosperity and successful clean energy transitions. We are dedicated to helping countries around the world ensure that all their citizens have access to clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director. “Electricity is essential for the functioning of modern societies – as the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted – and for bringing down global emissions. This is why we are continuing to expand and deepen our work on electricity security.”

The report is being launched at the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on System Integration of Renewables, which is co-hosted by the IEA and the Singapore government. The event will bring together Ministers, industry CEOs and thought leaders from around the world for discussions on the theme of “Investment, Integration and Resilience: A Secure, Clean Energy Future.”

Electricity accounts for one-fifth of global energy consumption today, and its share is rising. It is set to play a bigger role in heating, cooling and transport as well as many digitally integrated sectors such as communication, finance and healthcare. In pathways towards meeting international energy and climate goals, such as the IEA Sustainable Development Scenario, the trend will accelerate. In that scenario, electricity could surpass oil as the world’s largest energy source by 2040. Wind and solar’s share of global electricity generation would rise from 7 percent to 45 percent, with all renewables combined generating more than 70 percent of the total.

Many countries today enjoy a high level of electricity security thanks to centrally controlled systems, relatively simple supply chains, and power plants that can supply electricity whenever needed. But recent technology and policy developments are now radically changing the sector and with it, the electricity security model that has prevailed for the past century. These developments include steep declines in the costs of variable renewables, the trends of decentralisation and digitalisation, and the impacts of climate change.

The challenge for governments and utilities is to update policies, regulations and market designs to ensure that power systems remain secure throughout clean energy transitions. The new IEA report maps out key steps for achieving this. An essential goal is to make systems more flexible so they can smoothly accommodate the variable electricity production from wind and solar. This includes making the best use of the flexibility on offer from existing power plants that can generate electricity when required, as well as increasing investments in grids and other sources of flexibility such as demand-side technologies and storage resources. However, global investment in these areas is declining, a trend that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis. An increase in investments should be facilitated by better-designed markets that reward power system resources that deliver flexibility and capacity.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Serge le Strat)

The growing digitalisation of electricity systems, the rise of smart grids and the shift to a wider distribution of generation resources offers many opportunities and benefits. But with cyber threats already substantial and growing, it is imperative to strengthen cyber resilience measures and make them a central part of the planning and operation of power systems. Governments can achieve this through a wide range of policy and regulatory approaches – from highly prescriptive ones to framework-oriented, performance-based ones.

The effects of climate change mean that electricity systems need to become more resilient to the impacts of changing weather patterns, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events. This can be accomplished by giving a high priority to climate resilience in electricity security policies and establishing better standards to guide the necessary investments. Enhancing the resilience of electricity systems to climate change also brings multiple benefits.

The new IEA report identifies best practices and lessons learned from around the globe. It also provides a set of recommendations for institutional frameworks that establish clear responsibilities, incentives and rules; measures to identify, manage and mitigate risks; and protocols to monitor progress, respond and recover, including through emergency response exercises.

“The IEA is the world’s energy authority where governments and industry leaders can share experiences and expertise to help move the world towards a more secure and sustainable energy future,” said Dr Birol. “This report is the reference manual for policy-making on electricity security now and for years to come.”

The IEA’s expanding work on energy security challenges will next year include a special report providing a forward-looking assessment of the global supply of critical minerals for clean energy technologies.

Source: IEA

Over 200,000 Tonnes of Plastic Leaking Into the Mediterranean Each Year

28.10.2020

plastična_viljuška_okean — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Brian Yurasits)

A new IUCN report finds that an estimated 229,000 tonnes of plastic are leaking into the Mediterranean Sea every year – equivalent to over 500 shipping containers each day. Unless significant measures are taken to address mismanaged waste, the main source of the leakage, this will at least double by 2040.

Based on a compilation of data from field studies and using the IUCN marine plastic footprint methodology, the report, “Mare Plasticum: The Mediterranean”, compiled in collaboration with Environmental Action, estimates plastic fluxes from 33 countries around the Mediterranean basin. It finds that macro-plastics resulting from mismanaged waste make up 94 percentage of the total plastic leakage. Once washed into the sea, plastic mostly settles in the sediments in the form of microplastics (particles smaller than 5mm). The report estimates that more than one million tonnes of plastic have accumulated in the Mediterranean Sea.

“Plastic pollution can cause long-term damage to terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Marine animals can get entangled or swallow plastic waste, and ultimately end up dying from exhaustion and starvation. Additionally, plastic waste releases chemical substances such as softeners or fire retardants into the environment, which can be harmful to both ecosystems and human health, especially in a semi-closed sea such as the Mediterranean. As this report makes clear, current and planned measures are not enough to reduce plastic leakage and pre-vent these impacts”, said Minna Epps, Director, IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme.

According to the report, Egypt (around 74,000 tonnes/year), Italy (34,000 tonnes/year) and Turkey (24,000 tonnes/year) are the countries with the highest plastic leakage rates into the Mediterranean, mainly due to high quantities of mismanaged waste and large coastal populations. Per capita, however, Montenegro (8kg/year/person), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia (each contributing an estimated 3kg/year/person) have the highest levels of leakage.

For primary microplastics – plastics that enter the oceans in the form of small particles, as op-posed to larger plastic waste that degrades in the water – the plastic flow into the Mediterranean is estimated at 13,000 tonnes/year. Tyre dust is the largest source of leakage (53 percentage), followed by textiles (33 percentage), microbeads in cosmetics (12 percentage), and production pellets (2 percentage).

Based on a projected annual increase in global plastic production of 4 percentage, the report lays out different leakage scenarios and assesses key actions that could contribute to cutting plastic flows into the Mediterranean over next 20 years. It finds that under a business as usual scenario, annual leakage will reach 500,000 tonnes per year by 2040, and underlines that ambitious interventions beyond current commitments will be required to reduce the flow of plastic into the sea.

“Governments, private sector, research institutions and other industries and consumers need to work collaboratively to redesign processes and supply chains, invest in innovation and adopt sustainable consumption patterns and improved waste management practices to close the plastic tap,” said Antonio Troya, Director of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation.

Improving waste management, starting with waste collection, has the greatest potential to reduce plastic leakage over time, according to the report. It finds that more than 50,000 tonnes of plastic leakage into the Mediterranean could be avoided each year if waste management were to be improved to global best practice standards in the top 100 contributing cities alone. Additionally, the report highlights that bans can be effective interventions if widely implemented – for instance, it estimates that a global ban on plastic bags in the basin would further reduce plastic leakage by around 50,000 tonnes per year.

Plastic pollution is harmful to marine wildlife, e.g. through entanglement, or by causing starvation when ingested. It is also thought to accumulate in the food web, with potentially negative impacts on human health.

This report is part of a series of publications under IUCN’s Close the Plastic Tap programme. The publication has been supported by Mava Foundation.

The publication is available here.

Source: IUCN

New Strains of Rice Could Address Climate Change

27.10.2020

rice-pirinac — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Rice is a staple for more than 3.5 billion people, including most of the world’s poor. But it can be a problematic crop to farm. It requires massive amounts of water and the paddies in which it grows emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

To tackle such issues, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been working with the Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center to develop strains of rice that are drought resistant and don’t need to be planted in paddies. The research, say, experts, could help bolster food security at a time when COVID-19 is threatening to propel more people into hunger.

The study, which runs from 2017 to 2021, is funded by the Government of China and falls under the China-Africa South-South Cooperation arrangement.

“China has lots of experience growing rice and this collaboration with China is a first,” says UNEP ecosystems expert Levis Kavagi, who has been closely involved with the project.

Researchers have developed and tested over 50 varieties of rice in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. They evaluated how the grains grow at different elevations and, importantly, how they taste.

WDR 73 also doesn’t need to be planted in a flooded paddy. That’s important for several reasons.

Transporting seedlings into flooded fields is a laborious process. Paddies are breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Water shortages, sparked by climate change, are expected to make filling paddies a challenge in many countries. And paddies themselves vent massive amounts of methane – up to 20 percent of human-related emissions of the greenhouse gas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Growing rice on relatively dry land also reduces the ever-growing quest to open up wetlands, havens for birds and other animals, to farming.

“Usually the most suitable land for growing rice also tends to be next to, or in, wetlands or flood plains,” says Kavagi. “Expanding agricultural land involves draining the wetlands. This leads to loss of biodiversity, and reduced water purification and climate regulation services provided by wetlands.”

The ultimate goal of the project is to get a national certification of WDR 73, allowing it to be broadly disseminated to farmers. The project is part of a larger effort by China, African countries and UNEP to develop better rice varieties, improve livelihoods and bolster food security.

“The project shows that with new rice varieties it is possible to achieve the multiple objectives of food security, biodiversity and nature conservation – and fight against climate change,” says Kavagi.

Technical details of rice trials in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda

In Kenya, trials were conducted over three growing seasons in Mwea (central Kenya), Busia (western), and Mtwapa (coastal area). Rice variety WDR 73 performed well compared with the local Basmati varieties. The growth duration varied from 125 days in Mtwapa, to 150 days in Mwea and Busia, where the altitude is over 1,000m. Average grain yield was 5.1 to 9.0 tonnes per hectare. Plant height was 100-110 cm, which shows that this variety is tolerant to rice blast disease and displays good drought-resistant qualities compared to Basmati varieties.

In Uganda, WDR73 cultivation experiments were conducted in Lukaya, Luweero and Arua. In well-managed farms, grain yield increased from 4.35 to more than 6.0 tons per hectare. In Arua, in 2019 the rain-fed crop was direct sowed from 25-30 August and harvested from 30 November to 5 December. The growth duration was 90-95 days and yielded 4.35 tonnes per hectare. Direct seeded WDR 73 grain yield in Luweero in 2019 varied from 6 tonnes per hectare in rain-fed conditions to 8 tonnes per hectare in irrigated paddy fields.

In Bolgatanga, a drought-prone area in northern Ghana, WDR 73 growth duration was 105 days and plant height 110-120 cm, while the grain yield was 6.0 tonnes per hectare.

Source: UNEP

This Is What’s Happening With Single-Use Plastics Around the World

27.10.2020

the-bottle-flaša-plastika — Photo illustration: Pixabay

Canada will ban a range of single-use plastic products by the end of next year.

The ban will focus on six items that are often found in the environment, are often not recycled and that have readily available alternatives, the country says. These are plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery and food take-out containers that are hard to recycle.

The plan – which also proposes measures to recover and recycle plastic to keep it in the economy and out of the environment – is part of a national drive to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.

Global effort

Canada joins a growing list of countries taking action on plastic pollution.

Last year, 170 nations pledged to “significantly reduce” use of plastic by 2030. And many have already started by proposing or imposing rules on certain single-use plastics:

Kenya – banned single-use plastic bags in 2017 and, this June, prohibited visitors from taking single-use plastics such as water bottles and disposable plates into national parks, forests, beaches, and conservation areas.

Zimbabwe – introduced a ban on polystyrene food containers in 2017, with fines of between $30 to $5,000 for anyone breaking the rules.

United Kingdom – introduced a tax on plastic bags in 2015 and banned the sale of products containing microbeads, like shower gels and face scrubs, in 2018. A ban on supplying plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds recently came into force in England.

United States – New York, California and Hawaii are among states to have banned single-use plastic bags, though there is no federal ban.

The European Union – plans to ban single-use plastic items such as straws, forks, knives and cotton buds by 2021.

China – has announced a plan to ban non-degradable bags in all cities and towns by 2022. Single-use straws will also be banned in the restaurant industry by the end of 2020.

India – instead of a proposed nationwide ban on plastic bags, cups and straws, states are being asked to enforce existing rules on the storage, manufacture and use of some single-use plastics.

Systemic approach

As Canada’s announcement reflects, plastics bans are only part of the solution. After all, plastic is a cheap and versatile solution to many problems, and is used effectively in many applications from preserving food to saving lives in healthcare.

So to create real change, moving to a circular economy in which products don’t end up as waste will be vital.

UK charity the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative aims to help the world make this transition. It says we can do this if we:

-Eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items.

-Innovate to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

-Circulate all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment.

“We need to innovate to create new materials and reuse business models,” the organization’s founder Ellen MacArthur says. “And we need improved infrastructure to ensure all plastics we use are circulated in the economy and never become waste or pollution.

“The question is not whether a circular economy for plastic is possible, but what we will do together to make it happen.”

MacArthur was speaking at the launch of a recent report on the urgent need for a circular economy in plastics, called Breaking the Plastic Wave.

It shows that, compared with a business-as-usual scenario, the circular economy has the potential to reduce the annual volume of plastics entering our oceans by 80 percentage. A circular approach could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percentage, generate savings of $200 billion per year, and create 700,000 additional jobs by 2040.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership is working to help shape a more sustainable and inclusive world by eradicating plastic pollution.

It brings together governments, businesses and civil society to translate commitments into meaningful action at both the global and national levels.

Source: World Economic Forum

UNEP Launches a Virtual Journey Through Three Iconic Forests

25.10.2020

šuma-forest-priroda-nature-landscape-klupa-park-zelenilo-planina-predeo — Foto: Unsplash (Tokii Walkie)

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Sergey Raikin)

The COVID-19 pandemic might have scotched your vacation plans this year. But you can still bound through some of the world’s most iconic landscapes in a new online journey launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

A new interactive webpage allows netizens to explore three wildlife-rich forests: the Leuser in Indonesia, the Kayah-Karen in Thailand and Myanmar, and the Gran Chaco, which courses through Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil.

Through videos, photo essays and quizzes, the website offers an intimate look at the plants and animals that call these forests home.

“The site is designed to raise awareness about the myriad of threats facing forests, from logging to farming,” says Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division. “As our thirst for natural resources grows, we put increased pressure on the world’s forests, which are actually very delicate ecosystems. By highlighting how forests benefit both animals and humans, we hope to help preserve them for generations to come.”

Forests cover one-third of the Earth’s surface and are home to half of land animals and plants. Along with being a haven for wildlife, they produce oxygen, purify water and lock in carbon dioxide that would otherwise flood the atmosphere and drive global warming.

Every year, the world loses 4.7 million hectares of forests, an area bigger than Denmark. Many of those trees are felled to make way for cattle farms, palm plantations and soybean fields.

The new digital journeys underline how forests support both animals and humans. For example, the Leuser, a 2.6 million-hectare tract of lowland forest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, home to everything from rhinos, to orangutans to tigers. Its eastern ranges alone also support nearly 6 million people.

“Losing forests isn’t only bad for animals,” says Gardner. “In many places, deforestation is depriving people, many of them already poor and marginalized, of food, jobs and a chance at a better life.”

The new interactive webpage is part of the Wild for Life Campaign, a global effort, led by the UNEP, to raise awareness about the threats to wild animals. It is one in a series of online journeys. Others explore savannahs, coral reefs and peatlands.

Source: UNEP

New Jersey’s Plan To Cut Global Warming Emissions 80 percentage By 2050

24.10.2020

global-warming-1494965_960_720 — Photo: Pixabay

As I wrote earlier today, New Jersey has a legal requirement to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percentage by 2050, based on 2006 levels.

Its biggest source of emissions is transportation, accounting for more than 40 percentage of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, so I focused my earlier article entirely on that topic. However, there is much more in the 200-word report New Jersey just published on how it intends to cut emissions from other sectors, so let’s dig into that.

First of all, the beginning of the report puts a lot of emphasis on the costs of inaction for the State of New Jersey, which are far greater than any combination of clean energy and electric vehicle action.

Then it gets into the action. “Building upon New Jersey’s 2019 Energy Master Plan (2019 EMP) and Governor Phil Murphy’s vision for 100 percentage clean energy by 2050, this report analyzes New Jersey’s emissions reductions to date, evaluates plans presently in place for further reducing emissions, and presents a set of strategies across seven emission sectors for policymakers to consider in formulating legislation, regulations, policy and programs to ensure that New Jersey achieves the 80×50 goal.”

Unfortunately, after a 20 percentage cut in emissions due to a big shift away from coal, the problem for the state is that it’s going in the wrong direction. “On a ‘Business-as-Usual’ course, which includes implementation of Murphy Administration initiatives as of 2019, 2 our 2050 GHG emissions would be higher than they are today estimated to at best be 106.7 MMT CO2e or 12 percentage below 2006 levels, undermining progress to-date and missing the 80×50 goal (Figure ES.1).”

To repeat, but because it’s important, as you can see in that chart, transportation accounts for a huge chunk of the emissions. The quicker New Jersey can electrify transport, the better. The good thing is that the state has large — $5,000 — EV rebates, and EV charging initiatives as well.

One way New Jersey things it can shift over the energy sector to more renewable energy is via its carbon trading scheme, using the proceeds from it to invest in cleantech companies. “It is necessary for New Jersey to implement both a unified energy policy as set forth in the 2019 EMP and sector-specific policies to achieve the level of GHG reductions called for by the GWRA and envisioned in this report. For example, implementing the 2019 EMP and leveraging clean energy funding sources, including auction proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), is one backbone mechanism that can be utilized to facilitate emissions reductions in several sectors discussed below while supporting investments in New Jersey companies who deploy clean energy technology, bolstering our economy and creating good jobs for New Jersey residents.”

Buildings — residential and commercial buildings — account for 26 percentage of the states emissions. Emissions need to be cut 89 percentage by 2050. Naturally, this means moving away from natural gas for things like heating and electrifying, electrifying, electrifying. How does the state go about encouraging and requiring that? The report team identified 5 primary strategies:

1.Develop a Buildings Electrification Roadmap, which provides strategies and concrete timelines for achieving widespread electrification.

2. Prioritize near-term conversion of buildings relying on propane and heating oil, starting no later than 2021.

3. In coordination with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), consider legislation governing all new construction and upgrades to facilitate the transition to a decarbonized building sector.

4. Mandate energy audits in state buildings and encourage/incentivize energy audits in county and municipal buildings.

5. Adopt new construction net zero carbon goals for commercial and residential buildings.

Electric generation is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, accounting for 19% of them. Naturally, all that needs to happen here is natural gas and remaining coal need to shift over to renewables. Renewable energy is increasingly the best option for new power capacity anyway, and New Jersey has some great resources.

“The EMP projects that renewable power supply must increase from a present-day level of 3.3 GW (Gigawatts) to almost 16 GW by 2030, through an additional 12.4 GW of renewable energy. It is anticipated this will come from development of 3.5 GW of offshore wind and the balance will be supplied from 8.9 GW of in-state solar and renewable energy resources from the PJM region. By 2050 total state renewable energy capacity must reach approximately 60.5 GW, comprised of 32 GW of solar, nearly 11 GW of offshore wind, and almost 18 GW of firm capacity (e.g., low-carbon or carbon neutral fuels) to meet reliability requirements. New Jersey must also adapt and manage its electric grid through the deployment of distributed energy resources, battery storage and other strategies to accommodate the growing demand from the sectors undergoing electrification.”

But how should the state government be involved? They mention developing a Clean Energy Standard, which has worked very well in other states to give utilities and the broader market a window into the future they should be headed toward. They also mention putting regulatory limits on CO2 emissions. Otherwise, policy ideas are slim. While I could see the market guiding the shift on its own, stronger policies would help to speed up the process, helping everyone.

There are also the matters of industry, waste & agriculture, short-lived climate pollutants, and carbon sequestration. You can find more details on those in the report.

Author: Zachary Shahan

Creation of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Water Systems Dynamics under the auspices of UNESCO

23.10.2020

voda_fontana — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Albert Flamingo)

UNESCO and France have formalized the creation in Montpellier of the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Water Systems Dynamics (ICIReWaRD) which will provide expertise, carry out research and training actions in management and governance, of water science and technology in vulnerable regions, focusing in particular on problems linked to rapid urbanization, demographic pressure and the foreseeable effects of climate change.

This research institute, within the University of Montpellier, will promote partnerships in the field of research and training, in order to strengthen the capacities of Member States. It also aims to train future professionals with the skills and expertise to tackle complex water issues.

The promoters of this new institute aim to strengthen a North-South, South-South and triangular collaboration that is solid and fruitful for water security in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East and Africa. The research centre will help the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme to develop the capacities of Member States to tackle water problems in a world where challenges as well as opportunities multiply, according to UNESCO.

ICIReWaRD-Montpellier, which aims to be one of the most important scientific centres in its field at the global level, both by the diversity of its research and training themes as well as by the influence of its teams, will bring together around 400 researchers and 150 doctoral students belonging to 16 research units.

The creation of this new “category 2” centre under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was approved by its 40th General Conference in November 2019. It strengthens the UNESCO Water Family, a global network of 36 centres and 63 chairs specializing in the study and management of water.

Unlike category 1, category 2 institutes and centres are not legally part of the Organization but are associated with it. They are committed to participating in the achievement of UNESCO’s strategic programme objectives and are funded directly by the Member States that host them. As for the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), it is the only intergovernmental programme of the United Nations system devoted to water research, water resources management, as well as education and capacity development.

Source: UNESCO

Moving Towards Zero Pollution In Europe

23.10.2020

chimney_city_air_pollution — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

What is pollution and how does it affect us and the environment? Europe is taking action to reduce pollution and, as part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission put forward a zero-pollution ambition for Europe. A new European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today, looks at the pollution challenge in Europe from different angles as well as opportunities to clean up and prevent pollution.

The report ‘EEA Signals 2020 – Towards zero pollution in Europe’ presents an overview of air, water and soil pollution as well as other angles to the topic, based on previously published EEA information and data.

‘EEA Signals 2020’ looks at different types of pollution and their sources. The report presents measures to improve air quality, which would improve people’s health, main pressures on Europe’s freshwater bodies and seas, and how soil pollution is still a wide-spread and growing problem.

The report presents an overview of trends in industrial pollution and how synthetic chemicals and environmental noise affect Europeans’ health. An interview with Francesca Racioppi, Head of the World Health Organization’s European Centre for Environment and Health, dives deeper into the health effects of different types of pollution. Professor Geert Van Calster, from University of Leuven, discusses the benefits and shortcomings of the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

Earlier this month, the European Commission launched their roadmap on an EU Action Plan “Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition for air, water and soil – building a Healthier Planet for Healthier People”. The roadmap, which is open for public feedback until 29 October 2020, outlines EU plans to achieve zero pollution by better preventing, remedying, monitoring and reporting on pollution.

The EEA Signals report is an annual, easy-to-read publication, consisting of a series of short articles, that looks at key issues related to the environment and climate. Recent EEA Signals reports have looked at soil (2019), water (2018), and energy (2017).

Source: EEA

Climate Investment Platform: Plugging the Energy Investment Gap in Developing Countries

22.10.2020

solar-panel-renewable-energy — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Science in HD)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Science in HD)

IRENA and Climate Investment Platform partners are working closely to advance renewables deployment efforts in developing countries.

Access to renewable energy finance remains a key challenge for developing nations. While many countries across Africa, Asia and Small Island Developing States remain highly disadvantaged by a lack of adequate energy infrastructure, they are presented with a unique opportunity to realise profound and lasting socioeconomic benefits from the transition to renewables.

The relative speed of progress in developing countries towards a low-carbon energy system has been modest, however – compromising the achievement of sustainable development and the realisation of key economic objectives, such as improved energy security, greater energy independence, job creation and more inclusive economic participation. Investment needs in sub-Saharan Africa alone are estimated at USD 105 billion per year to 2050, to align with development objectives and climate goals.

The Climate Investment Platform launched by IRENA, together with SEforAll, the UNDP and in cooperation with the Green Climate Fund (GCF), blends the capabilities and resources of the four partner organisations to address – and unlock – investment needs in developing countries, in turn initiating a step change in their pursuit of low-carbon energy ambitions. The Partners support countries with target setting, the establishment of an enabling legal and regulatory environment, and development of risk mitigation measures to encourage capital flows.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Thomas Richter)

While IRENA supports all components of this work, the Agency currently has a particular focus on risk mitigation and project facilitation. To date, IRENA’s CIP efforts have resulted in more than 180 project financing applications and more than 50 active partner pledges of support. The aim of the Platform is to connect projects with available climate capital by working closely with project proponents to bolster proposals, while facilitating matchmaking between projects and suitable investors under the facility.

The barriers to increased capital flows in developing markets are many. Challenges such as the limited capacity of local developers to produce investor ready projects, weak investor appetite for early stage development risk and the absence of enabling policies and regulatory frameworks, are just three of the areas in which CIP works to develop tailored, country specific solutions. And these activities are already underway.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andreas Gücklhorn)

One example is the Platform’s work with Spanish development bank COFIDES – a registered CIP partner – working with the IRENA project facilitation team under the framework of CIP. COFIDES has agreed to provide concessional loans to eligible small and medium-scale off-grid projects across countries in sub-Saharan Africa, sourced from the CIP pool of projects. The projects include a solar energy platform initiative in Burkina Faso, the electrification of 36 villages in Senegal, and the distribution of 20,000 solar irrigation kits in Benin, to name a few.

IRENA’s central role as a facilitator of this process is essential. Drawing on the Agency’s understanding of the products, risk appetite, geographic scope and eligibility criteria of partners, IRENA works to steer projects towards partners whose criteria align with the features of the project – saving both time, and money.

Supporting the development of bankable projects also transfers important skills to developers in countries across the global South that will have a lasting effect on their ability to build more investor ready project proposals. Similarly, the large and growing pool of partners convened under the platform has access to a consolidated and streamlined pipeline of financing opportunities in developing countries – many of whom are supported by IRENA at policy as well as risk mitigation level.

Source: IRENA

Mediterranean Basin Facing Irreversible Environmental Damage, Warns new UNEP Report

22.10.2020

giglio-mediteran — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Rising inequality, biodiversity loss, the growing impact of climate change and unrelenting pressure on natural resources could lead to irreversible environmental damage in the Mediterranean basin, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

State of the Environment and Development in the Mediterranean finds that, unless urgent and resolute action is taken to halt current trends, environmental degradation could have serious and lasting consequences for human health and livelihoods in the region. Last published in 2009, the report is produced by Plan Bleu, a regional activity centre of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP).

According to the report, 15 percent of deaths in the Mediterranean are attributable to preventable environmental factors; in 2016, more than 228,000 people died prematurely from exposure to air pollution. The region – one of the world’s most coveted tourism destinations (360 million arrivals in 2017) and one of its busiest shipping routes – is polluted by an estimated 730 tonnes of plastic waste every day. The presence of more than 1,000 non-indigenous species also poses threats to biodiversity, and the region is warming 20 per cent faster than the global average.

“By shedding light on the mistakes of the past, the report’s findings can guide a green renaissance in the Mediterranean. Embarking on greener development paths now can halt the environmental degradation trends and salvage hard-won achievements in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat.

With GDP on the European shore on average three times higher than in south and east Mediterranean countries, the report indicates that the region, which is home to more than 512 million people, is not on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

“The future of the Mediterranean is on the line. In the past few months, the world has been wondering what the world will be like in the future. This is the third issue of the SoED report since 2005 and very little has changed since. If we want to protect the Mediterranean for present and future generations, we can no longer afford piecemeal steps. We must embark on drastic changes in our relationship with nature”, said François Guerquin, Director of Plan Bleu.

In order to induce transformative change that tackles the drivers of environmental degradation, the report identifies five levers of action:

Incentives and capacity building: phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies and incentivizing sustainable options – including removing subsidies on non-renewable energies and groundwater extraction – while empowering local administrations and actors to implement nationally or internationally agreed commitments and measures.

Intersectoral cooperation: ensuring that shifting development pathways are shared by all sectors, not just administrations in charge of the Environment, and prioritising sustainability in all sectoral policies.

Preventive action: implementing measures that prevent degradation, which are generally less costly and lead to better environmental and social outcomes than clean-up and curative action.

Resilience-building under uncertainty: directing action and investment towards adaptation to projected environmental stresses, including by harnessing nature-based solutions.

Enforcement of legal obligations: promoting the adoption of provisions in national legislation to allow for accountability and legal action, and strengthening the legal and administrative mechanisms involved in enforcement including those undertaken by the Mediterranean countries under the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols.

The report provides a foundation for evidence-based environmental action in the region; its authors stress the urgent need for appropriate and effective policy responses to alleviate pressure on the environment while meeting pressing human development needs.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The State of the Environment and Development (SoED) is a comprehensive assessment of the environment and development in the Mediterranean region. Its production entailed a two-year effort of knowledge compilation undertaken by 150 experts mobilized from across the region by Plan Bleu. Representatives of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union), for which UNEP serves as Secretariat, took part in the SoED preparation process.

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)/Barcelona Convention

The UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)/Barcelona Convention is a multilateral environmental agreement that provides the context in which the 21 coastal countries of the Mediterranean and the EU cooperate for the protection of the marine and coastal environment in the context of sustainable development of the region.

About Plan Bleu

Hosted by France since 1977, Plan Bleu is one the Regional Activity Centres of the United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) acting as a regional observatory on the interactions between Environment and Development. Located in Marseille, France, Plan Bleu is mandated by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention for producing systemic and thematic assessment and foresight reports.

Source: UNEP

Latest Evaluation Shows Europe’s Nature in Serious, Continuing Decline

21.10.2020

ara-papagaj-ptica-animal — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Wikipedia/Smudge9000

A majority of EU wide protected species, such as the Saker Falcon and the Danube Salmon, and habitats from grasslands to dunes across Europe, face an uncertain future unless more is urgently done to reverse the situation, according to the EEA report “State of nature in the EU — Results from reporting under the nature directives 2013-2018 ”. The EEA report is published simultaneously with the European Commission’s State of Nature report, informing about the progress made in reaching the aims of the EU’s nature legislation.

The EEA report shows positive developments in conservation efforts. Both the number and area of sites protected under the Natura 2000 network have increased over the last 6 years and the EU met the global targets with around 18 percentage of its land area and nearly 10 percentage of marine area protected.

However, the overall progress is not enough to achieve the aims of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. Most protected habitats and species have either a poor or a bad conservation status and many of them continue to decline, according to the EEA assessment. Of the three main groups studied, habitats and birds lag particularly far behind while the group of non-bird species nearly met its target.

Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: ‘This State of Nature assessment is the most comprehensive health check of nature ever undertaken in the EU. It shows very clearly that we are still losing our vital life support system. As much as 81 percentage of habitats at EU level are in poor condition, with peatlands, grasslands and dune habitats deteriorating the most. We urgently need to deliver on the commitments in the new EU Biodiversity Strategy to reverse this decline for the benefit of nature, people, climate and the economy.’

‘Our assessment shows that safeguarding the health and resilience of Europe’s nature, and people’s well-being, requires fundamental changes to the way we produce and consume food, manage and use forests, and build cities. These efforts need to be coupled with better implementation and enforcement of conservation policies, a focus on nature restoration, as well as increasingly ambitious climate action, especially in the transport and energy sector,’ said Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director.

Top threats to nature

Intensive agriculture, urban sprawl and unsustainable forestry activities are the top reported pressures to habitats and species, the EEA report says. Pollution of air, water and soil also impacts habitats, as does continued over-exploitation of animals through illegal harvesting and untenable hunting and fishing.

These threats are compounded by alterations to rivers and lakes, such as dams and water abstraction, invasive alien species, and climate change. Abandonment of agricultural land contributes to the continued decline of semi-natural habitats, like grasslands, and their species, like butterflies and farmland birds.

Outlook

The report points to some positive developments, mostly at national or regional scale. A number of species and habitats have shown improvements, such as the Agile Frog in Sweden, coastal lagoons in France, and the Bearded Vulture at the EU level. The Natura 2000 network shows positive effects for many species and habitats. For example, coastal and dune habitats, which are better covered by Natura 2000, have a better conservation status than habitats that are less or marginally covered.

Policy-wise there is also hope due to the new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Farm to Fork Strategy, both core elements of the European Green Deal. The biodiversity strategy aims to strengthen and enlarge the network of protected areas, set up a restoration plan and ensure that ecosystems are healthy, resilient to climate change, rich in biodiversity, and deliver the range of services essential for citizens’ prosperity and well-being.

Apart from these new policies, extra efforts are needed to improve monitoring capacities in Member States to support the targets. Currently, many data gaps persist, especially for marine species and habitats. More data are also needed to fully evaluate the role of Natura 2000 network. Finally, implementation of EU legislation must be significantly improved.

Status and trends

-Around half (47 percentage ) of the 463 bird species in the EU have good status, which is 5 percentage less than during the last 2008-2012 reporting period. The proportion of birds with poor or bad status has increased by 7 percentage in the last six years to reach a total of 39 percentage.

-At national level, around 50 percentage of improving population trends involve mostly wetland and marine birds for which Natura 2000 sites have been designated, such as the Ruddy Shelduck or the Black Guillemot. Breeding birds, such as the Crane and the Red Kite, have the highest share of reports showing improving population trends. This is due to the implementation of habitat protection or restoration, and improvements in knowledge, better monitoring and awareness.

-Only 15 percentage of habitat assessments have a good conservation status, with 81 percentage having poor or bad conservation status at EU level. Grasslands, dunes, and bog, mire and fen habitats show strong deteriorating trends while forests have the most improving trends. Compared with the previous reporting period, the share of habitats with bad conservation status has increased by 6 percentage.
–Marine regions have many assessments with unknown conservation status, reflecting the general lack of species data.

-Around a quarter of species have a good conservation status at EU level, which is an increase of 4 percentage , compared with the previous reporting period. Reptiles and vascular plants, such as the Italian Wall Lizard, the Horseshoe Whip Snake, the Hairy Agrimony, or the Great Yellow Gentian, have the highest proportion of good conservation status (35 percentage).

Background

The EU nature directives — the Habitats and Birds Directives — require conservation efforts for more than 2000 species and habitats across the EU.

The EEA assessment, which is based on reported data from EU Member States, is the largest and most extensive data gathering and reporting exercise carried out in Europe on the state of nature. Over 220 000 people (60 percentage of them volunteers) have contributed to this process across the EU.

The data analysed aim to identify successes and shortcoming in nature conservation, key pressures and threats and the status of current conservation measures.

Source: EEA

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