Best of Sustt 2022: Difficult decisions, conscious uncoupling, cultural awareness, healthy brains
In early 2021, we launched Sustt. Our goal was to add insight around well-reported sustainability news while also highlighting other developments seldom mentioned in headlines. As the year draws to a close, we've picked out some of our favourite and most popular pieces from the past 12 months that we believe will remain relevant into 2023.?
Here's hoping you all have a very happy new year!?
DIFFICULT DECISIONS
Are we running out of space to be sustainable? ???
By Katie Chan
What's happening? The world faces difficult decisions about how to use land most sustainably and effectively, according to 50 experts. The scientists argue there is insufficient land for projects to combat climate change and nature loss as well as food production and poverty alleviation. (BBC , PNAS )
Why does this matter? Land is a limited resource. The way it is used can exacerbate global environmental and social challenges – but with proper planning and management, it can also offer solutions to tackle sustainability issues more effectively and equitably.
Some ongoing restoration projects have run into constraints from land use crossover with conflict zones and climate impacts, while using land for carbon sequestration rather than agriculture is also causing environmental and social tensions. Sourcing minerals for clean technologies can also potentially pit a low-carbon transition and conservation against each other – especially as natural rare earth deposits often fall within biodiversity hotspots , with around 16% of mines located in areas of “remaining wilderness”.
Giving back land ownership to local and Indigenous communities could offer a way to allow it to remain culturally and practically intact for forest-reliant groups, while ensuring its conservation. Managing land use sustainably will require a more holistic perspective beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. Agroforestry practices, for example, could reap double advantages from the same land while benefiting food systems and carbon absorption, while some farmers are finding success in agrivoltaics .?
Read the original Sustt blog piece here .
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CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING
We must break the link between CO2 emissions and economic growth
What's happening? Fitch Ratings has said economic activity remains linked to CO2 emissions. Although energy efficiencies mean the CO2 intensity of GDP has almost halved since 1965, it has improved little since the 1990s because of China’s increased energy consumption. (Fitch Ratings )?
Why does this matter? Since global GDP is expected to continue rising by about 2.5%-3% across the next two decades, it's critical that economies decouple the bond between economic growth and CO2 emissions to prevent the continued effects of climate change.
The use of economic growth as a primary measure of progress adopted by most developed nations has led to extreme inequalities of income combined with unprecedented destruction of the living world.?
A recent study?found ?that the majority of global ecological damage resulting from the overuse of natural resources is caused by Europe and the US. The study’s lead author said rich nations should stop focusing on GDP growth as a primary objective, instead prioritising wellbeing and decreasing inequality.
Earlier this year, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also?discussed ?how “degrowth” strategies could be used to increase wellbeing.
Read the original Sustt blog piece here .?
领英推荐
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CULTURAL AWARENESS
Climate change poses a threat to our cultural heritage
By Anja P.
What's happening? Rising salt concentrations are destroying 2,600-year-old mud bricks in Babylon and other sites of cultural importance in Iraq. The problem is the outcome of years of water mismanagement and climate change, which is making the country hotter and dryer while increasing the frequency of erosive sandstorms. (The Guardian )
Why does this matter??When it comes to climate change decision-making, quantitative impacts are often at the forefront of people’s minds – as they should be, because the risks to lives and livelihoods, food systems, infrastructure and investments are substantial .
But, it’s not just the material aspects of climate change we need to care about. Long-term changes to ecosystems and extreme weather events are likely to result in immense intangible losses when it comes to?culture, heritage and identity . These impacts are no less important – especially since they cannot be easily substituted or compensated.
Understanding the link between cultures and places – and their intrinsic value – also leads to better outcomes in regard to climate change mitigation strategies. Working with communities and understanding their concerns can help find suitable adaptation measures and prevent maladaptation . Moreover, communication experts have argued that focusing on cultural aspects increases people’s engagement with the issue of climate change.
Read the original Sustt blog piece here .?
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HEALTHY BRAINS
Why it's time to think about brain capital
By Nicola Watts
What's happening? Investing in brain capital could help improve wellbeing for those in later life, according to a paper in Innovation in Aging. The authors define brain capital as “neuroscience-inspired technologies” that improve mental and brain health, positive psychology, diversity and education. (The Gerontological Society of America – press release , Innovation in Aging )?
Why does this matter??We need to look after our brains as they’re at the centre of our function, both individually and collectively as a society. Poor brain health raises the risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, dementia, neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders, and it’s estimated these cost the global economy up to $8.5tn annually .
Increasing automation of manual labour means that the global economy will become ever more dependent on brain skills – such as creativity, cognitive flexibility, emotional intelligence, self-control, altruism, compassion, systems thinking and collective intelligence. Therefore, brain health – as well as brain skills that promote behavioural, cognitive and emotional health across entire lifespans – must be prioritised.
As we move into the post-Covid world, this is particularly important and will help us all become more resilient to inevitable?future ?pandemics.
Read the original Sustt blog piece here .?
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