Circular, regenerative economy
Yael Rozencwajg
Founder and CEO @ Wild Intelligence | AI safety, cybersecurity, enterprise AI mission
This article is part of the “The Road to Sustainability?” weekly review on Linkedin. We are now at 17350+ subscribers and counting. These are very exciting times. Thank you all for your support and?feedback . It’s massively appreciated!?
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??In the last part of the review, you can find resources and our latest podcast series on "corporate leadership".
?? Yael
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Circular, regenerative economy
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1. Introduction
“We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.”―Richard P. Feynman
The European Green Deal includes a strategic biodiversity plan for 2030 that addresses nature conservation and restoration through various pledges and goals. One of the promises is to plant at least 3 billion more trees in the European Union by 2030 while adhering to all ecological norms.
This plan attempts to expand carbon sinks: a mature tree absorbs around 20 kg of CO2 per year. Thus 3 billion trees would eventually absorb 60 million tonnes of CO2 per year (European pre-covid CO2 emissions were 3,500 million tonnes per year; wells are therefore necessary, but not sufficient!).
In reality, with a plant survival rate of 13% to 55%, it would be preferable to invest further and plant 10 billion trees. The forest, like the Amazon, is also a conservation concern. It stores about 80 billion tonnes of CO2 in Europe; it would be beneficial if it did not enter the atmosphere.
? References and links in the resources section below
What sort of species do we need to plant, knowing that the climate will not enable all of the species now planted to survive in 2070?
How and where should we plant these trees, knowing that many agricultural, urban and peri-urban areas decline??
Who and what country should take up the role of binding leadership?
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2. Facts and perspectives
2.1—Facts
Governments and organizations will need to invest heavily in natural capital and set a circular and regenerative economy—at least $92 trillion by 2050—to reduce emissions quickly enough to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
On the one hand, the demand for round wood to supply energy and materials is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades as fossil-based raw materials are replaced with forest biomass and wood products. The truth, however, is that there are currently no systematic studies offering up-to-date outlooks on the implications of forest regenerative economy development for global forests.?
Our general responsibility is to better understand and offer insights into demand and supply for forest biomass as part of the shift to a circular and regenerative economy, including reflections on reconciling sustainable wood supply with biodiversity protection providing inclusive prosperity for local communities.
On the other hand, according to Bloomberg, governments and companies will need to invest at least $92 trillion by 2050 to cut emissions fast enough to prevent the worst effects of climate change. That level of spending would help limit the average global temperature increase to 1.75° Celsius from pre-industrial levels, compared with about 1.2° Celcius of warming already present.
Without further action, events such a the heatwaves and the floods and wildfires as we see happening around the globe in the last few weeks will likely get more frequent, dangerous and costly.?
As mentioned in our previous review, Natural capital is a robust component of economic growth; distinguishing its direct and indirect effects in renewable and non-renewable resources is critical—[please, read more here ].?It can take many forms, including topsoil, which we use to grow crops, water, which we drink and uses to power turbines, plants from which we extract medicinal compounds, trees, which we use to make paper and maintain air quality, and biodiversity, which helps to protect us from disease and supports eco-tourism.?
2.2—Perspectives
In reality, more than half of the world's gross domestic product is moderately or strongly reliant on nature in all of its manifestations.
Natural products and their derivatives, for example, account for more than one-third of all novel molecular entities (NMEs) authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including more than two-thirds of all antibacterial NMEs.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimated that the Earth's seas are worth at least $24 trillion. More than two-thirds of that value relies on healthy conditions to maintain present productivity.
We've suggested a 3-part framework for sustainability conversations ,?and to help you practice, we've created the following threads to help you join the discussions, ask your questions, comment:
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3. Join the discussion using the framework for sustainability?conversations: Circular, regenerative economy—Part 2/5
3.1—Join the discussion: Circular, regenerative economy
We've created a venue to host discussions around sustainability and efficiency. A five-pronged approach to help organizations achieve improved performance through attention to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and governance.?Please, join the discussion.
3.2—Conclusion: the public is woefully uninformed
Overall, the World Economic Forum discovered that $44 trillion in economic value generation—more than half of global GDP—is moderately or strongly dependent on our Natural Capital.
Scaling up successful circular and regenerative economic models necessitates investment and leadership from industry and investors, as well as appropriate policy and science. With a plethora of small-scale case studies being tried and verified, how can we unleash the potential of private finance, and what will it take for these instances to become more common?
As we intend to understand how we can reinforce what we’ve been attempting to eradicate harmful practices for so long, we’ve built our framework where we can find data to lead to better strategic decisions:?join the discussion .
领英推荐
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4. Nevelab Technologies Partner Program
With climate change causing investment risks and opportunities through structural changes in almost every sector of the global economy, we believe that any collaboration launched during such turbulent times must benefit from the latest research on sustainability investment to make the best possible corporate strategic decisions.
These collaborations will allow us to engage closely with universities, centers of innovation, and institutions to incorporate the most current knowledge about investments and sustainability, in addition to enabling pioneering research in the sustainability and efficiency areas.
??We partner with world-class technology providers and system integrators to deliver unmatched sustainability innovation tools and value.?
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5. Our world in data:?Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
? More critical resources:?Real-time temperature ???Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment
? Please consider sharing these numbers with your community by forwarding this email or tweeting?this .
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6. Weekly highlights: resources and podcast
6.1—Resources and archives
??Resources: an animated presentation on YouTube to better understand sustainability?Introduction to Sustainability by The Road to Sustainability? .
??Daily sustainability insights in your inbox ?(special offer).
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6.2—Podcast:?"Corporate leadership, social interactions, and the future of work" series with Dr.?Sara Murdock, Ph.D. ?
???A new series of podcasts co-hosted by?Sara Murdock, Ph.D. ?and?Yael Rozencwajg ?talk about corporate leadership, social interactions and the future of work.
The latest fourth episodes:
- #10 Corporate relationship, leadership and social interactions,
- #11 Communities, interactions and experiences in a changing world,
- #12 Leadership is about life choices, opportunities and decisions.
- #13 "We are social animals evolving from one crisis to another"
You can listen to The Road to Sustainability? Podcast on your favorite streamer?Anchor ?-?Apple Podcasts ?-?Breaker ?-?GooglePodcasts ?-?Spotify ?-?YouTube ?-?SoundCloud .
6.3—Visual of the week:
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At?Nevelab Technologies ,?we support cutting-edge research, development, and demonstration (RD&D), which is key to achieving accelerated innovation and helping the private sector support economic growth, drive down costs for key technologies, and promote corporate leadership assessment sustainability and efficiency.
I hope this effort answers the many questions I get about helping?organizations embrace sustainability principles?and become more future-proof.?
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Information
???The IEEE Global Artificial Intelligence Systems (AIS) Well-being Initiative ?is an IEEE program whose purpose is to ensure every technologist is educated, trained, and empowered to prioritize ethical considerations in the design and development of autonomous and intelligent systems. The Initiative is global, open, and inclusive, welcoming all individuals or representatives of organizations dedicated to advancing technology for humanity. Please reach out to me directly to learn how to join the Global Artificial Intelligence Systems (AIS) Well-being Initiative team.
???The Road to Sustainability ?is a global network to build a more efficient, safe, and inclusive world. Sustainability is a fundamental part of every organization's culture, investment goals, and actions as a responsible business undergoing changes and being transferred between paradigm shifts.
???Nevelab Technologies ?is a purpose-driven platform that leverages artificial intelligence to provide organizations with the tools to integrate sustainable imperatives while generating actionable insights.
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Disclaimer
The Road to Sustainability? is an initiative by?Nevelab Technologies ?and is circulated for informational and educational purposes only.
Nevelab Technologies Research utilizes data and information from the public, private and internal sources, including data from actual Nevelab open data access. While we consider information from external sources reliable, we do not assume responsibility for its accuracy.
The views expressed herein are solely those of Nevelab Technologies as of this report's date and are subject to change without notice. Nevelab Technologies may have a significant financial interest in one or more of the positions and securities or derivatives discussed. Those responsible for preparing this report receive compensation based upon various factors, including, among other things, the quality of their work and firm revenues.