Sumthing's Up November 2024
Welcome to the November edition of Sumthing’s Up! ?? The days might be getting shorter, but there’s no shortage of great news for nature this month. From groundbreaking discoveries under the ocean, to farming practices that heal the planet — November is packed with reasons to feel awesum about all that’s possible. Let’s go! ???
In this edition:
This Month in Nature ????
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon drops by 30.6%
Great news from the Amazon: deforestation figures dropped by 30.6% over the past year (source). This marks a significant reduction from the previous year and is the first full measure under President Lula, who vowed to reverse the deforestation surge seen under former President Bolsonaro.
In the meantime projects like the Black Jaguar Foundation are actively restoring the Amazon rainforest together with local farmers, with success! In 2023, they restored over 435,000 trees along the Araguaia corridor. Deforestation down, restoration up - a combo we love to see continue in the future ??
What the COP? ??
COP16 in Cali wrapped up with ambitious goals for biodiversity, but the key challenge remains: translating promises into tangible action. The focus now shifts to COP29 in Baku (Nov 11–22), dubbed the "Finance COP."
At the top of the agenda is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), set to replace the unmet USD 100 billion annual climate finance target. This goal aims to mobilize the trillions needed for developing countries to mitigate, adapt, and transition to low-emission economies. With finance taking the spotlight, Baku holds the potential to bridge the gap between policy and implementation, aligning global ambition with the resources to make it happen.
The world's largest coral discovered ??
Scientists diving in the Solomon Islands have uncovered the world’s largest coral, a massive structure measuring 34 meters wide, 32 meters long, and 5.5 meters high. Likely over 300 years old, this coral—a species called Pavona clavus—is a living monument to oceanic history, offering a glimpse into centuries of environmental conditions.
Described as an “underwater cathedral,” the coral is home to countless marine species, including shrimp, crabs, and fish. Found in deeper waters, where it’s protected from warming seas, its impressive size and health make it a beacon of hope for what marine ecosystems can still achieve. Scientists now hope to study it further to unlock secrets about its growth and resilience over time. Check it out here
Did you know? ???- Regenerative agriculture superpowers ??
Have you ever heard about regenerative agriculture? It’s a farming method that actively restores soil health, captures carbon, and boosts biodiversity. Unlike conventional farming, which often depletes the land, regenerative agriculture works with nature, using practices like cover cropping (planting crops to protect the soil), reducing tilling (disturbing the soil less), and rotating crops to maintain balance.
What makes this approach so exciting? A recent study from Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems found that regenerative agriculture can significantly reduce greenhouse gases by improving soil’s ability to trap and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This means farmers can help fight climate change while growing healthy crops.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Regenerative farms are better at holding water, making them more resilient to droughts, and they support pollinators like bees by providing diverse habitats. The food grown on these farms also tends to have higher nutrient content, creating a win-win for people and the planet. Our partner Soil Heroes Foundation is currently conducting exciting research on the nutrient content of regeneratively produced crops!
Want to dive deeper? Learn more about how these farming methods are changing the game here. ??
Tech for good ???? - How orthomosaics boost visibility ???
An orthomosaic might sound like an art project, but it’s actually a powerful tool for mapping project sites. Simply put, it’s the process of stitching together multiple high-definition images to create a detailed, large-scale map of an area. Most orthomosaics are generated by flying an automated drone over a site, capturing HD images that provide incredible detail—down to individual flowers or corals, in our case.
Unlike satellite data, which can be blurry and hard to interpret, orthomosaics offer crystal-clear visibility of what’s happening on the ground. For example, you can actually see newly planted seedlings in a forest or monitor coral growth at a restoration site. They also allow for in-depth analysis, like comparing growth rates or biomass between two time periods. The best part is how easy this is! Nowadays, drones can autonomously fly over a site using software like DroneDeploy with just a click of a button. And if you don’t have the resources to operate drones, platforms like Globhe (think of it as Uber for drones) let you easily order drone services at a low cost.
Voices from the field ?? - What happens to collected ocean bound plastic?
Ever wondered where all the plastic goes that is being collected by the various projects active in this space? Meet Loemchou Say from TONTOTON , who’s here to give you a behind-the-scenes look into the journey of plastic waste after one of their cleanups.
The Sumthing Spotlight ?? - Wipe rights, save lives ??
Who knew toilet paper could change the world? You may be familiar with The Good Roll | B Corp and their cheerfully wrapped toilet paper, but what you might not know is that they recently started to revolutionize toilet paper production as well.
A shocking fact: 27,000 trees are cut down daily just for toilet paper. The Good Roll is here to change that, by making toilet paper from bamboo fiber instead of tree pulp. This provides a much more sustainable alternative to traditional paper, as it does not require trees to be cut down, whilst maintaining the same quality. ??
Jeroen Zevenbergen and his team recently started building their own factory in Ghana to make eco-friendly toilet paper more accessible and affordable. Local farmers harvest bamboo, which is then shredded, boiled into pulp, and pressed into plates in the new factory. These plates are then transported to Spain, where they're transformed into toilet paper rolls.
The figures don't lie: a single container of bamboo plates produces 400,000 rolls – more than six times the output of traditional wood pulp. This means fewer ships on the ocean and reduced CO2 emissions in our atmosphere: double win! And to finally wrap it up: they also use 50% of profits to build toilets in Ghana and other African countries, addressing critical sanitation challenges. ??
?? Thanks for reading
If you made it this far - we just wanted to let you know you’re awesum. Keep up the good work, and see you next month! ??