Sustainability Notice #10 (15-21 August)

World, UN, Droughts, Extreme Heats, Floods and Fires: UN, Barbados, China, EU, Spain, Africa, India, New Zealand and France

UN chief to rich nations: ‘Open wallets’ and ‘hearts’ for developing countries to purchase Ukrainian grain (Source Link)

UN Secretary-General Guterres has called for wealthier countries to help developing nations purchase Ukrainian grain as supplies begin returning to global markets, in an appeal from the Black Sea port of Odesa, World Humanitarian Day.

Protect our oceans: Urgent UN treaty makes fifth attempt to safeguard the high seas (Source Link)

UN began the latest set of talks to protect the world’s oceans from exploitation in New York. This once in a lifetime opportunity to safeguard our waters’ biodiversity has now been through 10 years of negotiations. If signed, 30 per cent of the world’s oceans would become conservation areas before the end of the decade.

Barbados: New UN disaster preparedness hub built on ‘frontlines of climate change’ (Source Link)

A new UN-backed humanitarian logistics hub and training centre in Barbados aims to strengthen emergency preparedness and response across the Caribbean, the World Food Programme (WFP) said.

July: Too Hot, Too Dry or Too Wet (Source Link)

Last month was the third-hottest July in the US in 128-year record. High temperatures at night are dangerous because the human body doesn't have a chance to cool down.

China issues first national drought emergency amid scorching temperatures (Source Link)

China issued its first drought emergency this year as scorching temperatures dry up areas of the Yangtze River and put pressure on the power grid while the country battles a record-breaking heatwave.

China plans cloud seeding to protect grain crop amid drought (Source Link)

China says it will try to protect its grain harvest from record-setting drought by using chemicals to generate rain, while factories in the southwest waited to see whether they would be shut down for another week due to shortages of water to generate hydropower.

Chinese farmers struggle as scorching drought wilts crops (Source Link)

Hundreds of persimmon trees that should be loaded with yellow fruit lie wilted in Gan Bingdong’s greenhouse in southwestern China, adding to mounting farm losses in a scorching summer that is the country’s driest in six decades.

Europe's drought exposes ancient stones, World War Two ships as waters fall (Source Link)

Weeks of baking drought across Europe have seen water levels in rivers and lakes fall to levels few can remember, exposing long-submerged treasures - and some unwanted hazards.

'Spanish Stonehenge' dating back to 5,000 BC has emerged from a drought-hit dam (Source Link)

A brutal summer has caused havoc for many in rural Spain. One unexpected side-effect of the country's worst drought in decades has delighted archaeologists - the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle in a dam whose waterline has receded.

Worst droughts around the world as nations fail to tackle climate change (Source Link)

The United Nations says drought risks becoming 'the next pandemic' if nations fail to take action on water and land management and tackle climate change. Europe is facing its worst drought in 500 years

The world's rivers are drying up from extreme weather. See how 6 look from space (Source Link)

A painful lack of rain and relentless heat waves are drying up rivers in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Many are shrinking in length and breadth.

Extreme heat is slamming the world's three biggest economies all at once (Source Link)

Extreme heat and drought conditions are battering the United States, Europe and China, compounding problems for workers and businesses at a time when economic growth is already slowing sharply and adding to upward pressure on prices.

Weather tracker: flash floods as Europe’s heatwave ends with thunderstorms (Source Link)

Prolonged heat across parts of northern and western Europe ended with torrential showers and thunderstorms. Parts of southern England received rainfall, causing London’s Gatwick airport to delay and cancel dozens of flights.

African migratory birds threatened by hot, dry weather (Source Link)

Africa’s migratory birds are threatened by changing weather patterns in the center and east of the continent that have depleted natural water systems and caused a devastating drought.

Floods, landslides kill dozens as monsoon rains lash northern, eastern India (Source Link)

Floods and landslides triggered by intense monsoon rains killed at least 50 people in northern and eastern India over the last three days, officials said.

New Zealand faces 'big task' in recovering from heavy rains, floods (Source Link)

New Zealand retained a state of emergency in parts of its flood-battered South Island as authorities weighed damage in the region hardest hit by four days of torrential rain. Last week's rains in northern and central areas forced more than 500 people from their homes, making some uninhabitable.

Heavy rainfall hits Paris, flooding several metro stations (Source Link)

Torrential rainfall hit Paris after a recent heatwave across France, flooding metro stations in the French capital.The RATP transport organisation said several Paris metro stations, including Balard, were inundated with water.

At least 38 people killed as ‘tornado of fire’ rages in northern Algeria (Source Link)

Algerian firefighters were battling a string of blazes, fanned by drought and a blistering heatwave, that have killed at least 38 people and left destruction in their wake.

European forest fires release record-breaking carbon emissions (Source Link)

The multiple forest fires that have been raging in France since the beginning of summer have released record amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, according to satellite data, and fires in Spain in mid-July also helped break records for carbon emissions

Countries: US, China, India, Netherlands, Brazil, Kenya, Ecuador and Iraq

California nuke extension challenged in legislative proposal (Source Link)

A proposal circulated by California Democratic legislators would reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to extend the lifespan of the state’s last operating nuclear power plant, and instead spend over $1 billion to speed up the development of renewable energy, new transmission lines and storage.

Crisis looms without big cuts to over-tapped Colorado River (Source Link)

Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. Las Vegas and Phoenix may be forced to restrict water usage or growth. Farmers might cease growing some crops, leaving fields of lettuce and melons to turn to dust. Those are a few of the dire consequences that could result if states, cities and farms across the American West cannot agree on how to cut the amount of water they draw from the Colorado River.

Investors flock to green energy funds as Congress passes climate bill. What to know as assets reach ‘new territory’ (Source Link)

There’s been a surge of interest in green energy funds as President Joe Biden prepares to sign a bill allocating $369 billion for climate and energy funding.

Climate bill’s unlikely beneficiary: US oil and gas industry (Source Link)

The U.S. oil industry hit a legal roadblock when a judge struck down a $192 million oil and natural gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico over future global warming emissions from burning the fuels. It came at a pivotal time for Chevron, Exxon and other industry players: the Biden administration had curtailed opportunities for new offshore drilling, while raising climate change concerns.

China responds coolly to US climate bill, rejecting a call to resume cooperation (Source Link)

China rebuffed a call to resume climate cooperation with the US, instead criticizing the US’ record on climate finance and asking for an end to sanctions against Chinese solar panels.

India bares new climate goals amid coal dependency woes (Source Link)

India has gotten its updated Nationally Determined Contributions approved by the Cabinet. This will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

On your bike: If we all cycled like the Dutch, global emissions drop nearly 700 million tonnes (Source Link)

If everybody cycled as much as the Dutch, global carbon emissions would drop by nearly 700 million tonnes per year, a new University of Southern Denmark study.

Dairy Farmers in the Netherlands Are Up in Arms Over Emission Cuts (Source Link)

Goals of cutting nitrogen emissions by 50 percent by 2030 have caused an uproar in the Netherlands. Climate activists say the cuts are necessary to preserve nature.

Brazil election: Lula challenges Bolsonaro’s deforestation record, backs oil development (Source Link)

The climate crisis and rainforest conservation are emerging as major issues in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election. Yet both leading candidates are pushing for new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Kenya’s slums are resorting to burning plastic bags to be able to cook food (Source Link)

The rise in fuel prices and the cost-of-living crisis isn’t just affecting Europe. In Korogocho, one of the largest slums in Kenya, people can no longer afford charcoal or firewood for cooking. Thus, they are resorting to burning plastic bags as fuel, despite the health and environmental effects.

Ecuador leading the way in working alongside Indigenous groups to protect sacred rainforest (Source Link)

In the Amazon, NGOs and local governments are teaming up to protect Ecuador’s rainforest. A REDD+ project in Ecuador’s Pastaza region has paved the way for an even greater collaboration, named the Amazonian Platform for Forests, Climate and Human Wellbeing.

Mosul’s recovery moves towards a circular economy (Source Link)

Opening of first debris recycling centre in Mosul helps clean-up the ISIL conflict’s environmental legacy. So far, over 10,000 tonnes of debris have been processed into recycled construction aggregates.

World, Electricity, Energy and EVs: COP27, Germany, US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Australia

COP27: Africa’s agenda for an energy transition (Source Link)

The Atlantic Council panel on the African Economic Outlook of 2022 aims for an African agenda at COP27, discussing African development and climate change – and its energy transition which will change its economy and innovation standard.

Electric street lights could save Berlin €6.5 million a year, but gas fans aren’t happy (Source Link)

Berlin has the world's largest surviving gaslight network, but Germany prepares for a future without the Russian gas. Fears Moscow could further dial back gas deliveries after its invasion of Ukraine have prompted Berlin to accelerate plans to replace its 23,000 remaining gaslights.

The road ahead: Electric school buses win big in US state legislative sessions (Source Link)

Electric school buses are experiencing rapid growth in the US, with a nearly tenfold increase in commitments by school districts and fleet operators in the past year. Thirty-eight states have committed to procure more than 12,000 electric school buses.?

FTA announces $1.66B in low- and no-emission bus funding (Source Link)

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced $1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states across the US to invest in 150 bus fleets and facilities.

Egypt creates plan to reduce electricity consumption (Source Link)

The government's plan to reduce wasted electricity is meant to boost natural gas exports to Europe but is receiving some pushback from domestic users.

Saudi Arabia strengthens ties with Uzbekistan via wind power, investment deals (Source Link)

Saudi Arabia is seeking to improve its relations with Uzbekistan via a variety of investments and agreements.

Australia to target vehicle emissions to boost electric car supply (Source Link)

Australia's government said it plans to introduce new regulations targeting vehicle carbon emissions to boost the uptake of electric cars. Just 2% of cars sold in Australia are electric compared with 15% in Britain and 17% in Europe.

Bank Australia to ditch fossil fuel car loans in push for EV future (Source Link)

An Australian bank will stop offering loans for new fossil fuel cars from 2025 in a step it says will encourage more people to buy electric vehicles.

Business: World Bank, EU, Australia, Shell, BlackRock, UPS Drivers, Alphabet, Pandora and Vanguard

World Bank backs carbon credit blockchain registry to attract crypto investors (Source Link)

The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) division has launched a project to use blockchain to register carbon removal projects and to turn carbon credits into tokens for cryptocurrency investors to speculate with.

EU watchdog backs ESG 'quality label' for market benchmarks (Source Link)

The European Union's markets watchdog said that a 'quality label' for market benchmarks would help prevent investors being misled by environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims.

Australia Financial Regulator Says Financial Institutions Still at Early Stages of Integrating Climate Risk (Source Link)

Australia’s financial services regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, announced the release of the results of a climate risk survey of the financial services sector, indicating that most institutions have not yet fully embedded climate risk across their risk management framework.

Shell, BP, Equinox: Fossil fuel companies’ energy use projections could be ‘catastrophic’ (Source Link)

Fossil fuel companies’ net zero plans won’t meet vital Paris Agreement climate goals, according to a new study.

BlackRock warns Wall Street watchdog new ESG rule could harm investors (Source Link)

The world's largest asset manager BlackRock warned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that its proposed rules aimed at fighting "greenwashing" by fund managers will confuse investors.

BlackRock Commits Over A$1 Billion to Acquire Australian Battery Storage Provider Akaysha (Source Link)

BlackRock announced the acquisition of Australian battery energy storage systems and renewable energy developer Akaysha Energy by its Real Assets division, with plans to commit over AUD$1 billion to support the development of more than 1GW of battery storage assets across Australia.

UPS Drivers Say 'Brutal' Heat is Endangering Their Lives (Source Link)

As blistering heat waves swept across the US this summer, breaking temperature records and placing millions under heat advisories and warnings, workers have continued to deliver America’s packages for a variety of carriers, often in trucks that have no cooling mechanisms for drivers, DNYUZ reports.

Alphabet Deploys $5.7 Billion from Largest-Ever Corporate Sustainability Bond (Source Link)

Google parent company Alphabet published its 2022 Sustainable Bond Impact Report, indicating that the company has completed the allocation of the proceeds of its 2020 $5.7 billion sustainability bond.

Pandora Launches Jewelry Collection with Recycled Gold, Lab-Created Diamonds Made with Renewable Energy (Source Link)

Pandora announced the launch of Pandora Brilliance, a collection with lab-created diamonds in the U.S. and Canada, made with 100% renewable energy and recycled silver and gold.

Vanguard to Launch Fund Investing in Low-Carbon Transition Opportunities (Source Link)

Vanguard, one of the largest investment managers in the world, announced plan to launch the Vanguard Global Environmental Opportunities Stock Fund, investing in companies seeking to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world.

Climate Activism, Research, Report and Other: Prince William, UN, Portuguese Activists, Indonesian Radicals, Climate Transparency, US Climate Bill, Water Crisis, Water Security, Digital Technology, Food Crops, Extreme Heats, Temperatures, Drought and Climate Change, IMF Climate Change Scenarios, Food Supply Chains, Bees, Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change Stories and Europe’s Nuclear Power Plant

Prince William charity invests with bank tied to dirty fuels (Source Link)

The conservation charity founded by Prince William, second in line to the British throne and who launched the Earthshot Prize, keeps its investments in a bank that is one of the world’s biggest backers of fossil fuels.

UN Ocean Treaty negotiations stall as activists march for the oceans in New York (Source Link)

In their first week, UN negotiations for a new Global Ocean Treaty are stalling due to a lack of political will. In response, activists marched for the oceans with Greenpeace USA activists in New York City outside the UN.

Portuguese children sue 33 countries over climate change at European court (Source Link)

Young activists from Portugal have filed the first climate change case at the European court of human rights in Strasbourg, demanding 33 countries make more ambitious emissions cuts to safeguard their future physical and mental wellbeing.

Indonesian radicals warm to climate change (Source Link)

As the threat of climate change intensifies in Indonesia, radical activists are weaponising the climate crisis to gain support for their cause.

Now is not the time to abandon climate transparency (Source Link)

We must be able to measure the effectiveness of the measures adopted to tackle environmental emergency.

Why the US climate bill might struggle to deliver on carbon capture (Source Link)

US president Biden is expected to sign off a sweeping climate, energy and health care bill. Several studies project that its climate and energy provisions could enable the US to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by around 40% below 2005 levels by 2030.

The New US Climate Law Will Reduce Carbon Emissions and Make Electricity Less Expensive, Economists Say (Source Link)

U.S. consumers are expected to save money on their electricity bills under the nation’s first comprehensive climate law—perhaps more than $200 billion over the next decade, economists project.

Can technological fixes solve France’s water crisis amid record droughts? (Source Link)

Climate change is bound to make such droughts frequent, if not the new normal – so scientists are looking for technological fixes to find a way around the problem.

Sustainability may impact water security more than economics alone (Source Link)

Equality of access among households to water supplies that are clean and plentiful may owe as much or more to sustainable development practices than it does to socioeconomic factors, a team of British and US academics studied more than 7,600 homes in 22 low- and middle-income nations.

How digital technology and innovation can help protect the planet (Source Link)

For many countries around the world, from the US and the UK to China and Japan, July was one of the hottest months since global record-keeping began in the 1800s. The global heatwaves sparked deadly wildfires and displaced thousands of residents from their homes.

Food crops made 20% more efficient at harnessing sunlight (Source Link)

Scientists have made a breakthrough in a genetic approach that improves food crops' ability to harness the Sun. Researchers developed a way to make photosynthesis - the natural process that all plants use to convert sunlight energy into food - more efficient.

More than 100 million Americans will be exposed to extreme heat by 2053, mostly in the South and Midwest (Source Link)

Next year, about 50 U.S. counties, which are home to more than 8 million residents, are expected to experience heat index temperatures above 125 degrees Fahrenheit according to a new model released by First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research and technology group working to assess climate risk.

The temperature threshold the human body can’t survive (Source Link)

There’s a temperature threshold beyond which the human body simply can’t survive — one that some parts of the world are increasingly starting to cross. It’s a “wet bulb temperature” of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees C).

The Mediterranean has experienced record sea temperatures this summer: this could devastate marine life (Source Link)

Marine life is increasingly threatened by climate change. The searing temperatures seen around the Mediterranean this year are indicative of rising global temperatures. The International Energy Agency reported that global energy-related CO? emissions rose by 6% in 2021 to their highest ever level.

Drought and Climate Change (Source Link)

Climate change increases the odds of worsening drought in many parts of the US and the world. Regions such as the U.S. Southwest, where droughts are expected to get more frequent and intense.

IMF WORKING PAPER: Bank Stress Testing of Physical Risks under Climate Change Macro Scenarios: Typhoon Risks to the Philippines (Source Link)

The IMF and World Bank staff collaborated to develop an experimental macro scenario stress testing approach to examine physical risks for banks by building a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model linked to global climate and a catastrophe risk model specifically for the Philippines.

Impacts of climate change and extreme weather on food supply chains cascade across sectors and regions in Australia (Source Link)

Disasters resulting from climate change and extreme weather events adversely impact crop and livestock production. Applying an integrated modelling framework that considers economic and physical factors, we estimate spillovers in terms of social impacts and health impacts resulting from disruptions in food supply chains, which cascade across regions and sectors.

Climate Change is Deforming Our Precious Bees, Scientists Say (Source Link)

Analysis of bee specimens from across the UK suggests that they're all reacting negatively during their development when the weather is hotter and wetter. Two different universities collected information and jointly published separate papers in the Journal of Animal Ecology describing the alarming findings.

How biodiversity loss could cause bankruptcy in some countries (Source Link)

The growing threat to the biodiversity of the planet, upon which life on earth depends, is well documented. It is declining faster than at any other time in recorded history, and this has serious implications for human health and prosperity.

Which European capitals have the greenest space? 5 climate change stories to read this week.?(Source Link)

Which European capitals have the greenest space? 2. Here's why climate change makes 58% of human infectious diseases worse. 3. Is climate denialism dead? 4. Droughts are getting worse around the world, here’s why and what needs to be done. 5. This climate action tracker can help guide us on the road to net-zero emissions

Shelling of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant exposes multiple risks – a nuclear expert tells us what they are (Source Link)

Shelling has recently intensified at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, raising international safety concerns. Ukrainian staff continue to operate the massive plant under strict control and stressful conditions.