Sustt: Great minds. Tide is high. Best practices. Dough-not only think about GDP.

5 minute read:?

GREAT MINDS

It’s time to think about brain capital ??

by Nicola Watts (Health Care Specialist)

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. They suggest that companies incorporate brain capital into their ESG efforts to ensure long-term productivity and wellbeing among all stakeholders, the economy and the environment. Older people's knowledge and wisdom can help solve modern problems, said first author Walter Dawson. (Innovation in Aging,?The Gerontological Society of America – press release)

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. It's likely this figure will rise even higher due to the impact of isolation, job losses and insecurity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.?

Brain dependency –?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.?

Strategies –?A paper in Molecular Psychiatry proposed a?Brain Capital Grand Strategy?to address the issue. A combination of human, social, psychological, mental, cognitive capital and neuroscience policies would help reduce and treat mental illness and promote positive psychology, creativity and innovation. The strategy also incorporates a brain capital investment plan and a Brain Capital Index – similar to the?Human Capital Index?– to measure progress and potentially attract passive investment that would transform brain capital as a whole.?

Why are older people so important??Older people are often under-appreciated and undervalued, which impacts other challenges they face and undermines positive aspects of later life for both the individual and society. With an ageing population, the wellbeing of this group must be addressed, and the Brain Capital Grand Strategy can be expanded to target this issue, according to the authors of the above report.

On a corporate level, they suggest that, by restructuring accounting and taxation systems, companies can invest in people and capitalise on the wisdom of older generations, in turn enabling them to stay in the workforce for longer. They add that at societal and global levels there are opportunities for older people to guide policymaking to drive change.?

Blueprints –?Their paper also highlights various existing initiatives focusing on building brain capital that could serve as blueprints for future efforts. These include the?Global Brain Health Institute, the?Brain Health Project, the?Global Council on Brain Health,?the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's?Healthy Brain Initiative, and the?Women's Brain Project, alongside the?Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative, the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative and the?Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.??

What else??Further ideas have been shared by the non-profit Brookings Institution, which notes that brain capital isn't captured by any GDP measure. It argues for the?establishment?of a Brain Capital Council in the White House and that a task force be created to achieve this. Such a council could gather data demonstrating the link between brain health to the?environment,?economics, and other social factors that would drive policy and public health strategies.??

This task force could also work alongside the National Institutes of Health to build an institute dedicated to brain health that would coordinate brain-based research at the national level in the US and complement the work of the existing institutes. Additionally, Brookings urges for an additional UN Sustainable Development Goal to raise global awareness of the issue.

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TIDE IS HIGH

Wetlands are more valuable than you might think

by Katie Chan (Sustainability Specialist)

What’s happening??The planet has lost 4,000 sq km of its tidal wetlands over the past 20 years, according to a study by international scientists. The analysis used satellite data to monitor tidal flats, tidal marshes and mangroves between 1999 and 2019. The researchers found that 13,700 sq km of tidal wetlands were lost during this period, primarily due to human activities including aquaculture, agriculture and urban expansion.?(Science,?Carbon Brief)?

Tidal wetlands hold immense ecological value and are often overlooked when thinking about habitat loss, as focus is often placed on other habitats such as forests. The loss of tidal wetlands globally totals an area roughly the size of Goa or Mallorca – which is concerning, given their ability to?store?the largest quantities of carbon per unit area of ecosystem.?Read more on the Sustt blog.??

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BEST PRACTICES

Indigenous communities are often best when it comes to land preservation

by Sara Trett (Sustainability Editor)

What’s happening??Areas of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest controlled by Indigenous and traditional communities have the lowest levels of vegetation loss and deforestation rates, according to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Researchers examined conservation units across the country and found regions where access by outsiders is strictly limited through demarcation are among the best preserved. The UFRJ researchers noted lands managed by Indigenous and Quilombola communities had up to three times the amount of regrowth. (Mongabay)?

Why does this matter??We’ve been?advocating?increased?inclusion?of?Indigenous?people and their knowledge in?climate?and?conservation?efforts for a while now. This research,?published?in Biological Conservation, demonstrates the importance of this.??

Improved inclusion isn’t just a moral box ticking exercise, it’s a strategic decision to remove biases that are stopping the people best suited for the job from being handed responsibility. And, in this case, the task is preserving our ecosystems that are teetering on the brink of collapse.?

What did?the study?find??Between 2005 and 2012, UFRJ measured that deforestation rates and vegetation loss in land occupied by Indigenous communities was 17 times lower than in equivalent, but unprotected, areas of the Amazon

We shouldn’t need academic evidence to justify protecting Indigenous peoples, but the research from UFRJ provides further real-world evidence that conservation can benefit from being stewarded and coordinated by these groups.?Read more on the Sustt blog.?

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DOUGH-NOT ONLY THINK ABOUT GDP

We must break the link between CO2 emissions and economic growth

by Mubaasil Hassan (Sustainable Finance Specialist)

What’s happening??Fitch Ratings has said economic activity remains linked to CO2 emissions. It said breaking that link is vital to meeting climate targets amid continued increases in global GDP of up to 3% by 2024. Its Economics Dashboard says, 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 economies decouple the bond between economic growth and CO2 emissions to prevent the continued effects of climate change.?

What are Doughnut Economics??The Doughnut model?aims?to meet the basic needs of every individual without overshooting the Earth’s ecological ceiling.??

Representing this graphically, the “doughnut’s” inner ring is its social foundation which includes basics such as sufficient food and clean water. The outer ring, meanwhile, is the ecological ceiling which includes the nine?planetary boundaries.?

If we overshoot the doughnut’s boundaries it could lead to consequences, including biodiversity loss and greater air pollution. Unfortunately, we are already?exceeding?several planetary boundaries.??

On the other hand, undershooting the doughnut’s boundary may mean we are unable?to ensure?people have access to education or essential healthcare.??

In April, the IPCC said 18 countries have reduced emissions while growing their economies. These figures, however, don’t include imported emissions.?Read more on the Sustt blog.??