Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
An interesting article in The Conversation about making the discussion about veganism political. My main reaction was that I always felt those discussions (as illustrated by the author) were political. And that this has always been one of the sticks with which people have beaten vegans - that they politicise food choice. But surely the argument should be that all food choices in modern industrialised countries are inherently political because of the agro-industrial systems that put the food in the shops in the first place. Unless you truly live self-sufficiently in the industrialised world (so a vanishingly small fraction of a percent of the population), then your food choices are political and have been for at least 50 years. Another massive failure in our education systems that do not give a true understanding of the world. But that is only to be expected as the education system is controlled by the same people who control and benefit from the agro-industrial system. . . .
The fifth Marine Protected Area Congress takes place early Feb and William to get agreements in place to protect 30% of the worlds oceans by 2030. Of course this is a hugely important area for work. The oceans are famous for being the last great on planet unknown but what we do know about the unknowns is that they very likely hold keys to biodiversity and climate control that we probably do not want to upset. Today less than 8% of the world’s ocean is covered by MPAs. The problems we need to be aware f though are two fold in my mind: Are the governance and enforcement processes going to be realistic and achievable. an MPA that is ignored is not an MPA. Why 30%? Just so you can say 30 by 30? I am increasingly suspicious of catchy, pithy streamlines like this. This is serious people. . . .
Global seaweed industry could reduce land needed for farming by 110m hectares, study finds (The Guardian) Vertical farming promises a future in which our food is grown in pockets of spaces in our cities and beneath our feet. But how far can it really go? (Future Planet) Which Diet Creates The Least Amount Of Food Waste? (green queen) War and the environment: UN adopts new principles (Eco-business) Portugal agrees to swap Cape Verde’s debt for environmental investment (CHN) Turning abandoned mines into batteries (Science Daily) BSI unveils new standard for establishing corporate 'purpose beyond profit’ (Business Green) EU eyes more help for shrinking bee populations (cna) World’s Renewables Are Set to Grow Enough in 5 Years to Power China (Green Citizen) . . .
Yesterday was the UN observance for the International Day of Education. With an early Chinese New Year in 2023, our Youth Advisory Committee held their event on 14th Jan. In the style of a business networking event, a select group of 4 professionals participated in a fireside chat around the core them of Transforming Education as it relates to how education and educational experiences are relevant to the sustainability needs of jobs and work in the future. We also had three youth social entrepreneurs showcase their start up initiatives, linking sustainability ideas to action to business. It was great to see the attendees get the chance to participate in a boutique event with very personal interaction and in a real business environment – help at The Executive Centre. Very important to have this type of experiential learning on multiple levels – event organising & promotion, networking as well as the actual content. . . .
Pic above by Diego Delso, delso.photo License CC-BY-SA The Circularity Gap Report 2023 The Global Risks Report 2023 Desalination could give the Middle East water without damaging marine life (The Conversation) Single-use plastic bans: research shows three ways to make them effective (The Conversation) Why we need to wake up the snake (Eco-business) Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest provider are worthless, analysis shows (The Guardian) Sustainability Messaging on Menus Promote Plant-Based Food Choices, Multiple Studies Agree (green queen) Food Footprint: Is Eating Seafood Better for the Climate Than Meat? (green queen) Mexico plans to ban solar geoengineering after rogue experiment (CHN) In Davos, activists warn against climate inaction and greenwashing (CHN) Zambia received 'debt-for-nature' proposal from WWF for restructuring (Reuters) . . .
In contrast to most people’s banal and hyper-predictable NY resolutions, Extinction Rebellion (XR) announced “a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic”. Meanwhile, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil have explicitly vowed to continue disruptive practices and will continue to see members get sent to prison. This is an interesting case study in both the nature of protest and its cycles. Perhaps one of the most interesting considerations is the cultural milieu from which protest arises. This will determine how far people pushed before they protest, how widespread it will be, how much popular support it will have. There is something of a chicken and egg relationship between these elements and the nature of the protest itself – march, print, riot, damage, disruption and so on. Environmental activists have certainly gone through a variety of approaches over the years. Which then raises the question of whether t . . .
An interesting article by Drs. Hassan Aboelnga, Olcay Unver and Johannes Cullman in IISD, highlights the way in which till now those advocating for SDG6 have perhaps been too siloed. The solution they say is to highlight water more broadly in the wider climate agenda so that we retain the interconnective element that the SDG framework is supposed to promote and facilitate. One of the key components of climate change is the redistribution of water volume by changing precipitation patterns and the associated changes to evapo-transpiration by changed cloud cover patterns. Thus we see drought and flooding increasing in frequency and severity as places begin to see lower and higher rates of precipitation and at different times of year than was previously experienced. Thus any successful interventions that address SDG 6 must take climate change into account and strategies aimed at SDG13 should explicitly be considering SDG6 outcomes as well. . . .
Urban light pollution is a danger for marine ecosystems – new research (The Conversation) From smog to carbon: Chinese NGOs in transition (Eco-business) Governments urged to confront effects of climate crisis on migrants (The Guardian) What Is Molecular Farming? Plus 6 Companies to Watch (green queen) Thirteen critical questions for international climate action in 2023 (CHN) Climate benefits of killing gas stoves aren’t what you think, but the health benefits are (TC) Environment risks dominate in "polycrisis" world - WEF survey (Reuters) . . .
