Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
World’s protected natural areas too small and isolated to benefit wildlife – new study (The Conversation) Sustainable investment: want a green place to start putting your money away? Here’s what you need to know (The Conversation) The right way to fight global hunger (Eco-business) Mobilising communities trumps penalties in protecting seascapes: study (Eco-business) New data reveals extraordinary global heating in the Arctic (The Guardian) Air pollution got worse during lockdown in many countries, study finds (The Guardian) Case study: Western Australia to shut state-owned coal plants by 2030 (The Guardian) They’ve Got Beef: Beyond Meat Vs. Impossible Foods Burger Showdown: What’s The Difference? (green queen) Corporate Sustainability Plans Are On the Rise, Action, Not So Much, Report Finds (green queen) Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy (The Guardian) Nature restoration and carbon removal are not the sam . . .
ITS is a youth organization member of the SDSN and keenly aware of the work that it does. The 2022 report warns that for “the second year in a row, the world is no longer making progress on the SDGs.” Last year’s report was the first to reveal a reverse in SDG progress since they began in 2015. The key reasons are that the covid pandemic has, for at least 2 years now, had a major impact on economic conditions and taken up government resources of all kinds. Thus there has been a direct impact on work being done towards SDGs 1 and 8 and poor performance registered particularly on SDGs 11 to 15. With the Ukraine conflict now over 100 days old and some places, notably China, still under the impact of the pandemic, the report notes other strategic priorities drawing attention and financing away from SDG specific programmes and goals. It is yet another example of poor and blinkered thinking that governments and powerful corporations continue to relegate sustainability wh . . .
On Tuesday 7th June, the inaugural meeting of the ITSF YAC took place at the ITS offices. In attendance (and pictured, left to right) were Jane Poon, Josephine Jaume, Mira Chan, Michelle Wang, Kadence Wong (elected president), Danny Harrington (Foundation member), Anna Wei (elected Secretary), Chantal Sun, David Won and Aiden Howe. Their respective schools are: HKIS, FIS, CDNIS, ISF, STC, VSA, AISHK, GSIS, and CIS. Justin Cheng of DBS is also a member. The committee will meet formally 4 times per year – 3 term meetings and an AGM – to advise the Board on current thought trends among sustainability-minded youth provide both feedback on ideas, and suggest new ideas, for programmes that the Foundation can and should pursue provide both feedback on ideas, and suggest new ideas, for youth peer-to-peer collaborations that the Foundation can and should pursue advise on, and facilitate, events to lead and participate in This is a great step for the Foundation to implem . . .
Case study: Renewables and Energy Transitions in Small Island States (IISD) Love Island ditches fast fashion: how reality celebrities influence young shoppers’ habits (The Conversation) Mangroves are disappearing – we read 200 scientific papers to find out why (The Conversation) Case study: Cracking down on illegal trafficking and logging: how environmentalists are protecting biodiversity in the Philippines (Eco-business) Southeast Asia chasing 'silver bullet' climate solutions at expense of proven methods (Eco-business) ‘Gold rush’ for gas production threatens to lock in global heating (The Guardian) Slow water: can we tame urban floods by going with the flow? (The Guardian) 10 Reasons Why Cultivated Meat Is The Future Of Protein: The Case For Lab-Grown (green queen) MEPs vote to end sale of petrol and diesel car by 2035 in EU (The Guardian) New global study identifies opportunities for increasing carbon storage on land to mitigate climate change (Ph . . .
Today is an extremely important UN Day of Observance – World Oceans Day themed "Revitalization: collective action for the ocean". The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. BUT with 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. We need to work together to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its bounty but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life. The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable . . .
A very good article in The Conversation last week, highlights how the rocketing cost of fossil gas due primarily to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has had a number of knock o effects with social and environmental fallout. In low and middle income countries, and often rural areas of HICs as well, it is very common for households to buy cylinders of LPG for cooking purposes. This is a by product of fossil gas extraction and usually provides a cheap, convenient and relatively cleaner option for households to meet their energy needs. But the price rises for gas have also meant price rises for LPG meaning many can no longer afford it and revert to previous fuels such as wood and charcoal. This has impacts for both the broader environment – GHG emissions – and the local environment – household and local air quality. It can also lead to vegetation stripping and other unregulated damage to soils. Then there are the social and economic costs of foraging for fuel and the kno . . .
In the blink of an eye, COP27 is looming (Nov 2022). Hosted in Egypt, the conference will look to build on COP26 and address many of the additional problems the world has been faced with since – particularly the intersection of the war in Ukraine with covid in a time of climate crisis. Egypt’s Minister for International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, has now called on governments to make financial assistance for developing countries the top agenda item. Without it, the promises of COP26 cannot be delivered and future promises will look empty and unachievable. There is a strong argument that the development of the world’s wealthy countries – however you may define it (perhaps the OECD membership?) – grew wealthy both at the economic expense of the world’s poorer countries and very much at the expense of the environment. Now is the time to pay back is it not? These countries can afford it, face an ethical argument that they should and an even larger . . .
An interesting and long overdue message from UN SG António Guterres which shows how we need ever more complex thinking about how to deal with the climate crisis. In an address to graduates at a university in the US, Guterres appealed to them (watch here) not to work for companies whose work encourages the continued exploitation of fossil fuels. He did not limit this to the obvious – oil companies and so on – but also to those who facilitate them, particularly in the banking, financial and consulting sectors. Corporations in these sectors are often the most aggressive at courting the best and brightest new graduate talent, so by critically analyzing the impact those corporations have on climate and then voting with your feet, you can begin to drive better climate oriented corporate work by starving bad actors of talent. . . .
