Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
1) Polar bear tracking breakthrough could boost conservation (EuroNews) Current research is limited because tracking devices can only be used on adult female bears New stick-on GPS tracking tags will help scientists to fill in gaps This information will help to make policy decisions informed by science 2) Innovative partnership aims to protect coffee farmers from climate change impacts (Grist) Rising temperatures inhibit yields and make coffee trees more vulnerable to disease and pests International public-private partnership seeks to supercharge the breeding of improved arabica varieties New varieties are one of the best ways to improve a crop’s productivity and reduce risk 3) Seven countries now generate 100% of their electricity from renewable sources (The Business Standard) Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have each generated over 99.7% of their electricity from renewables These include geothermal, . . .
NASA data shows July 22, 2024 was Earth's hottest day on record (Science Daily) Timber venues, river swimming and re-use: how the Paris Olympics is going green – and what it’s missing (The Conversation) G20 countries agree on Brazil’s tax on super-rich - and it could help fight climate change (Euro News) What’s the outlook for global food production this year? (Hannah Ritchie) Around half the world could lose easily accessible groundwater by 2050 (New Scientist) 2024 UN Plastic Treaty Negotiation Results (Happy Eco News) Science Based Targets: Review finds 'mixed' evidence on effectiveness of carbon offsets (Business Green) Levelling-up circularity in the fashion industry (WBCSD) How China’s most ‘futuristic’ city restored its mangroves (Eco-business) COP29 action plan thrusts climate finance to the fore (Eco-business) WHO to send one million polio vaccines to Gaza to protect children (UN News) . . .
“The Amazon rainforest - the lungs which produce 20% of our planet’s oxygen - is on fire” - President Emmanuel Macron, 2019 The commonly used claim that the Amazon rainforest produces 20% of the world's oxygen, inferring that the vanishing of the Amazon is a danger to the planet's oxygen supply, is false. On balance, it contributes practically none of it - the amount of oxygen the Amazon consumes through cellular respiration is almost exactly the same as the amount it produces (Angert et al., 2012). Misleading headlines such as these can erode the public’s trust in scientists. This isn't to say there aren’t genuine worries about a ‘tipping point’ with the Amazon, as a result of water stress, land clearance and climate disruption (Amigo, 2020). The Amazon is home to some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. Deforestation puts them in danger and is also terrible for the environment, since when we cut down trees we discharge carbon into . . .
Image by Paul Edney from Pixabay AI's looming climate cost: Energy demand surges amid data center race (NikkeiAsia) Climate misinformation overshadows record floods worldwide (CNA) The Ice Man of Ladakh building artificial glaciers in the Himalayas (FuturePlanet) Could low-carbon cement and steel be cheaper than we think? (Hannah Ritchie) New fabric makes urban heat islands more bearable (ScienceDaily) World Bank to issue bond to boost Amazon reforestation (reuters) No shortage of public money to pay for a just energy transition (CHN) The flaws in sustainability reporting (Eco-business) The last ozone-layer damaging chemicals to be phased out are finally falling in the atmosphere (The Conversation) . . .
Image by Anfaenger from Pixabay Power of Youth: Driving SDG Progress Through Teenage Innovation (IISD) Does voting help the climate? (The Conversation) HSBC backs alternative way to clean up coal plants in Asia (Eco-business) Meth-addict fish, aggro starlings, caffeinated minnows: animals radically changed by human drugs – study (The Guardian) Developing countries suggest rich nations tax arms, fashion and tech firms for climate (CHN) Innovative demand strategies for clean energy (ScienceDaily) Do electric cars use more water than petrol cars? (Hannah Ritchie) Floating bamboo houses keep this indigenous tribe safe in a typhoon (FuturePlanet) UN chief urges fossil fuel ad ban as heat records pile up (CNA) . . .
Image by Christo Anestev from Pixabay World Entrepreneurs Call for Harnessing Power of Innovation for SDGs (IISD) How cities around the world are finding ways to beat extreme heat (Eco-business) Climate change is fuelling turbulence and posing threats to South Asian aviation (Eco-business) ‘The tranquility frees you’: Bogotá, the city that shuts out cars every week (The Guardian) Rich nations meet $100bn climate finance goal – two years late (CHN) Climate court cases that could set precedents around the world (reuters) Aerosol pollution, greenhouse gases must be reduced simultaneously to keep forest fires in check (ScienceDaily) Now or Never (vid) (Aljazeera) Philippines deploys river rangers in battle against plastic (CNA) ASEAN faces carbon, digital conundrums: 3 takeaways from Future of Asia (NikkeiAsia) . . .
Image by Petra from Pixabay For drought relief, Cordilleran women in the Philippines rely on seed saving (Mongabay) UN forum in Bahrain endorses declaration on entrepreneurship and innovation for the SDGs (UN) Why China’s top COVID-19 expert is studying climate change to prepare for the next global pandemic (CNA) The drought that forced a Himalayan village in Nepal to relocate (BBC) Europe's battered Green movement tries to salvage climate agenda (reuters) Hellmann’s Hops Into Shoe Space with New Sneakers Made from Food Waste (greenqueen) Can ‘rock weathering’ help tackle the climate crisis and boost farming? (The Guardian) Clean cooking: What new global pledge means for climate, nature and gender goals (Eco-business) Measuring your food waste for six weeks can change your habits (The Conversation) . . .
Image by entrondesign from Pixabay All Hands on Deck: How to Mobilize Everyone to be a Climate Changemaker (IISD) Indigenous farmers in Indonesia protect forests, boost incomes (Mongabay) Why cheap renewables are stalling (The Conversation) West must face up to paradox of green transition (Nikkei Asia) Could electric vehicles feed China’s grid? (Eco-business) These 3D-Printed Clay Coffee Cups Are Disposable, but Can They Save Us From Microplastics? (Wired) The 1.5C global heating target was always a dream, but its demise doesn’t signal doom for climate action (The Guardian) The world has (probably) passed peak pollution (Hannah Ritchie) World Bank tiptoes into fiery debate over meat emissions (CHN) Spoor uses AI to save birds from wind turbines (TechCrunch) More than 60% of world's coral reefs may have bleached in past year, NOAA says (reuters) . . .
