Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay The energy transition can be fair, just and inclusive – but the window of opportunity is closing fast (The Conversation) Scientists challenge ‘flawed communication’ of study claiming 1.5°C warming breach (Eco-business) ‘Taking the pulse of the planet’: could we monitor biodiversity from space as we do the weather? (The Guardian) Loss and damage must be a focus of IPCC’s next reports (CHN) The beekeepers of Sine Saloum: How all-women team tends to Senegal mangrove (Aljazeera) Young activists lobby for Australian law on climate harm (reuters) China is building more coal plants but might burn less coal (Hannah Ritchie) Squirrel and Japanese knotweed: The chefs cooking with invasive species (Future Planet) EV charging void has US, Europe drivers trying new routes to power up (CNA) WMO confirms 2023 as warmest year on record ‘by a huge margin’ (UN) . . .
Image by PDPics from Pixabay Global energy demand could be lower in 2050, despite the world getting richer (SBN) Benefits of Renewables Outweigh Negative Impacts, REN21 Report Finds (IISD) Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agriculture (The Conversation) ‘It’s almost carbon-negative’: how hemp became a surprise building material (The Guardian) Citizen Planet: 10 Things to Do for the Climate in 2024 (greenqueen) Blended finance can perpetuate climate colonialism (CHN) These founders want a more ethical company structure for startups (TechCrunch) New study points to more climate extremes (ScienceDaily) Asia-Pacific off track on path to SDGs, UN data shows (UN) . . .
Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay "Peace is the Missing Piece": UN Secretary-General on Priorities for 2024 (IISD) Trees can make farms more sustainable (The Conversation) To help Chinese communities adapt to climate change, listen to them (Eco-business) How to fix the carbon crisis in fast fashion (Eco-business) "Shameful": Shell uses carbon credits under investigation to meet climate targets (CHN) January was world's warmest on record, EU scientists say (reuters) What turned Earth into a giant snowball 700m years ago? (ScienceDaily) Why we need to highlight stories of progress to build a better future (substack) How planting trees is bringing clean water to a tropical nation (FuturePlanet) Australians Transform Coffee Waste into Stronger Sustainable Concrete (GreenCitizen) Pakistan bucks global trend with 30-year mangrove expansion (Mongabay) . . .
Ema is at Renaissance College HK where she is a very active member of a variety of clubs. Her main SDG focus and passion is with the oceans. She is also an avid film maker and is a leading figure in Hong Kong’s youth film landscape when it comes to documentary making that highlights ocean issues and wonders. Ema has won awards around the world for her films. She is also the founder of the Making Waves Club which uses film and story telling to raise awareness and stimulate activity to support ocean cleaning and protection among Hong Kong youth. Ema also graduated the 2022 running of the Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific programme run by ourselves and the UN. . . .
Ava is in Year 11 at Island School. She is very active in a range of organizations which have a sustainability or specific SDG focus. Her main interests lie in the environmental side, but she enjoys the way that the SDGs allow that work to have both social and economic impact. Ava is also very hands on in helping to conceptualize, set up and run events for youth around these issues. . . .
Image by 445693 from Pixabay I’ve recently been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and happened across this article as well in IISD. Pollan’s book makes an interesting case for how much of the modern human diet, especially in the US, is now derived from corn and fossil fuels. As a result, many people are eating “food product” rather than actual food and this is probably a good part of the reason for so many people in modern countries being overweight or obese. The article also highlights a range of factors that are externalities such as healthcare or lost farm wages or environmental clean ups that are created by modern large scale industrialized agriculture. All in all, this is an intriguing subject area with no easy answers but which impacts us all. . . .
Image by D. from Pixabay I liked this piece in The Guardian by Jo Clay which brings a healthy dose of realism to the question of what we can and “should” do in terms of changing our individual behaviour as part of a multi-faceted strategy to mitigate climate change. The key point is that rather than go into an attempt to live a life of denial which (as every “dieter” knows is a road to failure), many simple, easy, barely noticeable changes can be made by people that drastically reduce their carbon footprint. We already know we cannot wait for government or business to change at any reasonable pace. So while we continue to force them down those paths we can get on with addressing our own actions over which we have plenty (if not 100%) of control. Jo found she was able to cut her emissions impact by 78%. Imagine the impact if millions of people in advanced economies did that! And while it took some effort at the beginning – to research, to evalu . . .
Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay Filipino typhoon survivors join 'david and goliath' climate fight (Eco-business) ‘A treasure beneath our feet’: How the Dutch went down the toilet looking for heat (The Guardian) Notpla: Earthshot Prize Winner’s Seaweed Packaging Named ‘First and Only’ Plastic-Free Material Under EU Regulation (greenqueen) This year 'virtually certain' to be warmest in 125,000 years, EU scientists say (reuters) Food Systems: The Missing Piece of the Climate Puzzle at COP 28 (IISD) It’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘carbon passports’ may be the answer (The Conversation) 'Frugal innovation' and 'boring solutions' can best accelerate climate action, say experts (Eco-business) . . .
