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Today’s top story covers a report on including the environment in economics, to value nature properly within the economic system and stop taking its services for granted, which has led to the biodiversity crisis we are now facing.  The UK government is expected to use the report to inform policy.  The Guardian quotes the opening lines of the report:
 
“Our economies, livelihoods and wellbeing all depend on our most precious asset: nature. We are part of nature, not separate from it.”
 
With that lens in mind, let’s look at other news:
  • Research shows active transport (walking, running or cycling) has a big impact on lowering your carbon footprint;
  • More on the implications for New Zealanders from the Climate Commission report;
  • A study quantifies the impact of deforestation, pollution and infrastructure on the movements of native animals;
  • An explainer on sustainability accounting and ESG;
  • Indigenous rangers can’t pay a doubling of insurance premiums and won’t be able to perform bushfire suppression work;
  • Scott Morrison is starting to bow to international pressure, indicating he would like Australia to “reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050”;
  • The EU is debating climate laws that need to settle on 55% or 60% emissions reduction by 2030 (from 1990 levels), showing just how big a task Australia has ahead;
  • Decisions are required regarding the $56bn of gas pipeline development planned for Australia ($1.3tn worldwide);
  • The UK invests £20 million in charging stations to bring the total to 8,000 but still needs to build five times faster; and
  • Mitigating flooding risks by allowing cities to absorb rain through green spaces.
 
 

Top Story

 
Prosperity comes at 'devastating' cost to nature | BBC News
UK - A landmark review has called for transformational change in our economic approach to nature. The long-awaited review by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, of the University of Cambridge, says prosperity has come at a "devastating" cost to the natural world. The report proposes recognising nature as an asset and reconsidering our measures of economic prosperity. It is expected to set the agenda on government policy going forward... "Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognising that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature's goods and services with its capacity to supply them," Prof Dasgupta said in a statement..." Covid-19 has shown us what can happen when we don't do this, he added. "Nature is our home. Good economics demands we manage it better."
See also:
Nature isn't costed into economic decision-making, the report says. Getty Images
 
 

Climate Crisis and Emissions

 
Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers | BBC News
Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull is a spur from the nation's Vatnajokull ice cap, which is Europe's largest glacier. In 1989, photographer Colin Baxter visited the glacier during a family holiday and took a picture of the frozen landscape. Colin's son, Dr Kieran Baxter, returned to the exact location 30 years later.
 
Get on your bike: Active transport makes a significant impact on carbon emissions | Phys.org
Cycling, e-biking or walking can help tackle the climate crisis—even if you swap the car for active transport just one day a week—according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Oxford's Transport Studies Unit… Published in the journal Global Environmental Change, this is the first study of the carbon-reducing impact of city-based lifestyle changes and it reveals that increases in active mobility significantly lower carbon footprints, even in urban European contexts with a high incidence of walking and cycling.
Related:  
ExxonMobil launches new business geared at CCS and low carbon technologies | BusinessGreen
ExxonMobil has pledged to invest $3bn into carbon capture and other 'lower emission' energy projects over the next five years, confirming that it is already "advancing plans" for more than 20 projects around the world. The US oil giant announced on Monday it has set up a new business, named ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, that will be responsible for growing its low carbon portfolio, noting that efforts would initially focus on commercialising carbon capture and storage (CCS) schemes.
See also:  
The climate and changes - what they mean for you | RNZ News (Podcast 22:58)
NEW ZEALAND - Fewer internal combustion engine cars. More expensive petrol. No gas connections in new home builds. Millions fewer sheep and cows. More native forest plantations. More wind turbines. That’s a peek of the dramatic changes in society, should the government embrace the recommendations of the Climate Change Commission, which unveiled its long-awaited report over the weekend… So what would these changes mean for everyday people? Today on The Detail, Emile Donovan sits down with Stuff.co.nz climate change editor Eloise Gibson to look past the academic discussion of megatons and CO2 levels, and dig into how these policies will affect people's lives.
Related:  
The climate won’t thank us for ‘staying at home’ | Newsroom
NEW ZEALAND - Few countries can top New Zealand’s openness to international trade. For decades, Kiwis have known we cannot do everything on our own. Kiwi businesses focus on what they are good at, so that we can trade for the things that others do better. This weekend, the Climate Change Commission released its draft report on how New Zealand should achieve the objectives of the Zero Carbon Act. It noted a raft of domestic initiatives, ranging from the entirely reasonable to the entirely dubious. But it opened one rather interesting alternative: relying on international cooperation and trade to help New Zealand do even more.
 
U.S. cities underestimating their carbon emissions - study | Reuters
USA - U.S. cities are underestimating their carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 18%, according to a study released on Tuesday, potentially hindering their efforts to craft effective policies to combat climate change. Cities are the source of about 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions scientists say drive global warming, and many are targeting huge cuts in their carbon output to help international efforts to fight climate change. "We found that cities under-report their own greenhouse gas emissions, on average, by 18.3%,” according to the study, led by Kevin Gurney of Northern Arizona University and published in the journal Nature Communications.
 
 

Environment and Biodiversity

 
Humans force wild animals into tight spots, or send them far from home. We calculated just how big the impact is | The Conversation
AUSTRALIA - Our latest research published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution has, for the first time, quantified the repercussions of logging, pollution, hunting, and other human disturbances, on the movements of a wide range of animal species. Our findings were eye-opening. We found human disturbances, on average, restricted an animal’s movements by 37%, or increased it by 70%. That’s like needing to travel an extra 11 km to get to work each day (Australia’s average is 16 km).

Land clearing can cause animals to move through risky areas in search of suitable habitat. Tim Doherty, Author provided
 
Native trees play host to rare plant species in North Canterbury bush | Stuff
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand’s rarest mistletoe species are making a comeback thanks to a regeneration project at Tiromoana Bush in North Canterbury. The native forest, owned and funded by Transwaste Canterbury, is the result of 15 years of work to restore the area, which also boasts a 12-hectare wetland, supporting a range of flora and fauna. More than 200 native species are now growing in the bush, including matai, whekī and titoki, the mistletoes are an extraordinary part of the regenerating native bush… Professor David Norton, from the University of Canterbury’s Te Kura Ngahere/School of Forestry and author of The Tiromoana Bush Restoration Management Plan, said considering the exacting conditions required for their growth it was pretty special to have three mistletoe species in Tiromoana Bush.

Mistletoe varieties are unusual as they are arboreal parasites – instead of germinating on the ground they require a host species to live on. Supplied.
 
 

Fires

 
Raging Australian bushfire destroys dozens of homes | Reuters
AUSTRALIA - Firefighters in Western Australia battled gusty winds and high temperatures on Tuesday as they fought a bushfire that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and destroyed more than 56 homes. Television broadcast images of air tankers flying over the flames, spread across more than 8,000 hectares (17,300 acres), about 40 km (25 miles) from the state capital of Perth. No deaths had been reported so far. “Right now, Western Australia is battling two different kinds of emergencies - a dangerous fire emergency and a COVID-19 lockdown emergency,” said its premier, Mark McGowan.
See also:  
 

Economy and Business

 
What is sustainability accounting? What does ESG mean? We have answers | The Conversation
There is no universal definition of sustainability, but… [the] idea of meeting our needs without sacrificing the needs of our children, or our children’s children, tends to form the basis of most sustainability definitions. The definition focuses on the planet’s capacity to meet our needs. Without a healthy planet, we will be unable to meet our needs for food, clean air, shelter and other basics... Sustainability accounting is the practice of measuring, analyzing and reporting a company’s social and environmental impacts… ESG refers to the environmental, social and governance information about a firm. There is growing evidence that companies that take their environmental and social responsibilities seriously perform better financially. This has naturally made investors sit up and take notice.

Rich people are particular polluters and contribute to climate change much more than everyday citizens. (Pixabay)
 
How China’s Belt and Road Initiative is changing cities – and threatening communities | The Conversation
CHINA - The creation of the New Silk Road involves the massive development of trade routes and infrastructure corridors, including everything from railways, airports, ports, pipelines, industrial parks and real estate projects to free trade agreements and treaties. It has the potential to reshape the world in political, economic and cultural terms, and poses important environmental risks. It is also profoundly altering cities across the globe – prioritising wealth and threatening vulnerable communities.
 
Coal-rich Hunter Valley ponders jobs future as Asian giants commit to net-zero carbon emissions | ABC News
AUSTRALIA - At the Lochinvar pub in the NSW Hunter Valley, a couple of power industry workers meet for a drink and ponder the future. "Everybody's a bit nervous because we are very reliant about coal, coal-fired power," says Gerard Spinks, who has worked for 39 years in the power stations of the Upper Hunter. "All of our other main industries are gone — our steel, shipbuilding, rail, and textiles — so all we've got left is mining and power. Once that goes, we've got no idea what the future holds… We are getting near to retirement age, but it's the generations after that." These men are anxious to know: how does the economy transition beyond coal?
 
Indigenous rangers in WA north priced out of bushfire prevention by insurance price jump | ABC News
Indigenous ranger groups in the north of Western Australia will have to stop their bushfire suppression work at the end of June unless a solution can be found to a more-than-doubling of fire insurance premiums in the space of a year. The Kimberley Land Council helps manage this work across a region almost twice the size of the state of Victoria, but the organisation's land and sea unit manager Will Durack said the work would stop at the end of June if a solution to the jump in insurance costs could not be found… "The Insurance Council needs to educate itself, and the insurers, about the positive benefit the work we do has with the mitigation it creates for the insurance companies."
 
 

Waste and the Circular Economy

 
Kenyan recycles plastic waste into bricks stronger than concrete | Reuters
KENYA - Nzambi Matee hurls a brick hard against a school footpath constructed from bricks made of recycled plastic that her factory turns out in the Kenyan capital. It makes a loud bang, but does not crack. “Our product is almost five to seven times stronger than concrete,” said Matee, the founder of Nairobi-based Gjenge Makers, which transforms plastic waste into durable building materials… Matee, a materials engineer who designed her own machines, said her factory has recycled 20 tonnes of waste plastic since its founding in 2017. She plans to add another, bigger, production line that could triple capacity, and hopes to break even by year end. Matee set up her factory after she ran out of patience waiting for the government to solve the problem of plastic pollution.
 
PFAS contamination class action filed by Jervis Bay community for cultural loss | ABC News
AUSTRALIA - An Aboriginal community has launched a class action against the Federal Government claiming chemical contamination on their land from Department of Defence operations has "destroyed" their livelihoods. The residents of Wreck Bay, on the New South Wales south coast, allege Defence negligently allowed perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals to leech into surface water, groundwater, and soil. The chemicals are found in firefighting foams that had been used on neighbouring naval base HMAS Creswell and the Jervis Bay Range Facility for more than three decades since the 1970s.
 
 

Politics and Society

 
Morrison eyeing more ambitious climate target of net zero by 2050 | Sydney Morning Herald
AUSTRALIA - A more ambitious climate change target will be part of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s agenda for the year ahead after he expressed his hope to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a goal that divides government MPs. Mr Morrison signalled his hope to set the target as government policy before the next election, after months of internal Coalition debate and a rebuff from global leaders in December because he would not make the pledge… The messages came in a speech to the National Press Club that promised action on aged care, mental health, land care programs and closing the gap for Indigenous Australians. “Our goal is to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050,” he said.
 
More than half of funding for the major parties remains secret — and this is how they want it | The Conversation
AUSTRALIA - Political parties in Australia collectively received $168 million in donations for the financial year 2019-20. Today, Australians finally get to see where some of the money came from with the release of data from the Australian Electoral Commission. While the big donors will make the headlines, they are only the tip of the iceberg. More than half of the funding for political parties remains hidden from public view. And that is exactly how the major parties want it.
 
EU climate law talks dodge the 'elephant in the room' | Reuters
EU - European Union negotiators inched on Tuesday toward agreeing parts of the bloc’s landmark climate law, but not the binding emissions-cutting targets that would form the centrepiece of the bill, EU lawmakers and officials said… The climate law will include the EU’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, which EU countries say is a joint effort, but the European Parliament wants it to be binding on every EU state. EU countries also agreed in December to cut their net emissions by at least 55% by 2030, from 1990 levels. Parliament wants a 60% cut.
 
Myanmar’s military reverts to its old strong-arm behaviour — and the country takes a major step backwards | The Conversation
MYANMAR - Just before the newly elected members of Myanmar’s parliament were due to be sworn in [on Wednesday], the military detained the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi; the president, Win Myint; and other key figures from the elected ruling party, the National League for Democracy. The military later announced it had taken control of the country for 12 months and declared a state of emergency. This is a coup d'etat, whether the military calls it that or not.
See also:  
 

Energy

 
Australia's proposed gas pipelines would generate emissions equivalent to 33 coal-fired power plants | The Guardian
AUSTRALIA - Australia has $56bn worth of gas pipelines in development that, if all built, would be expected to allow pumping of greenhouse gases equivalent to 33 coal-fired power stations, an analysis has found. The report by the Global Energy Monitor, an anti-fossil fuel research group based in San Francisco, said there are more than US$1tn ($1.3tn) in oil and gas pipeline projects on the books globally.

A report has found that if the gas pipelines that Australia has in development go ahead it had the potential to allow nearly 5bn tonnes of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Photograph: Jens Buettner/AP
 
 

Built Environment

 
U.K. Needs to Install Electric Car Chargers Five Times Faster to Hit Goals | Bloomberg Green
UK - Britain will need to install electric-vehicle charging points five times faster during this decade to prepare for a ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2030. Installations need to increase to 35,000 points a year, from 7,000 now, according to a report by the Policy Exchange think tank published on Tuesday. Expanding at the current speed will lead to black spots in rural areas, it said. The government announced Tuesday 20 million pounds ($27.4 million) of extra funding for an on-street residential charging scheme that would double the rollout of points installed under the plan to 8,000. That doesn’t come close to the pace needed, according to the report.
 
I lived through Hurricane Katrina and helped design the rebuild – floods will always come, but we can build better to prepare | The Conversation
As the climate changes, floods and extreme rainfall events will become more intense. In many cases, the most disadvantaged people are at highest risk from floods and least able to bounce back when their homes and businesses are inundated. I saw that dynamic first-hand when I lived through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Much of my work in its aftermath focused on finding new ways to allow the city to better absorb water, reducing flood risk and easing pressure on drainage systems. How? By designing parks, open space and public infrastructure to hold excess water when flood strikes. That means better control of where floodwater ends up, reducing the risk to lives and property.
Related:
When a surface is hard or impermeable, water cannot be absorbed; it runs off quickly and collects in large quantities in inconvenient places. Shutterstock
 
 

Food Systems

 
Why Indian farmers are so angry about the Modi government’s agricultural reforms | The Conversation
INDIA - India’s farmers have been protesting since the autumn, with a growing intensity that culminated in a violent breaching of barriers in the Red Fort in Delhi during India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26. The protests were spurred by the passing of a set of agricultural reform bills in parliament in September 2020 that aimed to fundamentally transform the way in which farm produce is marketed in the country. India’s farming population of more than 100 million is comprised largely of small farmers who fear that the reforms will add considerable uncertainty to their already meagre livelihoods.
Related:  
Bottom trawling ban for key UK fishing sites | BBC News
UK - Two of the UK’s most sensitive fishing sites are set to receive better protection. The Marine Management Organisation says it plans to safeguard fishing areas in Dogger Bank and South Dorset by completely banning bottom trawling. The sites are already designated as protected areas, but in reality they are not patrolled - and they’re both over-fished.
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