In 2012, the Mexican government granted permission for Monsanto to plant
genetically modified soybeans adjacent tropical forests of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It included continued use of the weedkiller
Roundup; despite its main ingredient,
glyphosate, negatively impacting native bees, impairing behavior and changing the composition of the animals’ gut microbiome.The local Mayan beekeepers were not consulted but one, Leydy Pech realised the whole eco-system was threatened. So she took on Monsanto and after a 5-year struggle the permit was revoked but the fight continues.It remains a great example of needed climate activism for our threatened planet.https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/maya-beekeeper-leydy-pech?
4 billion people cook using dangerous indoor fires worldwide.Smoke from indoor cooking fires is a leading cause of death of children under age five. It kills more people than AIDS and malaria combined.These stoves reduce smoke by 90%, saving women & children inhaling copious amounts of smoke. They reduce carbon emissions by 80% and halve the amount of wood needed. They also reduce burns, again inflicted on women & children in developing countries. 79,000 stoves distributed so far in South America, 1 mill tonnes of CO2 reduced, Half a million lives improved - needs support: https://www.stoveteam.org/why-stoves
Companies and Governments worldwide are pledging to
achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 or (hopefully) much earlier. McKinsey has produced a comprehensive report: What would it take to fulfill
that ambition? What massive changes are involved and how soon? How will this be 'engineered?'It makes for an interesting analysis and guide. Some of the extracts have appeared in Idea Spies recently. Here is the link to download the full Report or Executive Summary:https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/the-net-zero-transition-what-it-would-cost-what-it-could-bring?
Global warming and Net-Zero Transitions are changing our world in uneven ways.McKinsey sets out a range of scenarios across 69 countries - including Australia - outlining the risks & opportunities: htps://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/how-te-net-zero-transition-would-play-out-in-countries-and-regions? but 'the exposure and its effects would be unevenly distributed'As part of this, sovereign risks will be highly dispersed across world, the Pacific, South Asia & Bangladesh in particular. The next Climate & Peace Webinar 6pm Tuesday 15th February address these risks and the choices that we face - headlined by retired Admiral Chris Barr
McKinsey research on Europe’s net-zero pathway suggests
that climate technologies that are already mature could deliver 60 percent of the emissions reduction needed to stabilize the climate by 2050. Further
abatement must come from climate technologies that aren’t quite ready,
including 25 to 30 percent from technologies that are demonstrated but
not yet mature.Five technology groups are identified - in order of potential: Electrification, Agriculture, Power Grids, Transport and Carbon Capture (having the lowest potential) - that could attract $2trillion/year investment by 2025. So we have most of the tools already! Now we need the will...https://www.mckinsey.
