This excellent explainer by Professor Tim Benton, and John Wallace published in Chatham House lists the threats by bioregions and what can be done about it. After all, '... biodiversity is integral to the resilience of human societies, and without action to both preserve it and reduce carbon emissions, the world will become less and less habitable for humanity and global prosperity.'.
The COP28 in Dubai marked the second time a COP has been hosted in the Gulf region since 2012. The selection of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as host raised questions not only about its ability to deliver on the COP agenda but also drew attention to its socio-economic context and its equitable contribution to addressing climate change.
Perhaps there is a silver lining: In this article, the author from Chatham House suggests that by adopting a strategy of diversifying from heavy dependence on a single commodity, and as the world divests from fossil fuiels, Gulf countries may avoid costly consequences of delayed action.
"This transition will be challenging, but the region can harness its financial capacities and transferable skills to gradually transition to a post-oil, climate-compatible economy."
This very interesting article from Chatham Houe reflects on not only how rising competition for land threatens international and environmental stability, but also how the risks can be mitigated.
We had better care, because “…as far as we know, there is exactly one planet in our Solar System – and the galaxy – which hosts life. And you’re on it.”
Alan Finkel, who was Australia’s chief scientist from 2016 to 2020 wrote this article.
AI is everywhere. Its potential to contribute to society is vast and undisputed. However, almost every day, new concerns and calls for regulation are raised.
The trouble for regulators is that the AI horse has bolted.
Like the effort to tackle climate change, negotiating an international agreement would require collaboration on a global scale similar to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, according to Alan Finkel (reprinted with permission).
The new report, from the World Bank and CDP, found that just 157 global companies account for 60% of industrial emissions when also considering their vast supply chains.
This Global Risks Report 2023 was published by the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM in January 2023 and gives a stark informed overview of the risks facing us. Reprinted with permission by WEF.
It sets in place the right enabling environment to unlock capital towards the sustainability challenges we must address as a nation
Unsurprisingly, climate change is a top concern for Australians. Here is the latest of RIAA's research which shows that now "four out of five Australians (83%) expect their bank account and their super to be invested responsibly and ethically…and 74% would consider moving to another provider if they found out their current fund was investing in companies engaged in activities that were inconsistent with their values."
In just two years, we have suffered through multiple record-breaking floods and a fire season never experienced before. Even at current levels, human actions in heating the climate are causing dangerous and widespread disruption, threatening devastation to swathes of the natural world and rendering many areas unliveable, according to this landmark report published last month.
Climate breakdown is accelerating rapidly. It is now predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ((IPCC) that many of the impacts will be more severe than predicted and there is only a narrow chance left of avoiding its worst ravages. We are seeing the effect of climate change induced devastation on food prices.
Adding fuel to inflationary pressures has been a global pandemic where supply chains have been disrupted like never before, heightened geopolitical risks with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, putting price pressures on everything from crude oil to wheat to sunflower oil.