Written in partnership with the Conservation Evidence project, What Works in Conservation is an essential reference guide that summarizes and evaluates the latest scientific evidence on over a thousand conservation interventions.
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The Environment
Bottom line: the terrestrial biosphere depends on insects and the insects are dying. Why is this happening? In a word: agriculture….
This headline tells part of the story: Harvard Study Finds Shift to Grass-Fed Beef Would Require 30% More Cattle and Increase Beef’s Methane Emissions 43%. Or if you prefer: The Search for Sustainable Beef: Grazing threatens wildlife and takes an enormous toll on habitats, and won’t fix the climate crisis animal agriculture creates. Yeah, I know. The grass-fed cow movement….
Habitat loss is the biggest threat to biodiversity and endangered species on the planet. Clearing land for agriculture is the principal cause of habitat destruction. Most agricultural land is used for livestock, mainly sheep and cattle.
What constitutes “state-of-the-art” technology changes from year to year. If the new technology isn’t cheap, households, businesses, utilities, and governments investing in the new technology will not invest again as they wait for the initial investment to pay off. This is called a “lock-in” effect, “where choices made at critical junctures lock in future choices and development” (Johnson, 2001)
So, what is the Green New Deal? The Deal referred to in the survey is one championed by Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, available here. Some pertinent excerpts…
Survey respondents were shown a brief description of what is being called the “Green New Deal”, followed by the question, “How much do you support or oppose this idea?” Here’s the description…
But how is it that we are getting more energy consumption with fewer emissions? Type of fuel, for one: some fuels emit more than others. Speaking of which, charts!
So how is the world doing in decoupling CO2 emissions from economic growth and energy use? The beginnings of an answer in three charts….
“…climate-ready, ecosystem-based fisheries management can help reduce the impacts of some anticipated changes and increase resilience under changing conditions. There is now a national strategy for integrating climate information into fishery decision-making…”
In that spirit, the remainder of this series will consist of brief excerpts from NCA4-II on existing or proposed adaptations to the effects of climate change. Without further ado…
Per Climate Action Tracker (CAT), current US emission trends are actually within “striking distance” of the initial Paris Agreement targets for 2020 and 2025, despite Trump’s rhetoric and the US not even being a signatory to the Agreement. This unexpected progress is thanks to “subnational” and nongovernmental actors, such as states, cities, businesses, nonprofits and others. Yes, it would be great if the federal government were on board. And, yes, we need to do a lot more…
Another theme in this report is that mitigation and adaptation efforts often yield near-term benefits unrelated to their value in reducing risks associated with climate change. Drought-resistant crops help poor farmers now. Increased energy efficiency makes business sense now. Coastal marsh restoration protects against flooding now. Even climate change skeptics could appreciate these co-benefits.
The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) focuses on the observed and projected impacts of climate change in the US, with special consideration given to risk reduction. Although the report is around 1600 pages long and would thus take some time to read, news media outlets were quick to react to the report’s release. CNN, in particular, was on it…
… a coalition of 17 states, 540 cities, counties and tribes, 1,914 businesses and investors, 253 faith-based and cultural organizations, and 343 higher education institutions have pledged their support for the Paris Agreement.
So there are three challenges here: 1) increase the likelihood of socioeconomic developments that present lower challenge to climate change mitigation and adaptation; 2) limit the rise in global temperatures; and 3) improve our ability to adapt to climate change. Per the IPCC report, here are some ways to address all three challenges:
The earth has been warmer many times before. The biosphere survived and sometimes thrived. It’s just that humans are used to a cooler planet. So we have to change our ways. This is new for us. Coasts need to be protected; crops made more resilient, wild habitat expanded and better managed. We need to reduce some stressors unrelated to climate change (over-fishing, poor governance) to build resilience to the new stressors.
First, the IPCC report’s full name is Global Warming of 1.5°C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. …
In Part I of this series, we established that the biosphere was in trouble because close to a fifth of all land plant species are threatened with extinction; 90% of all living land plants are flowering plants; and, most of terrestrial life depends, either directly or indirectly, on flowering plants. Houston, we have a problem…So, let’s create and manage flower and pollinator habitat! Focusing on urban spaces, home gardens, and farmland…
Consider the following:
Close to a fifth of all land plant species are threatened with extinction.
Flowering plants represent 90% of all living land plants.
Most of terrestrial life depends, either directly or indirectly, on flowering plants.