Mobilising Assam’s ‘hargila army’: how 10,000 women saved India’s rarest stork

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

Guardian News

Greater adjutants, reviled as bad omens, were endangered until Indian conservationist Purnima Devi Barman transformed attitudes to the bird – and gave thousands of women a new identity

On a cool December afternoon a group of women dressed in brightly coloured mekhela chadors (Assam’s traditional handwoven clothing) sit in a circle on the grass at the Bhokha Beel wetlands, singing and clapping.

Some of the women are wearing papier-mache headdresses shaped like long-necked birds. As they sing, one of them gets to her feet and starts dancing.

They are part of the “hargila army”, a group of rural women in the Indian state of Assam who work to protect one of the world’s rarest storks: the greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) – or hargila (meaning “bone swallower” in Assamese) as the scavenger bird is known locally. They are celebrating the recent UN Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth award, conferred on the group’s biologist founder, Dr Purnima Devi Barman.

The endangered greater adjutant stork, or hargila

Barman won the award for her achievement in mobilising more than 10,000 women to help save the stork. “They are the protectors of the birds and of their nesting trees,” says Barman, referring to the band of homemakers turned conservationists.

The greater adjutant, a member of the stork family that can grow up to 1.5 metres (5ft) tall, was once abundant across south Asia. But its distinctive features – a featherless head, dangling gular (throat) pouch, striking pale eyes and long skinny legs – and its foul-smelling droppings and dietary preference for carrion – won it few fans.

The birds were not just reviled, they were seen as a bad omen and carriers of disease. Villagers attacked them with stones, cut down trees where they roosted communally and burned their nests.

I’ve always believed that, if given a chance, women can make a big difference in conservation-Purnima Devi Barman

Today the greater adjutant is endangered, with fewer than 1,200 adult birds in its last strongholds – the Indian states of Assam and Bihar, and Cambodia. Most of the global population is found in Assam, making Barman and the hargila army’s work critical to its survival.

Barman grew up in a village on the Brahmaputra, a river that flows for 2,500 miles through Tibet, north-east India and Bangladesh. As a child, she learned about Assam’s wildlife from her grandmother, who took her into the paddy fields where she worked and taught her about local birdlife. “She didn’t know how to write but she had a feeling for nature and taught me lots of songs and stories about the birds,” says Barman.

Barman and members of the 10,000-strong hargila army sing and dance to traditional songs

Her love of the natural world stayed with her. She gained a first degree and a master’s in zoology and was about to embark on a PhD on the greater adjutant when a contact phoned to tell her that a villager in Dadara had cut down a kadam (burflower) nesting tree in his yard.

When she arrived at the site she was appalled to find the ground littered with nests and dead or injured chicks. “It was my mothering instinct. I wanted to do something to protect these innocent creatures,” says Barman, whose twin girls were two at the time.

Barman began teaching the villagers about the birds’ importance as “nature’s cleaning crew”, and why nesting trees should not be cut down. In response, she was taunted and asked to clean the foul-smelling mess herself. The hostility she faced made her realise that to save the bird, she first needed to change the community’s attitude to it.

Barman with a lifesize cutout of a greater adjutant stork

The badge worn by members of the hargila army; a sign in Dadara village shows the partnership with the state forest department, the district administration and police

She delayed her PhD and set to work: she organised public meetings where she honoured the owners of trees, mostly men, instilling in them a sense of pride in their role as guardians. The tactic paid off. “Not a single nesting tree has been cut down since 2010,” she says.

But it was the women who Barman believed held the key to sustainable and community-led conservation. The problem was they were confined to their homes and household chores. So Barman found creative ways to bring them out where she could talk to them. She began organising cooking competitions of traditional sweets and snacks, where she befriended the women and talked about the birds.

She tapped into the women’s nurturing side by organising “baby showers” during the storks’ breeding season, inspired by a Hindu ritual for expectant human mothers, and “happy hatching” ceremonies to commemorate the arrival of the chicks. Slowly but surely, the women began to accept the birds as part of their world.

A primary school pupil holds a stork conservation poster. The hargila army members help encourage school children to protect the bird

By 2014, the conservation movement had gathered momentum and the hargila army was born. “Conservation is all about uniting people and building ownership,” says Barman. “I’ve always believed that, if given a chance, women can make a big difference in conservation.”

Today, the once-maligned bird is now a cultural symbol, appearing on everything from towels to road-safety campaigns.

In the villages of Dadara, Pacharia and Singimari (all in Kamrup district), greater adjutants’ nests have increased from 28 in 2010 to more than 250 according to Barman’s last count, making the area the world’s largest breeding colony. “We now have more than 1,000 hargila birds in Assam,” says Barman, referring to recent but unpublished data collected by her team.

Mamoni Malakar paints a henna tattoo of the hargila on Purnima Devi Barman’s palm

Joining the hargila army gave me a chance to show everyone that I could do something meaningful with my life-Daivaki Saikia

The conservation efforts have also transformed the lives of the women, who now go into other villages to raise awareness of the birds. “Joining the hargila army gave me a chance to show everyone that I could do something meaningful with my life,” says Daivaki Saikia, a young widow from Dadara’s marginalised fishing community, who has been a member for five years.

The UN award was for Barman’s “entrepreneurial vision” in using conservation to improve women’s economic status. Assam has a rich tradition of weaving, so Barman secured funding for 30 looms and provided training in weaving the hargila motif into fabrics, providing women with an independent income. Eighty women were also given sewing machines to make bags, cushion covers and other items from the handwoven fabrics.

In 2021, Barman established the Hargila Learning and Conservation Centre in a government school in Pacharia village, where hargila army members use songs, art and games to encourage children to protect the birds.

Hargila army member Sarawasti Das weaving a mekhela chador (a traditional Assamese sari) adorned with the hargila motif

Juggling her job as a biologist at Aaranyak, a wildlife non-profit organisation based in the city of Guwahati, Barman continues to help preserve the hargila. In February the hargila army begins its work in the districts of Morigaon and Nagaon, with further expansion planned for Assam.

She also hopes to set up a nursery for kadam trees that can be distributed to those who want to plant them in their gardens (45,000 saplings have already been handed out). “This will help improve the back-yard biodiversity,” says Barman.

Barman’s unwavering dedication has been recognised in India and internationally. Last year she was named World Female Ranger and in 2017, she received the prestigious Whitley award, known as the “Green Oscars”, as well as India’s highest civilian honour for women – the Nari Shakti Puraskar.

But Barman refuses to rest on her laurels. No opportunity to advocate for the bird is missed. “My intention is to involve everyone,” she says. “If people are concerned about the conservation of the hargila and its habitat, it will help other species as well.”

The future of flight in a net-zero-carbon world: 9 scenarios, lots of sustainable biofuel

Candelaria Bergero & Steve Davis FROM THE CONVERSATION

Some airlines are already experimenting with sustainable aviation fuel. Michael H/Stone Collection/Getty Images

Candelaria Bergero, University of California, Irvine and Steve Davis, University of California, Irvine

Several major airlines have pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury to fight climate change. It’s an ambitious goal that will require an enormous ramp-up in sustainable aviation fuels, but that alone won’t be enough, our latest research shows.

The idea of jetliners running solely on fuel made from used cooking oil from restaurants or corn stalks might seem futuristic, but it’s not that far away.

Airlines are already experimenting with sustainable aviation fuels. These include biofuels made from agriculture residues, trees, corn and used cooking oil. Other fuels are synthetic, made by combining captured carbon from the air and green hydrogen, made with renewable energy. Often, they can go straight into existing aircraft fuel tanks that normally hold fossil jet fuel.

United Airlines, which has been using a blend of used oil or waste fat and fossil fuels on some flights from Los Angeles and Amsterdam, announced in February 2023 that it had formed a partnership with biofuel companies to power 50,000 flights a year between its Chicago and Denver hubs using ethanol-based sustainable aviation fuels by 2028.

In a new study, we examined different options for aviation to reach net-zero emissions and assessed how air travel could continue without contributing to climate change.

The bottom line: Each pathway has important trade-offs and hurdles. Replacing fossil jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuels will be crucial, but the industry will still need to invest in direct-air carbon capture and storage to offset emissions that can’t be cut.

Scenarios for the future

Before the pandemic, in 2019, aviation accounted for about 3.1% of total global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and the number of passenger miles traveled each year was rising. If aviation emissions were a country, that would make it the sixth-largest emitter, closely following Japan.

In addition to releasing carbon emissions, burning jet fuel produces soot and water vapor, known as contrails, that contribute to warming, and these are not avoided by switching to sustainable aviation fuels.

Aviation is also one of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy. Small electric and hydrogen-powered planes are being developed, but long-haul flights with lots of passengers are likely decades away.

We developed and analyzed nine scenarios spanning a range of projected passenger and freight demand, energy intensity and carbon intensity of aviation to explore how the industry might get to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Nine scenarios illustrate how much carbon offsets would be required to reach net-zero emissions, depending on choices made about demand and energy and carbon intensity. Each starts with 2021’s emissions (1.2 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent). With rising demand and no improvement in carbon intensity, a large amount of carbon capture will be necessary. Less fossil fuel use and slower demand growth reduce offset needs. Candelaria Bergero

We found that as much as 19.8 exajoules of sustainable aviation fuels could be needed for the entire sector to reach net-zero CO₂ emissions. With other efficiency improvements, that could be reduced to as little as 3 exajoules. To put that into context, 3 exajoules is almost equivalent to all biofuels produced in 2019 and far surpasses the 0.005 exajoules of bio-based jet fuel produced in 2019. An exajoule is a measure of energy.

Flying less and improving airplanes’ energy efficiency, such as using more efficient “glide” landings that allow airlines to approach the airport with engines at near idle, can help reduce the amount of fuel needed. But even in our rosiest scenarios – where demand grows at 1% per year, compared to the historical average of 4% per year, and energy efficiency improves by 4% per year rather than 1% – aviation would still need about 3 exajoules of sustainable aviation fuels.

Why offsets are still necessary

A rapid expansion in biofuel sustainable aviation fuels is easier said than done. It could require as much as 1.2 million square miles (300 million hectares) of dedicated land to grow crops to turn into fuel – roughly 19% of global cropland today.

Another challenge is cost. The global average price of fossil jet fuel is about about US$3 per gallon ($0.80 per liter), while the cost to produce bio-based jet fuels is often twice as much. The cheapest, HEFA, which uses fats, oils and greases, ranges in cost from $2.95 to $8.67 per gallon ($0.78 to $2.29 per liter), but it depends on the availability of waste oil.

Fischer-Tropsch biofuels, produced by a chemical reaction that converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbons, range from $3.79 to $8.71 per gallon ($1 to $2.30 per liter). And synthetic fuels are from $4.92 to $17.79 per gallon ($1.30 to $4.70 per liter).

Realistically, reaching net-zero emissions will likely also rely on carbon dioxide removal.

In a future with similar airline use as today, as much as 3.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide would have to be captured from the air and locked away – pumped underground, for example – for aviation to reach net-zero. That could cost trillions of dollars.

For these offsets to be effective, the carbon removal would also have to follow a robust eligibility criteria and be effectively permanent. This is not happening today in airline offsetting programs, where airlines are mostly buying cheap, nonpermanent offsets, such as those involving forest conservation and management projects.

Some caveats apply to our findings, which could increase the need for offsets even more.

Our assessment assumes sustainable aviation fuels to be net-zero carbon emissions. However, the feedstocks for these fuels currently have life-cycle emissions, including from fertilizer, farming and transportation. The American Society for Testing Materials also currently has a maximum blend limit: up to 50% sustainable fuels can be blended into conventional jet fuel for aviation in the U.S., though airlines have been testing 100% blends in Europe.

How to overcome the final hurdles

To meet the climate goals the world has set, emissions in all sectors must decrease – including aviation.

While reductions in demand would help reduce reliance on sustainable aviation fuels, it’s more likely that more and more people will fly in the future, as more people become wealthier. Efficiency improvements will help decrease the amount of energy needed to power aviation, but it won’t eliminate it.

Scaling up sustainable aviation fuel production could decrease its costs. Quotas, such as those introduced in the European Union’s “Fit for 55” plan, subsidies and tax credits, like those in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act signed in 2022, and a carbon tax or other price on carbon, can all help achieve this.

Additionally, given the role that capturing carbon from the atmosphere will play in achieving net-zero emissions, a more robust accounting system is needed internationally to ensure that the offsets are compensating for aviation’s non-CO₂ impacts. If these hurdles are overcome, the aviation sector could achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Candelaria Bergero, Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine and Steve Davis, Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Climate change: Africa has a major new carbon market initiative - what you need to know

Jonathan Colmer from The Converstaion

Activists press for climate change financing during COP27. Mohamed Abdel Hamid/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Jonathan Colmer, University of Virginia

Climate finance for the African continent got a boost at the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), with the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative. This aims to make climate finance available for African countries, expand access to clean energy, and drive sustainable economic development.

Led by a 13-member steering committee of African leaders, chief executives and industry specialists, the initiative promises to expand the continent’s participation in voluntary carbon markets.

Carbon markets are trading platforms which allow individuals, firms and governments to fund projects that reduce emissions (instead of reducing their own emissions).

Kenya, Malawi, Gabon, Nigeria and Togo have already indicated their intention to collaborate with the market.

Climate projects include reforestation and forest conservation, investments in renewable energy, carbon-storing agricultural practices and direct air capture. In return for funding projects like these, investors receive carbon credits – certificates used to “offset” the emissions that they continue to produce.

The African initiative’s goal is to produce 300 million new carbon credits annually by 2030, comparable to the number of credits issued globally in voluntary carbon offset markets in 2021.

However, there is considerable scepticism about whether carbon offset credits do mitigate climate change.

Two important issues

In assessing the effectiveness of carbon credits, one important concern is the concept of “additionality”. Emission reductions or removals are “additional” if the project or activity would not have happened without the added incentive provided by the carbon credits. For example, if a landowner is paid to not cut down trees, but had no plans to cut them down in the first place, the project does not deliver additional emissions savings. The landowner is paid for doing nothing and the buyer’s emissions are not offset.

Providing carbon credits to projects that would have been implemented anyway delivers zero climate mitigation, and can result global emissions that are higher than if the credits hadn’t been issued. This is a serious challenge for carbon offset markets because additionality is not measurable, despite industry claims. While project managers may claim that they are unable to proceed without funding, there is no way of knowing whether these claims are true.

A second issue is permanence. Carbon offsets have to be permanent because carbon emissions remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. It is almost impossible to guarantee that emissions will be offset for this length of time. But it depends on the type of offset project.

There are two types of carbon offset project:

• those that reduce the amount of carbon that is emitted

• those that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

In the case of carbon reduction projects, overall emissions remain positive. Examples of carbon reduction credits include investments in renewable energy. Even though the supplier of the carbon credit is not generating any emissions, the buyer continues to emit, and so the overall level of emissions is positive. Carbon neutrality – net-zero emissions – cannot be achieved using carbon reduction credits.

There should be more funding available for carbon reduction activities in Africa, but investors should not receive carbon credits to offset their own emissions when supporting these activities. Such investments would be philanthropic – for the good of the planet, not to balance the carbon accounting books.

Carbon removal projects do, however, have the potential to deliver a permanent net-zero emissions outcome. Direct air capture projects, which use chemical reactions to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store them deep underground, can meet this goal. The cost of direct air capture, however, remains very high.

Forest growth, a less costly type of carbon removal project, is less permanent. Landowners may commit not to cut down trees, but wildfires, disease, and other disruption events can release much of the stored carbon back into the atmosphere. There is still value to forest carbon credits, but they can’t guarantee permanence. Forest projects provide “carbon deferrals”. Additional forest growth projects remove carbon from the atmosphere for a fixed amount of time. There is value to this delay because it can reduce peak warming and gives society more time for the costs of decarbonising technologies to fall. While there is value to these carbon deferral projects they should not be used to generate carbon credits that are used to permanently offset the emissions produced through economic activity.

Goals of the market

The African Carbon Markets Initiative has bold ambitions. It will attract investments in Africa by firms, consumers and governments in countries that have historically contributed the most to climate change. Whether these investments result in any meaningful climate benefit, however, is unclear. Time will tell.

Existing carbon offset projects lack credibility. This doesn’t mean that carbon credits can’t be more useful in future. Being transparent about what projects actually deliver, rather than what we hope they deliver, is paramount. Given the limited resources available to mitigate climate change, we need more than good intentions.

Jonathan Colmer, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Virginia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Earth has lost one-fifth of its wetlands since 1700 – but most could still be saved

Christian Dunn from Conversation

Earth has lost one-fifth of its wetlands since 1700 – but most could still be saved

A capybara in the Iberá Wetlands (Esteros del Iberá) of northeast Argentina. Kylie Nicholson/Shutterstock

Christian Dunn, Bangor University

Like so many of the planet’s natural habitats, wetlands have been systematically destroyed over the past 300 years. Bogs, fens, marshes and swamps have disappeared from maps and memory, having been drained, dug up and built on.

Being close to a reliable source of water and generally flat, wetlands were always prime targets for building towns and farms. Draining their waterlogged soils has produced some of the most fertile farmland available.

But wetlands also offer some of the best natural solutions to modern crises. They can clean water by removing and filtering pollutants, displace floodwater, shelter wildlife, improve our mental and physical wellbeing and capture climate-changing amounts of carbon.

Peatlands, a particular type of wetland, store at least twice the carbon of all the world’s forests.

How much of the Earth’s precious wetlands have been lost since 1700 was recently addressed by a major new study published in Nature. Previously, it was feared that as much as 50% of our wetlands might have been wiped out. However, the latest research suggests that the figure is actually closer to 21% - an area the size of India.

Some countries have seen much higher losses, with Ireland losing more than 90% of its wetlands. The main reason for these global losses has been the drainage of wetlands for growing crops.

A wetland is, like this peat bog, a terrestrial habitat where water is held on the land. Kuttelvaserova Stuchelova/Shutterstock

Wetlands are not wastelands

This is the most thorough investigation of its kind. The researchers used historical records and the latest maps to monitor land use on a global scale.

Despite this, the new paper highlights some of the scientific and cultural barriers to studying and managing wetlands. For instance, even identifying what is and isn’t a wetland is harder than for other habitats.

The defining characteristic of a wetland – being wet – is not always easily identified in each region and season. How much is the right amount of wetness? Some classification systems list coral reefs as wetlands, while others argue this is too wet.

And for centuries, wetlands were seen as unproductive wastelands ripe for converting to cropland. This makes records of where these ecosystems used to be sketchy at best.

The report shows clearly that the removal of wetlands is not spread evenly around the globe. Some regions have lost more than average. Around half of the wetlands in Europe have gone, with the UK losing 75% of its original area.

The US, central Asia, India, China, Japan and south-east Asia are also reported to have lost 50% of their original wetlands. It is these regional differences which promoted the idea that half of all the world’s wetlands had disappeared.

Farming has driven the destruction of wetlands globally. Tridsanu Thopet/Shutterstock

This disparity is somewhat hopeful, as it suggests there are still plenty of wetlands which haven’t been destroyed – particularly the vast northern peatlands of Siberia and Canada.

An ecological tonic

Losing a wetland a few acres in size may not sound much on a global or even national scale, but it’s very serious for the nearby town that now floods when it rains and is catastrophic for the specialised animals and plants, like curlews and swallowtail butterflies, living there.

Wetlands offer food and habitat for a diverse range of species. Aleksandra Tokarz/Shutterstock

Fortunately, countries and international organisations are beginning to understand how important wetlands are locally and globally, with some adopting “no-net-loss” policies that oblige developers to restore any habitats they destroy. The UK has promised to ban the sale of peat-based composts for amateur growers by 2024.

Wetland habitats are being conserved around the world, often at huge expense. Over US$10 billion (£8.2 billion) has been spent on a 35-year plan to restore the Florida Everglades, a unique network of subtropical wetlands, making it the largest and most expensive ecological restoration project in the world.

The creation of new wetlands is also underway in many places. The reintroduction of beavers to enclosures across Britain is expected to increase the nation’s wetland coverage, bringing with it all the advantages of these habitats.

Beaver dams and the wetlands they create reduce the effects of flooding by up to 60% and can boost the area’s wildlife. One study showed the number of local mammal species shot up by 86% thanks to these furry engineers.

Wetlands hold and slowly release water, helping to ease flooding and stall drought. Steved_np3/Shutterstock

Even the sustainable drainage system ponds developers create on the fringes of new housing estates could see pocket wetlands appearing in towns and cities across the UK. By mimicking natural drainage regimes instead of removing surface water with pipes and sewers, sustainable drainage systems can create areas of plants and water that have been shown to increase biodiversity, especially invertebrates.

Whether the total global loss of wetlands is 20% or 50% doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that people stop looking at wetlands as wastelands, there for us to drain and turn into “useful” land.

As the UN recently pointed out, an estimated 40% of Earth’s species live and breed in wetlands and a billion people depend on them for their livelihoods. Conserving and restoring these vital habitats is key to achieving a sustainable future.

---

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

---

Christian Dunn, Senior Lecturer in Natural Sciences, Bangor University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Power magnitude earthquake and aftershock leaves hundreds dead in Turkey and Syria

More than 500 people were killed in two countries after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Turkey in more than 100 years sent tremors across the region, collapsing buildings and sending residents running into the streets.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck just after 4 a.m. Monday morning local time, 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Nurdagi is located along the Turkey-Syria border, and the quake was felt in several countries across the region, including Syria and Lebanon.

In Turkey, at least 284 people were killed and more than 2,300 injured, according to Vice President Fuat Oktay. In neighboring Syria, at least 237 people died and more than 630 were injured, Syrian state news agency SANA reported citing a Ministry of Health official. The deaths were reported in Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.

Aaref Watad/AFP/Getty Images I Syrian rescuers (White Helmets) and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building, in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province on the border with Turkey, early on February 6, 2023.

Dozens of people are trapped under rubble, according to the “White Helmets” group, officially known as Syria Civil Defense, a humanitarian organization formed to rescue people injured in conflict. Much of northwestern Syria, which borders Turkey, is controlled by anti-government forces amid a bloody civil war that began in 2011.

The quake struck before daybreak on Monday, when residents were likely asleep and unprepared for the impact. Video from Turkey shared on social media showed dozens of collapsed buildings, while frightened residents huddled on the darkened streets amid the chaos. Rescue workers can be seen conducting search-and-rescue operations by flashlight.

Monday’s quake is believed to be the strongest to hit Turkey since 1939, when an earthquake of the same magnitude killed 30,000 people, according to the USGS. Earthquakes of this magnitude are rare, with fewer than five occurring each year on average, anywhere in the world. Seven quakes with magnitude 7.0 or greater have struck Turkey in the past 25 years – but Monday’s is the most powerful.

Karl Lang, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech University’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, told CNN the area hit by the quake Monday is prone to seismic activity. “It’s a very large fault zone, but this is a larger earthquake than they’ve experienced any time in recent memory,” Lang said.

Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images I Several buildings were destroyed following the powerful earthquake in southern Turkey on February 6, 2023.

‘It felt like it would never be over’

Journalist Eyad Kourdi, who lives in Gaziantep and was staying with his parents when the earthquake struck early Monday, said “it felt like it would never be over.”

When the shaking stopped, Kourdi and his parents walked out of their home still wearing their pajamas, he said.

With several inches of snow on the ground, they waited outside in the rain for about 30 minutes before he could go back inside to grab coats and boots.

Strong aftershocks have been felt in southern and central Turkey. About 11 minutes after the main quake hit, the strongest aftershock of 6.7 magnitude hit about 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the main quake’s epicenter. Another intense aftershock with a magnitude of 5.6 then occurred 19 minutes after the main quake.

Omer Yildiz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images I A destroyed apartment and damaged vehicle in Yurt neighborhood of Cukurova district after the earthquake in Adana, Turkey, on February 6, 2023.

Kourdi said there were up to eight “very strong” aftershocks in under a minute after the 7.8 magnitude quake struck, causing belongings in his home to fall to the ground. Many of his neighbors had left their homes following the quake, he said.

Photos showing the true scale of the disaster are emerging as day breaks in Turkey. Entire buildings have been flattened, with metal rods scattered across the streets. Cars have toppled over, while bulldozers work to clear the debris.

A winter storm in the region is exacerbating the disaster, according to CNN meteorologists.

“Hundreds of thousands of people are impacted by this. It is cold. It is rainy. Roads could be impacted, that means your food, your livelihood, the care for your children, the care for your family,” CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis said.

“Anything as far as crops or anything growing across this region will be impacted as well. The ramifications of this are broad and will impact this region for weeks, and months.”

A destroyed building after a powerful earthquake jolts Turkey on February 6, 2023. I Omer Yasin Ergin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Searching for survivors

Search and rescue teams have been dispatched to the south of the country, Turkey’s interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, said. AFAD, the disaster agency, said it had requested international help through the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), the European Union’s humanitarian program.

Nearly 1,000 search and rescue volunteers have been deployed from Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, along with dogs, trucks and aid, according to its governor, Ali Yerlikaya.

“Sorry for our loss. I wish our injured a speedy recovery,” Yerlikaya wrote on Twitter.

The governor of Gaziantep, Davut Gul, said on Twitter that “the earthquake was felt strongly in our city,” and advised the public to wait outside their homes and stay calm.

“Please let’s wait outside without panic. Let’s not use our cars. Let’s not crowd the main roads. Let’s not keep the phones busy,” he said.

Gaziantep province has a number of small- and medium-sized cities, with a sizable refugee population, according to Brookings Institute fellow Asli Aydintasbas.

“Some of these areas are rather poor. Some are more richer, urban areas … but other parts that we’re talking about that seem to have been devastated, are relatively lower income areas,” she said.

Video from the city of Diyarbakir, to the northeast of Gaziantep, shows rescue workers frantically trying to pull survivors out of the rubble.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the quake was felt in many parts of the country.

“I convey my best wishes to all our citizens who were affected by the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and was felt in many parts of our country. All our relevant units are on alert under the coordination of AFAD,” Erdogan wrote on Twitter.

Search and rescue operations are underway as many are fear trapped in the rubble. I Omer Yasin Ergin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Messages of condolences and support started pouring in Monday morning as world leaders woke to the news of the deadly earthquake.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was “profoundly concerned” about the destruction in Syria and Turkey.

“I have been in touch with Turkish officials to relay that we stand ready to provide any & all needed assistance. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye,” Sullivan wrote on Twitter.

Study Shows Exposure to Air Pollution Alters Brain Function

Jodie R. Gawryluk, Daniela J. Palombo, Jason Curran, Ashleigh Parker, Chris Carlsten

A new study has suggested that a brief diesel exhaust exposure acutely impairs functional brain connectivity in humans. The study was the first to show in a controlled experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that exposure to diesel exhaust disrupts the ability of different areas of the human brain to interact and communicate with each other.

The peer-reviewed findings, published in the journal Environmental Health, show that just two hours of exposure to diesel exhaust causes a decrease in the brain's functional connectivity -- a measure of how The study provides the first evidence in humans, from a controlled experiment, of altered brain network connectivity induced by air pollution.

"For many decades, scientists thought the brain may be protected from the harmful effects of air pollution," said senior study author Dr. Chris Carlsten, professor and head of respiratory medicine and the Canada Research Chair in occupational and environmental lung disease at UBC. "This study, which is the first of its kind in the world, provides fresh evidence supporting a connection between air pollution and cognition."

For the study, the researchers briefly exposed 25 healthy adults to diesel exhaust and filtered air at different times in a laboratory setting. Brain activity was measured before and after each exposure using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The researchers analyzed changes in the brain's default mode network (DMN), a set of inter-connected brain regions that play an important role in memory and internal thought. The fMRI revealed that participants had decreased functional connectivity in widespread regions of the DMN after exposure to diesel exhaust, compared to filtered air.

"We know that altered functional connectivity in the DMN has been associated with reduced cognitive performance and symptoms of depression, so it's concerning to see traffic pollution interrupting these same networks," said Dr. Jodie Gawryluk, a psychology professor at the University of Victoria and the study's first author. "While more research is needed to fully understand the functional impacts of these changes, it's possible that they may impair people's thinking or ability to work."

Taking steps to protect yourself

Notably, the changes in the brain were temporary and participants' connectivity returned to normal after the exposure. Dr. Carlsten speculated that the effects could be long lasting where exposure is continuous. He said that people should be mindful of the air they're breathing and take appropriate steps to minimize their exposure to potentially harmful air pollutants like car exhaust.

"People may want to think twice the next time they're stuck in traffic with the windows rolled down," said Dr. Carlsten. "It's important to ensure that your car's air filter is in good working order, and if you're walking or biking down a busy street, consider diverting to a less busy route."

While the current study only looked at the cognitive impacts of traffic-derived pollution, Dr. Carlsten said that other products of combustion are likely a concern.

"Air pollution is now recognized as the largest environmental threat to human health and we are increasingly seeing the impacts across all major organ systems," says Dr. Carlsten. "I expect we would see similar impacts on the brain from exposure to other air pollutants, like forest fire smoke. With the increasing incidence of neurocognitive disorders, it's an important consideration for public health officials and policymakers."

The study was conducted at UBC's Air Pollution Exposure Laboratory, located at Vancouver General Hospital, which is equipped with a state-of-the-art exposure booth that can mimic what it is like to breathe a variety of air pollutants. In this study, which was carefully designed and approved for safety, the researchers used freshly-generated exhaust that was diluted and aged to reflect real-world conditions.

Africa climate woes, COP27 wins, misses and the way forward

KENNETH BUNDI & JANE KANYINGI

COP27 marked the fifth UN Climate Change conference in Africa.

People walk at the green zone of the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre, during the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name, on November 9, 2022. PHOTO | AFP

This conference was dubbed the African COP, a reflection of the weight Africans placed on this forum to highlight and find solutions to the effects of climate change in the continent.

Last year alone, every African nation felt the impact of climate-related challenges from wildfires in Algeria to catastrophic flooding in South Africa and Nigeria to the severe drought in the Horn of Africa.

All these combined experiences helped define key priorities for the continent, including a check on commitments from COP26 in Glasgow.

Some of the key tasks included delivery on finance for climate adaptation and mitigation — specifically an increase to climate financing directed to African countries to enable the transition to low-emissions and climate-resilient economies.

Financing in the form of the Loss and Damage Fund for vulnerable countries will provide the aid required to deal with climate change-related events.

The discussions throughout the various thematic sessions saw governments and the private sector address the various aspects of the climate finance ecosystem including financial instruments, tools and policies that have the potential to enhance access and scale up to green financing.

Amid the tough talks and the conflicting interests, developed countries agreed to provide funds to their developing counterparts to deal with the loss and damages due to the effects of climate change.

This was a key win for Africa, which has contributed the least to the climate crisis yet its ecosystems, people and economies are the most vulnerable and least prepared to adapt to the changes.

The challenge, however, is how the fund will be implemented and administered.

The continent must be well represented in the translation committee to ensure African interests are well articulated in the lead-up to COP28 where the translation committee recommendations are expected to be tabled for discussion and adoption.

The discussions did not make much progress in getting governments to accelerate their actions to tackle climate challenges and reduce carbon emissions.

Specifically, on climate negotiations, the more ambitious Paris Agreement temperature goal of 1.5 degrees Celcius has been weakened by its placing in the ‘science and urgency’ section.

By contrast, in the Glasgow Climate Pact, it sat alongside the solutions to the climate crisis in the ‘mitigation’ section.

As such, current scientific predictions have global temperatures set to rise by 2.4 degree Celsius over the next decade, way above what was envisaged in the Paris Agreement.

It’s critical that even with the funding, African countries and corporates keep pushing for the acceleration of the decarbonisation efforts and rewiring of the financial systems to support the continent’s climate adaptation in key sectors such as agriculture, energy, water, health and forestry to pull its population from abject poverty and the risk of starvation.

To support its efforts, Africa needs to rethink how the continent will push the developed economies to respond and recognise its needs.

Women Bear the Brunt of Climate Change

Natalia Milovanova

The effects of climate change are not equal across genders. Women, particularly in the global south, are more greatly impacted than men. This is a result of cultural and historical norms that put women in vulnerable positions. These norms, compounded with the fact that women make up the majority of agriculture producers in rural areas, make them more susceptible to the negative effects of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and crop failures.

In addition, women are expected to care for children, the elderly, and the sick in traditional patriarchal societies, leaving them with little mobility to migrate. Women also face a lack of equal opportunities compared to men in finding alternative employment in rural areas. The effects of natural disasters, such as the destruction of infrastructure, also disproportionately impact pregnant women in rural areas, contributing to the high rates of maternal mortality.

The root cause of these issues is the lack of land rights for women. Without ownership of the land they work on, women are not able to be active decision-makers and their labor remains invisible. This not only perpetuates their vulnerability to the effects of climate change, but also makes the current system unsustainable as women produce the majority of food.

It is imperative that advanced laws and legislation be put in place to give women rights over their land. This, along with governance support, could provide women with the necessary financial, humanitarian, and medical aid in times of disaster. We must also challenge cultural norms and prioritize equality, making women more visible and granting them full human rights. This, in turn, will lead to a more sustainable future.

Further Reading

UN Learning Centre course about Gender in Environment:https://unccelearn.org/course/view.php?id=39&page=overview

The vulnerability of women to climate change in coastal regions of Nigeria: a case of the IIaje community in Ondo state» By Adenike A. Akinsemolu and Obafemi A.P. Olukoya; 

Gender Equality and Sustainable Development: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Nigerian Laws and Practices to Guarantee the Woman’s Human Rights» by Oluwakemi Odeyinde, Leccion of Amber Fletcher from Regina University,

CALL FOR PAPERS: World Sustainability Conference 2023

The Green Institute and the HeTa Food Research Centre of Excellence announce the 2023 World Sustainability Conference Call for Abstracts

Possible topics for submission include, but are not limited to:

• Education:

• Sustainable agriculture education in schools,

• lifelong learning for farmers and food producers

• innovative approaches to food and agriculture education

• Environment:

• Climate-smart agriculture practices,

• water conservation in food production,

• zero waste and circular systems in food systems

• Equity:

• Gender equality in agriculture and food systems,

• inclusive food systems for marginalized communities,

• land tenure and access to resources for smallholder farmers

• Energy:

• Renewable energy in food and water systems,

• energy-efficient food processing and distribution,

• decentralized energy systems for rural communities

• Economics:

• Sustainable and equitable value chains in food systems,

• community-based economic development through food systems,

• the economic impacts of food waste reduction

The deadline for abstract submission is April 28, 2023. Please visit our conference website for more information about the event.

For inquire email us at wsc@greeninstitute.ng

University of Pennsylvania Appoints Our President, Damilola Olawuyi as BOK Visiting International Professor

The Green Institute is proud to announce that our president, Professor Damilola Olawuyi, has been appointed as a BOK Visiting International Professor (VIP) at the University of Pennsylvania for the 2022/2023 academic year.

As a VIP, Professor Olawuyi will be mentoring students and providing valuable global perspectives on cutting-edge issues in international and comparative law. He will be teaching a course on "Energy Justice and Sustainable Development" and participating in university-wide events and activities related to these fields.

Professor Olawuyi is an internationally recognized expert in the field of law, with a particular focus on energy, environment, sustainable development, and business and human rights. He is the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He is also a leading voice in the field of international and comparative law, and we are thrilled to see him recognized by the University of Pennsylvania.

In his role as President of the Green Institute, Professor Olawuyi is dedicated to driving progress on environmental issues and promoting sustainable development. We are excited to see the impact he will have at the University of Pennsylvania and we look forward to his continued leadership at the Green Institute.

University of Birmingham announces Adenike Akinsemolu as a Vanguard Fellow

The Green Institute is excited to announce that our founder and director, Dr. Adenike Akinsemolu, has been named a Vanguard Fellow by the University of Birmingham. This prestigious fellowship recognizes Adenike's work as a leader and innovator in the field of sustainability and environmentalism, and we couldn't be more proud.

Adenike has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement for years, working to educate and engage people on environmental issues and promote sustainable development. From creating the Green Institute and training the next generation of sustainability leaders, to advocating for policies that protect the environment, Adenike has made a significant impact in the fight against climate change and other environmental challenges.

As a Vanguard Fellow, Adenike will be working with the University of Birmingham to continue her important work in the field of sustainability. She will be collaborating with researchers and students to address environmental challenges and drive progress on key issues, and sharing her knowledge and expertise through lectures and other public events.

We encourage you to learn more about Adenike's work and the Vanguard Fellowship by watching the video below. We are so proud of Adenike and all that she has achieved, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for her and the Green Institute.

The Green Institute 2023: The #OfficiallyGreen Message

The Green Institute has had a successful year in 2022, hosting the World Sustainability Conference, the World Environment Day Symposium, and several other conferences that brought together experts and advocates from around the globe. 

As we look to the future, we are excited to announce our focus for 2023: the #OfficiallyGreen campaign.

The #OfficiallyGreen campaign is all about inspiring people to take action for a more sustainable future. Whether it's picking up litter, reducing your carbon footprint, or advocating for policy change, every small action can make a big difference.

We want to make the #OfficiallyGreen campaign go viral, with people all around the world sharing their commitment to a sustainable future. On World Environment Day, we will be hosting special campaigns in cities around the world, with people taking pictures with their #OfficiallyGreen placards and sharing them on social media.

But the #OfficiallyGreen campaign isn't just about one day a year. We want to encourage people to make sustainable living a part of their everyday lives. That's why we will be providing resources and support throughout the year to help people take action in their own communities.

We are also excited to continue our research on climate crisis in coastal environments. These regions are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and we believe that it is crucial to understand and address these challenges in order to create a more sustainable future for all.

We hope you will join us in our mission to make the world #OfficiallyGreen. Whether you want to become an ambassador for the campaign, join our campus network, or simply take action in your community, we welcome your participation and support. Together, we can create a more sustainable future for all.

2022 was the year of drought

Denise Chow

Lakes and rivers in several countries shrank to extreme lows, and dry conditions threatened crops and fueled destructive wildfires across the globe.

It was a year characterized by extreme drought.

From North America to Africa to Europe to Asia, huge swaths of the planet were parched in 2022. Lakes and rivers in several countries shrank to extreme lows and dry conditions threatened crops and fueled destructive wildfires across the globe.

As the world warms, climate change will exacerbate drought conditions on the planet. Research has shown that global warming worsens drought by enhancing evaporation, depleting reservoirs and drying out soils and other vegetation.

Here’s what drought this year looked like on four of the hardest-hit continents.

Asia

The world’s largest continent provided a dire blueprint in 2022 of the consequences of drought and extreme heat in a warming world.

In March, an early heat wave gripped India and Pakistan, causing at least 90 deaths as temperatures in some spots soared as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The scorching conditions ignited forest fires in India and fueled the rapid melting of glaciers in northern Pakistan, which led to catastrophic flooding and even wiped out a bridge in the country’s Hunza Valley. A study released in May by the World Weather Attribution group found that the punishing heat in India and Pakistan was 30 times more likely due to climate change.

Dongshuimen Bridge in Chongqing, China, on July 17, 2018, left, and August 18, 2022.Imaginechina via AP Images; VCG via Getty Images

Over the summer, prolonged heat waves in China created severe drought conditions for many parts of the country. Sections of the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, reached record low levels in August, with some areas almost completely drying up. Some 400 million people in China depend on the Yangtze River for drinking water and to irrigate rice, wheat and other crops, according to the Nature Conservancy. The waterway is also a major source of hydropower for the country and plays a key role in shipping and global supply chain management.

In the country’s southwestern Sichuan province, the most extreme heat wave and drought in six decades caused water flow to the region’s hydropower reservoirs to plummet in late August, prompting the provincial government to warn of “particularly severe” power outages, the South China Morning Post reported. 

Poyang Lake in Jiangxi, China on Aug. 8, 2021 and Aug. 22, 2022.Planet Labs PBC

The following  month, September, officials in the central Chinese province of Jiangxi declared a water supply “red alert” for the first time as Poyang Lake’s water levels fell dramatically due to drought. The freshwater lake is the country’s largest and is normally a flood outlet for the Yangtze River.

Drought conditions gripped central China over the summer months, with the Jiangxi province experiencing 60% less precipitation from July to September compared to the same time last year, according to the Jiangxi Water Monitoring Center.

In Anhui province, which neighbors Jiangxi, water levels at 10 reservoirs fell below “dead pool” status, when the reservoir is so low that water cannot flow downstream from the dam.

Africa

The effects of extreme heat and drought were also dire for parts of Africa in 2022.

A woman waters goats from a shallow well dug into a dry riverbed at Eliye springs on the western shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya, on Sept. 28, 2022. Tony Karumba / AFP via Getty Images file

The Horn of Africa, which encompasses the easternmost part of the continent, experienced its longest drought in 40 years in 2022, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The region experienced drier than average conditions as it suffered through its fifth consecutive failed rainy season. Humanitarian organizations warned that the prolonged drought is exacerbating food insecurity issues for more than 50 million people in the region.

Parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia were among the hardest hit by drought this year. Guleid Artan, director of the WMO’s climate center for East Africa said in August that the three countries are “on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” because of rainfall deficits and ongoing drought.

A woman carries a container of water during the water shortage in Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 11, 2022.Donwilson Odhiambo / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images file

The United Nations said severe drought and food shortages are likely to persist, which could lead to famine in parts of the Horn of Africa.

“Unfortunately, we have not yet seen the worst of this crisis,” Michael Dunford, the U.N. World Food Program’s regional director for eastern Africa, said in a Nov. 28 statement. “If you think 2022 is bad, beware of what is coming in 2023.”

In a report released in October, the United Nations and the Red Cross said certain regions of Africa and Asia will become uninhabitable within decades because of extreme heat. 

“The impacts would include large-scale suffering and loss of life, population movements and further entrenched inequality. These impacts are already emerging,” the organizations jointly wrote.

The carcass of an adult elephant, which died during the drought, at the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in Samburu, Kenya, on Oct. 12, 2022Luis Tato / AFP via Getty Images file

Europe

Elsewhere in the world, conditions were similarly parched this past summer.

A preliminary report released in August by the European Commission found that Europe’s 2022 droughts were the worst in at least 500 years. Many regions were under drought since the beginning of the year, made worse by drier-than-usual conditions over the summer and a series of heat waves from June through October.

A boat moored on dry waters on the river Po in Ficarolo, Italy, on July 30, 2022. Nicola Ciancaglini / Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images file

In August, almost two-thirds of the European continent was under either drought warning or alert conditions, according to the report. Low rainfall over the summer months and persistent dry conditions added stress to summer crops in parts of Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and Hungary.

In Italy, rivers and lakes dried up over the summer. Large sections of the country’s longest river, the River Po, ran completely dry, forcing officials in July to declare a state of emergency in five northern regions. 

Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake, also shrank to near-historic lows over the summer. Water from the lake was diverted to local rivers to help farmers across the parched north of the country, leaving Lake Garda 12.6 inches above the water table, which approached the lowest levels recorded in 2003 and 2007.

Waterways elsewhere in Europe were similarly impacted by drought and extreme heat. In August, Serbia’s Danube River shrank to one of its lowest levels in almost a century. The Loire River in France also fell to historically low levels over the summer amid record drought in the country.

North America

Parts of North America, such as the western United States, remained in the grips of severe drought this year. Dry conditions fueled dangerous wildfires in Arizona, Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington state. 

A study published in February in the journal Nature Climate Change found that ongoing “megadrought” conditions in the southwestern U.S., which have persisted for the past 22 years, are the worst since at least 800 A.D. 

Key reservoirs in the country shrank to alarming lows in 2022. In June, water levels at Lake Mead, which was created on the Colorado River on the Arizona-Nevada border, dropped to the lowest levels since the lake was filled in the 1930s. The historic low water levels carry enormous implications for water supply and the production of hydroelectric power for millions of people across Arizona, California, Nevada and parts of Mexico.

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the U.S., was similarly affected by intense drought, with its water dropping to the lowest levels since it was filled in the mid-1960s, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Water intake towers at the Hoover Dam in Las Vegas, on June 6, 1979, left, and on Aug. 19, 2022. Santi Visalli; Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Lake Mead’s declining water levels also had unexpected consequences: In May, two sets of human remains were discovered as a result of the reservoir’s receding shoreline.

EPA issues new rule to strengthen water protections in the U.S.

Lucas Thompson

Under the new definition of "waters of the United States," more wetlands, lakes and rivers will qualify as federally protected.

An airboat hovers over wetland in Everglades National Park, Fla., in September 2021.Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images file

The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers on Friday announced a new definition of "waters of the United States," a classification that has been debated for decades.

At issue is which types of waterways  — wetlands, rivers, lakes, etc. — are protected under the Clean Water Act, which was signed into law 50 years ago. The act regulates water pollutants and empowers the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to define which particular bodies of water are protected by law. Protected bodies of water qualify for federal programs pertaining to oil spill prevention, water quality regulation and more.

During the Obama administration in 2015, the EPA established a relatively broad definition of waters of the United States, or WOTUS, that included navigable waters such as the Mississippi River and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as rivers, lakes and wetlands that crossed state borders. But in 2020, the Trump administration limited the types of waterways that received the federal protections, excluding much of the country’s wetlands and smaller waterways.

The new definition announced this week instates similar protections to those that were in place before 2015, while also clarifying certain qualifications for protected waters. 

Like the 2015 rules, navigable waters, oceans, and interstate waterways are protected by default. Tributaries that flow into and affect larger bodies of water, as well as wetlands near protected waters and some additional lakes and ponds can also be protected. To qualify, such smaller waterways must meet a set of standards that focuses on their permanence and their interconnectedness with other bodies of water. These updated standards are, in part, a response to several Supreme Court decisions in cases that challenged past definitions of WOTUS over the last two decades.

In a news release, the EPA said the new rule is intended to "reduce uncertainty from changing regulatory definitions, protect people’s health, and support economic opportunity."

"What we are doing with this final rule is establishing a clear and reasonable definition of waters of the United States," Radhika Fox, the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water, told NBC News. 

She added, "We set water quality standards for lakes and streams all around the country, and that is what makes sure that if you’re eating out of that lake and if you’re swimming in that stream that it’s safe for you."

Historic biodiversity agreement reached at U.N. conference

Associated Press

"There has never been a conservation goal globally at this scale,“ said one observer.

Delegates applaud at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Dec. 19, 2022. Andrej Ivanov / AFP - Getty Images

Negotiators reached a historic deal at a United Nations biodiversity conference early Monday that would represent the most significant effort to protect the world’s lands and oceans and provide critical financing to save biodiversity in the developing world.

The global framework comes a day before the U.N. Biodiversity Conference, or COP15, is set to end in Montreal. China, which holds the presidency at this conference, released a new draft earlier in the day that gave the sometimes contentious talks much-needed momentum.

The most significant part of the agreement is a commitment to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030. Currently, 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas are protected.

“There has never been a conservation goal globally at this scale,“ Brian O’Donnell, the director of the conservation group Campaign for Nature, told reporters. “This puts us within a chance of safeguarding biodiversity from collapse ... We’re now within the range that scientists think can make a marked difference in biodiversity.”

The draft also calls for raising $200 billion by 2030 for biodiversity from a range of sources and working to phase out or reform subsidies that could provide another $500 billion for nature. As part of the financing package, the framework calls for increasing to at least $20 billion annually by 2025 the money that goes to poor countries — or about double what is currently provided. That number would increase to $30 billion each year by 2030.

Some advocates wanted tougher language around subsidies that make food and fuel so cheap in many parts of the world. The document only calls for identifying subsidies by 2025 that can be reformed or phased out and working to reduce them by 2030.

Coral on Moore Reef off coast of Queensland, Australia on Nov. 13, 2022. Environmental leaders are gathering to provide much-needed protection for the world's biodiversity.Sam McNeil / AP

“The new text is a mixed bag,” Andrew Deutz, director of global policy, institutions and conservation finance for The Nature Conservancy, said. “It contains some strong signals on finance and biodiversity but it fails to advance beyond the targets of 10 years ago in terms of addressing drivers of biodiversity loss in productive sectors like agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure and thus still risks being fully transformational.”

The ministers and government officials from about 190 countries have mostly agreed that protecting biodiversity has to be a priority, with many comparing those efforts to climate talks that wrapped up last month in Egypt.

Climate change coupled with habitat loss, pollution and development have hammered the world’s biodiversity, with one estimate in 2019 warning that a million plant and animal species face extinction within decades — a rate of loss 1,000 times greater than expected. Humans use about 50,000 wild species routinely, and 1 out of 5 people of the world’s 8 billion population depend on those species for food and income, the report said.

But they have struggled for nearly two weeks to agree on what that protection looks like and who will pay for it.

The financing has been among the most contentions issues, with delegates from 70 African, South American and Asian countries walking out of negotiations Wednesday. They returned several hours later.

Brazil, speaking for developing countries during the week, said in a statement that a new funding mechanism dedicated to biodiversity should be established and that developed countries provide $100 billion annually in financial grants to emerging economies until 2030.

“All the elements are in there for a balance of unhappiness which is the secret to achieving agreement in U.N. bodies,” Pierre du Plessis, a negotiator from Namibia who is helping coordinate the African group, told The Associated Press. “Everyone got a bit of what they wanted, not necessarily everything they wanted. Let’s see if there is there is a spirit of unity.”

Others praised the fact the document recognizes the rights of Indigenous communities. In past biodiversity documents, indigenous rights were often ignored and they rarely were part of the larger discussions other than a reference to their traditional knowledge. The framework would reaffirm the rights of Indigenous peoples and ensure they have a voice in any decision making.

“It’s important for the rights of Indigenous peoples to be there, and while it’s not the exact wording of that proposal in the beginning, we feel that it is a good compromise and that it addresses the concerns that we have,” Jennifer Corpuz, a representative of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity said. “We believe that it’s a good basis for us to be able to implement policy at the national level.”

THE GREEN ROOM (Episode 19): Maika Sondarjee and Nathan Andrews on Decolonizing Global Development Theory: What's in a Buzzword?

GREEN ROOM: LIVE WEBINAR TRANSCRIPT

---

Summary of the Discussion

This month’s episode features two professional experts in the field of international development, Dr. Maïka Sondarjee from University of Ottawa and Dr. Nathan Andrews from McMaster University. The topic of discussion centered on ‘Decolonizing Global Development Theory: What's in a Buzzword?

---

LISTEN TO PODCAST

---

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Maïka Sond-ar-jee is an assistant professor at the School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and has been a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Montreal. Her first book, Perdre le Sud. Décoloniser la solidarité internationale (2020), addresses systemic sexism, colonialism and inequalities in North-South relations. Her current projects look at white saviorism, epistemic inequalities in communities of practices, as well as feminist approaches of international relations.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Dr. Jason J. McSparren is an educator, researcher, and administrator with a PhD. in Global Governance and Human Security from Massachusetts Boston.He is also a Pre-Doctoral Fellow (2017-18) for the West African Research Association (WARA).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Nathan Andrews is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at McMaster University. One aspect of Dr. Andrews’ research focuses on the global political economy/ecology of natural resource extraction and development. His peer-reviewed publications on this topic have appeared in journals such as International Affairs, Resources Policy, World Development, Energy Research & Social Science, Africa Today, Business & Society Review, and Journal of International Relations & Development, among others.

---

---

Favourite Quote

“To decolonize would be to flip the coin so to speak and look at how other people from other parts of the world could be looking at the same world that you’re looking about from a totally different perspective.”

— Dr. Nathan Andrews

“We have to value all kinds of knowledge .”

— Dr. Maïka Sondarjee

“we have to deconstruct this idea that the only people with knowledge are Scholars with PhDs from Western universities.”

— Dr. Maïka Sondarjee

---

Global jobs market set to deteriorate amid Ukraine war shocks: ILO

Estimates from ILO for the third quarter of 2022, indicate that the level of hours worked was 1.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, amounting to a deficit of 40 million full-time jobs.

Inflation up, wages down

The 10th edition of the Monitor on the World of Work confirms that rising inflation is causing real wages to fall in many countries.

Unsplash/Bernardo Ramonfaur I A indigenous mexican woman selling dolls in the streets of Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico.

This comes on top of significant declines in income during the COVID-19 crisis, which affected low-income groups most in many countries. The report finds that labour market inequalities are likely to increase, contributing to a continued divergence between developed and developing economies.

According to the Monitor, a set of multiple and overlapping crises, compounded by the Ukraine war and subsequent negative spill-over effects, have materialized over 2022 which have impacted the world of work deeply.

Food and energy in flux

The effects are being felt through food and energy inflation, declining real wages, growing inequality, shrinking policy options and higher debt in developing countries.

Unemployment and inequality are set to rise due to 🌍 crises.

⬆️Rising inflation
⬇️Declining real wages
📈Growing inequality
📉Slowdown in economic growth

are deeply impacting the #worldofwork.

🆕 The 10th ILO Monitor on the World of Work is out!
➡️https://t.co/jI78Gnky8J pic.twitter.com/x9lafRuRKL

— International Labour Organization (@ilo) October 31, 2022

A slowdown in economic growth and aggregate demand will also reduce demand for workers as uncertainty and worsening expectations affect hiring.

The Monitor finds that worsening labour market conditions are affecting both employment creation and the quality of jobs, pointing out that there is already data that suggests a sharp labour market slowdown.

At the beginning of 2022, the number of global hours worked was recovering strongly, notably in higher-skilled occupations and among women.

However, this trend was driven by an increase in informal jobs, jeopardizing 15 years of progress trend towards formalization.

Solidarity, to end war

ILO says that a strong commitment is needed to initiatives such as the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection; its objective is to create 400 million jobs and extend support to the four billion people who have nothing to fall back on should they fall sick or get hurt at work.

© UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi I A 13-year-old boy works in a mechanic's shop in Syria.

A rapid end to the conflict in Ukraine, as demanded in the resolutions of the ILO Governing Body, would further contribute to improving the global employment situation, the UN agency noted.

“Tackling this deeply worrying global employment situation, and preventing a significant global labour market downturn, will require comprehensive, integrated and balanced policies both nationally and globally,” said ILO Director-General, Gilbert Houngbo.

“We need the implementation of a broad set of policy tools, including interventions in the prices of public goods; the rechannelling of windfall profits; strengthening income security through social protection; increasing income support; and targeted measures to assist the most vulnerable people and enterprises.”

‘Game changer’ ideas on water and sustainability, centre-stage ahead of major water conference

The results emerging from roundtables on governance, capacity development, data and information, innovation and financing, will be shared with national representatives on Tuesday, at a preparatory meeting for the UN 2023 Water Conference, taking place in March.

Noting that the world stands at a watershed moment, the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, whose Office organized the consultations, told participants that it is time to “transform from reactive water management to proactive, science-based solutions to the water crisis.”

Science-based solutions

Happening now!

Stakeholder consultations for the Preparatory Meeting of the #UN2023WaterConference.

Follow along #WaterAction ⬇️

🎥 Roundtable 1️⃣ on Governance: https://t.co/hLgUn8hvb5

🎥 Roundtable 2️⃣ on Capacity Development: https://t.co/YFMels3W5J pic.twitter.com/QaYzA43Vym

— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) October 24, 2022

Mr. Kőrösi urged participants discuss game changers from the perspective of “solidarity, sustainability and science”, the motto of the 77th session of the General Assembly.

Former President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder also addressed the opening, in his capacity as Member of the Water and Climate Leaders. He called for a greater emphasis on collecting and sharing information: “We cannot stop this water crisis. We have to adapt. And to adapt, we need data and information.”

Shaken, not stirred

Reminding participants of the “James Bond ratio” whereby only 0.007 per cent of the planet’s water is potable. Mr. Áder listed categories missing data bases, such as on water quality, grid loss, humidity content and wastewater. 

Without good date on these topics, it makes it difficult to see the potential social, political and economic impact of water issues, Mr. Áder noted.

The opening session also heard from UN Global Compact Chief of Staff, Melissa Powell. She discussed CEO Water Mandate, which is an initiative to align business principles with water, sanitation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and called for greater engagement with the public sector.

UN/Paulina Kubiak Greer I Scientists, representatives of the private sector and civil society today met at the United Nations in New York to discuss game changers related to water and sustainability.

Speaking also on behalf of the private sector in the opening, Matthias Berninger, who works in Public Affairs and Sustainability at Bayer, said more and more companies are engaging on water because it is important for their businesses.

Fluid new systems

He suggested that now is the time to start a more concerted effort to create a water and climate information system which would allow assistance for farmers, people living on shorelines, and decisionmakers.

Youth advocate, Keziah Theresee Gerosana, called for UN agencies to allocate at least half of their budgets to water and climate projects.

Referring to the importance of intergenerational discussions, in addition to inter-sectoral, she urged participants to see young people as allies: “Will you open your doors and accept us? Allow us to be your partners for change?”

Young business leader Lindsey Blodgett, called on participants to “work together outside of our spheres of influence” to harmonizing game changers across communities that normally would not be cooperating.

Short on climate action

On Monday, we begin consultations with civil society, private sector & scientific community on 'game changers' for #WaterAction & sustainability issues.

Our hope is to inspire people to work together ahead of the #UN2023WaterConference & beyond.

Join us: https://t.co/eS8grmlDt4 pic.twitter.com/hCUekFM5Ss

— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) October 22, 2022

Joining by video message, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas warned that climate action failure – which includes water inaction – is the biggest global risk.

He stressed the need to invest more in early warning systems, and to fill in the gaps in meteorological observing systems on the African continent, among Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). 

Monday’s discussions also included information from a series of online stakeholder discussions organized earlier this year by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). 

That Department’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, who is the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water conference, presented the findings. UN DESA helped to organize today’s discussions.

Governance overhaul

Revolutions hurt, said Hank Ovink, Special Envoy for Water from the Netherlands, addressing the roundtable on governance. Netherlands, along with Tajikistan, are the co-hosts of UN 2023 Water Conference.

Mr. Ovink said that to really have an impact, the international community will need to change “quite a log about what we’re used to, in combination with political will, societal will, a whole of society approach in a radically inclusive way.”

The Special Envoy told participants and moderator Danielle Gaillard-Picher, the Global Coordinator of the Global Water Partnership, that the contributions and societal will of everyone watching can make a difference.

Developing capacity

One of the issues discussed in the roundtable on capacity development is the establishment of a mechanism like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC, which could provide policy makers with science-based knowledge.

“That knowledge has to be translated to change water culture,” said Moderator Abou Amani, the Director of Water Sciences Division at UNESCO. “Because too many people are taking water for granted.”

Topics also discussed in the roundtable included not leaving anyone behind, as well as formal and informal water education and financing to help support the movement.

Need to know

Carolina Tornesi MacKinnon, of the World Youth Parliament for Water, moderated the panel on data and information.

One of the game changers discussed was the UN Early Warnings for All initiative, which is expected to be discussed at the COP27 in Egypt next month.

Participants also discussed the need for databases and better information on water use and water quality, that are open to all, without proprietary use or high subscription prices.

Some also mentioned the importance of gender, referring to the UNICEF statistic that women and girls spend 200 million hours a day gathering water, which allows them far less time than they need for studies and income generating activities.

Innovation

© UNICEF/Vlad Sokhin I Children stand in a flood water in Borno State, Nigeria.

Among the game changers discussed in the innovation roundtable moderated by Marc Zeitoun, from the Geneva Water Hub, participants discussed topics such as appointing water champions within parliaments, to connect decision makers with the issue.

Some participants highlighted unconventional water resources, noting that in some countries, water reuse cannot be part of the solution because there is no water to reuse. Such technologies also include desalinating systems, and methods of extracting water from air.

Accessing finance

In the roundtable on financing, moderated by the economic development body OECD’s Anna Dupont, one of the topics discussed was the importance of linking water to the resilience and climate change agenda.

Close to 80 per cent of natural disasters so far this century are water-related.

Participants also discussed financial implications and how to drive investment, given rising interest across the private sector in water-related, sustainability issues. The interest is being driven in part by the need to access resources on the part of business.

Global deforestation pledge will be missed without urgent action, say researchers

Damian Carrington

Destruction of forests slowed in 2021 but not enough to meet 2030 commitment made by 145 countries

The destruction of global forests slowed in 2021 but the vital climate goal of ending deforestation by 2030 will still be missed without urgent action, according to an assessment.

The area razed in 2021 fell by 6.3% after progress in some countries, notably Indonesia. But almost 7m hectares were lost and the destruction of the most carbon- and biodiversity-rich tropical rainforests fell by only 3%. The CO2 emissions resulting from the lost trees were equivalent to the emissions of the entire European Union plus Japan.

Aerial view of deforestation in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, in July 2021. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Global heating could not be limited to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels without ending deforestation, experts said. At the UN’s Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, 145 countries pledged to end the felling of forests by the end of the decade. The demolition and degradation of forests causes about 10% of global carbon emissions.

However, based on current trends, the Glasgow leaders’ declaration would be as “hollow” as the pledge made by countries in 2014 to end deforestation by 2020, the assessment’s authors said.

There was little clarity or transparency of the measures being taken to end deforestation and only 1% of the required funding was being provided, they said, and most importantly a lack of political will.

Erin Matson at Climate Focus, a policy group and one of the coalition of organisations that conducted the assessment, said: “The [Glasgow declaration] was a big moment, the first time such a target had been embraced at the leaders level by so many countries, covering 90% of global forests.

“But we are not on track. There has been some modest improvement, but even this could just be temporary. Many countries are putting their progress at risk by phasing out or rolling back protections. For example, Indonesia did not renew its palm oil moratorium after it expired in September 2021 and a recently adopted law on job creation poses a serious threat to natural forests.”

The largest area of destroyed forest in 2021 was in Brazil, where deforestation has risen under president Jair Bolsonaro, having fallen under his predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The election contest between the two men, on 30 October, has been described by scientists as likely to determine the fate of the Amazon. “The stakes are high,” Matson said.

David Gibbs, a research associate at the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch, said: “We are quickly moving toward another round of hollow commitments and vanished forests.”

Fran Price, at the World Wildlife Fund, said: “There is no pathway to meeting the 1.5C target or reversing biodiversity loss without halting deforestation and conversion. It is time for bold leadership and daring solutions.”

Four of the top five countries with the largest areas of deforestation – Brazil, Bolivia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Paraguay – increased the destruction in 2021.

However, “exceptional progress” in some countries showed the 2030 goal was still possible, the authors said. Indonesia, the only country to cut deforestation in each of the past five years, and its neighbour Malaysia, reduced forest destruction by about 25% in 2021. As a result, tropical Asia is the only region on track for zero deforestation by 2030.

A drive to end the razing of forests for cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast and Ghana helped deforestation fall by 47% and 13% respectively, while new national parks and measures to fight illegal logging led to a 28% fall in Gabon. Tropical Latin America, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Guatemala also reported cuts in deforestation in 2021.

“We have the data and we know what interventions work – the missing element is the political will to actually undertake those actions,” said Frances Seymour at WRI.

The measures include government bans combined with effective enforcement, collaborations with the beef, soy, timber and other commodity companies whose products are most linked to deforestation, international trade measures and the strengthening of the land rights of Indigenous and other local people.

Countries backing the Glasgow declaration pledged to quadruple annual funding to tackle deforestation but no information was yet available on how these pledges would be met, the authors said.

Only a quarter of the biggest global companies in the agriculture sector have announced strong policies to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains and just 20% of these are close to meeting their commitments.

The new forest declaration assessment used data on permanent tree cover loss around the world to create a baseline from 2018-20. To get to zero deforestation by 2030 requires a fall of 10% a year, meaning the current slowing of deforestation is insufficient.

Forest cover has increased in some countries since 2000 but less than the area lost. New forests could not offset the huge carbon storage and biodiversity of existing natural forests, the authors said.

Protecting intact forests had even more climate benefits than just the CO2 stored, said Seymour, thanks to their role in producing cloud cover that cools the planet. “If we take the non-carbon processes into account, they amplify the cooling effect of ending tropical forest loss by about 50%,” she said.

Michael Wolosin, at Conservation International, said: “That 50% cooling bonus should be included by forest countries in their accounting to gain the recognition and finance they deserve for the services their forests are providing to the world.”

INTERVIEW: Connection between human rights and climate change ‘must not be denied’

The right to life, food, development, self-determination, water and sanitation, and adequate housing, is being denied to millions of people because of climate change, the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Human Rights in the context of Climate Change, has told the General Assembly in his first formal report to the body.

Ian Fry, Australian National University Professor and Tuvalu’s former ambassador for Climate Change for over 21 years, was appointed in May by the UN Human Rights Council, as the first Special Rapporteur on climate, following the overwhelming vote to recognize the Right to a Healthy Environment, in 2021.

UN Video screenshot I Ian Fry, Special Rapporteur for the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, sits down for an interview with UN News.

“Human-induced climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and societies the world has ever experienced, and the poorest countries are paying the heaviest price”, the expert told delegates.

Mr. Fry highlighted the “enormous injustice” perpetrated by rich countries and major corporations, which are not acting to reduce their greenhouse emissions, and consequently failing the poorest and least able to cope.

“The G20 members, for instance, account for 78 per cent of emissions over the last decade”, he underscored.

The Special Rapporteur sat down with UN News before delivering his report, which focuses on three areas: mitigation action, loss and damage, access and inclusion, and the protection of climate rights defenders.

He spoke about what he hopes the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Egypt (COP27) will achieve, addressed some of the climate-action challenges given the war in Ukraine, and shared some of the recommendations he made to member states, including the call for a High-Level Forum to be held next year.

UN NEWS: Can you please explain what is the focus of your first report to the General Assembly?

IAN FRY: The main issues are those coming up at the COP in Egypt.

First, issues around improving action on mitigation to get countries to commit to more action. We know that there's not enough being done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so I want to bring attention to that and look at the human rights implications of not doing enough on climate change.

The next issue is precisely the consequences of that, and I'm looking at the issue of loss and damage. These are the huge impacts that countries are suffering as a consequence of climate change and the huge costs that are involved. To date, there have been discussions around establishing a Loss and Damage fund, but that's been moving very slowly, so I'm hoping to build further momentum to work on getting that fund agreed, and up and running.

The final issue is around access and inclusion. This is getting people who are most affected by climate change to be able to present their voices to climate change meetings. This is women, children, youth, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, all the groups that are right at the forefront of climate change and human rights impacts. We need to find ways of getting their voice into the climate change process.

© UNICEF/Asad Zaidi I On 3 September 2022, four-year-old Rahim stands on the rubble of his house, destroyed by the floods in Pakistan.

UN NEWS: What is the connection between human rights and these issues we see related to climate action

If we think about the floods in Nigeria and Pakistan, and the severe drought that's occurring in Somalia now, people's human rights are being affected as a consequence of climate change.

These are millions of people around the world whose basic enjoyment of human rights is being affected. So, we have to make that connection, we have to put a human face to climate change.

UN NEWS: In the last UN Climate Conference, which was held in Glasgow in 2021, member states signed a declaration which finalized the negotiations of outstanding terms of the Paris Agreement. What do you expect countries will be speaking about during the upcoming COP in Egypt?

Well, there are a number of issues on the table. We're leading up to what's called the Global Stocktake [in 2023], this is a review of the implementation of the Paris Agreement. So, there are processes involved in establishing this review process.

I think that the crunch issue will be around this whole loss and damage debate. We've seen pushback by some key countries around advancing the issue, but the developing countries have unanimously said “we want loss and damage on the agenda” and civil society is saying the same thing.

UN NEWS: And what are the challenges regarding the loss and damage issue?

© UNFPA / Shehzad Noorani I Villagers in Pakistan’s Khairpur Mirs District in Sindh province cross flooded land to get to their homes.

Well, there are major developed countries that are quite concerned about it and looking at this issue from the perspective of what the polluter pays. At the moment, the countries most affected by climate change and suffering the costs are having to deal with those costs themselves.

I was recently in Bangladesh and saw firsthand the impacts of climate change. And it's unfair for countries like Bangladesh to have to deal with the cost of climate change on their own, which is not of their own making. So, the most vulnerable countries produce the least amount of emissions, yet they're paying the cost of the damage from climate change.

So, it's time the big countries, the major emitters, stood up and said, “we've got to do something, we've got to make a contribution to these vulnerable countries”.

UN NEWS: Since the Right to a Healthy Environment was declared a Universal Human Right, have you seen any changes implemented by countries?

I think countries are starting to see how they can implement that resolution. There's certainly dialogue within countries.

I know the European Union is having discussions about how to incorporate that resolution within their national legislation, within constitutions. And I think regional bodies are also looking at that to develop regional agreements that bring on board that resolution.

UN NEWS: Do you think is possible at this point to keep the goal of curbing global warming to 1,5 degrees?

Well, it's a challenge. We're not seeing that with the current Nationally Determined Contributions and the sort of commitments that have been made by countries.

We're heading on a pathway towards two to three degrees Celsius, so there has to be a lot more action to get countries to reduce their emissions.

IOM/Anne Schaefer I An aerial view of N'djamena following heavy rains in August 2022.

The complication, of course, is the Ukraine war, where we're seeing countries sort of having to find old sources of fossil fuel energy to replace what they've been deprived of, as a consequence of the war. So that's the problem, and that's been a distraction as well.

However, there's a good side to it, I think countries are also saying that they need to be self-sufficient in energy and the cheapest way to do so is with renewable energy.

And we're seeing Portugal moving towards 100 per cent renewable, we know Denmark is also doing that, and I think that will drive other countries to see the need to be renewable and self-sufficient in their energy.