Tag: climate action

Why Are You Throwing Your Waste into the Environment?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership

I currently live in Finland, which is one of the world´s most sparsely inhabited countries with a total population of 5.5 million. Finland is a country that can be proud of many things, including how for instance wastewater is being managed; purified and treated. Finland is actually one of the few countries in the world that does treat wastewater before dumping it back into the environment: the reason why Finnish tap water is clean and safe to drink.

Finland is also a country where recycling works very well: according to Statistics Finland, only around 10% of all municipal waste ends up in landfills. This is thanks to efficient recycling and waste recovery, for instance in the form of energy production. Finland now even has a National Waste Plan – towards a recycling society.

Dumping hazardous waste into the environment is an environmental crime in Finland. Learn more about the definition of environmental crimes here. Nonetheless and despite of well-organized recycling and waste management practices in the country, a part of the population seems to think that throwing garbage and waste into the environment is normal human behavior.

I am personally, as one of the world’s most networked female leaders and women (on social media), cleaning up at least 15 pieces of plastic and waste from the environment, 365 days a year. Waste thrown into our environment by children, teens and adults who do not know better than to harm the environment and to waste other people’s efforts and time.

No one pays me for cleaning up. I do it on a voluntary basis, because I feel ashamed for how stupid people pollute and damage our environment. If I can afford to spend my time cleaning up the environment after PIGS, you can do the same. At least do not throw your shit into the nature so I (and other people) do not have to clean up after you.

There are actually a number of movements and projects around the world to clean up for instance ocean plastic and ocean trash, an example of which is The Ocean Cleanup. In addition to similar large-scale projects, a number of grassroot activists such as PADI divers have a habit of cleaning up both beaches and seas on diving trips. Why not do the same on land, in forests and in cities?

The harsh truth is: if ALL people were smart enough not to dump their waste into the environment, we would not need to clean up after ignorant human beings. There are even countries such as Singapore, where throwing any waste into the environment is forbidden. Why not impose similar legislation around the world, just to ensure that we do not soon drown in garbage such as plastic on this planet?

 

 

How Can Circular Economies Protect The Earth From Destruction?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

Our world is literally drowning in GARBAGE. Or, to express it with more elegance: our planet is overburdened with the consumption of human beings: Garbage, litter, waste, pollution, toxins, and chemicals. Although the annual growth rate of world population is slightly decreasing, it is expected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050, and 11.2 billion by 2100, from the roughly 7.6 billion in 2017, 4.4 billion in 1980, three (3) billion in 1960, and 1.65 billion in the early 20th century. 

Our consumption habits are overloading Earth. According to calculations, citizens in many countries consume at a rate that is unbearable for our planet and its ecosystem. The WWF states that the average ecological footprint for instance in Sweden suggests that we would need 3.8 Earths to accommodate the current level of consumption. The countries with the largest ecological footprint per person are Kuwait, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, United States of America, Canada, Sweden, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, and Singapore. However, it is not as simple as that – some countries “export” their ecological footprints to others, but ultimately it all comes back to us. We cannot afford to continue exporting our national environmental problems to other countries. 

How can circular economies help us protect our planet from further damage and perhaps even complete destruction? We have already managed to cause perhaps irreversible damage to our Earth within the past century alone, through improper management of natural resources, insufficient waste management and recycling practices, air, soil and water pollution through industrial activities, causing anthropogenic climate change through excess greenhouse gas emissions into Earth’s atmosphere, which end up polluting our environment, animals and ourselves as a species. Majority of wastewater worldwide ends up back in our environment without any treatment or purification, leading to extreme pollution and toxins both in our air, land, and water sources.

It is uncertain whether we can save ourselves and our planet from more environmental damage. However, creating and maintaining circular economies where damage to the environment and all that lives on this planet can be minimized with an increasingly much efficient usage of natural resources, including the improvement of energy efficiency, better wastewater management, increased recycling, and the reduction of harmful and toxic (greenhouse gas) emissions is already known to be beneficial and reduces costs in all areas of life. As with any other activity, legislation and policies play a significant role in how we shape our economies and create our future on this planet.

For instance the European Union has its own Circular Economy Strategy, a virtual open space platform which facilitates policy dialogue and offers both information and good practices for economies (within the EU) to take action in terms of the creation and improvement of a circular economy. According to SITRA, the Finnish innovation fund, we have a better way of capitalism, a new increasingly much sustainable era where our economies have to be rethought and reshaped. The Finnish innovation fund SITRA has been nominated for the world ́s premier circular economy award, and leading for instance a project upon circular economies. Access the full report, SITRA – Leading the cycle – Finnish road map to a circular economy 2016-2025, HERE.

A circular economy is one that not only creates and designs improved and (more) sustainable brands, consumer goods, and services, but takes into consideration the ecological footprint of the complete product life-cycle from design/ manufacture, throughout the supply chain from retailer to consumer, and back to the recycling and/or re-use of materials. It also includes innovating completely new methods and materials for improved manufacturing and production.

How this can and will be done has to be considered not only by support from both legislation and policies, but also through innovation and management practices in companies. Innovation and improvement can be supported for instance by using common sense, questioning current ways of doing things, evaluating business processes, and minimizing/ eliminating useless waste through the implementation of best practices, and utilizing methodologies such as kaizen, lean (manufacturing) and/or six sigma, or a combination of these.

Learn more about circular economies by watching European Environment Agency ́s video “Circular Economy”:

What are you doing in your everyday life as a consumer to help protect the environment? 

What measures have you taken in your business activities to reduce your greenhouse gas (carbon) footprint? 

Feel free to comment on this article. 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Yritys Executive Services to receive my latest posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enteric Fermentation Largest Single Source of Global Methane Emissions

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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Why is the amount of people worldwide who decide to go either vegetarian or vegan constantly growing? In the United States alone, the number of vegans has grown by 500% in a few years time only. The reasons for vegetarianism and veganism are many: some people simply do not like the taste of meat, others may suffer from a fish intolerance or allergy. A lot of people do not want to harm animals, and find it cruel to grow animals just in order to slaughter them and consume them. Among the many vegans I have personally met, one of the main reasons for their decision to cut out any animal products, including eggs and dairy, from their diets, is since they have found it improve their health and well-being.

Despite of the many dietary suggestions given to us by a number of experts, every individual who can afford buying and choosing their diet in the first place should be his or her own best expert. Unfortunately this is also not true most of the time since more and more people on our planet suffer from excess weight due to unhealthy consumption habits, while on the other side of the coin, millions of people go hungry and are malnourished due to lack of access to many-sided, nutrient-rich food. For those who can afford consuming meat products, dietitians usually state that (red) meat products contain all the necessary amino acids which are key ingredients of protein and our bodies capacity to build and maintain muscle tissue, while vegans especially have to make an extra effort to access all the necessary amino acids that are essential building stones of the protein our bodies need. Otherwise, human beings actually have no real need to consume meat or seafood. Even vegans can choose plant-based products with all the necessary amino acids (and, proteins). It is also a fact that consuming proteins in excess will lead to these being stored as fat (lipids) in our bodies. Thus, a balanced and healthy diet is always key to our overall well-being.

A major reason to choose veganism (or, vegetarianism) today is climate-related. Enteric fermentation, the digestive process of livestock, is the largest single emitter of anthropogenic methane emissions on a global scale. Around one-third of all human-caused methane emissions worldwide stems from enteric fermentation, predominantly from cattle. Every time we choose to consume meat, we contribute to an increase in global greenhouse emissions (methane). It is also questionable how much sense it makes to grow crops in order to feed animals that human beings will slaughter and consume, contributing at least twice as much to an increase in global greenhouse gas emissions.

The FAO (Food And Agriculture Organization of The United Nations) published “Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock – A Global Assessment Of Emissions And Mitigation Opportunities” in 2013. Access the PDF version of the publication here. The report is a compact global assessment of GHG emissions stemming from livestock supply chains with a discussion about research methodology, and dividing the study into clear chapters and themes such as overall emissions, main sources of emissions, emissions by geographical region, emissions by species, mitigation (potential and practice) with case studies, concluding the report with a chapter on suggestions for policy-making.

Most of us can afford to make individual/personal choices of consumption, influencing decision-makers to create better and more sustainable policies. In a world faced with many problems such as hunger and malnutrition, climate change, and an increasing amount of population battling problems with overweight, individual choices are not always enough. According to FAO`s “Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock – A Global Assessment Of Emissions And Mitigation Opportunities”, it is possible to reduce emissions stemming from all species in all regions, but there is an urgent need for better policies. FAO states that tackling difficult problems can be made possible with the right policies, innovations and investments. It has to be understood that through the necessary measures taken, we are better equipped to deal with large-scale problems such as climate change and a rapidly growing world population. The report concludes that additional research and development is necessary, improving the measurement of emissions, and support from global initiatives focusing on livestock especially due to its complexity and size.

Learn more by watching FAO´s video “Climate change mitigation in the livestock sector: overall potential, options and case studies”:

 

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How Does Rice Cultivation Contribute to Global Methane Emissions?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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This article is a continuation to my earlier articles upon climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and the influence of methane in Earth´s atmosphere. Access some of my previous articles here:

Climate Forcing Methane

Methane Release Poses Climate Risks

Climate Amplifier Methane

Methane is an Environmental Wildcard

In brief, methane is a greenhouse gas at least 22 times as powerful as carbon dioxide. It can be found naturally in Earth´s environment: for instance, permafrost in the Arctic region is a significant “storage room” for methane. Due to its powerful qualities as an energy source, methane is a key ingredient in the fossil fuel energy sector, i.e. oil and gas industries. What may be surprising to many is that one of the main emitters of climate amplifier methane is the agriculture and farming sector. In this article, we will take a closer look at rice cultivation, which alone accounts for around 10% (per cent) of all methane emissions worldwide.

According to the Rice Association, rice is being cultivated in more than one hundred (100) countries worldwide, with Antarctica being the only continent with no rice cultivation. With majority of all rice being consumed where cultivated, rice is the main source of food for half of world population. Today, world population is almost 7,6 billion. Hence, at least 3,8 billion people worldwide currently depend on rice as their main source of food. See the nutritional value here: Fineli – Rice, Boiled Without Salt.

With the many varieties of rice being cultivated in different countries, only a handful of these are being marketed. In Finland, for instance, a consumer can find basmati rice, jasmine rice, full corn rice, dark rice, white rice, various kinds of risotto rice under different labels/producers, porridge rice, and a number of other rice products such as rice cakes. Despite of being a widely cultivated crop/grain, at least 90% of all rice grows on the Asian continent.

Some of the major concerns of rice cultivation is the fact that it consumes more than 33% (one third) of all irrigation water worldwide. (KULUTTAJA – Velaksi viljelty basmatiriisi). One grain, one food product, which wastes more water than any other agricultural product. In times of water scarcity, and hundreds of millions of people worldwide with no access to clean water, this is a waste of energy and a waste of our most valuable natural resource: fresh water. If you have ever seen a rice field in nature, or e.g. on TV, you are aware of how a rice field looks like: covered with water, a rice field is not only a huge absorbent of fresh irrigation water, but also an optimal environment for methane to thrive. The production of one single kilo rice consumes up to 5.000 liters of water.

IRRI, the International Rice Research Institute, states on its website that the amount of rice lands globally is around 150.000.000 (150 million) hectares, half of which are under continuous irrigation. Furthermore, according to IRRI,within less than a decade at least 10-15% of irrigated rice fields will suffer from water scarcity. IRRI has been working for decades in improving methods and technologies in rice cultivation, through science and research. Despite of its high methane emissions and the amount of water needed for cultivation, IRRI estimates that our world needs up to 10.000.000 tons more rice each year to ensure food security for world population. Moreover, vast areas of rice-cultivating lands face risks due to climate change, such as destructive floods. Rice alone is not a sufficient source of nutrition: a large amount of rice eaters suffer from malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency. (IRRI Brochure).

Learn more by watching “Climate-friendly rice farming in the Philippines | Global Ideas” by DW English:

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Changes in Water Balance in The Arctic To Have Implications For Global Climate

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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The Arctic region (North Pole), which is the second largest desert in the world after Antarctica (the South Pole), is home to some of our world´s largest fresh water resources. ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment) Chapter 6, Cryosphere and Hydrology (pp. 183-242), discusses changes, development and findings in sea ice, snow cover, glaciers and ice sheets, permafrost, river and lake ice, freshwater discharge, sea-level rise and coastal stability in the Arctic region, identifying critical research needs.

According to ACIA, observational data reveals that sea-ice coverage has decreased by up to 10 % in the past decades, with the largest impact during Arctic summer months. The decline also applies to multi-year ice, the sea ice thickness, and snow covers, while river discharges have expanded, permafrost temperatures have risen, and glaciers are losing significant proportions of mass, especially in Alaska where glacier retreat has been remarkably high since the 1990´s. Model projections carried out by ACIA experts indicate that these developments will continue throughout the 21st century, whereby sea levels are projected to rise due to a combination of many factors leading to climate change and warming in the Arctic region. Furthermore, ACIA reveals that the desolation of arctic glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet will impact sea level rise with several centimeters during this century.

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001), has reported that global mean sea levels have risen by 120 meters in the past 20.000 years. Despite of stabilization of greenhouse gas emissions, sea levels will continue to rise for centuries to come. (IPCC, 2013). Moreover, (IPCC, 2013), in the past century glacier melting and ocean thermal expansion have been the main contributors to mean sea levels rising on a global scale. IPCC projects sea level rise to have significant regional patterns now and in distant future. Local sea levels may differ significantly from the global average depending for instance upon changing ocean currents leading to amplification of warming ocean water and altering surface winds.

Learn more by watching EDU-ARCTIC´s video “Mass balance of glaciers”:

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Traditional Lifestyles in The Arctic At Risk From Climate Change

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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With a melting Arctic, traditional lifestyles of indigenous population in the region are at risk of suffering, or completely disappearing. While yet home to millions of people, the Arctic region is one of the most scarcely populated places upon Earth. In fact, despite of its rugged vegetation and being classified as the second largest desert in the world after Antarctica, the Arctic region is home to some of our world´s largest fresh water resources. (The USGS Water Science School). This may come as a surprise to many who thought that Sahara would be the largest desert in the world. (World Atlas – 10 Largest Deserts In The World).

Despite of its aridity, the indigenous people in the Arctic region have grown their cultures and traditions for thousands of years. Hunting, fishing, and herding of for instance reindeers has been part of the way of life of the indigenous populations, e.g. Inuits and Sàmis since they first arrived in the Arctic region. These traditions are now at a risk of diminishing, or even disappearing due to climate change, which alters the environment and weather (patterns) for both the human beings, fauna and flora in the Arctic region.

With caribous and reindeers being domesticated animals in the Arctic regions, the population of these is not currently directly at risk. However, many wild animals such as polar bears and seals could be at danger with the Arctic sea ice extent decreasing, and soon even completely disappearing during Arctic summer months near the North Pole. Darwinists may say “it is not the strongest of the species that survive, but those most adaptive to change”. This may still today be relevant, but Charles Darwin was an evolutionary scientist who lived in the 19th Century, and was lucky enough not to be obliged to witness what is happening in our world today, unless, of course, he is turning in his grave due to current world events.

Learn more about by watching Audiobook Channel´s video “Darwin and Theory of Evolution Documentary”:

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Climate Change Impacts Are Many And Complex (in the Arctic)

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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With a rather quickly changing climate in the Arctic region, whereby the region´s climate has warmed more rapidly than anywhere else on Earth in the past three decades, can anyone keep pace with what is taking place? According to many scientists, researchers and universities, we have now less than a decade to bring down global temperatures to a safe level. If not, we could be heading towards a climate disaster, affecting all life on our planet.

Many climate change skeptics refuse to believe what is happening. Cynics state that it is too late to do anything, that we are already headed towards an unstoppable disaster. Various, quite recent, forecasts are already becoming factual, with extreme weather events becoming stronger and more frequent, sea levels rising, extreme droughts in some areas around our world while others have increasingly much rainfall and floods. Climate change is real, and most of the past century´s climate change is anthropogenic. This has been realized by majority of world population, most of whom take action in completely new, creative ways to prevent further human damage to our climate and environment.

Completely new innovations are making way for a sustainable future, in all sectors. With the energy sector being the most important in terms of combating anthropogenic climate change, the energy sector is now being transformed into renewable sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy are defined as fossil-free energy sources, excluding the usage of coal, gas and oil.

It is highly questionable whether for instance hydropower and nuclear power can be defined as environmentally friendly, or sustainable. For now, most of the world seems yet to depend upon both of these energy sources. What the energy market will be in twenty years from now is completely up to ourselves, our efforts as societies, governments and legislative actions around the world. Many countries are heading towards 100 % renewable energy from non-nuclear sources, such as wind and solar energy.

Agricultural and farming practices are the second largest emitter of climate changing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The food and agriculture sector has no other option than to transform, either through force of nature or by starting to implement sustainable changes into the industry before it is no longer a choice, but a necessity. Many people have since long made an individual choice of becoming vegan, which means voluntarily giving up the consumption of any animal products (dairy products, eggs, meat). Others decrease their consumption of meat without going completely vegetarian.

According to The Vegan Society, veganism is protected as a human right. In Britain alone, as estimated by The Vegan Society, the amount of vegans in 2016 rose up to more than half a million of total British population. Rise of The Vegan, on the other hand, reports that veganism has grown with 500 % in the United States since 2014, with six per cent of United States citizens now being vegan. BBC Future has reported that if the whole world population would eliminate red meat from their diets, food industry-related greenhouse gas emissions would decline with 60 %. If our whole world population went vegan, the amount of emissions would drop by 70 %. These are huge numbers, especially when many people around the world are unaware of how much the agriculture and food sectors contribute to releases in greenhouse gas emissions. While for now no one can be forced to become either vegetarian or vegan, we can all decide to decrease the amount of meat we consume by incorporating vegetarian/vegan days into our personal lives on a regular basis.

Learn more by watching “The Hidden Impacts of Climate Change”, published by VICE News on December 2nd, 2015:

 

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Saami Culture Must Be Secured Through Sustainable Management in the Arctic

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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The Saami (Sámi), one of the world´s many indigenous populations, live in the Sápmi region, known in English as Lapland, in Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia). The total Sámi population is today around two million (2.000.000). In the Nordic countries, the Sámi population have their own parliaments. The Saami Council, a non-governmental umbrella organization, is based on Saami organizations. (SÁMIRÁDDI).

Although not acknowledged as a national language e.g. in Finland, the Saami population have the right to self-determination, including the right to determine their own economic and social development. (Saami Council). How can this be secured in (a) geographical region(s) belonging to various states, with a changing climate, and with a legislation that does not necessarily take into consideration the cultural heritage and old traditions of the Saami population. This is a question concerning Saami ´s in Finland and Norway in terms of a new restrictive legislation concerning fishing in Tenojoki (river Tana), expected to enter into force if and when the Finnish Parliament accepts it. According to YLE reporting about this new bilateral agreement, it could be a violation of the Saami people´s human rights. As a permanent participant in the Arctic Council, the Saami Council certainly has a strong foothold in the Arctic region, and in questions concerning the Arctic region.

Learn more about life in the Arctic in a changing climate by watching Thin Ice´s video “The Changing Arctic – Life in the Arctic – Sami view”:

 

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Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Up to 45% Below Normal in the Arctic

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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According to ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment), a scientific research report first published in 2004, stratospheric ozone depletion of up to 45 % (per cent) below normal have been recorded in the Arctic region. To gain further insight, read one of my older posts UV Radiation Particularly Intense in The Arctic.

What on Earth is stratospheric ozone depletion? Stratospheric ozone depletion is defined as the decrease and/or disappearance of the stratospheric ozone layer which is a natural gas layer surrounding Earth´s atmosphere, protecting Earth from harmful solar UV radiation. The ozone layer is situated between approximately 15 and 30 kilometers from Earth´s surface. According to the WHO, the release of harmful CFC´s and other halocarbons into Earth´s atmosphere in the past decades leads to increased amounts of skin cancer.

For instance cosmic radiation is more powerful in space, and with a dysfunctional/ damaged stratospheric ozone layer cosmic radiation can more easily reach Earth. This is why e.g. flight personnel have log books where their amount of exposure to cosmic radiation is being measured and monitored. Stewardesses have, for example, a higher risk than other women of breast cancer, one reason why being a stewardess is one of the unhealthiest professions on Earth. An increased risk of cancer of course affects all flight personnel.

A damaged ozone layer takes several decades to “repair”, if even possible. Holes and complete disappearance of the ozone layer poses many risks to Earth and all life on this planet, from an increased amount of cancer to changes in Earth´s climate, especially in Earth´s most vulnerable regions: the North Pole (Arctic region) and South Pole (Antarctica). Strong, harmful UV rays damage not only human beings, but the environment (flora and fauna) everywhere.

Learn more about cosmic rays by watching SpaceRip´s video “NASA Telescope Discovers the Origin of Cosmic Rays”:

 

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Arctic Resources of Global Significance

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

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Arctic resources, with a reference to ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment), are of global significance. Although covering only about 2,5 % (per cent) of the world´s total surface, the Arctic region as one of the most scarcely populated areas on Earth is yet one of the most unexploited and has many resources of economic interest. These resources include: petroleum (oil and gas), and many minerals such as diamonds, tungsten, uranium, gold, coal, copper, and nickel. (The Arctic – With The Support of The Russian Geographical Society).

The Arctic Russia holds most (80 %) of the oil resources and is also home to all of the gas resources found in the Arctic region. What is the connecting link between the gas reserves in the Arctic Russia and the European energy market? According to Reuters, Kremlin is currently dependent upon oil and gas revenues and aims at increasing its market share in Europe by building Nord Stream 2, a project of Gazprom to build another gas pipeline connecting the Russian gas market directly with Germany, perhaps the most important of all EU member states which is yet depending much upon oil despite of its many developments in the renewable energy sector.

According to the European Commission, the EU has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 20 % (per cent) by 2020, and by a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by 80-95% (per cent) by 2050 in comparison to the situation in 1990. What gas and gas pipelines from Russia to Germany have to do with these goals remains an open question, with a Europe determined to strive for and invest in renewable energy sources and minimize the usage of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil.

Learn more about natural resources in the Arctic region by watching Al Jazeera English´s video “Counting the Cost – The new cold war: The Race for Arctic oil and gas”:

 

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