climate leadership – Page 6 – Anne-Maria Yritys

How Can Women´s Expertise Be Of Value in Tackling Climate Change?

October 23, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“UN Women. Through their experiences and traditional knowledge of many natural resources, women can offer valuable insights into better managing the climate and its risks.”

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As equally valuable human beings with equal human rights, girls and women make up around half of world population (the human sex ratio for women in 2013 was 49.6% of total world population according to Worldometers Population by Gender, Age, Fertility Rate, Immigration). If it was not for gendercide, including illegal and selected abortions, the number of females in certain countries would be higher. This has to end. Girls and women are equally important human beings as boys and men, and should be treated as such – without having to live in fear of being discriminated, harassed, or, assaulted because of gender inequality and discrimination.

According to UN Women, women are especially important when it comes to climate change and (natural) disasters thanks to their multitude of experience and skills in terms of risk management, including disaster preparedness and response. (UN Women APAC: Climate Action: Women hold the key).

Watch DW English Women in Bangladesh fight climate change / Global Ideas:

What are your thoughts regarding the empowerment of women and ending gender inequality? How can we tackle a) gender inequality b) empower women c) climate change with the help of women especially?

Why Are Women Especially Vulnerable To Climate Change?

October 22, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“UN Women. The most vulnerable people are most at risk from climate change, including many poor women.”

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I will start by admitting that the headline of this post is somewhat misleading, stating that women are especially vulnerable to climate change. The truth is that we ALL are vulnerable to climate change, regardless of gender. However, as stated by UN Women, an organization dedicated especially for women worldwide, especially vulnerable people in this world are in fact most at risk from climate change, and many of the world´s most vulnerable people are women. Majority of the world´s poorest people are women: at least 70 % of ALL poor people worldwide are female.

Why is that? The main reason for extreme poverty among women worldwide is the amount of unpaid work women do. Not all girls and women worldwide have access to e.g. even primary or secondary education, since poor families often prefer sending their boys to school, while girls have no other option than to stay at home and carry out unpaid work. Moreover, many young girls in poor families worldwide are being married off as child brides, often to men who are relevantly much older than themselves. Due to a lack of gender equality and a respect for girls and women being equally worthy in a specific culture/society, girls and women also risk becoming targets of sexual exploitation e.g. through human trafficking, which is a significant global problem.

These inequality issues and gender discrimination in different cultures are also being transferred into how girls and women suffer from climate change: According to UN Women, e.g. Pacific Women have limited economic opportunities, making them especially vulnerable in all areas of life, including climate change. (UN Women: Why Is Climate Change A Gender Issue?).

Launched by UN Women in December 2016, the report Gender Dimensions of Vulnerability to Climate Change in China, summarizes that women in China, having limited access to resources as opposed to men, are more at risk to the severe impacts of climate change. The lack of resources, according to the research, include the capacity of building resilience (income, land, loans, employment opportunities, and training).

Watch United Nations video “Philippines: Women and Climate Change”:

How Do Fishing and Hydropower Impact Our Marine Environment?

October 22, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“Marine Stewardship Council. Sustainable fishing. Fishing has an impact on our marine environment. The impacts of fishing are complex, hard to measure and vary from one fishery to the next.”

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You do not have to be a genius to understand that all human activity on this planet, including fishing, has an impact on our environment. Over-fishing, pollution, and warming of water sources have, in fact, led to the collapse of many marine ecosystems.

In Finland for example, where we have lots of dams and hydroelectric power (which generated 23,6 % of total electricity in Finland in 2016: Sähköntuotanto energialähteittäin 2016 (Electricity production per energy source in 2016), hydroelectric power is referred to being a renewable energy source, although it is a known fact how much dams and hydropower damage our rivers and lakes, e.g. influencing the natural habitat of flora and fauna. We have currently 423 classified dams in Finland (Patojen vahingonvaara/Accidental risks of dams) , and the consumption of hydroelectric power has drastically decreased in the past decades, from even up to 90% of total electricity generation still in the 1960´s to the approximately 20% today (Ympäristövaikutuksia on, mutta ei ilmstopäästöjä/Effects on the environment, but no greenhouse gases). Finnish Energy admits on its homepage that dams have an ecological influence, and e.g. prevent fishes from wandering freely in their natural environment.

How can something that affects ecology and harms fish be called a renewable energy source? This year in Tampere, for example, signal crayfish population has almost completely disappeared, according a local news source, Tamperelainen. Apparently, the situation has been bad for years already, but this year the situation has been especially alarming.

Finland is often said to be one of the leading countries worldwide what comes to ecology, preservation of our environment, and clean technology. In reality, we have many alarming environmental problems in this country as well. If the situation is alarming in Finland, just think about and learn about all the environmental problems around the world.

Learn more about Climate change vulnerability of global hydropower generation by watching American Geophysical Union´s video:

What Is Sustainable Seafood?

October 21, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“Marine Stewardship Council. Certified sustainable seafood. There are more than 20.000 MSC labelled, certified sustainable seafood products on sale around the world.”

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For all of us who love fish and seafood, it is sad news to hear and read about the state of certain fish and seafood around the world. Not only do we have reckless fishers and consumers who do not care about the marine environment, often due to lack of awareness and/or knowledge, but also suffering of marine species due to over-fishing and/or poor fishing practices. As a novice fisher, I am basically not to teach anyone sustainable fishing practices, but I would urge all consumers and fishers to learn more about our marine environments, including rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, and how vulnerable these are to a number of human activities.

Be a responsible consumer, and a responsible fisher. Use common sense, obey laws, and contribute to healthy water sources, i.e. marine environments. Much of the pollution, including millions of tons of plastic waste, that us human beings cause, end up in our lakes, rivers, seas and oceans, harming everything that lives underwater. Being a responsible consumer also signifies that you do not eat species that are especially vulnerable, or under threat, including shark, and whale meat. If you consume fish and seafood, make sure to check that the product has been caught with sustainable fishing practices, ensuring that it has not harmed other marine creatures, such as dolphins.

Learn more about sustainable fishing practices here (Marine Stewardship Council: Our fisheries, our future. Sustainable fishing in the developing world):

Climate Change Knows No National Boundaries

October 21, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“UN Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national borders.”

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The message is clear and simple: Climate change does and will not ask anyone of us, or our countries, whether we want our climate(s) to change. However, one thing is certain: we all have an influence upon our climate, through our consumption habits, and we can all influence how our climate is being shaped now, and in the future. Are you aware of the fact that even a slight increase in our global mean average temperature will have significant impacts on our environment, and on the climate? This is the reason for the Paris Agreement, whereby nations all over the world agreed upon and signed up for the Paris Agreement, legally stating that the signatory countries WILL TAKE ACTION to prevent our climate from further warming through human activities on this planet.

The Paris Agreement does not bind only nations/states and/or decision-makers, but requires for all citizens in the world to take action. Instead of playing a blame-game by throwing dirt on decision-makers only, let YOUR individual voice (and, action!) be heard and seen in how you make necessary changes in your consumption habits, and become a voice/role model for change.

Watch TEDx Talks “Why every action in the fight against climate change counts/Caroline Westblom/TEDxBergen:

Climate Change Affects Weather Patterns And Causes Sea Level Rise

October 20, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“UN Sustainable Development Goals. People are experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, including changing weather patterns and rising sea levels.”

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One single sentence says it all. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels rising, rainfall becoming more frequent and heavy in parts of the world (e.g. here in Finland) while some geographical regions, e.g. even in Australia, suffer from extreme drought. There are areas in Australia where it has not been raining one single time for more than a decade, perhaps even longer. Heavy irrigation is therefore a necessity in Australia to grow anything at all, while in other parts of the world crop yields are being lost due to either too much rainfall, too much rainfall when harvest would be due, or, as in Southern Europe this year, heatwaves and drought destroying crops. Hurricanes in the Caribbean and in the East coast in the United States, extreme wildfires in California. Extreme floods in Asia, for example in Bangladesh.

And, what about the African continent, which so often seems to go completely forgotten? What about the extreme droughts and famine in e.g. Somalia? People here in Finland sometimes forget why we have refugees from Somalia in this country. These people would never have come here unless they had no other option. It is that simple. Climate change forces people to flee their homes, even their home countries, making them climate refugees. If and when proper action is being taken worldwide, we can possibly prevent further damage on our common environment instead of blaming e.g. refugees for a number of problems. Or, get to the root of the problem and start blaming those who cause and worsen these (climate) events.

Watch Extreme Environments video Climate Change – Future Change – Know About Weather, Facts, Effects, Climate Condition:

Climate Change Affects ALL Countries

October 20, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“UN Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent, disrupting national economies and affecting lives.”

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If not many times before, year 2017 has proved how anthropogenic climate change effects countries and people around the world. Scientific research, even within climate research, of course has to extend over longer periods of time, suggesting that the disastrous climatic events that have occurred in 2017 will not immediately be acknowledged as human-caused climate change, but rather be added to long-term evaluations/observations of the world´s climate.

Whether anthropogenic or not, the continuous disastrous climate events around the world, including the unapologetically strong hurricanes Harvey and Irma that hit the East Coast of the United States this autumn, the still ongoing immensely destructive wildfire in Northern California, the loss of 40% of this year´s total crop yield in Finland due to excess rainfall, one of the worst droughts for decades hitting Southern Europe and destroying majority of crop in 2017, floods killing more than 1.200 people in Bangladesh, India and Nepal – is there any country that has not yet suffered from some kind of climate change related disaster in 2017?

The costs of the hurricanes Harvey and Irma alone in the United States could rise up to as high as 200 BILLION USD (200.000.000.000). Human (and, animal) lives being saved is of course more important than any amount of money, but can we afford these kinds of climate change and weather-related events? It is a fact that preventing further harm and taking necessary action will spare all of us and, in the long run, protect all of us from further damage and harm. It was not until the disastrous tsunami hit the South East Asia that the affected countries invested heavily into early (tsunami) warning systems, and e.g. hotels installing tsunami escape route signs. What else has to happen until necessary actions are being taken?

Watch Sky News´s video “Climate Change: What Happens If The World Warms Up By 2°C:

UN: Take Urgent Action To Combat Climate Change

October 19, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“UN Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.”

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In 2015 the UN launched its Sustainable Development Goals with a target of reaching these by 2030. When looking at these Sustainable Development Goals and analyzing them, you will soon realize what they all have in common: climate change and climate action. Putting these goals together as pieces of a puzzle one realizes that climate change (and, especially anthropogenic climate change) is a common denominator, having a significant impact upon our ability to solve all other major local/global problems, such as hunger and malnutrition, poverty, HIV/malaria and other major infectious diseases, child/maternal mortality rates and so on. Climate change, in fact, makes everything even worse than it already is, and the effects of climate change throughout the world are jeopardizing all the good work and all the achievements that have already been made in the past decades to achieve zero hunger around the world and so on. In addition, completely new problems, such as overweight and obesity, have risen throughout our world in the past decades.

The UN is often being criticized for inefficiency in tackling global problems, and reaching the goals that have been set. Much is being discussed about the UN as an organization needing a face-lift, or at least renewing the organization in some ways. Of course, all businesses and organizations, in addition to individuals, are in need of constant improvement and change, because change is the only constant in this world, and the most dangerous thing for anyone to say is that things have always been this way, or we have always done things this way. Any individual or organization making these kinds of statements is wrong, and swimming in very deep waters. Never ever take things for granted or expect them to remain similar for a very long time.

As an intergovernmental organization, UN member states have signed up to provide the organization with 0,7% of its national budget each year. Most of the member countries never deliver even half of this, while some countries pay more than 0,7% of the national budget as a support for the work provided by the UN. The reasons for this may differ from country to country, but it is a fact that the lower the budget, the more tight it becomes for the UN to reach its goals. And, with constant opposition around the world, with e.g. high levels of corruption, any (charitable) organization will face difficulties. Instead, try to focus upon the achievements of the UN, its positive influence in the world, all the data, research and statistics provided by the UN and its organizations. Without these, our world could look darker than it is today, along with the fact that the UN has, through its work, inspired new NGO´s and startups.

Climate Change Major Risk To Food And Nutrition Stability

October 19, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“FAO Strategy on Climate Change. Rome, July 2017. The risks to food and nutrition stability are aggravated by the expected increase of the frequency and intensity of climate-related events.”

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What kinds of climate-related events can you think of in your own living environment in the (recent) past that affected food (or, even fresh water) stability? Everyone who is consuming media products (i.e. reading/watching) news either in printed versions or digitally, has certainly become aware of a number of climate-related natural events, if not globally, at least locally. I have personally noticed that climate change-related news (broadcasting) has increased in the past years. To some extent, I maybe notice climate-related news since I am personally interested in the topic, but it certainly is not only a subjective perception. Perhaps, at this very moment, someone is conducting research upon the topic, or at least it could be a possible topic for research, especially since news are always to some extent locally tailored, and we do cannot read/watch everything on the news what is happening worldwide (unless we specifically do research upon a specific topic/geographical area).

Following article, published in PNAS vol. 114 no. 19 (Diffenbaugh, N.S., Singh, D., Mankin, J.S., Horton, D.E. & al.), presents research findings from a group of Earth System scientists through observations and a climate model ensemble: Quantifying the influence of global warming on unprecedented extreme climate events

Due to heavy rainfall in Finland this year, and in autumn 2017, we lost 40% of total crop yields this year, whereby farmers affected are obliged to seek financial aid from the state and from the European Union. However, according to LUKE – Natural Resources Institute Finland, 2/3 (around 67%) of ALL grain produced in Finland every year is used to feed animals. This signifies that majority of all grain produced goes to feed animals that end up being eaten by us consumers (human beings).

Does this make any sense at all? What do you think? Looking forward to any comments/thoughts on the topic.

Climate Change Impacts Food Safety & Health

October 18, 2017January 4, 2018 by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

“FAO Strategy on Climate Change. Rome, July 2017. Climate change affects food utilization primarily through its impacts on food safety and health.”

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What does the FAO mean by food utilization? Food utilization means our ability as human beings (or, even animals!) to have a balanced diet, whereby our bodies ingest and metabolize everything that we intake, either through drinks and/or food. It starts with drinking enough clean, fresh water, which helps our bodies function properly. Without enough clean, fresh water intake our bodies dry out, which naturally affects our metabolism. Clean, fresh water is the most valuable fluid for our bodies. Many groceries, especially fruits, salads, and vegetables, are rich in water. E.g. cucumbers consist to at least 90% water, which makes them part of a healthy diet. Some of the water our bodies need to function properly can thus be taken in through eating a balanced and healthy diet.

The problems that climate change creates to food safety and health include:

Environmental pollution causing complex problems to all our ecosystems, e.g. pesticides in agriculture and plastic pollution in our water sources and oceans. All that we put out into our atmosphere, including greenhouse gases, end up EVERYWHERE in our local and global ecosystems, affecting all life upon Earth. The more we pollute our environment, the more we end up polluting ourselves. If we for example consume seafood that has digested micro-plastics, this micro-plastic may very well end up in our personal digestion when we eat the seafood that has been polluted.
When our soils are being damaged e.g. through poor soil management and unsustainable agriculture practices, the soils lose valuable nutrients, resulting in a vicious circle where land must constantly be managed more and more efficiently while at the same time losing valuable nutrients. This has been understood by responsible farmers who are taking action and focusing upon organic agriculture.

Learn more about sustainable food by watching Earth Horizon Production´s video “Eco Eye 14, EP07 – Sustainable Food:

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