climate leadership – Page 7 – Anne-Maria Yritys

Climate Change Affects The Purchasing Power of Consumers

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 compromises food access by affecting the purchasing power of consumers, especially the poor.”

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Food security and access to (healthy) food, according to the FAO – World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030, currently relies rather upon socio-economic conditions than agroclimatic ones, whereby the effects of climate change on food security are complex in terms of assessing its in/direct impacts on food security. Furthermore, according to FAO, does food security rely more upon PESTLE factors in societies across the world, including poverty reduction, women´s education and quality of drinking water.

What impacts the purchasing power of consumers, in general? Simply stated, inflation has a major influence upon the purchasing power of consumers. In economy, what matters is not necessarily the amount of money available, but what the purchasing value is of that currency in the (world) economy. The higher the inflation, the lower the value of a currency, and the more actual currency is needed to purchase something, e.g. food. If inflation is high, and e.g. food prices simultaneously rise, it is a natural consequence that consumers will need more currency to buy a product. And, if there is not enough currency available (what concerns especially majority of poor people worldwide), there is also no possibility of buying a certain product. High taxation on food products, and a small amount of population (limited market), and a lack of competition on a market also affect food prices. If, e.g. only one company has a monopoly on a specific market, it will have the competitive advantage of setting the prices, while on competitive markets with a number of providers prices tend to be lower thanks to a healthy amount of competition.

Moreover, if and when resources are scarce (added to low purchasing power), prices tend to rise, whereby those with low income have no possibility of purchasing products above a certain price limit, unless income/wages simultaneously go up equally much to support the purchasing power of consumers. In developed economies therefore, inflation generally tends to be at very low and stable levels, while factors such as a low rate of development, wars, and other major PESTLE factors influencing an economy, such as general instability, corruption etc. tend to raise inflation to sometimes almost incomprehensible numbers.

Watch United Nations video “Hunger is there because people do not have the purchasing power” (Olivier De Schutter):

Food Availability Worldwide Will Be Compromised By Climate Change

October 17, 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. Food availability will be compromised by projected yield declines across the crop, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture sectors.”

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It is time for the world population to rethink and to change old habits, find completely new solutions and innovate to create a sustainable world. There is no single country in this world that will be spared from the consequences of climate change. We have already consumed most of this world´s fresh water resources, and are now consuming ground water. Needless to say, nothing on this planet can exist without fresh water. We need fresh water for EVERYTHING.

We simply cannot afford continue poor soil management practices, cutting down too many forests/tropical forests, polluting our environment and the air we breathe, over-fishing, and consuming too much of everything without any proper action and or understanding of what kinds of impacts this has on our environment and nature, ourselves and our livelihoods, and ultimately, future generations. How we live and consume today has a direct impact on our society as a whole, and on what we leave behind to our children, or the children of other people for those who have no biological children.

Anthropogenic climate change is not something that occurs only to a number of regions or people in this world. It affects all of us. And, the faster we take responsible actions and reshape our consumption habits, the faster will we experience positive results, and, can look forward to more healthy years on our planet. Climate change, affecting all of us, also requires that everyone of us takes action on a personal level by improving our individual consumption habits. We can all very easily make smarter choices and influence businesses to become increasingly much sustainable, because healthy environments and healthy lives are rights that belong to all of us. We all deserve to live in clean and peaceful environments and societies.

Climate Change Is Threatening Food Security

October 17, 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. Food security. Climate change stands to undermine the four dimensions of food security.”

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How does the FAO define food security, and what are the four dimensions of food security according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations?

Read the complete report here: FAO Strategy on Climate Change, Rome, July 2017

Quite simply, FOOD SECURITY can be defined through following criteria:

FOOD AVAILABILITY, e.g. crop yields, amount of (safe) seafood etc.
FOOD ACCESS, for example purchasing power of consumers
FOOD UTILIZATION, primarily food safety, food-borne diseases and nutritional value of a specific food product
FOOD STABILITY, suggesting that e.g. natural disasters may cause hazards to e.g. crop yields

Watch following panel discussion, where representatives from both National Geographic and the FAO discuss Food Security in an Insecure World – Future of Food:

Climate Change A Threat To Eradicating Hunger And Malnutrition

October 16, 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. FAO envisions a world free from hunger and malnutrition. Climate change stands to endanger this vision.”

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Not only does the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations envision a world free from hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, but so does every responsible human being on this planet. Nevertheless, and despite of the current overproduction of food, have we so far failed in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Instead, we have managed to create additional problems through poor leadership and management practices by actually increasing overweight and obesity in majority of countries today.

We actually have all the necessary knowledge and tools to combat both hunger, malnutrition, poverty, AND, overweight and obesity. This is only a question of rearranging and transforming our societies into places where every human being can blossom, feel loved and nourished, and have access to a healthy life.

In a free society, every individual would have to be personally responsible for his/her own health and well-being, but the world we live in today is far from free. We are not all free to choose what we eat, or how our societies are being led and managed, what is illegal, and what is legal. Therefore, an individual can only be as responsible for his/her personal well-being as is given the opportunity and resources by the surrounding society.

If we continue to treat our planet the way we do today, climate change will further on endanger the livelihood of all species, including us human beings, on Earth. In order to tackle climate change and to create a sustainable, ecological environment, it is necessary for all of us to take action and transform our economies/societies into sustainable places for all living beings.

This means, taking better care of our atmosphere/air quality, taking better care of our water resources, including fresh water resources, taking better care of our soils, and taking better care about nature in general, including our forests.

Thankfully, climate action is today being taken around the world, but we still do have a lot of work ahead of us, including educating people worldwide about climate change, and how to create sustainable living environments for us to live in, and for future generations.

Agriculture & Food Sectors Responsible For Climate Change

October 16, 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 food and agricultural sectors are central for human development; they need to be at the centre of the global response to climate change.”

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The agricultural, farming and food sector being due to a large part responsible for anthropogenic climate change, it is a requisite for these to take urgent action in terms of transformation into sustainable development.

Sustainable practices within agriculture, farming and food production include:

Using ethical and sustainable practices throughout the whole process, especially taking into consideration soil management and production processes.
Keeping in mind the future, considering completely different/new options, i.e. changing into more climate resistant varieties and/or innovating completely new solutions.
The availability of a sufficient amount of information to the public about sustainable practices and the food sector in general to ensure that awareness is increased and that people have access to climate change education.

Note from author: Here in Finland, INSECTS are soon to find their way to grocery shelves. In future, those who are not either e.g. vegetarian or vegan, may well include fried grasshoppers into their regular dietary plan. In fact, insects are commonly eaten almost everywhere in the world, except for Europe and the USA.

Watch TEDx Nagoya University – Sustainable Food – Let´s Start a Revolution!, speech Gerardo Urbina:

Why Is Climate Change A Top-Line Corporate Priority?

October 15, 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. FAO considers climate change a top-line corporate priority.”

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What does the FAO suggest by stating that climate change is a top-line corporate priority? Certainly, FAO is not the only organization where this has been understood, but in FAO´s role in supporting governments, producers, traders in addition to other stakeholders, the organization certainly has a responsibility to communicate the impacts of climate change effectively.

Climate change being a top-line corporate priority quite simply means that climate change should be taken seriously in any business/organization, by including climate change-related factors, risks, and sustainability into the overall business/organizational strategy. There are several reasons for any business/organization to do this, including:

Climate change IS a challenge and a risk to be taken seriously all over the world
CSR and sustainable management are today key for long-term success, not only because consumers, investors and other stakeholders will more likely consume/invest in ethical products/services, or transparent products/services that are economically and socially responsible.
Climate change, with its threats/possible consequences, should be part of any business´s/organization´s risk plan.
Climate change is not only a risk and a threat, but presents completely new opportunities and possibilities i.e. in terms of new product development and innovations.

Watch EPAIreland – Climate Change Now – Emissions, Limits and Possibilities – Ottmar Edenhofer:

What Is Sustainable Agriculture?

October 14, 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. As the impacts of climate change increase and become more intense, a global transformation to sustainable agriculture must begin immediately.”

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According to FAO´s recently updated (Rome, July 2017) strategy, a global transformation to sustainable agriculture must begin immediately. What does this mean, in concrete? What is sustainable agriculture? Is it the same as fair trade? No. Fair trade means that when you purchase a product with the label fair trade, it ensures that the production process, including worker´s salaries, has been fair. The label fair trade was created to help farmers and workers within the agricultural sector to get paid fairly for the work they do, instead of exploiting people e.g. through underpayment. Organic farming, on the other hand, or permaculture, are ways of sustainable development and growth of agricultural/farming products.

Sustainable agriculture/farming, and sustainable consumption in general, means that we as consumers choose sustainable products, but of course also that producers use sustainable methods before we as consumers purchase these products.

Some factors of sustainable agriculture/farming:

Either zero (0%) use of pesticides, or using as little pesticides as possible
Using agricultural methods/practices that harm the environment and soils as little as possible, i.e. proper soil management
Ensuring that production processes are optimized in a way that saves resources, such as fresh water: i.e. no over-consumption of fresh water resources, or other scarcities.
Improving production and transportation overall: saving resources and time
Increasing local consumption, i.e. minimizing the needs for (long) transports
Supporting close production and consumption
Basically, what this means, is that it would be optimal if everyone could grow their own food, instead of consuming all kinds of artificial and mass products that are being brought to the markets today. Agriculture and farming today, sadly, have largely become industries of efficiency of mass production and efficiency, rather than valuing e.g. soils. When soils are being exploited much enough, it leads to suffering and loss of necessary soil nutrients. So basically, the crop may be very poor in nutrients, and people have to eat more and more without getting all the necessary nutrients from the food consumed.
Minimizing food waste throughout the whole process.

Watch Industrial vs. Sustainable Agriculture:

Is Agriculture Responsible For Climate Change?

October 14, 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. Agriculture and food systems are partly responsible for increased temperatures but are also a fundamental part of the solution to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and promote adaptation to a changing climate.”

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Agriculture, being the third largest industry in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, is partly responsible for climate change. Especially animal farming, including all dairy and meat products, which is part of the truth to why so many people today change their lifestyles completely, turning into either vegetarians or vegans (the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan is simply that in addition to not consuming any meat, vegans also do not consume ANY kinds of dairy products, i.e. products stemming from animals, such as milk, cheese, and eggs. Even in wine production, egg white is sometimes used in the production process of wine clarification, so vegans are extremely careful about their diets.

According to many dietitians, eating less red meat is also part of a healthy diet. And, of course, consuming more plant-based products, such as fruits and vegetables. Of course no one can be forced into changing their current diet due to climate change. Everyone has their own preferences, but taking into consideration one´s health and overall well-being, it is extremely important to find a suitable balance in how and what to consume.

If you want to be climate-friendly in terms of agriculture/farming and eating habits, in addition to taking better care of your personal health and well-being, here are some useful tips:

Check your drinking and eating habits, e.g. by starting to use a food diary (even for a week or for a month). List everything that you eat, including snacks, sweets, and drinks.
Drink more fresh water. It is very beneficial for your overall health, and will help you feel less hungry.
Make sure to eat at regular hours. It is very important in order to keep e.g. your sugar levels stable.
Consume more fresh products, such as fruits, salads and vegetables. In addition to making you feel more energized, you can basically eat as much of these without gaining weight.
Consume as much local products as possible, whereby you are not only helping local farmers and businesses, but you can also more easily check/learn about the production methods. Also try to consume fresh products according to season, if you have changes in season where you live.
Become interested in how and what you consume. Care about what you eat, and how it makes you feel. If you constantly feel tired, gain weight etc., there may be something wrong with your diet. Also make sure to eat enough, it can be equally harmful to your health to eat too little.
Try to always have enough time for eating, i.e. by slowing down your eating habits. Appreciate the food you consume.

How Can Global Temperatures Be Stabilized?

October 14, 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. We have a window of opportunity to stabilize global temperatures to safe levels but we must act now.”

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states in its updated strategy (Rome, July 2017) that “we have a window of opportunity to stabilize global temperatures to safe levels but we must act now”.

What does this signify? What kinds of measures can and should be taken in order to achieve this goal?

First of all, climate (change) research indicates that the Earth´s climate is changing rapidly due to anthropogenic climate change, i.e. drastic changes on our planet, caused by human activities such as releasing immense amounts of greenhouse gases into our Earth´s atmosphere. As a consequence of these changes, responsible businesses, individuals and organizations around the world are taking rapid action in order to halt this development, and, hopefully, being able to turn it around in order to ensure us, and future generations, a planet where life can continue to exist and to thrive.

One major effort in our combat against climate change is the Paris Agreement, which was signed and adopted by 195 countries in December 2015. According to the Paris Agreement, countries have agreed upon taking necessary actions against dangerous climate change by limiting global warming, and keeping it well below 2°C. Being responsible for majority of greenhouse gas emissions, developed/industrialized countries carry the heaviest responsibilities in taking measures to halt the warming of our planet. Some countries, including Denmark and Sweden, are in fact more ambitious in their measures towards creating a sustainable environment and economy, suggesting that the Paris Agreement, in addition to what has been agreed and compromised upon, acts simultaneously as a guideline, whereby each country naturally is allowed to transform their economy sustainably to a level well above the Paris Agreement.

Some key factors to stabilizing local/global temperatures are:

Drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
Overall action towards ecological/environmentally friendly solutions
Smart urban planning, see e.g. smart cities
Sustainable agricultural and farming practices
Transformation of the energy sector
Environmental protection, e.g. responsible forestry and minimizing deforestation

Watch SciShow´s “A History of Earth´s Climate” to gain more understanding about the difference between general climate change AND anthropogenic climate change:

No Food Without Tackling Climate Change, Reports FAO

October 13, 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. There will be no food without tackling climate change.”

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Sounds pretty nasty, right? Read FAO´s updated strategy here:

FAO Strategy on Climate Change/Rome, July 2017

Excerpts from the report:

Agriculture and food systems partly responsible for increase in global temperatures due to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through agricultural/farming practices around the world.
A global transformation to sustainable agriculture must commence at once since the effects of climate change worldwide increase and intensify.
The agricultural and food sectors are at high risk, facing serious challenges in adapting to climate change.
The negative impacts of climate change will affect ALL countries, although most severely in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in addition to areas with especially vulnerable ecosystems.
Climate change endangers food security through: food availability, food access, food utilization, and food stability.
The number of crop varieties around the world has decreased dramatically during the 20th century.
According to predictions, climate change may become the main driver of biodiversity loss, including loss of genetic diversity.
For each one degree rise in global surface temperatures, around 7% of worldwide population is projected an exposure of at least 20% less renewable water resources.
Agriculture currently accounts for around 70% of worldwide water withdrawals.

Watch FAO´s Climate change mitigation in the livestock sector: overall potential, options and case studies:

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