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Urban mobility should embrace green and digital solutions, say MEPs
• New urban mobility solutions complement traditional transport • Zero and low emission mobility brings more options for commuters • Need basic requirements on urban road safety European Parliament advocates for a modal shift to sustainable transport in cities, such as, car-sharing, public transport, private mobility or cycling. The resolution on the new EU urban mobility framework, adopted by 485 votes to 31, and 113 abstentions on Tuesday, stresses that urban mobility is crucial to people’s quality of life and the functioning of economy. MEPs add that all modes of transport and their users are important, including those groups with special needs, transport poor or commuters. They need smart, accessible,…
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What are the most googled questions about sustainability
“What is sustainability” is by far the most googled question Interest on the importance of sustainability comes after Other common curiosities concern the impact of sustainability on development and businesses “What is sustainability” tops the list as the world’s most googled question about sustainability, a new study has revealed. The study, conducted by drinking straw experts Drinking-Straw.com, analysed which questions about sustainability are the most asked on the web based on search levels for the word. “What is sustainability” is by far the most asked question, with 58,000 average monthly searches. So indeed, what is the definition of sustainability? Simply put, sustainability is the avoidance of depletion of natural resources in…
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Single.Earth to Replace Carbon Credits in Blockchain
With the future of blockchain-based carbon credits in doubt, EQT-backed Estonian company Single.Earth launched a new standard of biodiversity and carbon credits, coming out of stealth mode with its science platform. With an international team of more than 20 interdisciplinary scientists, including ecologists, environmental scientists, and physicists, the company has focused on sorting out the shortcomings of today’s carbon credits. More importantly, the team has tackled the questions about biodiversity loss and why net-zero policies are still translating to mass extinction, although possibly on a somewhat less overheated planet. “At one point, we understood that classical carbon credits will not save the planet. Climate, maybe. Biosphere – not!” Merit Valdsalu,…
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Revetas Commits to Carbon Neutrality by 2040
This initiative starts with a “Think Zero” mindset in the firm’s investment process and across the businesses, followed by the implementation of the defined “Net Zero” roadmap with the ultimate goal of minimizing emissions in the workplaces, properties, travel and supply chains, all in a transparent manner with regular reports on the progress of each asset and across the portfolio. Revetas is commited to accomplish this goal with the help of a global sustainability leader by creating a clear roadmap to decarbonization. This roadmap is divided into 4 main stages: – clarifying and defining firm’s strategy – creating a portfolio-wide picture by gathering information from each asset– in-depth audit of…
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Single.Earth issues the first currency backed by nature
The first money minted from nature has been issued to forest owners as Single.Earth rolls out a new tool to finance nature protection. It’s the first phase of introducing a new global currency MERIT, which EQT-backed Estonian fintech Single.Earth issues to landowners for the ecosystem services nature provides, making it the first currency backed by nature. “Some 2,600 years after the first coins were minted we are today minting a currency based on the work of nature. It’s a huge leap for the world of money.” Merit Valdsalu, CEO and co-founder of Single.Earth Single.Earth is integrating nature protection into the economy so that nature and the economy can grow together. …
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Costa Rica partners with Restor to protect its forests
A partnership between the Government of Costa Rica and Restor, an open science platform for ecosystem restoration, promises to deliver a greater level of transparency to the country’s conservation and restoration efforts. As part of the agreement, Costa Rica will publish details about its payment program for ecosystem services (PES) projects on Restor and receive access to global monitoring data and tools. “By sharing our payment for ecosystem services projects on Restor, Costa Rica is making its commitments on forest loss and recovery transparent, traceable, and accountable. We hope this will inspire other countries to do the same,” said Andrea Meza Murillo, Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy. Since…
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Clara Rowe, CEO Of Restor, Named Google.Org Leader To Watch
Google.org announced that Clara Rowe, CEO of Restor, is one of seven “Leaders to Watch” from nonprofits around the world. Clara Rowe has more than a decade of experience in natural resource management, international development, and sustainable agriculture. This expertise in bridging the gap between global sustainability solutions and on-the-ground challenges has prepared her for the work she’s doing today as the CEO of Restor, a science-based open data platform that supports and connects restoration projects of all sizes around the world. “I am honored to be recognized as one of Google.org’s nonprofit Leaders to Watch for 2022,” says Clara Rowe. “I have been working for nonprofits my whole career…
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Report: PET is far from real circularity
New research produced for Zero Waste Europe by sustainability consultancy Eunomia Research & Consulting shows that most Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic recovered from bottles in Europe does not make its way back into new PET bottles. Significant Improvements in design, collection and recycling will be needed to improve circularity. The “How circular is PET?” report presents a picture of the true state of circularity of this material in bottles in Europe – including how many bottles are collected for recycling; how many are actually recycled; and how many new bottles contain recycled PET. Research finds that: Most recycled PET recovered from bottles in Europe is being used in other lower-grade PET applications such as trays, film, strapping or…
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Brands call for global pact to cut plastic production
More than 70 international brands (including Coca Cola and PepsiCo) called today for a global pact to combat plastic pollution that includes cuts in plastic production, a key growth area for the oil industry. World officials will meet at a United Nations Environment Assembly conference (UNEA 5.2) later this year to start negotiations on a treaty to tackle a plastic waste crisis that is choking landfills, despoiling oceans and killing wildlife. It remains unclear whether any deal will focus on waste management and recycling or take tougher steps such as curbing new plastic production, a move that would likely face resistance from big oil and chemical firms and major plastic-producing…
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Single.Earth offers consumers a solution to cap the global emissions
Estonian startup Single.Earth is launching a new nature-backed payment method that offers consumers a solution to cap the global emissions as an answer to COP26 challenges. The Estonia-headquartered startup, backed by EQT Ventures and Icebreaker.vc, introduces a payment method that caps carbon emissions through tokenization of the world’s nature. Since the 2015 Paris accord, which set an aspirational target of capping global warming at 1.5C, growing scientific evidence has shown that crossing the threshold would unleash more floods, droughts, wildfires and storms, with irreversible consequences. In Glasgow, at COP26, the world leaders have held many speeches and made pledges that environmentalists and scientists see as inadequate. “The governments are busy…
