In Between Times 11-17-2023
Oil man heads climate effort in Dubai, Climate debate changing, Digital tech in farming and fishing, Tracking Amazonian cattle herds
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What happens when you put a fossil fuel exec in charge of solving climate change?
Sultan Al Jaber is the current president of COP and his presidency has raised some eyebrows. He’s an Emirates oil guy. But his approach at COP28 is novel, and some say needed.
(From Time)
Most years, the COP president plays a largely functionary role, shuttling between member countries to find common ground on wonky areas of climate policy. Al Jaber has taken a very different approach. He has extended an invitation to oil and gas companies and prioritized private-sector climate solutions. In Al Jaber’s view, the success of COP28, not to mention the broader efforts to fight climate change, hinges as much on embracing the private sector and shifting market conditions as it does on wonky negotiations. “There’s going to be a paradigm shift,” he says. “The political process needs to be well complemented with private capital and a business mindset.”
He is correct. If you really want to solve the climate challenge the private sector is key.
The private sector, versus government, tends to get things done more quickly. Where the discipline of the market exists what gets done also tends to be of higher value too.
As we often say in this space, the very best sustainable efforts are also sustainable in the marketplace. This is the “paradigm shift” that Al Jaber knows is necessary to really solve the carbon equation.
As an oil exec Al Jaber has faced fierce criticism however.
… it’s unsurprising that the criticism of Al Jaber, as a leader of a fossil-fuel company, has been unrelenting. More than 100 members of the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress declared in May that Al Jaber had “severely jeopardized” the COP process and called on him to resign. This summer, Gore said in a TED talk that fossil-fuel interests “have brazenly seized control of the COP process.” Of Al Jaber, Gore said, “He’s a nice guy. He’s a smart guy. But a conflict of interest is a conflict of interest.”
In the end it’s probably good that Al Jaber is the COP28 president and has sought to expand the climate conversation, but we also understand the trepidation from people like Al Gore.
The thing is, the carbon/climate equation is almost unfathomably complicated from an economic, social, pretty much every perspective and diversity of opinion on how to solve it can be, and likely will be, a good thing.
Let’s see what comes from the meeting in December.
Click here for the article.
The climate change debate is changing, Here's the data to prove it
The climate debate is becoming more nuanced. Part of this is because of technological advancements. Part of it is just better understanding by the public of the issue. In some ways “climate change” has become less of a partisan issue.
Don’t get us wrong, it is still pretty partisan, as the attached data show, but there is a sense among some on what we call the “right” -the pro-freedom, pro-market crowd - that solving climate change may not mean a massive, intrusive, draconian regulatory effort. Perhaps innovation can solve at least much of the problem.
We will see over the next decade. One thing is certain however. How we talk about climate change will continue to change.
(From AllSides)
A recent nationwide poll conducted by The Bullfinch Group shows that a vast majority of registered American voters (77%) think that human actions cause and/or accelerate climate change.
To dig in a bit deeper, well over half of self-identified Republicans (62%), Independents (80%), and Democrats (89%) agree that human actions cause and/or accelerate climate change. We have the beginnings of an issue that Americans can agree on!
Click here for the article.
How does carbon capture work?
Bayer demonstrates digital technologies as a key enabler for regenerative agriculture
Innovation is the maybe the most important thing when it comes to a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future. Agriculture is one area where this is especially true.
Knowing precisely what to plant, where to plant, and when to plant can increase efficiency (and in theory profitability) for farmers.
And the tech is here now.
(From The Global Agriculture Initiative)
“Digital platforms and tools like FieldView and Bayer’s ‘Magic’ products enable farmers to make the best possible decisions to precisely plan their operational processes and enhance sustainability,” Karin Guendel Gonzalez, Managing Director at Bayer CropScience Deutschland GmbH and responsible for Bayer’s agricultural business in Germany, pointed out. “Digital innovations as part of integrated system solutions help farmers reduce vehicle crossings and thus greenhouse gas emissions and identify optimal quantities of seeds, crop protection and fertilizers. They also allow farmers to measure and document the successful implementation of new approaches.”
Click here for the article.
Fisheries management: Artificial Intelligence to the rescue?
This is another example of where emerging tech can help solve environmental problems.
(From The European Commission)
The problem of unwanted catches has always been present in fisheries. In the EU, fishers must register all catches and bring them to shore (land), which takes up time, space and is very costly.
This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in. Researchers from Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands have joined forces with the Dutch fishing industry to develop an AI-based tool, funded by the EU.
The tool automatically recognises the size and species and of each fish, facilitating the handling of fish and recording of catches on board vessels. It also provides valuable data for fisheries management.
Basically the AI tool developed records each fish, its size and species and then alerts the crew if they are landing fish that are either too small or of the wrong variety or both. This improves the efficiency of the fishing operation and should improve the sustainability of fish stocks.
Click here for the article.
Brazilian firms track Amazonian cattle to root out deforestation
10 years ago we proposed the idea of QR codes on shirts, cars, refrigerators, etc. that outlined the supply chain of the product. Scan the code with your phone and see where the garment was sewn or where the cotton was harvested and so on. Now this general idea is hitting the mainstream.
(From Reuters)
A group of small Brazilian companies announced on Thursday a scheme to certify Amazonian cattle processed for meat and leather have been reared without causing deforestation…
…"Soon our European customers will be able to enter a code on a platform and have access to all information about the animal that generated this product," Ivens Domingos, Durlicouros sustainability director, said.
Click here for the article.
Event
A Montana chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) will co-host “Bridging the Divide on Climate Solutions,” a virtual event on Saturday, November 18. The event is being organized by Braver Angels in collaboration with CCL and Civity. It is open to everyone.
The event will include a training workshop. Attendees will leave with powerful communication skills to talk more constructively with others about solutions to climate change.
● Where: Virtual via Zoom
● When: Saturday, November 18th from 10 am – 3 pm Mountain Time
● Cost: Free
● How to participate: Register HERE.