Citigroup Inc., one of the biggest lenders to energy companies, said it will measure and disclose emissions tied to its massive lending portfolio and is working to finance $250 billion of sustainable activities by 2025 after reaching an earlier goal four years ahead of schedule.
The new goal includes financing or advancing initiatives such as clean technology, water conservation or sustainable agriculture, the New York-based lender said in a statement on Wednesday. Citigroup also said it is on track to power its own facilities using only renewable electricity by year-end.
Michael CorbatPhotographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
“What gives us confidence in terms of setting very ambitious targets is, if you look at our banking, capital markets, and advisory business, they formed big groups around this,” Chief Executive Officer Mike Corbat said in an interview. “It’s not the firm pushing something top-down, this is now percolating within the businesses.”
Under Corbat, Citigroup has sought to pivot toward more climate-friendly industries. The firm promoted Val Smith to the new role of chief sustainability officer last year and in recent months announced it would stop providing financial services to thermal coal-mining companies over the next 10 years to help accelerate the economy’s shift away from fossil fuels.
“Val used to have to go out and have to scream from the mountaintops to get people to pay attention,” Corbat said. “Today, the trouble is she’s got so many people coming at her.”
Citigroup announced in 2015 that it would seek to facilitate $100 billion of sustainable activities by 2023, and by last year it had already financed $164 billion. The latest goal adds to its previous efforts.
As part of its new strategy, the firm is also joining the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials, which requires financial institutions to measure the emissions tied to their lending portfolios.
Citigroup has helped arrange about $165 billion of bonds and loans for energy companies, excluding solar, wind and other renewable producers, since the Paris climate accord was signed in late 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Only JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. have helped provide more financing for corporate emitters.
“We have to recognize that we’re in a transition,” Corbat said. “As we look into our portfolio and that transition that our clients are on, I think it will help us to better inform them on things they could or should be doing around what’s best in class and what peers and others are doing out there.”
The head of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on Thursday called for a global Green New Deal in which redirected financial flows usher in an age of sustainable, post-pandemic growth that takes the heat out of dangerous planetary warming.
“Climate action and COVID-19 recovery measures must be mutually supportive to be effective,” said GCF Executive Director Yannick Glemarec during an international conference in South Korea exploring how COVID-19 recovery efforts can be directed away from investments that are harming the planet towards those creating a global green economy.
The “International Conference on the Green New Deal: Green stimulus in the post-COVID-19 Era and beyond” attracted over 1,000 participants, mostly online, from across the world to hear how measures addressing the broadest economic collapse in a century can shift the economic paradigm towards zero-carbon, climate-resilient development.
The conference focused on South Korea’s national plans to counter the effects of the pandemic through economic recovery pathways leading to future carbon neutrality, while also reflecting on how similar “Green New Deals” are being adopted across the world.
In his opening speech, Mr Glemarec told the event participants that countries are expected to update their commitments to meet the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement while also coping with the economic collapse created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “promise of the Green New Deal” is the way that COVID-19 measures can also foster “sustainable growth through triggering financially attractive investment in green, resilient infrastructure, technologies, business models and institutions,” he added.
The conference was jointly organised by GCF, the world’s largest dedicated fund supporting climate action in developing countries, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea, GCF’s host country.
South Korea is adopting a number of measures designed to transform its proven ability to industrialise rapidly to take the lead in harnessing green development. This includes a plan to at least treble the number of solar and wind power facilities by 2025, compared with last year.
While highlighting domestic moves to embrace a green transition, South Korean Deputy Prime Minister Nam-ki Hong added that the scale of the climate endeavour requires global action. “Climate change reaches all countries around the world, and cannot be contained by the efforts of one single country,” he said.
Reflecting the urgency COVID-19 has brought to the need to take climate action, conference participants considered how the paths that countries take now in recovering from COVID-19 will determine whether the world achieves the Paris Agreement goals and a net zero emissions future.
Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Climate Action Team, pointed out that every continent is already experiencing unprecedented climate impacts – ranging from record wildfires, ice melting in polar regions and increasing more frequent and intense tropical cyclones, droughts and floods.
“And just last week the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that global emissions are returning to pre-pandemic levels and that we are approaching the internationally agreed 1.5 temperature limit much faster than previously predicted,” he added.
A number of participants stressed the need for increased public and private sector finance flows to fill the funding gaps developing countries face in their ability to carry out green, resilient recovery to COVID-19.
“We need the appropriate financial resources not only to fight climate change or biodiversity or land degradation but to have a global green recovery,” said Egyptian Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad.
Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Environment Irina Ghaplanyan stressed that the twin COVID-19 and climate challenges require us to “rewire the way we perceive growth and the way we run our economies.” “Armenia’s transition to carbon neutrality is not simply a feel-good political endeavor but one that is at the core of the country’s energy independence, energy security and resilient and green growth,” she added.
Meanwhile, Columbia University Professor and Nobel Economics Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz emphasised that the imperative to build back greener after COVID-19 needs to go beyond the purview of economists and policy makers. “Citizens have a right to demand that the post-pandemic economy accords with their values, and their vision of what kind of economy and society we want to emerge after the pandemic,” he said.
The International Conference on the Green New Deal is expected to generate further discussions on how measures addressing the twin negatives of COIVD-19 and climate change can create a positive path to a safer planet.
New satellite images to allow anyone, anywhere, to monitor tropical deforestation
23. September 2020
On Wednesday 23 September 2020, Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment entered into a contract worth up to NOK 400 million (approx. USD 43) with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) and its partners Airbus and Planet, to provide universal access to high-resolution satellite monitoring of the tropics in order to support efforts to stop the destruction of the world’s rainforests.
“This will revolutionize global forest monitoring. Better insight into what is happening in the rainforests will enhance efforts to protect these priceless ecosystems”, says Sveinung Rotevatn, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment.
Better information saves rainforests
Satellite images are available that are so detailed that one can see if a single tree has been cut down. However, such images are very expensive, and only a few private stakeholders have access to them. Through Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), the Government of Norway is now making the images accessible and free for everyone.
The high-resolution satellite images provide an overview of all the tropical forests around the world, and these images will be updated every month. Users can access image archives that include data dating back to 2015. This allows users to see the development that has taken place in the forests over several years.
“Small communities can now be seen and heard in their struggle with companies that steal their rightful territories. The world’s supermarkets can monitor claims made by their suppliers regarding the sustainable production of soy, palm oil and other raw materials”, says Rotevatn.
The images will be free of charge. Anyone around the world can detect deforestation occurring in very small areas, whether it be authorities, companies buying raw materials associated with deforestation, investors, journalists, scientists, indigenous organizations or NGOs.
Powerful tool for indigenous people.
Not least, information from satellite images is important for indigenous organizations. The indigenous leader Ianukulá Kaiabi Suiá, from the Associação Terra Indígena do Xingu (ATIX), has high expectations for the new satellite images. He represents the indigenous territory of São Félix do Xingu in Brazil, one of the most vulnerable areas in the Amazon.
“Satellite image is a powerful tool since it is better understood by indigenous communities compared to data sources from numbers. These images will give the communities a better understanding of the problems’ location and dimension, so that their actions can be better planned”, says Ianukulá Kaiabi Suiá
Colombia’s Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Ricardo José Lozano Picón, points out that Colombia over the last years has developed an advanced monitoring system, but that a bottleneck has been that high-resolution satellite images are very expensive.
“With Norway’s new investment in free available, high resolution satellite imagery, Colombia will continue to get access to frequent and detailed satellite observations. This will improve the monitoring and management of our valuable forests”, says Lozano.
Norway also supports SEPAL, an analysis tool developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations”, that helps forested countries gain an overview of deforestation and land use. Both services will be strengthened by this procurement.
“We have already made important progress in providing open and accessible information about where and why deforestation is occurring. This technology is used by journalists, organizations and individuals around the world, and helps save important forests and nature. Now we are taking it one step further. The fight to combat deforestation and forest crime is more important than ever before”, says Rotevatn.
Norway pays several tropical forest countries, including Indonesia and Colombia, to reduce emissions caused by deforestation. Better images reduce the uncertainties associated with the estimates.
– KSAT and its partners Planet and Airbus delivered the offer with the highest quality, where the world gets a lot of data for our money. This includes both historical data showing what has happened in the past, and frequently updated data over the coming years. The offered licensing terms are particularly good in this bid. It allows everyone to access high-resolution satellite data, without restrictions on use and distribution, says Andreas Dahl-Jørgensen, Managing Director of NICFI.
Against a backdrop of environmental crisis, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a chance to revive the natural world that supports us all. A decade may sound like a long time. But scientists say that these next ten years will count most in the fight to avert climate change and the loss of millions of species. Here are ten actions in the strategy of the UN Decade that can build a #GenerationRestoration.
1. Empower a global movement
The UN Decade aims to stop and reverse the destruction and degradation of billions of hectares of ecosystems. It is a daunting task, made more complicated by the diversity of ecosystems and the threats they are facing: from lush forests threatened by wildfires to agricultural soils so eroded that they may only carry a few more years of harvests. No single entity can steer the course in this endeavour. The UN Decade thus connects and empowers the actions of the many. Groups and individuals can get informed about restoration opportunities in their area, joining initiatives already underway, or start their own.
2. Invest in restoration
Restoration takes resources. Organizations driving activities on the ground are often underfunded and face financial insecurity. While the benefits of restoration far outweigh the costs, it can only happen with long-term financing. Governments, international lenders, development agencies, the private sector and individuals will have to ramp up their support.
3. Set the right incentives
In the long-term, healthier ecosystems can produce bigger harvests, more secure incomes and a healthier environment. But caring for nature can also mean foregoing some of the financial gains of less sustainable practices. There are ways to change this by incentivizing restoration activities and reducing subsidies that finance harmful practices, in the agriculture and fishing industries, for example.
4. Celebrate leadership
Over the past years, we have witnessed incredible momentum around restoration. Campaigns to plant trillions of trees have captured the imagination of many communities. Under the Bonn Challenge, more than 60 countries have committed to bringing 350 million hectares of forest landscapes back to life. Indigenous peoples have acted as defenders of their ecosystems for generations. The UN Decade will celebrate leadership and encourage others to step up.
5. Shift behaviours
Deforestation, the depletion of fish stocks and the degradation of agricultural soils are all caused by global consumption patterns. The UN Decade will work with all partners to identify and encourage restoration-friendly consumption. This can range from changes in diets to promoting restoration-based products.
6. Invest in research
Restoration is complex. Practices that work in one ecosystem may have adverse impacts on another. As the climate changes, new uncertainties arise. Returning to a former state may not be desirable as hotter temperatures or shifting rainfall call for more resilient plants and crops. Scientific understanding of how to restore and adapt ecosystems is still developing. Considerable investments are needed to identify the best practices to restore our planet – one plot at a time.
7. Build capacity
Thousands of conservation and restoration initiatives are already underway. The UN Decade will be fuelled by their vision, expertise and dedication. However, practitioners often face barriers that keep them from taking their projects to scale. Other critical sectors, such as finance, require more data and insights to make informed decisions. The UN Decade’s strategy seeks to build the capacity of marginalized groups that stand to lose most from the destruction of ecosystems – such as indigenous peoples, women and youth to take an active role in restoration.
8. Celebrate a culture of restoration
The power to revive our environment does not lie only with governments, experts and practitioners alone. Healing the planet is a cultural challenge. The UN Decade’s strategy, therefore, calls on artists, storytellers, producers, musicians and connectors to join the #GenerationRestoration.
9. Build up the next generation
Youth and future generations are most impacted by the current rapid destruction of ecosystems – they also stand to benefit the most from a restoration economy. The UN Decade’s strategy links the wellbeing of youth and the goals of restoration. Education for restoration will turn today’s children into ecosystem ambassadors and provide skills for sustainable jobs.
10. Listen and learn
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The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. A global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Learn more.
In early January, the first genome sequence of Sars-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — was released under the moniker “Wuhan-1”. This string of 30,000 letters (the A, T, C and Gs of the genetic code) marked day one in the race to understand the genetics of this newly discovered coronavirus. Now, a further 100,000 coronavirus genomes sampled from COVID-19 patients in over 100 countries have joined Wuhan-1. Geneticists around the world are mining the data for answers. Where did Sars-CoV-2 come from? When did it start infecting humans? How is the virus mutating — and does it matter? Sars-CoV-2 genomics, much like the virus itself, went big and went global.
The term mutation tends to conjure up images of dangerous new viruses with enhanced abilities sweeping across the planet. And while mutations constantly emerge and sometimes sweep — early mutations in Sars-CoV-2 have made their way around the world as the virus spread almost unnoticed — mutations are a perfectly natural part of any organism, including viruses. The vast majority have no impact on a virus’s ability to transmit or cause disease.
A mutation just means a difference; a letter change in the genome. While the Sars-CoV-2 population was genetically essentially invariant when it jumped into its first human host in late 2019, over 13,000 of these changes are now found in the 100,000 Sars-CoV-2 sequenced to date. Yet any two viruses from any two patients anywhere in the world differ on average by only ten letters. This is a tiny fraction of the total 30,000 characters in the virus’s genetic code and means that all Sars-CoV-2 in circulation can be considered part of a single clonal lineage.
Slowly mutating
It will take some time for the virus to acquire substantial genetic diversity. Sars-CoV-2 mutates fairly slowly for a virus, with any lineage acquiring a couple of changes every month; two to six-fold lower than the number of mutations acquired by influenza viruses over the same period.
Still, mutations are the bedrock on which natural selection can act. Most commonly mutations will render a virus non-functional or have no effect whatsoever. Yet the potential for mutations to affect transmissibility of Sars-CoV-2 in its new human hosts exists. As a result, there have been intense efforts to determine which, if any, of the mutations identifiable since the first Sars-CoV-2 genome was sequenced in Wuhan may significantly alter viral function.
An infamous mutation in this context is an amino acid change in the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein, the protein that gives coronaviruses their characteristic crown-like projections and allows it to attach to host cells. This single character change in the viral genome — termed D614G — has been shown to increase virus infectivity in cells grown in the lab, though with no measurable impact on disease severity. Although this mutation is also near systematically found with three other mutations, and all four are now found in about 80% of sequenced Sars-CoV-2 making it the most frequent set of mutations in circulation.
The challenge with D614G, as with other mutations, is disentangling whether they have risen in frequency because they happened to be present in viruses responsible for seeding early successful outbreaks, or whether they truly confer an advantage to their carriers. While genomics work on a UK dataset suggests a subtle role of D614G in increasing the growth rate of lineages carrying it, our own work could find no measurable impact on transmission.
Simply carried along
D614G is not the only mutation found at high frequency. A string of three mutations in the protein shell of Sars-CoV-2 are also increasingly appearing in sequencing data and are now found in a third of viruses. A single change at position 57 of the Orf3a protein, a known immunogenic region, occurs in a quarter. Other mutations exist in the spike protein while myriad others seem induced by the activity of our own immune response. At the same time, there remains no consensus that these, or any others, are significantly changing virus transmissibility or virulence. Most mutations are simply carried along as Sars-CoV-2 continues to successfully spread.
But replacements are not the only small edits that may affect Sars-CoV-2. Deletions in the Sars-CoV-2 accessory genes Orf7b/Orf8 have been shown to reduce the virulence of Sars-CoV-2, potentially eliciting milder infections in patients. A similar deletion may have behaved in the same way in Sars-CoV-1, the related coronavirus responsible for the Sars outbreak in 2002-04. Progression towards a less virulent Sars-CoV-2 would be welcome news, though deletions in Orf8 have been present from the early days of the pandemic and do not seem to be increasing in frequency.
While adaptive changes may yet occur, all the available data at this stage suggests we’re facing the same virus since the start of the pandemic. Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, was right to pour cold water on the idea that the virus has mutated into something milder than the one that caused the UK to impose a lockdown in March. Possible decreases in symptom severity seen over the summer are probably a result of younger people being infected, containment measures (such as social distancing) and improved treatment rather than changes in the virus itself. However, while Sars-CoV-2 has not significantly changed to date, we continue to expand our tools to track and trace its evolution, ready to keep pace.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Michael Corbat is CEO of Citi. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.
In the early days of the global pandemic, we got a glimpse of what progress in the fight against climate change could look like. With lockdowns keeping cars off the road and causing office buildings to shutter and industry to slow down, air pollution temporarily decreased over cities from Los Angeles to Mumbai.But here’s the rub: It’s unlikely these reductions in air pollution will continue as global economies reopen. What we need is systemic change — dictated by government policy, supported by science and powered by the resources and innovation of the private sector.Businesses, especially those in the financial sector like us, can have an enormous positive impact on the climate movement. By transforming energy systems, industrial processes, land use, buildings, transport and other infrastructure so they are more sustainable, we could simultaneously create thousands of new jobs and help propel a post-pandemic recovery.The financial sector, with its deep resources and ethos of managing risk while capitalizing on opportunity, must be at the center of this movement. Here’s how we can make a difference:
Set the standard
For starters, financial institutions can create a uniform set of standards for companies to identify and disclose the potential impacts of their businesses on the environment and the potential impacts of climate change on their businesses. This transparency, in turn, will help insurers, credit rating agencies, lenders and other investors better evaluate and price those risks and opportunities. It will also give companies an incentive to disclose, take action on and address their environmental impacts.close dialog
We read all day so you don’t have to.Get our nightly newsletter for all the top business stories you need to know.Sign Me UpBy subscribing you agree to ourprivacy policy.I’ve always believed that you can’t manage what you can’t measure, and that’s especially true with a warming planet. It’s imperative that banks like ours continue to develop tools to understand the consequences of climate change across our lending portfolios. We must be willing to have frank conversations with our clients about what they need to do to reduce their emissions — and if we aren’t aligned on the need to make this transition, then we must have the courage to walk away.
Work with the fossil fuel industry
As one of the world’s biggest backers of fossil fuels, Citi has heard calls to divest entirely from the industry. But that would mean knocking the legs out from under the global economy since we remain so dependent on oil and gas to drive our cars, heat our homes and fuel our ships and airplanes.So while we recognize that the fossil fuel industry must drastically reduce its carbon footprint over the coming decade, we believe in working with them, not against them. For example, some energy producers are already taking steps to address their emissions, such as reducing methane leaks from their production processes, and the largest among them have the R&D capacity we need to develop new technologies and unlock new paths to a low-carbon energy future.
Invest in innovation
As part of our efforts to drive the transition to a sustainable economy, we recently fulfilled a 10-year commitment to finance and facilitate $100 billion in environmental activities, including the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the coast of England, trains for Panama City’s new metro system, water conservation technology in Barbados and energy-efficient affordable housing in the South Bronx section of New York City.The fact that we met this 10-year goal four years ahead of schedule not only demonstrates the demand among local communities for climate solutions, but also the lucrative business opportunities for institutions like ours. We are now embarking on a new five-year effort to support a further $250 billion in environmental activities.
It’s a bizarre time for Trump to open Alaska’s Arctic refuge up to oil drillingNone of this will be easy, particularly now. At a time when economies have been brought to a near halt, many sectors are worried about surviving the next quarter, let alone the next quarter-century. Companies are surely questioning the affordability of an environmental agenda amid a liquidity crisis that has stirred up numerous existential challenges.But in many ways, this is a false dilemma. Among the biggest lessons we must learn from the pandemic are the inextricable links between our economic health and our physical health and the immediacy of the threats to our planet. As we have seen, the companies that have had a strong focus on sustainability and resiliency — particularly with respect to responsibly managing supply chains and safeguarding the well-being of employees — have been in a much stronger position to address the havoc that is occurring across the globe from the coronavirus pandemic.This is not a time to pull back from making our companies more sustainable and resilient. Instead, it’s time to double down.
Amid a pandemic and belt-tightening times, smart food choices can bolster immunity; the key is to have a diverse diet and use your calories wisely by selecting micronutrient-filled foods.
A diversified diet will ensure people consume the micronutrients they need. Image: Megan Thomas via Unsplash
The impact of Covid-19 on global food supply chains and access to food has been vast.
Lockdowns imposed by many governments to control the outbreak have also caused many businesses—in some cases, entire industries such as tourism—to shut, driving millions out of work and their households into financial insecurity.
In a world set to face challenging economic times, eating healthily must remain a priority even when on a tight budget, nutrition experts told Eco-Business.
Even without the threat of Covid-19 infection, eating well helps keep the immune system running efficiently. Diets have a direct impact on health and the body’s ability to ward off or recover from illnesses.
For instance, it is well-established that poor diets are linked to chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which are currently the leading causes of poor health and deaths worldwide.
Mounting evidence also shows that people with these pre-existing conditions fare worse and have a higher risk of dying when they contract Covid-19 and other infections.
Say ‘no’ to empty calories
A rule of thumb for healthy eating is to have a well-rounded, diverse diet filled with nutritious foods from various sources, said food and nutrition experts Regina Moench-Pfanner and Janelle Limqueco.
Diets lacking important nutrients can impair the immune system’s ability to function normally, said Limqueco, a product manager at Singapore food technology firm NamZ who is trained in food science and technology.
It is all the more important now [in the midst of a pandemic] to minimise intake of empty calories—junk food with little nutritional value—as much as possible.
Janelle Limqueco, product manager, NamZ
“It is all the more important now [in the midst of a pandemic] to minimise intake of empty calories—junk food with little nutritional value—as much as possible,” she said. “It is best to use your calories wisely by filling them up with micronutrient-filled foods.”
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are not produced by the body, but are required in small amounts. Those scientifically proven to support the immune system include vitamins A, B-vitamins, C, D, E and folate as well as trace minerals such as iron, copper, zinc and selenium.
“The key here is that these micronutrients need to be eaten every day, and you can only get them if you consume a diversified diet, represented in a ‘colourful plate’, meaning that foods of one colour should not dominate the plate,” said Moench-Pfanner, the founder and chief executive of ibn360, a consulting firm specialising in food, nutrition and health.
There is also emerging evidence that links gut health to immune response. “Our immune system has co-evolved with our gut microbiota, which is important in regulating our immune responses. Consuming fibre could therefore be helpful in boosting the immune system too,” said Limqueco.
Using knowledge to overcome barriers
But barriers such as affordability, lack of access to nutritious foods and poor nutrition awareness can stand in the way of a nutritious and diverse daily diet, said Moench-Pfanner.
In some low-income countries in Asia for example, rice might make up 70 per cent of the daily energy intake, which is not optimal, she said.
“If you are a good cook and have the knowledge to cook nutritious foods, such as vegetables, pulses, beans, cereals, nuts and some meat, in a way that is appealing to the family, then you can manage even on a low budget to have a nutritious diet,” Moench-Pfanner said.
“However, if this knowledge is not available, you will fall back mainly on staples like wheat, rice and maize, which do not offer a lot of bio-available micronutrients.”
If you are a good cook and have the knowledge to cook nutritious foods, such as vegetables, pulses, beans, cereals, nuts and some meat, in a way that is appealing to the family, then you can manage even on a low budget to have a nutritious diet.
Regina Moench-Pfanner, founder and chief executive, ibn360
Smart food choices need not always involve a hefty price tag. For instance, rice and beans are one of the most affordable yet healthiest food combinations available in the region, Limqueco said.
Beans are rich in protein, fibre as well as micronutrients, folate, iron, and copper. Together with rice, they provide a complete source of essential amino acids, she said. They also incur much smaller carbon footprint than animal protein.
Other than rice and beans, Limqueco said that green leafy vegetables are probably the next best bang-for-your-buck whole-food option.
While varieties can range from the humble Chinese spinach to the more premium kale and rocket salads, most leafy greens are nutrient-dense and contain vitamins A, C, K, folate, iron, and B-vitamins.
“It is possible to have a rice, beans and leafy greens meal for S$2 (US$1.40) or even less,” Limqueco said.
While a diverse diet of natural whole foods is key to healthy eating, Limqueco said that eating well need not be an “all-or-nothing” approach. Depending on the circumstances and situation, a more practical approach may sometimes be required, for instance, when time or access to fresh food items are limited.
“Some of us might not even have time to cook at home while juggling multiple calls. For others, juggling kids and work makes time even more limited,” she said. In such situations, consumers would need to pick the healthiest option available.
Healthier and more sustainable convenience foods
NamZ, which specialises in nutritious comfort food, has rolled out a range of instant noodles, shakes and soups that aim to be positive for people and planet under the brand WhatIF Foods.
Its instant noodles, for instance, are dehydrated using a proprietary process similar to air-frying that reduces the fat content by at least 55 per cent. Ingredients include future-fit crops such as the Bambara groundnut and moringa, which are climate-resilient and can grow on poor soil or marginalised or degraded land, opening up income opportunities for smallholder famers.
The crops are also nutrient-dense. For instance, WhatIF’s moringa and Bambara groundnut noodles both contain iron—an essential mineral necessary for normal immune system function—as well as two to three times more fibre than popular deep-fried instant noodle brands in Singapore.
Each portion of the Bambara groundnut noodles contains as much protein as two eggs, but without the cholesterol as the noodles are entirely plant-based.
WhatIF’s Ube shake. Image: WhatIF Foods
For its soups and shakes, NamZ teamed up with Austrian health supplement company Biogena to incorporate essential immune-boosting micronutrients, adding to their already-balanced macronutrient profile.
NamZ co-founder Christoph Langwallner said the collaboration with Biogena came about due to their shared interest in solutions to the nutritional paradox, which refers to the paradoxical trends of hunger, obesity, undernutrition and environmental degradation.
Michael Waeger, science team leader at Biogena, said the company has almost 15 years of experience in the field of nutritional supplements and nutritional medicine. For the collaboration, both companies took into account the needs of the general population as well as groups that have increased nutritional needs, he said.
They used vitamin and mineral compounds with a high bioavailability, which refers to the quantity of the ingested dose that is absorbed in the gut and can be used by the body, Waeger added.
The micronutrients in WhatIF’s soups and shakes include selenium, zinc and vitamins D and C. A study published in April in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients found that vitamins D and C, along with other micronutrients, may confer protective benefits against Covid-19.
And studies have shown that even short-term supplementation of zinc can reduce the incidence and duration of infections of the lower respiratory tract, Waeger said.
Wider efforts needed to ensure food security
Apart from individual efforts to eat well and stay healthy, other experts have called for wider efforts to ensure food security and access to nutrition amid the pandemic. Governments should work together and ensure that short-term measures to restrict trade should not distort global markets, international agencies including the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation have urged.
More investments are also needed to increase the resilience of food systems and prevent future infectious disease outbreaks, they said.
Governments must also support the poor, vulnerable and those whose incomes have been hit. “Implementing adequate social protection measures, such as cash transfers, and investing in early recovery efforts in response to Covid-19 is critical to saving both lives and livelihoods. Ensuring that these measures reach everyone will be key to avoid further spread of poverty and hunger,” the agencies said.
Every 16 September, World Ozone Day reminds us of the need to protect the ozone – a thin, protective layer of gas that absorbs most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet light. In doing so, the ozone layer helps protect humans from skin cancer and cataracts, and shields plants, crops and ecosystems from damage. The year 2020 marks more than three decades of global efforts to conserve and restore the ozone – which have paid off.
Scientists first raised alarm about the ozone layer in the late 1970s, when they discovered that chemicals were destroying this protective shield. Ozone-depleting gases (ODSs) used in aerosols, refrigerators and air-conditioners were depleting the layer so much that by the mid-1980s a hole was discovered in the layer over the Antarctic.
In response, the world’s governments adopted the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer in 1985. Under the Convention’s Montreal Protocol, governments, scientists and industry worked together to cut out 99 per cent of all ozone-depleting substances. Thanks to the global effort, the ozone layer is healing and is expected to return to pre-1980 values by mid-century.
“We need this unity of purpose more than ever as we seek to address nature loss, climate change and pollution in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says UN Environment Programme Executive Director, Inger Anderson.
In 2019 the Kigali Amendment went one step further. It is set to reduce the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -greenhouse gases with powerful climate warming potential- by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years. It recently achieved over 100 ratifications.
“Reaching 102 ratifications is an incredible milestone and an achievement we should be proud of,” observes the Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, Tina Birmpili. Adding, “It is crucial, that we maintain this momentum and continue working towards full implementation of the Kigali Amendment if we want to ensure that we take advantage of its benefits.”
“The ozone treaties stand out as inspiring examples that show that, where political will prevails, there is little limit to what we can achieve,” comments UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.
“Let us take encouragement from how we have worked together to preserve the ozone layer and apply the same will to healing the planet and forging a brighter and more equitable future for all humanity.”
Five Organizations to Create Single Set of Standards for Corporate Sustainability
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
CDP, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, the Global Reporting Initiative, the International Integrated Reporting Council, and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board will work together to create a single set of standards for corporate sustainability reporting.
This approach is intended to help stakeholders base decisions on comparable information and reduce the burden on reporting companies.
The groups note the need for corporate sustainability data to be structured around agreed taxonomies and available in a public platform.
Five organizations that set global standards for sustainability reporting have announced that they will work together to create a single set of reporting standards. This approach is intended to help stakeholders base decisions on comparable information and reduce the burden on reporting companies.
In a statement launched on 11 September 2020, CDP, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) said the urgency for reporting coherence is driven by “the increasingly clear connection between sustainability performance and financial risk and return,” as well as climate change and the global pandemic. The organizations cite a groundswell of stakeholder support for a comprehensive reporting system.
Sustainability disclosures enable stakeholders to understand a company’s impacts on society and the environment, and how these issues affect the organization’s financial performance and long-term enterprise value creation. The groups note the need for corporate sustainability data to be structured around agreed taxonomies and available in a public platform.
SDG target 12.6 commits governments to “Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.” The global indicator (12.6.1) is “Number of companies publishing sustainability reports.”
Previous efforts to improve corporate reporting on sustainable practices include a toolkit launched by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2019, aiming to improve coherence between financial and sustainability reporting. UNCTAD noted that the diversity of reporting frameworks has presented a challenge for government agencies and investors interested in monitoring SDG implementation at the national level.
Harmonized sustainability reporting could help governments incorporate the private sector’s contributions to SDG implementation into voluntary national reviews (VNRs).
COVID-19 may eventually become a seasonal illness like the flu, but only when the population achieves herd immunity, meaning a sufficient number of people are immune to prevent constant spread, a new review article suggests.
But until then, COVID-19 will likely spread year-round, a finding that highlights the importance of following public health measures to control the virus, according to the review, published Tuesday (Sept. 15) in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.
“COVID-19 is here to stay and it will continue to cause outbreaks year-round until herd immunity is achieved,” study senior author Hassan Zaraket, an assistant professor of virology at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, said in a statement. “Therefore, the public will need to learn to live with it and continue practicing the best prevention measures, including wearing of masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene and avoidance of gatherings.”
What makes a virus seasonal?
Many viruses seem to follow seasonal patterns — for example, in temperate regions, cases of the flu regularly peak in winter and dwindle during the summer months. The same is true for certain types of coronaviruses that cause the common cold.
Scientists don’t know for sure why these viruses follow a seasonal pattern, but a number of factors are thought to play a role. For example, studies suggest that many respiratory viruses are more stable and linger in the air longer in environments with cold temperatures and low humidity, the authors said. Human behaviors, such as gathering indoors in wintertime, could also boost transmission.
Early studies on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, also suggested that the virus’s transmission may increase in colder temperatures and decrease in warmer temperatures.
But with any infectious disease, in order for cases to decline, a factor known as the “basic reproduction number” (R0, pronounced R-nought), or the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person, needs to drop below 1.
The R0 for COVID-19 appears to be relatively high, with many scientists estimating a value between 2 and 3, compared with about 1.3 for the flu, the authors said.
COVID-19’s high R0 may be due, in part, to the absence of pre-existing immunity to the disease in most of the population. Thus, with a higher R0, the authors predict it will be harder for seasonal factors to push R0 below 1.
“Therefore, without public health interventions, SARS-CoV-2 will continue to spread in summer as witnessed in many countries around the world,” the authors wrote.
In contrast, as more people gain immunity, either through natural infection or vaccine, the R0 “is expected to drop substantially, making the virus more prone to seasonal fluctuations,” such as spikes in wintertime and dips in summertime, the authors concluded.
If a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, it may reduce the spread, but it will likely not totally eliminate the virus, Zaraket and study co-author Hadi Yassine, an associate professor of infectious diseases at Qatar University in Doha, told Live Science in an email. That’s because the vaccine will likely not be 100% effective, so some infections will still occur. In addition, the protection offered by the vaccine may wane with time, or the virus may mutate and evade immune protection, the researchers said.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Sept. 15 at 11:45 am ET to include comments from the authors about the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine becoming available.
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