The Bezos Earth Fund announced $34.5 million in grants to support transformative work to improve greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and disclosure and advance food system transformation. Companies need reliable information about their GHG emissions and those within their supply chain to set ambitious climate targets and reduce emissions. The Earth Fund supports this effort with $19.1 million in new grants to CDP and the GHG Protocol. In addition, CDP, recognized as the primary global mechanism for environmental disclosure, receives $9.9 million to update its disclosure framework and technical systems.
Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has received $9.9 million in support of a project to develop low-cost virtual livestock fencing that would benefit farmers and animals, improve public health in developing countries, and combat climate change. Virtual fencing involves equipping animals with wearable, GPS-enabled devices that discourage animals from leaving grazing areas designated by animal managers. By facilitating. The introduction of rotation in cattle ranches across the globe, this technology can take pressure off forests and bring about significant potential benefits to climate and nature by lowering emissions. Moreover, in partnership with the Good Food Institute, a $5.5 million grant supports research to catalyze the development of alternative proteins.
Latest IPCC Report Highlights Urgent Need To Change Systems
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report released today highlights the urgency of taking more ambitious action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. This has resulted in more frequent and more intense extreme weather events that have caused increasingly dangerous impacts on nature and people in every region of the world. The report also highlights the losses and damages we are already experiencing and will continue, hitting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems especially hard. However, taking the right action now could result in the transformational change essential for a sustainable, equitable world. Climate resilient development involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide more comprehensive benefits, such as access to clean energy and technologies, low-carbon electrification, walking, cycling, and public transport, and prioritizing climate risk reduction for low-income and marginalized communities.
To be effective, these choices must be rooted in our diverse values, worldviews, and knowledge, including scientific knowledge, Indigenous Knowledge, and local knowledge. There is sufficient global capital to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if existing barriers are reduced rapidly. Increasing finance for climate investments is essential to achieve global climate goals, and governments, investors, central banks, and financial regulators can play their part. Policy measures such as political commitment, coordinated policies, international cooperation, ecosystem stewardship, and inclusive governance are all critical for effective and equitable climate action. Urban areas offer a global-scale opportunity for ambitious climate action that contributes to sustainable development.
Changes in the food sector, electricity, transport, industry, buildings, and land use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make it easier for people to lead low-carbon lifestyles. In addition, a better understanding of the consequences of overconsumption can help people make more informed choices.
Photo by Mike Erskine on UnsplashÂ
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