Environmental Defense Fund’s Post

Tackling the #climatecrisis can feel like an overwhelming task. But we don’t need to start from scratch. Local communities & Indigenous peoples have proven time and time again that they are the most effective stewards of #biodiversity. H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn & Prof. Thomas W. Crowther share in the Daily Maverick why and how companies and governments can support their efforts to protect, conserve, manage and restore our ecosystems: https://lnkd.in/eQA5QUWc

Kick off the week with a fresh dose of positive climate news! 🌍✨ Dive into this week's collection and tell us which story is your favourite! 💚 🦜New Australian national park the size of Las Vegas home to 12 threatened species The creation of Comeroo Station national park in Australia is a significant boost for climate and biodiversity efforts. Spanning 144 square miles, the park will protect 12 threatened species and 158 native species overall, including endangered birds like the pink cockatoo. The park's preservation of wetlands and other ecosystems is crucial for maintaining biodiversity and combating environmental degradation as well as safeguards important cultural sites of indigenous communities. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dQibiWQN 🦞Peru approves the creation of long-awaited marine protected area The creation of the Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve in Peru is a landmark achievement in marine conservation, protecting 115,675 hectares along the Peruvian coastline. This area, home to endangered species like humpback whales, manta rays, and hammerhead sharks, will benefit from increased control and monitoring to prevent illegal activities. Despite the controversy over permitting some industrial fishing, the reserve marks a significant step towards preserving marine biodiversity. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eVq_YV3C 🌳DRC plants 90% of 1 billion trees goal, despite unexpected obstacles The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces significant deforestation, losing 500,000 hectares of forest annually due to shifting cultivation, mining, and illegal logging. In response, the Congolese government launched a program to plant 1 billion trees between 2019 and 2023, achieving 90% of their target. This initiative aimed to enhance climate resilience, alleviate poverty, and protect biodiversity. This program reflects a strong commitment to combating climate change and preserving forests. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dJzaNqNy 💪Hawaii agrees to 'groundbreaking' settlement of youth climate change case Announced by Governor Josh Green, this landmark settlement follows claims that Hawaii prioritized fossil fuel-based infrastructure projects over carbon-reducing initiatives. The agreement, enforceable in court, includes developing a roadmap for zero emissions across ground, sea, and inner island air transportation, creating a volunteer youth council to advise on decarbonization, and allocating $40 million to expand the public electric vehicle charging network by 2030.  Read more: https://lnkd.in/dkGHH--W

On the 22nd of August, international #environmental leaders convened in Vancouver, Canada, for the opening of the 7th Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Assembly. Every four years, the GEF Assembly is held to coordinate the financing required to address urgent #EnvironmentalConcerns, including climate change, #BiodiversityLoss, #LandDegradation and #Pollution. #NatureBasedSolutions were a significant topic to:   •            Enhancing the protection and #resilience of at least 1 billion #VulnerablePeople. •            Securing up to 2.4 billion hectares of healthy #natural #ecosystems. •            Significantly increasing global mitigation through conserving and restoring carbon-rich terrestrial, #freshwater, and #marine ecosystems  👇 https://lnkd.in/dTByuqUh

Restoring and conserving biodiversity is at the heart of what national governments are calling "nature-based solutions". One of the first steps toward these solutions is observing and measuring ecosystem functions in a holistic way to help us know where and how to act. #biodiversity #ecosystemservices #ecosystemrestoration

Building resilience in small island states: what to expect at the 4th SIDS conference https://lnkd.in/ep4zc7WR EDF is advocating for an ambitious roadmap at the conference, focusing on resilient communities, clean energy transition, sustainable resource management, biodiversity conservation, and global cooperation.

🌎 Happy Monday! This week saw a historic climate court case, some incredible initiatives for nature and wildlife, and new funding to build a fossil-free future. Allow these stories to be a reminder to continue building the change we need to see towards a sustainable world: 📣 Youth activists in Montana won a historic climate court case, the judge ruled the state had violated young people’s right to a healthy environment by not considering the climate impacts of new fossil fuel projects: https://lnkd.in/eXzaRunc ⚡️ There’s growing evidence that the renewable revolution is happening faster than expected: https://lnkd.in/eF83Yz23 💨 A floating offshore project in Scotland will be expanded, generating enough clean power for two million homes: https://lnkd.in/eyj8S-vS 🏛 Germany passed a €212 billion climate fund: it will go towards supporting households to switch to climate-friendly energy technologies and expanding the railway network, amongst other projects: https://lnkd.in/epUfD6p3 🌊 Louisiana launched a $50 billion project to rebuild wetlands and save the eroding coastline: https://lnkd.in/etjNKFf7 ⚖️ Women farmers in the Dairi district of North Sumatra won a court case against a proposed zinc mine due to humanitarian disaster risk: https://lnkd.in/eSbgi__Y 🇰🇪 A youth-led project is helping prevent floods and erosion in Kenya's coastal ecosystems: https://lnkd.in/e3funhBy 🌳 AI has given researchers at the Zoological Society of London a breakthrough in improving habitat management: https://lnkd.in/eTgXSUMY 🌸 RSPB and children’s food brand Ella's Kitchen are teaming up to restore 30 million square feet of grasslands and wildflower meadows across the UK: https://lnkd.in/eAeNEZjZ 🌿 Water voles had a soft reintroduction in the Lake District following a year of habitat preparation by a coalition of organisations and volunteers: https://lnkd.in/eJk4H6_7 🍔 Lab-grown meat brand Meatable raised nearly $100 million and plans to save 27 million animals: https://lnkd.in/edSSNtqr Have a wonderful week, and I hope these stories can brighten up your Monday! You can also follow this series on Instagram: https://lnkd.in/ev88GMEQ #ClimateAction #ClimateSolutions #PositiveClimateNews

Peru and Norway are leading an action track under the Forest & Climate Leaders' Partnership to mobilize global support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs) in their efforts to safeguard global forests and biodiversity. The territories of IPs and LCs cover over 50% of the Earth's land, and they play a critical role in climate action, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable development. It is vital that we recognize their traditional knowledge and land rights, and ensure climate finance is channelled directly to IPs and LCs. https://lnkd.in/erPYtSiq #ForestConservation #IndigenousPeoples #ClimateAction #Sustainability

Governance and institutional reform to enhance action to achieve the sustainable development goals - IPS article #sdgs #biodiversity #climate change #UnitedNations #governance https://lnkd.in/e8cDyMXy

“The political challenge is not mobilizing resources, it’s something more complicated, [it's to] stop investing in those activities that destroy nature,” We have been talking about resource mobilization for both biodiversity and climate change for decades now. I'm happy to see that we're finally vocalizing the actual root causes of the problem at top levels. It isn't so much that adequate resource flows wouldn't exist (although they should be better distributed)- BUT we need to stop funding activities that are causing the problem in the first place. It is like trying to bail water out of a boat while at the same time filling it with more water. As we are implementing the recent Kunming-Montreal Framework, I'm glad to see that both the need of getting rid of harmful incentives and mobilizing more resources from all sources are tackled together in a holistic manner (Targets 18 & 19). We have a lot of work ahead us both nationally and globally, but it's better late than never. https://lnkd.in/gkmxBqQN

In a new blog, Daniel Zarin, WCS Executive Director of Forests and Climate Change, discusses new Science Based Targets initiative guidance and the advancements in science that are shifting #naturefinance toward the protection of high integrity forests.     These forests, like the one shown here in Amazonas, are essential not only for addressing climate change but for biodiversity and local livelihoods.     https://lnkd.in/dZCWe9Hn