COP30 Has Big Plans to Save the Rainforest. Indigenous Activists Say It’s Not Enough, Grist, November 14
The government of Brazil launched the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), which aims to provide greater financial incentives to countries to protect their tropical forests. To receive funds from the TFFF, countries will need to pass on 20 percent of what they receive to Indigenous communities. Indigenous groups argue what’s really needed is stronger land rights for Indigenous peoples and greater recognition for the key role they play in managing carbon sinks and biodiversity.
Deadly Heat Worldwide Prompts $300 million for Climate Health Research at COP30, Reuters, November 14
The number of heat-related deaths has increased more than 20 percent since the 1990s, reaching half a million deaths each year. And wildfire smoke was linked with 150,000 deaths last year. To scale up solutions to extreme heat, air pollution, and climate-sensitive infectious diseases, the Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and more than 30 other foundations have formed the Climate and Health Funders Coalition, which aims to accelerate new research, policies, and innovations.
Car-dominant Texas Needs More Public Transit to Meet Mobility Demands, TxDOT Report Says, Texas Tribune, November 11
Texas is developing its first statewide multi-modal transit plan, with new goals for public transportation for rural and smaller urban areas and intercity rail. In a poll commissioned by the department, 86 percent of Texans said it’s at least somewhat important to improve the state’s public transportation network. While the plan is viewed as a major step forward, there is skepticism about whether the tens of billions needed for new infrastructure will be allocated.
The Ground Beneath Our Feet Is the Next Carbon Battleground, Architect, October 30
Meg Calkins, FASLA, professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at NC State, talks about her new book Details and Materials for Resilient Sites: A Climate Positive Approach. It provides landscape architects with strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and incorporating “resource-efficient materials” and mixes for stone, concrete, asphalt pavement, aggregates, brick, wood, metals, and plastics. “As more than 80% of the life-cycle emissions come from the production, transport, maintenance, and disposal of construction materials, we must radically shift the way we design and detail these sites and infrastructure,” Calkins said.
Biodiversity Gets Its ISO Moment: Nature Accounting Arrives, Forbes, October 20
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released a new standard – Biodiversity for Organizations: Guidelines and Requirements – which organizations can use to measure, manage, and report on their biodiversity risks. “Until now, there has been no globally agreed standard for integrating biodiversity into strategies and operations. That lack of a common framework has led to fragmented approaches and growing confusion as nature-related risks and expectations increase,” said Noelia Garcia Nebra, head of sustainability and partnerships at ISO.