Snippets for 12 May 2022

Thanks for reading our Snippets newsletter this week. We have once again included a mixed selection of articles we hope you find interesting.

Our first article examines New Zealand’s first carbon budgets, which are set out in an initial four-year term followed by two five-year terms out to the year 2035 and if met, will reduce emissions by 35% when compared to 2017-2021 levels.

We next examine the skills required to exhibit good leadership in our increasingly climate reactive world. Firstly, not to think short-termism and to be inclusive when considering which voices should be heard and listened to. Also, we look at how well we can continue to reduce GHG emissions whether they are through using the natural world or new carbon extraction technologies.

We also review how we should best be managing our use of water and should we be setting targets, or establishing smart and effective strategies instead. We also provide the rational behind the reasons for managing water in a United Nations report and how ground water reserves should be a focus.

We end up this week by taking a look at how important it is to work with the environment and not try to make it something that suits our own purposes. In this case growing a multiple variety of crops in an arid environment, using traditional farming techniques.

We start this week by examining New Zealand’s first carbon budgets. Three budgets were approved that set carbon limits out to 2035, with total allowed emissions steadily reducing in an initial four-year term, followed by two five-year terms. This will cut carbon emissions by 35 percent when compared to 2017-2021 levels. Though this budget is for carbon only, leaving out methane in order to shield the agricultural sector, it is a tangible step on the road to net-zero for New Zealand. Read more....

In times like the uncertain ones we are experiencing, people need good leadership, both in government and at the heads of businesses. This article looks at how leaders must now embrace a long-term view of the world, listen to those around them, consider that Generation Z and Millennial workers want to be part of ethical organisations, and embrace fresh perspectives. By doing all of the above, leaders can steer their organisations successfully through these uncertain times. Read more....

Several major companies are coming together to invest nearly $1 billion into a fund for carbon removal technology. Many in the climate activist community dismiss investments in carbon capture, seeing it as a distraction from emission reduction targets. However, the latest IPCC report has made it clear the world requires carbon removal, if we are to meet the 1.5 degree target. By utilising the concept of ‘advance market commitment’, a concept borrowed from the mechanisms that accelerated vaccine development, these businesses hope to viably scale carbon capture technologies. Read more....

Critical questions remain about how well Australia’s and New Zealand’s ecosystems can continue storing CO₂. A report by OzFlux discusses whether Australian natural ecosystems can continue to absorb carbon after increasingly frequent climate related disasters. Is there a point where this is no longer possible? There is some evidence that recovery time from extreme events is shortening, and if a further extreme event occurs before full recovery, the ability to offset emissions may be reduced. Thus, reaching net zero emissions by 2050 may not be possible. Read more....

Should we even be targeting ‘Net Zero water’? Water is not like CO₂, and net zero emissions, where it doesn’t matter where or when it is in the world, the overall impact being the same. Water is a finite resource, and strategies must be used, rather than targets, in its management. These strategies in turn must be supported with transparent monitoring to quantify outcomes and track impacts. Read more....

And we do need a strategy for managing water. There are ample supplies of water on this planet, but only 1% of it is fresh, mostly held in the ice caps, with the rest saline, in the oceans. Underground water accounts for about 99% of all the liquid fresh water, and 10-20% of this renews naturally. With water scarcity set to worsen in coming decades, a UN report calls for sustainable use of underground supplies. Extraction of this underground water needs to be carefully managed, not overused, and contamination avoided. Read more....

A recent study has debunked the myth that Africa is running out of water. WaterAid, along with the British Geological Survey, found that most African countries could survive at least five years of drought, and some more than 50 years, on their groundwater reserves. It’s probably more a case of lack of investment in extracting the water, that has created the impression that Africa is running out of it. Water is a valuable resource and proper management is extremely important. Read more....

As an example of good water management, a Pukekohe grower has turned to artificial intelligence to improve water use. The 600-acre Pukekohe farm is connected to the internet, making water management a more exact science. New regulations require farmers to measure their water usage more accurately, and report that usage back to the local council. Sensors measure soil temperature, soil moisture and electrical conductivity every 20 minutes, and are powered with batteries that would last 20 years. Read more....

We end this week with a look at seed keepers and how they are reviving ancient, resilient crops. In north-western New Mexico, traditional indigenous farming methods are being passed down to protect against the effects of climate change. The work is part of a broader movement to build food and seed sovereignty on tribal lands amidst global biodiversity losses created by modern agricultural systems and growing food insecurities. 75% of crop diversity has been lost over the past century, so this work is critical. Read more....