News

In the wake of a major new report from WWF and ZSL (Zoological Society of London) showing dramatic declines in biodiversity over the last fifty years, over 100 members of the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme (BBOP) are meeting in Paris this month to launch a new portfolio of practical solutions for companies and policy-makers to contribute to biodiversity protection. In particular, the new roadmap for business sets out steps enabling a company to make the transition to delivering a Net Gain for Biodiversity.

The world’s first comprehensive tool linking environmental change with its consequences for the economy has been launched by the Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA). The web-based tool, called ENCORE (Exploring Natural Capital Opportunities, Risks and Exposure), will help global banks, investors and insurance firms assess the risks that environmental degradation, such as the pollution of oceans or destruction of forests, causes for financial institutions.

The 2nd Global Forum on Green Economy Learning took place on the 26th and 27th of November in Paris, France, on the theme of "Green Economy: New Challenges, New Skills". The forum targeted learning institutions that train public administration, with an aim to scale-up knowledge and skills development for current and future decision-makers, technical staff in Ministries, and others involved in the design and implementation of inclusive green economy solutions.

In November 2017, the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) launched its Expert Working Group on Natural Capital. This overview provides a snapshot of the group’s progress in its first year of operation, as well as new developments on the horizon for 2019 and beyond.

“There is a tendency to focus on the green or environmental aspects of green growth, and when people do think about gender it is frequently peripheral to the central economic challenges,” said Annaka Peterson, GGGI’s Senior Officer in Lao PDR, “But we want people to see that gender equality is a core economic issue.”

On 13 November 2018, Drawdown Switzerland held an event to raise awareness about existing science-based solutions that can help reverse global warming. The event featured Nobel laureate Jacques Dubochet, Emeritus Professor of biophysics at the University of Lausanne.

From 26-29 June 2019, the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) is holding the 24th Annual Conference of the EAERE in Manchester, UK (EAERE 2019). Proposals are invited for pre-organised Thematic and Policy Sessions. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 23 December 2018.

Robert C. Brears, author of Urban Water Security and The Green Economy and the Water-Energy-Food Nexus, held the Our Future Water Berlin Event on 7 November 2018 at the InterContinental Hotel Berlin as part of the Berlin Science Week. A selection of topics on achieving water security was discussed by leading experts in the field.

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) launched its annual report, Financing Sustainable Development in Arab Countries, during its 11th Annual Conference on 8 November 2018. The report takes note of the Arab region’s immense funding gap towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights the detrimental effects of long-lasting war and conflict on sustainable development and the region’s economy.

A new report from UN Environment shows that investing in coral reefs to prevent their current rate of decline could net $37b for Indonesia, $35b for Mesoamerican Reef by 2030. Without urgent intervention, the world is on track to lose up to 90 per cent of its coral reefs within the next 30 years. Private sector investment is urgently needed to close the funding gaps in one of the world’s vital ecosystems.