Climate Crisis Archives · Policy Print https://policyprint.com/tag/climate-crisis/ News Around the Globe Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:24:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://policyprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-policy-print-favico-32x32.png Climate Crisis Archives · Policy Print https://policyprint.com/tag/climate-crisis/ 32 32 Probing EU Mineral Policy: Can Mining Become Sustainable? https://policyprint.com/probing-eu-mineral-policy-can-mining-become-sustainable/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:54:27 +0000 https://policyprint.com/?p=4165 Finland is an old mining country, and minerals have been extracted from the land for hundreds of years.…

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Finland is an old mining country, and minerals have been extracted from the land for hundreds of years. The seminar series provided by the Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme showed what used to be possible in mining is not so any longer, and we need drastic changes to remain within our planetary boundaries.

The European Commission published its proposal for an EU raw materials initiative (Critical Raw Materials Act, CRMA) in March 2023. The proposal contains plans to open new mines in Europe and to utilize minerals found in the waste materials of closed mines. Permitting procedures for new mines are additionally proposed to be shortened, and mining companies will be required to report their environmental footprints to the EU. The European Parliament approved the Act last September. To scrutinize the proposed Act, along with its implications to mining practices and our planetary boundaries, we held a seminar series with invited experts during autumn 2023.

The seminar series revolved around crucial questions that are expected to fundamentally shape our future: do we have enough minerals in the world for a green transition? What will be the environmental impact of increasing the number of mines? Is circular economy the solution, or should we reduce our consumption?

Europe depends on imported critical raw materials for its green transition

The autumn seminars were kicked off with a thoroughly informative presentation by Henna Virkkunen, Member of The European Parliament (MEP), working on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). MEP Virkkunen laid out the facts: the EU is currently dependent on China when it comes to critical raw materials. While Europeans consume around 20% of the world’s critical raw materials, only approximately 2% are produced in Europe. The proposed Act supports the plan to shift this balance towards a more self-sufficient and supply-secure future. The audience raised concerns about environmental safety and environmental degradation due to the increasing volume of mining, especially considering the simplified permitting process for critical raw material projects.

Tackling biodiversity loss while increasing mining is a conundrum

Transitioning from a fossil fuel-based economy is argued to be dependent on mining more (critical) raw materials. But how to do it sustainably with minimal environmental damage, and how well are natural values considered in the short and long term when decisions are made regarding new mines? The Chairman of the Finnish Nature Panel Professor Janne Kotiaho, from the University of Jyväskylä, and environmental activist Riikka Karppinen from Sodankylä further reflected on these questions.

Professor Kotiaho’s message was grimly realistic: biodiversity loss continues at an accelerated rate in both Europe and Finland, and we are all responsible for it. He argued that at the current state of affairs, to truly halt biodiversity and nature loss, we need to implement restorative, nature-positive solutions instead of solutions based on the principle of no net loss. Karppinen expressed shock and discontent regarding the aims to facilitate the opening of new mines in currently protected areas in the name of a green transition. Karppinen has frequently spoken out against a global mining company that is planning on opening a new nickel mine near her home in an area protected by Finnish law and the EU Natura framework. During her presentation, she kindly shared her experiences regarding the residents’ struggles.

The critical raw materials are not renewable

The green transition’s burden on the natural environment may indeed be enormous. But do we have enough materials to fully shift to renewables, or are we about to reach the limits of the planet’s boundaries? Research Professor Simon Michaux, from the Finnish Geological Survey, provided astounding figures on the amounts of minerals actually required for the green transition. According to his estimates, at current energy use rates, we simply do not have enough minerals in the world to fully shift to renewables, and in fact, minerals are “the new oil”. Professor Michaux’s presentation left us thinking: if we do not have enough materials in the world to substitute fossil fuels with renewables, are our current consumption patterns simply doomed?

To better understand how the new Critical Raw Materials Act may look like in Finland, we listened to a presentation by Jarkko Vesa, Special Advisor at the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. He provided a thorough overview on how the implementation process began. As the Director of Sustainable Development of the mining company Terrafame, Veli-Matti Hilla further underscored: it is clear that mining has received a substantial boost from the EU institutes.

A mix of solutions is needed for a sustainable future

Director Lasse Miettinen from Sitra gave the closing presentation to our seminar series, and it ended on a rather optimistic note. He argued – in line with most of our presenters, along with our own concerns – that we are currently exceeding the limits of our planet. To imagine a more sustainable future, we need to learn to think about ecosystems in a more nuanced and interconnected way. The climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and natural resource depletion cannot be solved separately. Both biotic and abiotic resources are part of nature and managing them should be reframed accordingly. Director Miettinen argued that transitioning to a circular economy is a crucial part and precondition of the solution to our multiple crises. To reduce supply risks and ensure positive environmental outcomes, we need circular solutions, diversified supplies, and more local production beside aiming for sustainable lifestyles and biodiversity offsets. He encouraged us to think that building a more sustainable future is indeed possible.

Professor of Practice in Environmental Responsibility and Chair of the seminar series, Hannele Pokka further noted that while observing how mining in Finland has developed over the years, ordinary people tend to support mining but under no circumstances do they want a mine near their homes. Finland is an old mining country, and minerals have been extracted from the land for hundreds of years. Public opinion in Finland has taken a more critical stance on mining in recent years, which has been reinforced by the Talvivaara mine environmental disaster. It has been difficult for new mining projects to gain social acceptance, and several mining projects, especially in Northern Finland are pending. If mining companies want to seek approval for their projects, mining should be reformed to incorporate a more comprehensive notion of sustainability, including new approaches and technological solutions in water management.

The seminar series, above all, taught us that what used to be possible in mining is not so any longer, and we need drastic changes to remain within our planetary boundaries.

Seminar recordings and further reading materials are available via the links embedded in the text.

Source: Mirage News

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Climate Crisis is ‘not Gender Neutral’: UN Calls for More Policy Focus on Women https://policyprint.com/climate-crisis-is-not-gender-neutral-un-calls-for-more-policy-focus-on-women/ Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:29:28 +0000 https://policyprint.com/?p=3658 Only a third of countries include sexual and reproductive health in their national plans to tackle the climate…

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Only a third of countries include sexual and reproductive health in their national plans to tackle the climate crisis, the UN has warned.

Of the 119 countries that have published plans, only 38 include access to contraception, maternal and newborn health services and just 15 make any reference to violence against women, according to a report published by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Queen Mary University of London on Tuesday.

The report is the first to examine whether climate plans refer to sexual and reproductive health.

It calls on more countries to recognise the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on women and girls, and for more action.

Rising temperatures have been linked to poorer maternal health and complications during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes. Extreme heat has been associated with triggering earlier deliveries and an increase in stillbirths.

The report said the climate crisis exacerbated existing inequalities. In east and southern Africa, for example, tropical cyclones have damaged health facilities, disrupting access to maternal health services and helping spread waterborne diseases such as cholera.

Hurricanes and droughts increase the risks of gender-based violence and child marriage, it added, as families under stress are less able to support daughters and seek to marry them off.

Angela Baschieri, an adviser on population and development for UNFPA and one of the report’s authors, said: “If we look at the plan of action for women and girls, national plans show there is more work that could be done.

“We know climate change disproportionately affects women and is not gender neutral so there is a need to address those gaps and impacts.”

The report highlighted the countries that are taking action. Paraguay, Seychelles and Benin have specified the need to build climate-resilient health systems allowing women to give birth safely and access health services.

Nine countries, including El Salvador, Sierra Leone and Guinea, have included policies or interventions to address gender-based violence.

Only Dominica has mentioned the need for contraception, despite evidence of disruptions to family-planning services during climate-related disasters.

Vietnam is the only country to acknowledge that child marriage occurs more often during times of crises as families seek to reduce their economic burden (for example, marriages of girls aged 11 to 14 increased by half in Bangladesh in years with a heatwave lasting a month).

“Climate is setting us back on the fight to gender equality. Our point would be to make sure that climate policy recognises the differential impact on women and takes it into account in the design of policy,” said Baschieri.

Source : The Guardian

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‘Victory dance’ for Climate Crisis panel in its final hearing https://policyprint.com/victory-dance-for-climate-crisis-panel-in-its-final-hearing/ Thu, 08 Dec 2022 15:50:55 +0000 https://policyprint.com/?p=2604 The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held its final hearing Tuesday, the end of an era…

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The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held its final hearing Tuesday, the end of an era that saw lawmakers devote unprecedented attention to the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet.

The committee was never a legislative powerhouse, nor was it intended to be. And after its first few hearings in 2019, it was rarely covered or discussed in major media outlets.

It nonetheless gave lawmakers from both parties a venue to discuss climate policy from virtually every angle, filling in gaps for House standing committees segmented by agency and issue jurisdiction.

Democrats also believe the panel played a crucial role in developing the policy ideas that eventually became the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic suite of climate and clean energy investments. Many of the recommendations and ideas from the panel’s 2020 majority staff report eventually ended up in the Inflation Reduction Act.

“I think we can take an appropriate victory dance that the report we did became the Inflation Reduction Act,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), a member of the committee, said in an interview.

The Democratic staff plans to release an additional report next week outlining the policies that have already been enacted by Congress and further steps they believe are necessary to adapt to climate change and reduce emissions.

It was an unusual scene Tuesday, as Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) teared up while wrapping up her closing remarks. Lawmakers do not usually bid farewell to an entire committee when party control changes hands.

Castor likened the experience of chairing the committee to college. The panel has held dozens of hearings over the past four years.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Castor said. “It’s like I’ve gone through a graduate course in all this, and there’s still a lot to learn.”

Republicans plan to disband the committee when they take control of the House in January. Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-La.) said the committee had been valuable in some ways during its four-year existence, and he acknowledged that it’s given him a microphone to talk about the energy policy issues he cares about.

“I do think it’s important that you have a committee involved in that kind of crosscutting,” Graves said in an interview.

At the same time, Graves said, “I think at the end of the day it probably isn’t going to be regarded as the greatest return on investment for taxpayers.”

The committee was the brainchild of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Pelosi had created a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming during her first term as speaker from 2007 to 2011, and she sought to recreate it when Democrats took control of the House again in the 2018 midterms.

She faced resistance, however, from standing committee chairs, who feared a select panel would leach away their power. Chief among the opponents was Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), who at one point said he didn’t believe the Select Committee was “necessary” (E&E Daily, Nov. 14, 2018).

Progressive activists were also pushing Pelosi to make the committee focus on the Green New Deal, then a huge political talking point on her party’s left flank.

In the end, Democrats settled on the “climate crisis” terminology, which has become the preferred term for discussing planetary warming and its impacts for some news outlets, green groups and academics.

In a concession to standing committee opponents, the committee ended up with no formal legislative or subpoena powers.

“The chairs and the committee staff understood that we weren’t there to really tread on their jurisdiction but to weave together the whole plan,” Castor said.

The committee managed to grab the spotlight every once in a while. It hosted youth climate activist Greta Thunberg alongside conservative climate advocate Benji Backer during one 2019 joint hearing that drew national attention.

A ‘critical role’

Casten said the panel managed to pull together conversations about the morality of stopping climate change, the energy transition and energy prices under one roof.

“Where does that conversation ever happen, really holistically, except on this committee?” Casten said.

Democrats, during the hearing Tuesday, emphasized that further action is needed to hold world temperatures under 1.5 degrees Celsius and meet President Joe Biden’s pledge of halving emissions by 2030.

“Our work remains urgent. Climate disasters are putting America’s security and stability at serious risk — threatening our economy, our way of life, and our communities,” Castor said. “The crisis is no longer a distant threat.”

Greg Wetstone, president and CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy, told lawmakers they had played a “critical role” in “defining the nation’s climate agenda,” pointing to the majority staff report.

“An impressive 305 of the report’s recommendations are now enacted into law, a clear testament to the sagacity and lasting impact of the Select Committee’s work,” Wetstone said.

Source: EE News.Net

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