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☆ This Moroccan startup is growing crops in the desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Sand to Green is a Moroccan startup that can transform a patch of desert into a sustainable and profitable plantation in five years, according to Wissal Ben Moussa, its co-founder and chief agricultural officer. Wissal Ben Moussa, Sand to Green co-founder and chief agricultural officer. “My top three favorite trees are carob, fig and pomegranate,” Ben Moussa says. “With this system we create biodiversity, which means better soil, healthier crops and a bigger yield,” Ben Moussa says. “We can go anywhere in the world as long as we have access to brackish water,” Ben Moussa says.

Persons: Wissal Ben Moussa, ”, Ben Moussa, Sand, Morocco that’s, ” Ben Moussa, “, Green Organizations: London CNN, United Nations, UN Convention, Biosaline Agriculture Locations: Africa, South America, Europe, China, Moroccan, Biochar, Morocco, Asia, Dubai, Tanzania, Sand, Mauritania, Senegal, Namibia, Egypt, United States

☆ Project Wild Earth: This family of four has just embarked on a 5-year adventure around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Kate Springer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

They instantly connected and maintained a long-distance relationship for a year after his road trip ended before moving to Hong Kong to start a life together. During the project, dubbed “Project Wild Earth,” they will also share stories on their website and social media accounts about inspiring rangers, support organizations, government officials and entrepreneurs they work or come in contact with. Leah, an American, worked as a primary school teacher and helped establish a Sudbury school in Hong Kong that empowers children to direct their own education. The Priors found themselves stuck in Hong Kong, which had some of the strictest pandemic restrictions in the world due to its “zero-Covid” approach. “When these things unfolded in Hong Kong, we had to reconsider everything.

Persons: we’re, Matt, Leah Prior, Leah, Zapp, Graham, Paige, “ Leah, ” Matt, ”, “, AdventureX, Jack, Matt couldn’t, “ Jack, Sai Kung, “ It’s, Dr, Jane Goodall, Tompkins, Allen, –, Reinhard Dirscherl, Charlotte, they’ll Organizations: CNN, The Explorers Club, Sumy Sadurni, Getty, Allen Coral Atlas, Jane, Jane Goodall Institute and, Bank Locations: Charlotte, Laos, London, South Korea, Hong Kong, Europe, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia, Asia, Pacific, Africa, Americas, American, Sudbury, British, Indonesia, Hong, New Territories, AFP, Patagonia, agroforestry

☆ Armani tests sustainable cotton production in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Italian fashion company Giorgio Armani is seen at a shop in Zurich, Switzerland July 8, 2021. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File PhotoMILAN, June 5 (Reuters) - Luxury fashion house Armani Group has started an experimental agroforestry plantation in southern Italy to test new ways to produce cotton sustainably, it said on Monday. Armani said cotton planting started last month over one hectare of land - to be expanded to five hectares - in the southern region of Apulia. "Over five years, this farm site will be among the first field experiments in Europe testing agroforestry cotton with alternative tree species and regenerative practices," Armani said in a statement. The project is in collaboration with the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force and the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, both founded by Britain's King Charles in his former role as the Prince of Wales, Armani Group said.

Persons: Giorgio Armani, Arnd, MILAN, Armani, Britain's King Charles, Prince of, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Kering, Elisa Anzolin, Alvise Armellini, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Armani, Sustainable, Force, Alliance, Armani Group, Sustainability, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Italy, Apulia, Agroforestry, Europe, Prince of Wales

☆ Six innovations that can help feed the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mark Tutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN asked three experts to outline the innovations that can help increase food production without harming the planet. Insect proteinSingapore-based Insectta uses black soldier fly larvae to convert organic food waste into fertilizer and animal feed. The maggots are fed food waste, such as the byproducts of soybean factories and breweries. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty ImagesMadramootoo says that a wholescapes approach can also be applied to food production in urban and peri-urban areas – the spaces immediately surrounding a city. “In congested peri-urban areas, we can use vertical farms in warehouses or abandoned buildings, for example, to produce food.

Summary Climate change has big impact on economy, inflation - AmamiyaAug survey showed strong demand for green bonds - BOJ AmamiyaBOJ's climate scheme has extended $26 bln in loansTOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya said on Sunday the central bank will conduct a survey annually of financial institutions and companies, seeking ways to nurture the country's growing climate finance market. An initial survey in August showed "strong demand" in Japan for "green" bonds and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) debt instruments, Amamiya said. Some respondents said they faced challenges in obtaining information and appropriate methods for assessing risks associated with climate change, he said. "Central banks can therefore contribute to achieving macroeconomic stability in the long run by supporting private-sector moves to deal with climate change." The BOJ last year rolled out a funding scheme targeting activities aimed at combating climate change, as part of efforts to align itself with a global push toward a greener society.

Australia's fourth-largest bank also said it would reduce exposure to its largest carbon-emitting customers that do not improve their emission transition plans by 2025. ANZ also disclosed that it would lower its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2025 and 90% by 2030. "Our exposure to thermal coal will continue to decline in line with our existing commitments, which includes no longer onboarding any new business customers with material thermal coal exposures, or directly financing new thermal coal mines or power plants," ANZ said. In July, Westpac (WBC.AX) unveiled plans to reduce its lending to coal, oil and gas companies by nearly a quarter by 2030 to slash emissions. read more($1 = A$1.4786)Reporting by Tejaswi Marthi and Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Uttaresh.VOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Financial Conduct Authority FollowLONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Providers of environment, social and governance (ESG) ratings on companies will be asked to apply a voluntary best practice code as a first step to regulating the sector, Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said on Tuesday. Trillions of dollars have flowed into sustainable investments globally using unregulated ESG ratings on companies as a guide for their 'green' credentials, leaving regulators worried about greenwashing or over inflated ESG claims. Britain's government is considering giving the FCA powers to directly regulate ESG ratings providers. The code will reflect recommendations from the global securities regulatory body IOSCO, and developments in Japan and the European Union, the FCA said. "A Code could also continue to apply for ESG data and ratings providers that fall outside the scope of potential future regulation," the FCA said in a statement.

The move angered foreign governments and foreign-owned carmakers who say the change will disqualify a majority of their EV fleets from North American markets. "But it should not have negative side effects on their European allies and the European economy." South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also spoke to Biden about the issue during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit, according to Yoon’s office. The Treasury is working to define the rules for some $278 billion worth of tax credits on EVs, solar and wind power investments and a range of other technologies. While a number of countries have said the U.S. tax credits likely violate World Trade Organization rules, none have sought to file a formal challenge.

Farmers in both are fighting a losing battle to save the soil that produces our food. By contrast, there's not enough water in the vast Yangtze basin, which produces a third of China's crops. Soil erosion could lead to a 10% loss in global crop production by 2050, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Similarly, other measures such as digging thousands of new wells and encouraging farmers to switch crops to boost yields have limited impact. Options include not tilling soil to reduce erosion, and planting off-season cover crops to prevent erosion and nutrient loss.

University power plants are much smaller than their industry counterparts and thus produce fewer overall emissions. All fossil-fuel power plants produce these emissions, which are created when these fuels are burned. These facilities include large power plants owned by public utilities as well as private plants that provide electricity and heating for big consumers such as refineries, paper mills and colleges. Reuters identified 103 university power plants run by 93 four-year institutions among the facilities tracked by the EIA. NOx ComparisonsReuters turned to a different data set to obtain NOx emission rates for university power plants: pollution tests required by state and federal regulators.

NAIROBI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - A labour court on Tuesday ordered pilots at Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) to resume work by Wednesday, seeking to end a strike that has left thousands of passengers stranded at one of Africa's most important aviation hubs. On Tuesday, a labour and employment court judge ordered the pilots to resume their duties "unconditionally" at 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) on Wednesday. Kenya Airways welcomed the court's directions, and said it would comply. [1/2] Kenya Airways pilots attend a court session after the association's management was summoned for contempt of a court order declaring as illegal the ongoing strike of Kenya Airways pilots, organised by KALPA, at the Milimani Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya, November 8, 2022. Financial turmoil at Kenya Airways preceded the pandemic.

[1/2] Kenya Airways pilots attend a court session after the association's management was summoned for contempt of a court order declaring as illegal the ongoing strike of Kenya Airways pilots, organised by KALPA, at the Milimani Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Monicah MwangiNAIROBI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The striking pilots at Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) have been ordered to resume work by November 9, a court ruled on Tuesday, while also barring the airline from penalising the pilots. Employment and Labour Relations court Judge Anna Mwaure ordered "the Kenya Airways pilots to resume their duties as pilots by 6 a.m on 9th November unconditionally." The order comes after a letter from the CEO of Kenya Airways earlier showed its plans to cancel its bargaining and recognition agreements with its pilots union, saying their current strike is unlawful and it amounts to economic sabotage. Members of the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA) — a union that represents about 400 pilots at the carrier - went on strike on Saturday after failing to resolve a dispute over their pensions contributions and settlement of deferred pay.

"This new generation of high ambition targets can enable a cleaner greener food and agriculture sector," said Eric Usher, Head of the U.N. Environment Programme Finance Initiative, which helped convene the group and approved the targets as ambitious. Ahead of the COP27 global climate talks in Egypt in November, investors are increasingly focusing on links between a healthy food system and efforts to fight global warming and preserve biodiversity. "The wider finance sector must use COP27 to supersize its ambition and grow a more sustainable food and agriculture sector," Usher said. "Identifying what a state-of-the-art, credible target to finance sustainable food and agriculture looks like is a vital part of addressing the urgent climate and food crises," said Wiebe Draijer, co-chair of the Good Food Finance Network and former CEO from Rabobank.

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