5 Barriers to Entry in Nature-based Carbon Projects
Nature for Justice’s (N4J) experience with the request for nature-based carbon project proposals in Africa, which we are also contemplating in Canada with First Nations, has generated an enormous amount of interest. Despite the holiday period in the U.S., we received over 70 proposals by mid-January. While many proposals did not meet the requirements for […]
Wetlands. Protecting Them is a Nature-based Solution.
85% of the world’s wetlands have been lost due to human interference, much of it through large-scale modern agriculture. Known as “nature’s kidneys,” wetlands slow the flow of water across the landscape, allowing sediment, nutrients, and other particles to settle to the bottom. Those nutrients in turn fuel wetland productivity, supporting plants and invertebrates that […]
Looking Back to See Forward: 2022 Accomplishments and Opportunities Ahead
2022 – A Year in Review This is a somewhat unusual end-of-year message as I want to talk as much about process as achievements for the year. Nature For Justice(N4J) is a two-year-old organization with big ambitions (i.e. ultimately improving the lives of 100 million people), an expanding set of collaborators (e.g.Ostrom Climate), and confidence that […]
$51 per ton? Nope. Try $185 for the Social Cost of Carbon.
The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is the cost of the damages incurred by the emission of one additional metric ton (mt) of CO2. For example, when emitted from car exhaust, CO2 remains in the atmosphere for a long period of time and causes warming, which in turn affects human health and the environment in a […]
John Oliver: Giggles and a Big Fail
John Oliver’s recent broadside against carbon offsets last month got lots of laughs. But Oliver and his team cherry-picked the data for the giggles. It was also a Big Fail. The piece ignored the important potential of offsets for those most challenged by climate change: at-risk local and indigenous communities. Failure of Standards, and Solutions […]
Nature-based Solutions? They’re powerful.
Nature-based solutions are gaining traction around the world as a means of mitigating the threats of climate change. While there are various definitions of Nature-based solutions (NbS), they have many elements in common. Generally speaking, NbS are actions taken to restore, protect, and sustainably manage natural ecosystems to address the myriad challenges posed by climate […]
Learn Fast: Measure. Compare. Modify.
Post COP26 View Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are emerging as a powerful, integrated approach for mitigating and adapting to climate change while protecting biodiversity and promoting the well-being of people, particularly those living in vulnerable communities. There is growing evidence that NbS have the potential to capture over one-third of the carbon needed to keep the […]
Biodiversity Loss Threatens Social Justice
WWF’s 2020 Living Planet Report reported that: “The world has seen an average 68% drop in mammal, bird, fish, reptile, and amphibian populations since 1970. . . .” Biodiversity is the variety of life in all its forms. It is made up of all living species, their genetic variation, and the interaction of these living […]
A Culture of Earth Centeredness, Mother Earth Day, April 22, 2022
Nature For Justice’s mission (N4J) is to use nature to address the social justice needs of vulnerable populations confronting the climate crisis around the world. This Earth Day we wanted to highlight, that for our mission to succeed, that we firmly believe and engage — as an organization and as individuals — in a culture […]
A Visit to Our South Africa Project
Last week I was in South Africa with our corporate partner and the local team as our nature-based project in the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) enters Phase 2. Phase 1 evaluated the opportunity for conservation agriculture, Spekboomveld restoration, wetland protection and management, Resnosterveld management, and invasive plant to biochar (charcoal) conversion. The two questions […]
Missed Opportunity: Greenpeace on ENI in Zambia
Greenpeace Report In May 2021, Greenpeace Italy issued a report entitled “The Luangwa Community Forests Project (LCFP) in Zambia, A review of the biggest REDD+ project in Africa financed by the Italian oil and gas company ENI,” by Kelvin Mulungu. We read it and have some thoughts. Our organization, Nature For Justice (N4J), and my […]
Investing in Nature to Reduce Human Migration
Investing $1 in nature-based solutions now will save at least $4 in future costs of climate-related migration. Where on earth did I get that figure? The recently released National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) Report entitled : “Climate Change and International Responses Increasing Challenges to US National Security Through 2040” should be a MUST READ for anyone […]
