Category: Blog

September 23, 2019

What you need to know about the UN Climate Action Summit 2019

To tackle the issue of climate change UN organizes the UN Climate Action Summit today (23.9.2019) in New York.

“The Summit will bring together governments, the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations to develop ambitious solutions in six areas: a global transition to renewable energy; sustainable and resilient infrastructures and cities; sustainable agriculture and management of forests and oceans; resilience and adaptation to climate impacts; and alignment of public and private finance with a net zero economy.” (UN 2019)

Why this is important

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time, having remarkable effects on the nature and all societies, businesses, animals and humans. There is still time to slow down the pace of climate change, making it possible for us and the nature to adapt. This will, however, require unprecedented effort from all sectors of society. One important step in this direction is the Paris Agreement on climate change. To boost ambition and strengthen actions related to the Paris Agreement UN Secretary-General´s special envoy António Guterres will host the 2019 Climate Action Summit in New York 23.9.2019. Climate solutions are important for both business and nature. Climate solutions strengthen our economies and create jobs, bring cleaner air, preserves natural habitats and biodiversity, and protects our environment. (UNFCCC 2019, UN 2019)

What is being discussed

The Summit addresses the issues of climate change and how to tackle it. The Secretary-General has prioritized six action portfolios, recognized to have a high potential to curb greenhouse gas emissions and increase global action on adaptation and resilience. These portfolios are: 1. mobilizing sources of finance to drive decarbonization, 2.energy transition away from fossil fuels and becoming energy efficient, 3.industry transition, 4.nature-based solutions such as reducing emissions, biodiversity conservation and leveraging supply chains and technology, 5.cities and local action advancing mitigation and resilience at urban and local levels and 6.resilience and adaption advancing efforts to manage and address the impact of climate change particularly in those communities and nations most vulnerable. (UN 2019)

More news

Ecobio helps you balance business and nature

Caisa Lindblom

July 2, 2019

9th Conference on Biodiversity in Trondheim

The Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Norwegian Government arranges the 9th Conference on Biodiversity in Trondheim, today (Tuesday, July 2). About 450 delegates from 120 countries are expected to attend the conference. Representatives consists mainly of decision-makers and experts. Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change in Finland, is participating in the conference.

Why is the conference held?

“In 2020 (in Kunming, China) the Convention on Biological Diversity will adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework as a stepping stone towards the 2050 Vision of “Living in harmony with nature”. This vision was agreed under the CBD in 2010 (in Nagoya, Japan), and reads that the vision is a world of “Living in harmony with nature” where “By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.”

The Conference will address the challenges of achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity and explore pathways for the transformational changes needed. The Trondheim Conferences on Biodiversity have since 1993 created opportunities for increasing understanding amongst stakeholders about issues on the biodiversity agenda.

The 9th Trondheim Conference will bring together decision-makers and experts from around the world to learn about and discuss knowledge and know-how for the global post-2020 biodiversity framework. The Conference will directly support the process established by the Convention on Biological Diversity for preparing this framework, with opportunities for major players to discuss key issues informally outside of the negotiation process.” https://trondheimconference.org/

Follow the live-stream from the conference here

Finland´s EU Presidency and its biodiversity agenda

On Monday (1.7.) Finland begun its six-month stint in the rotating presidency of the European Council.

The top priorities of the Finnish Presidency include strengthening the EU’s position as a global climate leader. According to the Finnish EU Presidency program, sustainability must be a common denominator for all EU action, and the implementation of Agenda 2030 for sustainable development must be ensured both within the Union and beyond. EU should raise its profile as a global climate leader by creating a long-term climate strategy which will help EU become carbon neutral in 2050. Finland will drive the EU Presidency with an ambitious and clear road map to improve biodiversity.

During its presidency, Finland will take steps to implement the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and to promote the sustainable use of natural resources and animal welfare.

Ecobio helps you reach the sustainability goals of your company – we help you balance business and nature.

For further information please get in touch:

Email: info@ecobio.fi

Phone: +358 (0)20 756 9450

The ministry of the Environment wrote about this

June 25, 2019

Blog series on climate impacts – Textile industry

The discussion on climate change is linked with the textile industry in multiple ways. On the one hand, the raw material supply and the production of textiles cause greenhouse gas emissions, on the other hand, the treatment of textile waste remains an unresolved question in circular economy. There is an increasing pressure for textile sector companies to improve the level of managing the environmental responsibilities, including climate impacts.

The climate impact from the textile industry can be reduced

The environmental impacts of the textile sector are related to energy and water consumption and to the use of hazardous substances over the life cycle of the product. The main environmental aspects of textiles are the raw material supply, dying, finishing, and the energy and water consumption during use, caused by the washing, drying and ironing of the textiles.

The climate impact from the textile industry can be reduced in many ways. Energy consumption shall be reduced in all stages of the life cycle, especially in manufacturing and use. The textile waste shall be first avoided, and if it is not possible, it shall be recycled as raw material, or its energy content recovered. The amendment of the EU waste directive (2018/851) requires the Member States to set up separate collection for textile waste by year 2025. It is likely that it improves the availability of textile waste, yet the utilization of the textile waste as raw material can be challenging due to the mixture of various fibers. The recyclability can be taken into account already in the design of the textile product.

The challenges in climate change and responsible operations may encourage the textile companies to develop their operations. There are several examples of innovative use of recycled or waste material as raw materials for textiles and sales and repair services of used clothes. The aim of these actions can be to reduce raw material costs, to profile as a responsible brand, and to stand out as an environmentally friendly company.

It is not only the climate change that matters in the textile industry. It is strongly linked to other environmental impacts as well as social responsibilities. To identify the environmental and social hot spots in the textile industry, it is necessary to evaluate the entire chain of operations in terms of a wide view of corporate responsibilities. Such an evaluation may include the consumption of resources (water, energy, natural resources), labor conditions and occupational health and safety.

Ecobio´s experts help you

Ecobio’s experts assist you in measuring, evaluating and developing the environmental performance, including climate change impacts. Our experts can help you improve the material and energy efficiency of your operations. We can also help you in wide sustainability-related questions and reporting. If these topics are currently relevant for you, contact Ecobio’s experts for further discussion.

Contact information:

Leena Tähkämö

Senior consultant

Tel. 020 756 2301

leena.tahkamo@ecobio.fi