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Monthly archives: September 2009

Scientists reveal the planetary boundaries

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planetary-boundaries

Illustration: Nature.

Talking about sustainability is seldom a very precise thing. When it comes to curbing  greenhouse gases, for example, percentages often come out of negotiations between different interests instead of what is actually needed. But now 28 internationally renowned scientists, led by Swedish scientist Johan Rockström from Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Centre have calculated how big our elbow room actually is, if we want to avoid causing catastrophic environmental change.

Not hopeless

Earth has been in a relatively stable state during the last 10 000 years, giving humanity a possibility to develop and thrive. But if we want to stay in this stable state there are boundaries that we shouldn’t pass, the scientific group says.
They call it “planetary boundaries” and recently a feature about this was published in Nature. There the scientists explain that if one boundary is transgressed, then safe levels for other processes could also be under serious risk.
But, they also point out, there is hope. If we respect these boundaries we have a bright future for centuries ahead.

Already outside the circle

Look at the picture above again. The green circle represents the safe operating space for humanity, that is where we should be. The red wedges show were we actually are, already having exceeded the limits in three areas: the rate of biodiversity loss, climate change and human interference with the nitrogen cycle.

Sara Jeswani - Sustainability

September 29, 2009

Sustainability at the book fair

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Every year Sweden’s biggest book- and library fair is held in Gothenburg. During four days writers, journalists, librarians, book publishers and all kinds of literature lovers gather here to take a look at the latest books, magazines and all that comes with it. So this is definitely the place to be when you have just released your very first issue of a magazine.
 
Yesterday I was sitting on the tram on my way to the fair, extremely nervous that the printing house should somehow have been delayed delivering our magazine. But - there it was! After working day and night to start Sweden’s first magazine about climate change and sustainability, Effekt, it was a big moment to finally hold it in my hands. Hopefully this can be a starting shot for a discussion about how we can create a truly sustainable society, taking the climate, economic, energy and ecological crisis into account. 
 
But Effekt isn’t the only element of climate change and sustainability discussion here at the fair. Among others the former arch bishop of the Christian church is here to speak about his hopes for a globally just climate agreement in Copenhagen later this year. And one of my colleagues at Effekt, David Jonstad, presents his book about personal carbon allowances as a possible and fair solution to the climate crisis. On Sunday the Vice-president of the European Commission Margot Wallström will discuss climate politics with Christian Azar, scientist and member of the UN panel on climate change IPCC.

Sara Jeswani - Sustainability

September 25, 2009

More cyclists on our streets

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cycle-mirrors
Mirrors help cyclists in Malmö to cross the road in a safer way. Photo: Gatukontoret Malmö stad.

All over Europe the European mobility week is in full swing. The idea of it is to promote sustainable mobility.
43 Swedish cities are participating, some of them closing central areas for traffic and giving more space for pedestrians, cyclists and others who have chosen not to take their car.

Unfortunately Stockholm, where I live, isn’t participating. But hopefully I will see some of it in Gothenburg, where I and my two colleagues from the climate magazine Effekt are going on Wednesday to participate in the big book fair there and present the first issue of our magazine.

But mobility week or not: cycling is growing strongly in many parts of Sweden. On an average day in Stockholm there are 80 percent more cyclists than ten years ago, around 150 000 people make their way through the city with the help of two wheels and leg power.
More cyclists also require a city planning which is better adapted for cycling. In Malmö, where one third of all traveling within the city is made by bike, several projects are trying to make life easier for bikers. In an experimental test, the city has equipped a stretch of road with rails where cyclists can lean while waiting for red lights to go green, tool stations on the roadside if your cycle brakes down and mirrors as the one on the photo above, which makes crossings safer.

Sara Jeswani - Sustainability

September 21, 2009

How can Swedish emissions decline and grow at the same time? The answer lies in the forest.

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The forest – not to be forgotten.

In Sweden the collected greenhouse gases we emit from transports, heating our houses, industries and so on, have been reduced since 1990. But – taking a wider look at the actual net emissions, they have grown with more than 12 percent in the last 19 years.
It might sound strange, but the reason is that we have cut down more forest than before. Trees are a great storage of CO2, acting as what is called “natural carbon sinks” but when the tree is felled, the CO2 is once again released into the atmosphere. Fewer trees are not just a result of more cutting, storms such as “Gudrun”, which hit the country in 2005, have also cleared large forest areas.
Hans Wrådhe from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency says there is no reason to be worried as long as new forest is growing faster than the rate of felling.
But nevertheless it is a reminder of the complexity of the eco system. Focusing on cutting emissions from for example how we heat our houses doesn’t help if we use the land in a wrong way. It’s all connected.

Sara Jeswani - Sustainability

September 17, 2009

Swedish food guidelines meet protests from the EU

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The farmers’ local market – not to be advised? Photo: Jonas O Carlsson.

Earlier I have written in the Sustainability blog about how the Swedish National Food Administration has put together guidelines on how to eat food which is both good for health and for the environment (read about it here and here)
Some of the recommendations are to eat less meat and to buy locally produced food when possible, since transportation causes large emissions of carbon dioxide.
These guidelines were sent to the European Commission earlier this summer to be approved, but now the commission has come up with objections.
– If a piece of advice is given by a government authority that encourages people to buy products from their own country, that is in most cases against the principles of the single market, said Michael Mann, who is the commission’s spokesperson for agriculture and rural development in one of the Swedish TV news shows.

Complicated to be environmentally friendly
According to a new survey made by the Swedish Consumer Agency, 80 percent of the Swedes find it difficult to act in an environmentally friendly way. About half of the persons in the survey said that there are too many options and choices to be made, which makes it almost impossible to stay sufficiently informed about the environmental impact of different products.
Now the EU commission and the Swedish National Food Administration are having a dialogue about the possibilities to change the wordings in this document, but I think the question about how environmental issues are supposed to be weighed when they collide with the principle of free movement of goods within the EU will rise again.

Sara Jeswani - Sustainability

September 15, 2009