A third of the food we produce ends up in the garbage can. This represents enormous potential and a unique opportunity to define more rational ways of using our food. A UN report notes that “on a country-by-country basis, food loss and waste would constitute the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions”. Food waste also contributes to climate change.
If governments don’t act, the big oil and gas companies will continue to cash in while the world burns.The Guardian has published a major survey of various think tanks, analysts and academics from around the world. The report lists dozens of projects, “carbon bombs” that alone account for 646 gigatons of CO2.
Smartphones contain around 30 different elements, some of which are being depleted on Earth. According to the scientists, there is an urgent need to speed up the recycling of electronic waste, as the extraction of precious metals for the manufacture of new gadgets is not sustainable. According to one study, the mountain of discarded electronics worldwide will weigh 57 million tonnes in 2021 alone.
Abidjan hosts the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought from May 9 to 20. This meeting follows on from COP14, which took place in New Delhi, India, in 2019. Its theme is “Earth. Life. Heritage: from scarcity to prosperity”. The challenge is to take concrete action against land degradation and its harmful consequences for biodiversity and populations.
Today, Europe is heavily dependent on imports of ores and precious metals to ensure its energy transition. It depends on Russia for aluminum, nickel and copper, but also to a large extent on China for rare earths, the Congo for cobalt, and South America for lithium, silicon and zinc. The energy transition could be slowed down by supply problems.
Studio Ghibli, the famous Japanese film studio co-founded by animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose work includes the famous My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke, offers complex visual stories about the relationship between man and nature that transcend the barriers of culture and age. One of the key messages of Miyazaki’s work is that we must respect nature, or risk being destroyed.
This initiative, launched on October 6 by luxury giants Kering and Richemont (via Cartier), has set common goals for sustainable development. After Cartier, Kering, Gucci Watches, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Qeelin, Chanel Horlogerie Joaillerie, Montblanc, Rosy Blue and Swarovski also joined the association on the occasion of its official launch in April. What’s the situation six months on?
The boss of Syngenta, the Basel-based agrochemical multinational that produces pesticides and genetically modified seeds, said in an interview with the NZZ on Sunday that it was the responsibility of rich countries to increase their agricultural production in order to avoid a food catastrophe, using this argument to recommend abandoning organic farming.
Social networking stars reach an audience of millions on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and more. Their publications make children want to eat products that are too sweet, too salty or too fatty, and therefore bad for their health. For their part, manufacturers use the popularity of young influencers to place their advertising messages directly with young people.
With over a billion users, eye-catching visuals and sounds, and a viral platform, TikTok has revolutionized the way we consume media and fashion. But it’s difficult to know their real impact. Abercrombie & Fitch, Amazon, American Eagle, Lululemon, Shein… Good on You has rated the most popular brands on TikTok according to their impact on people, planet and animals.
