for the first time that degraded forests were a more significant source of planet-warming CO 2 emissions that outright deforestation .
Over the same 10-year period , degradation — caused by fragmentation , selective cutting , or fires that damage but do not destroy trees — caused three times more emissions than outright destruction of forests .
ADB rules out coal , sets conditions for gas projects in draft energy policy – Straits Times
The Asian Development Bank ( ADB ) has said it will formally rule out financing for new coal projects and will also ban financing for coal , oil and gas exploration and extraction as pressure grows on the institution to end all support for fossil fuels on climate concerns . The pledges are contained in a draft energy policy , following the bank ' s annual meetings in Manila .
" ADB will not finance any coal mining , oil and natural gas field exploration , drilling or extraction activities . ADB will not finance any new coal-fired capacity for power and heat generation or any facilities associated with new coal generation ," the draft said . But the bank will continue to consider financing gas projects such as pipelines and power plants . Burning fossil fuels is the single largest source of emissions heating up the planet and driving wilder weather .
ADB came under criticism from Oil Change International and Fossil Free , an international coalition of non-Government groups and movements , for channelling USD4.7 billion to gas projects since the adoption of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement . The policy draft said the bank will still consider support for gas projects , such as transmission and distribution pipelines , LNG terminals , gas-fired power plant and gas for heating and cooking , when five conditions are met . These include improving energy access , comparing projects with the cost of renewable alternatives , showing a plan for longterm carbon neutrality that also avoids locking into long-term carbon infrastructure , and lowering the emissions of local electricity grids . ADB said it will develop more detailed guidelines on future gas investments .
Green groups , while welcoming the pledges on new coal and fossil fuel mining and extraction , said the bank should speed up its investment focus on renewable energy .
Species extinction 100 to 1,000 times higher than the background rate , the standard rate of extinction in earth ’ s history before human pressure became a prominent factor – World Wildlife Fund
All economic activity ultimately depends on services provided by nature , estimated to be worth around USD125 trillion a year . As we better understand our reliance on natural systems , it ’ s clear that nature is not just a ‘ nice to have ’. Business and the finance industry are starting to question how global environmental risks will affect the macroeconomic performance of countries , sectors and financial markets , and policy-makers wonder how we will meet climate and sustainable development targets with declining nature and biodiversity .
Exploding human consumption is the driving force behind the unprecedented planetary change we are witnessing , through the increased demand for energy , land and water . Consumption indicators — such as the Ecological Footprint — provide a picture of overall resource use . The products we consume , the supply chains behind them , the materials they use and how these are extracted and manufactured have myriad impacts on the world around us .
Marine and freshwater ecosystems are also facing huge pressures . Almost six billion tonnes of fish and invertebrates have been taken from the world ’ s oceans since 1950 . Plastic pollution has been detected in all major marine environments worldwide , from shorelines and surface waters down to the deepest parts of the ocean , including the bottom of the Mariana Trench .
The latest Living Planet Index shows an overall decline of 60 % in population sizes between 1970 and 2014 . Species population declines are especially pronounced in the tropics , with South and Central America suffering the most dramatic decline , an 89 % loss compared to 1970 . Freshwater species numbers have also declined dramatically , with the Freshwater Index showing an 83 % decline since 1970 .
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