⛰️ Enviro Futures #14

Happy Monday 👋

In Denmark, Agreena's regenerative agriculture program successfully reached 4.5 million hectares, promoting sustainable farming practices. Simultaneously, the Middle East pledged to plant 50 billion trees, expected to restore approximately 200 million hectares of degraded land, enhancing biodiversity and combating climate change. However, challenges persist, including the UN's delayed ocean conservation target and Delhi's ongoing air quality issues. Investments in decarbonization are also noteworthy, with the EU allocating $5.2B and Agrolend securing $53M in Series C funding, highlighting a growing commitment to address climate change and support sustainable agriculture initiatives globally.

🌱 Food Systems

🚜 Agreena's Regenerative Agriculture Program Reaches 4.5M Hectares. Agreena, an organization promoting regenerative agriculture, reports that over 2,300 farmers have adopted regenerative agriculture practices on 4.5M hectares across Europe.

🌱 Denmark Invests $2.1B in Climate Transition, Focusing on Plant-Based Foods. Denmark invested $2.1B into green research and innovation, including climate-friendly agriculture and alternative proteins. This initiative aims to facilitate the transition to net zero emissions by 2045, with a strong emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agrifood sector, which accounts for 25% of national emissions. 

🌍 COP16 aims to protect 30% of land and water by 2030. The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity aims to get countries to commit to protecting 30% of land and water by 2030, dubbed the 'Paris Agreement for nature'. Greenpeace says the world will be watching the EU to deliver on its global commitments.

🌊 Oceans and Water

🌊 UN's Ocean Conservation Target Delayed by Eight Decades. A report indicates that the United Nations' target to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030 will not be achieved until 2107, according to campaigners who claim that nature's dire condition has never been more evident.

🚰 Europe's Rivers in Crisis: EU Warned of Water Shortages. The European Environmental Agency warns that EU countries face chronic water shortages unless urgent steps are taken to address the deteriorating condition of Europe's rivers.

💧 Saur Issues $592M Blue Bond for Sustainable Water Investments. Saur, a French water management company, issued a $590M blue bond to fund sustainable water management initiatives. As the first European water utility to do so, Saur aims to finance projects that enhance water resource management, including drinking water production, wastewater treatment, and desalination, in alignment with its Green & Blue Financing Framework. 

♻️ Environmental Services

🌳 EU Invests $5.2B in Decarbonization Projects Funded Through Carbon Pricing System. The European Commission selected 85 decarbonization technology projects to receive $5.2B  in grants funded through the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

🌍 COP16 Biodiversity Summit: Developed Nations Pledge $20B for Conservation. At the COP16 biodiversity summit, world leaders urged countries to contribute funds to protect nature. Developed nations agreed to provide $20B annually to developing countries by 2025 as part of the biodiversity framework.

🌪️ Millions to be Displaced by Extreme Weather Events Due to Climate Change. Researchers find that millions of people will be forced to move away from areas with extreme weather events in the coming decades due to extreme climate change. The southern US, which is currently reeling from back-to-back hurricanes, is likely to be among the most affected regions.

🐟 Forestry and Fishing

🌳 Middle East's Massive Tree-Planting Initiative to Fight Climate Change. The Middle East pledged to plant 50 billion trees, with Saudi Arabia planning 10 billion and other countries in the region planning the remaining 40 billion, in an ambitious project aimed at combating climate change and meeting 5% of global afforestation goals.

🐟 AI System Transforming Fishmarket Sales. UK-based tech firm, bluecatchAI, launched the innovative CatchReport system, which uses AI and cameras to enhance transparency and objectivity in wholesale seafood sales allowing registered buyers to assess the quality of fish remotely by viewing real-time visuals as seafood is landed and sorted, enabling informed purchasing decisions and promoting more responsible fishing practices. 

💨 Air Quality

🌍 Egypt and World Bank Tackle Air Pollution and Climate Change. Egypt and the World Bank are collaborating on a project to address air pollution and climate change issues in Greater Cairo. Minister Fouad emphasized the project's unique approach to tackling these two critical environmental challenges.

🌳 DOE Invests $58M To Remove Carbon From The Atmosphere. The US Department of Energy announced more than $58M in federal funding for 11 projects to help develop a commercially viable carbon removal industry.

😷 Delhi's Air Quality Remains 'Very Poor' Despite Measures. Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor' despite the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implementing stage two of the anti-pollution plan GRAP.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

HolonIQ is now tracking reskilling and upskilling initiatives critical in bridging workforce gaps. Impact industries are rapidly evolving, fueled by technological advancements, decarbonization, geopolitical dynamics, and socio-economic factors. These sectors require considerable workforce/professional development initiatives to enhance workers' capabilities, boost economic growth, and promote social well-being. Read on for this week’s insights.

HolonIQ has launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for the purpose of cataloging, evaluating, and contextualizing the different components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Environment Deals

💰 Agrifintech Agrolend Raises $53M in Series C Funding. Agrolend, an agrifintech company, raised $53M in Series C funding to expand its credit offerings to industries, retailers, and cooperatives.

💵 GALY raises $33M in oversubscribed Series B financing. GALY CO., a Boston-based biotechnology and synthetic biology company, raised $33M in an oversubscribed Series B financing round.

🐮 Dairy tech firm Stellapps raises $26M in Series C funding. Stellapps Technologies, a dairy tech firm, raised $26M in its Series C funding round, which included both equity and debt financing.

💰 Creation Investments Invests $20M in Agrolend. Creation Investments made a $20M investment in Agrolend, a company that provides credit offerings to industries, retailers, and cooperatives in Brazil.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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