Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
Every 12th August is International Youth Day and the ITS Foundation Youth Advisory Committee runs a yearly event as part of this observance. This year it will be held at Canadian International School on 19th august (to allow for term to start). There will be showcases, panels, presentations around the theme of the day for 2023 - Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World. It is part of the ITSF mission to walk the walk by facilitating truly youth organized led events for youth, and we look forward to a great day this year once again. With the focus on Green Skills we will be addressing exactly what this means and how young people can ensure they are best placed for future jobs in green industries. Registration is required for school safety procedures. . . .
Image by Erich Westendarp from Pixabay Edward J Markey, a US senator from Massachusetts, along with Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, has proposed additional taxes on the wealthy users of private aircraft. Their amusingly named Fueling Alternative Transportation with a Carbon Aviation Tax (Fatcat) Act, proposes increasing fuel taxes for private jet travel from the current US$0.22/gallon to US$2 per gallon. Additionally, the Fatcat Act would remove current exemptions for harmful activities such as flights used to explore for gas and oil. It is outrageous that private jet fuel tax is considerably lower than that on commercial flights and yet they get to use the same infrastructure and more importantly pollute as much as 14 times more than commercial flights and 50 times more than trains. The flights of the wealthy 1% thus contribute twice as much carbon emission pollution as the poorest 50% but it is the poorest who suffer the impact so much more. In addition, the extra c . . .
Image by Silvia from Pixabay Science shows the severe climate consequences of new fossil fuel extraction (The Conversation) Net zero: direct costs of climate policies aren’t a major barrier to public support, research reveals (The Conversation) Does sportswashing even work? (Eco-Business) Cut the climate doom – exponential green change is possible (Eco-Business) July was world’s hottest month on record, climate scientists confirm (The Guardian) US scientists turn old plastic into soap after fireside inspiration (The Guardian) Amazon nations fail to agree on deforestation goal at summit (CHN) 'Greenlash' fuels fears for Europe's environmental ambitions (reuters) . . .
Image by Hans Schwarzkopf from Pixabay Following the news that deforestation in the Amazon dropped nearly 34% in the first six months of 2023, July saw a year-on-year decline of 60%. The exact data is available on Deter satellite alert system (great especially for all Geography students). This rapid progress proves how important political leadership and will is in making good decisions for the future of the environment. The new government has actively chased and penalized illegal loggers, miners and land grabbers as well a created new conservation areas and made clear which areas are considered indigenous land (indigenous peoples usually live in balance with nature). In this week’s regional summit, hopefully the other South American rainforest countries - Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname - will take inspiration and be able to implement similar policies at home. National action plans, an international scientific panel and cl . . .
Image by billy cedeno from Pixabay As part of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment, the Secretary General, António Guterres, has released a Call to Action in which he emphasises how much food is wasted and yet how many people still face hunger as a daily trial, and even starvation. Point five is shocking: “..the number of people facing hunger and food insecurity has risen since 2015, exacerbated by the pandemic, conflict, climate change and growing inequalities. 258 million people in 58 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2022, an increase of 34% compared to 2021. 45 million children suffered from wasting. Agricultural households constitute up to two-thirds of people living in extreme poverty worldwide. Under current trends, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030. Projections show that by that time, approximately 600 million people will be hungry – 7% of the world’s pop . . .
Image by Filmbetrachter from Pixabay Why carbon capture and storage will not solve the climate crisis any time soon (The Guardian) Antarctica is missing a chunk of sea ice bigger than Greenland – what’s going on? (The Conversation) 4 factors driving 2023’s extreme heat and climate disasters (Eco-Business) Climate-resilient homes in Bangladesh aim to put communities first (Eco-Business) Glass Or Plastic: Which Is Better For The Planet? (greenqueen) G20 climate talks fail to deliver emission cuts despite leadership pleas (CHN) Explainer: What caused the record rainfall in Beijing and northern China? (reuters) . . .
Image by: Kasun Chamara from Pixabay The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) (University of Oxford) have published a report measuring multidimensional poverty. According to them, 25 countries halved their Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in four- to twelve-year periods. This is great news which also demonstrates that halving poverty within 15 years (SDG target 1.2) is possible. In India, 415 million people exited poverty between 2005 and 2021. In China, 69 million left poverty in just four years from 2010 to 2014. Other countries which halved their multidimensional poverty rates include Cambodia, Congo, Honduras, Morocco, Serbia, and Vietnam. Additionally, the countries with data for 2021 to 2022 demonstrate that poverty reduction momentum “may have persisted during the pandemic,” according to a UNDP press release. However, 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people across 110 countries still live . . .
Image by: StockSnap from Pixabay Since 2011, the UN has had an Observance on 30th July each year to remind us of the truth that friendship between people (and peoples) can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. Often conflict is born from ferar and uncertainty. The more we interact with and know others, the less likely conflict is to occur and the more likely we are to share and to build an equitable approach to planetary life. The Golden Rule is much much easier to apply when we consider people friends, and many have said that the Golden Rule is in some ways the only rule humans need to achieve their aims. As the UN states: “The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity. To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society gr . . .
