Letter from the Editor
Nicola Allen introduces the 9th edition of the newsletter.
One of the problems of an environmental newsletter run by children is that, sooner or later, you have to contend with the challenges of high school exam blocks. While we were able to continue publishing until the end of year 10, seeing that most of us were gearing up for the HSC at the beginning of year 11, I made the executive decision to put our publication on hold until we were settled into first-year uni, or a gap year.
And while I was worried this would kill the momentum of our group, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Certainly the website needed maintenance, and our mailing list needed updating, but I’ve found the enthusiasm of our audience and the work ethic of our contributors to be infectious. Thanks to our team, and all of you, Issue 9 is here, and I can’t wait for all the future issues, research projects, and beach cleanups we have in store over the next few years.
This issue has something for everyone - from political analysis and a greenwashing investigation to a penguin creature feature and a satirically green cartoon; from an ecological update from sweltering Malaysia to an interview with a park ranger on our responsibilities to Australian wildlife. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy Issue 9, and until our next project, have a lovely rest of 2024.
Foreign Correspondent
Our international correspondent for this issue is Sydney Steenland of the Sea Monkey Project, reporting on the environmental situation in Malaysia.
Ahoy from sunny (and humid) Malaysia! Here on the peninsula, it is that time of year again when the monsoons have ended, the sun is out, and people retreat indoors for the cool relief that air conditioning provides. Heatwave season is on its way, affecting humans and animals alike. Malaysia is famous for its heat, whether it's hot food or hot weather, and even locals still struggle to cope with it. But who can blame them? With global emissions increasing every day to continue warming the earth, people in South East Asia are one of the most vulnerable demographics to the effects of climate change. We can only carry on working hard to change this, and hope this year will go easy on our planet.
Moving on from the hot topic of climate change (pun intended) that we are all sweating over (pun intended again), plastic pollution remains what seems to be a never-ending issue in our part of the world, with Western governments often arguing that the problem stems from countries like Malaysia. But plastic waste is everywhere: no matter where you go, you shall find it. For example, although Australia has made great advances towards better waste management, and minimising plastic pollution, it's not all sunshine and rainbows from our land down under. Aussies have what I call “the privilege to care” about plastic pollution. With Australia having a stronger middle class, better accessible education and trends of the “zero-waste” lifestyle being as popular as ever, Aussies can afford to care more about the plastic crisis as they do not face poverty as much as people from comparatively developing countries. And yet, Australia spent many years exporting our plastic waste to Malaysia instead of dealing with it ourselves.
Not to say that Australia has been all talk and no change - I am very proud to see that my country of origin has acted on its mistreatment of the environment and nearby under-privileged nations by improving local waste management and enforcing proper collection. But we should all be more conscious of not blaming these developing countries for the mess of plastic they are often forced to live in. We could go on and on about the historical racism, corruption and lack of equal rights that led to this futile blame game, but today I want to emphasise that the most important thing for changing the world is education. Alerting your mates to global issues we face; teaching our younger generations to care for our planet; and reaching out to those without access to quality education. If we can teach each other to be kinder and more aware, then maybe we can stop accusing each other of not taking action and start taking action ourselves.
Speaking of education and plastic, the Sea Monkey Project is growing and improving every year! For a bit of context, I spent my life growing up on a sailboat from 6 to 17 years old. After sailing away from Australia and throughout Southeast Asia, my family and I saw the plastic issue first-hand, we knew we had to do something about it. So in 2018 when we reached Malaysia, my dad and I created the Sea Monkey Project. We are a social enterprise focused on plastic pollution solutions and education. Here’s the latest update: we are building more and more of our plastic up-cycling machines every year, with around 80 going out across the globe in 2023. We brought three new employees on board, following our beautiful Iman leaving the company after five years with us since the very beginning. There’s a great number of projects in the works or that we’ve just recently started up, such as developing our urban farm just outside Kuala Lumpur’s city centre and organising a nationwide plastic bottle cap collection campaign across 20+ schools.
This is just the beginning of a crazy lot of action to come, and I hope you can stick around to see it happen and even be a part of it!
Fair winds,
Sydney Steenland.
Political Correspondent
Nicola Allen discusses four major news items in the world of environmental politics from the past 12 months.
INC-3 talks in Kenya and Canada - can we outlaw plastic pollution?
In March 2022 the UNEP mandated the creation of a legally binding international treaty to address plastic pollution by looking at the entire plastic lifecycle from extraction and manufacturing to consumption and disposal, or recycling. Thus was formed the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop this legal instrument on plastic pollution, with 5 sessions planned over 2 years.
The third session was held in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023. With the starting document or ‘Zero Draft’ of the treaty already having been established, this session was meant to be spent developing the draft, but progress was slowed by the interfering presence of petrochemical industry representatives, and no agreement was reached between the member states by the end of the session.
The fourth session in Ottawa, Canada saw a similar lack of progress or promising development; while some countries took an ambitious stance, most capitulated to petrochemical industry demands and opted for less ambitious targets and commitments - the Center for International Environmental Law particularly noted a disappointing lack of leadership from the US and the EU during the session.
This should come as no surprise given that, according to CIEL, almost 200 petrochemical lobbyists registered to attend INC-4, and at least 16 were members of the delegations from UN member states.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity framework - what does this crucial new fund actually do?
Having first been formulated by world leaders at COP27 in 2022, the GBF was officially launched in August 2023 by the Global Environment Facility in Vancouver, with Canada already having pledged CA$200M, and the UK having allocated 10M pounds, to the fund.
This fund is crucial as it is estimated that there is around a $700B shortfall in global biodiversity funding per year, to protect species from endangerment and extinction by human activity.
The fund aims to be raising US$20B a year by 2025 and US$30B by 2030, meaning that all world governments must chip in to help reach this goal. The need has been discussed for a separate fund to exist solely for third world countries which often don’t have the resources to allocate to biodiversity in addition to their more pressing needs, such as the development of critical infrastructure and poverty reduction.
In total the framework contains 4 general, long-term goals (for 2050) and 23 mid-term targets (for 2030). The 2050 goals include aims like:
halting mass special extinction;
substantially increasing the global area of land covered by natural ecosystems, and restoring ecosystems in decline;
thriving economically alongside and not to the detriment of nature;
sharing any benefits of increased biodiversity with indigenous populations; and sharing the fund’s resources equally with developing and transitioning economies.
The 2030 targets include:
the reduction of pesticides and the proper disposal of toxic waste;
ending the destruction of critical biodiversity hotspots;
30% of degraded land being under restoration;
30% of land and oceans being protected from human use;
preventing the over-exploitation of populations of wild-caught animals, particularly in reference to many species of fish;
minimising the damage of invasive species;
and improving green urban planning to enhance our connection to nature and hence our overall well-being.
Lula da Silva leads Amazon reforms - has the president been successful?
It’s been over 2 years since Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil, replacing Jair Bolsonaro and promising to repair decades of damage to the Amazon Rainforest, by ending illegal deforestation in the Amazon Basin by 2030, as well as achieving net zero deforestation which, according to the World Resources Institute, “allows for the clearance or conversion of forests in one area as long as an equal area is replanted elsewhere.”
This is an important step for Brazil in the fight against climate change, as not only does the Amazon Rainforest (two thirds of which lies on Brazilian soil) act as a carbon sink, but half the country’s annual emissions come from logging, and as they’re the world’s 5th largest emitter of GHG, reducing that logging is imperative.
Da Silva said on election night, “Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis, protecting all our biomes, especially the Amazon forest.”
So far he seems to be making good progress - while in 2022 and 2021, under Bolsonaro, the annual Amazon deforestation rate was around 12,300 km2, under da Silva the rate for 2023 was modelled to have already dropped to around 9,000. Meanwhile for the whole of Brazil, Bolsonaro’s statistic of 17,700 km2 in 2022 became 11,400 km2 under da Silva in 2023.
The impact of the shift in leadership was so strong that in the first 6 months of da Silva’s presidency, deforestation in the Amazon dropped by 34%, meaning that, as announced by João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary to the Environment Ministry, “The effort of reversing the curve of growth has been reached… deforestation isn’t increasing [any longer].”
This stark contrast is due not only to Bolsonaro’s negligence, but his wanton destruction of the Amazon - under his government deforestation in the Basin surged to its highest point in 15 years, as he diminished existing environmental policies and authorities, and encouraged landgrabbers to burn and develop areas of pristine forest.
Part of Lula da Silva’s policy has involved the ‘Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon’ (PPCDAm) which involves over 12 government ministries in regularising land titles, monitoring key forests to ensure correct management, and using satellite data to track illegal logging.
These efforts in conjunction can lead to the owner of the illegally deforested land, according to Applied Press, being placed under “an embargo that restricts access to financial loans and imposes other sanctions,” acting as a deterrent. The seizure of cattle in these regions is also an immediately effective tactic, as opposed to fines which can easily be delayed through appeals, and so are rarely paid in Brazil.
However, da Silva’s efforts to crack down on illegal logging have been hindered by the ‘defanged’ state in which Bolsonaro left the country’s federal environment agency, Ibama, with only 700 active agents across the whole of Brazil and as few as 150 ready to be deployed as enforcers. With Brazil currently being in El Nino, Ibama also has to reckon with increased numbers of natural as well as man-made forest fires, leading them recently to double their firefighting budget.
So far Lula da Silva has also extended a conservation unit by 18 km2 in the Amazon Basin, promising to further increase its number of conservation units to achieve his target of adding 57,000 km2 to the protected land in the rainforest.
COP28 in the UAE's Dubai - utter disaster or promising progress?
The 28th session of the Conference of Parties took place from the 30th of November to the 13th of December 2023, and was hosted in Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. A COP is an annual intergovernmental meeting organised by the United Nations, attended by delegates from every government that is party to the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). In 2023 that meant 198 delegate groups attended, including 167 world leaders.
As with every COP since the historic Paris Agreement of COP21, which saw nearly 200 leaders commit to keep AGW below 1.5 degrees celsius, COP28 was seen as an opportunity to expand on this commitment by binding nations to more specific promises.
Why, then, have so many referred to COP28 as a failure or even a farce? It’s partly to blame on the setting of the conference, which could not have been more antithetical to its aims: the UAE, one of the top 10 largest producers of oil in the world, in its capacity as the host country, appointed the chief executive of its state-owned petrochemical corporation, Sultan al-Jaber, as president of COP28 - a role intended to provide leadership in encouraging countries to be more ambitious in their climate targets, and envisioning an ideal outcome for the conference.
Needless to say, the Sultan’s own business interests did not exactly encourage him to deliver this leadership. In the leadup to the conference, according to Earth.org, “Al Jaber repeatedly emphasised the need to phase out fossil fuel emissions, rather than production, by focussing on the development of new emission reduction technologies.” This view is also shared by Al Ghais, a climate denier, and the head of OPEC, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Additionally, leaked documents indicate Al Jaber was using the leadup to the conference as an opportunity to arrange oil and gas deals with up to 15 nations in talks with UAE energy companies.
To make matters worse, the conference was attended by four times as many fossil fuel lobbyists as the previous year, (nearly 2,500 in total) working to undermine the proceedings at every turn and advance the interests of their corporations - lobbyists granted access by the conference’s President.
Despite these undeniable handicaps, the UN declared COP28 a success. Here are some of the major strides taken during the conference:
A total of $160M has been pledged to the Global Adaptation Fund.
Nine new countries joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance while Colombia endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The US pledged to cut methane pollution, which drives 30% of AGW, by 80% where it stems from oil and gas production; 50 fossil fuel companies, which together produce around a third of all oil and gas around the world, signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter, also focused on methane reduction; and among the smaller donations of other countries the World Bank received a pledge of $100M from the UAE for its $250M trust fund designed to “help developing nations cut CO2 and methane emissions generated by the oil and gas industry…”
The framework for the Loss and Damage Fund was approved and a total of $700M was pledged, including up to $400M from the EU.
The UN Green Climate Fund and Alterra received further funding and the One Acre Fund Re* (*for reinsurance) was launched.
152 countries signed the Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, and Brazil, Rwanda, Norway, Cambodia and Sierra Leone jointly founded the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation.
Undoubtedly, the first Global Stocktake of progress since the Paris Agreement was the main subject of the conference. The final document of COP28, which all parties had to agree to before approval, includes the results of the stocktake, showing that deceleration of warming is insufficient, and calls for uptake of renewables to be tripled and energy efficiency improvements to be doubled. Importantly, it also contains an agreement by the parties to “transition away from fossil fuels to renewables… in their next round of climate commitments” (UN).
While some have called this ‘the end of the fossil fuel era,’ others more cautiously describe the conference’s outcome as akin to saying “We’ll try,” or, in the words of a Time political correspondent from Dubai, “not happening anytime soon, if at all.” This is because the phrase “transitioning away from” fossil fuels in the agreement was a replacement for the initially suggested “phasing out” and “phasing down,” a weakening of the terminology which means countries have no obligation to plan for fossil fuels to be completely taken out of their grid, and can on the contrary continue planning new developments.
Who or what instigated this change? Well, according to Earth.org, “In a letter to 13 OPEC members written in response to the second draft of the COP28 final agreement – which hinted [at] a call to phase-out fossil fuels – Al Ghais… [said] that the text put ‘undue and disproportionate pressure’ on the fossil fuel industry.” He reportedly wasn’t the only one desperate to change the wording, but he certainly didn’t help matters. Unfortunately this resistance indicates that although fossil fuels can no longer keep out of the COP spotlight, it may be some time before the world’s biggest polluters are willing to take accountability for their actions.
In fact, it was revealed that the groundbreaking inclusion of fossil fuels in the agreement was, in one draft, taken out entirely, and was only put back after much protest from the US, EU and the Alliance of Small Island Nations.
To conclude this segment, I will leave you with the scorching words of Ogunlade Olamide Martins from Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa: “To share seats with the Big Polluters in climate change conversations is to dine with the devil. This unholy matrimony will only endorse ‘conflict of interest’ and further facilitate the silence of honest agitation. COP’s conclusions must be independent of industries’ parasitic influences and must only address the concerns of the vulnerable masses.”
Bibliography
Editor, P. P. C. (2022, March 2). A Global Plastics Treaty to “Turn Off the Tap” Wins Support at UNEA. Plastic Pollution Coalition. https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2022/3/2/global-plastics-treaty-to-turn-off-the-tap
UNITED NATIONS. (2023, December 1). Report of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, on the work of its third session. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/44760/INC3ReportE.pdf
Editor, P. P. C. (2023, November 20). UN Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations (INC-3) Conclude in Nairobi. Plastic Pollution Coalition. https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2023/11/20/un-global-plastics-treaty-negotiations-inc-3-conclude-in-nairobi
INC-3: Here’s what happened at the UN global plastics treaty talks. (2023, December 5). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/12/plastics-treaty-inc3-kenya/
Critical negotiations on plastic pollution begin in Ottawa, Canada. (2024). UNEP. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/critical-negotiations-plastic-pollution-begin-ottawa-canada
Documents. (n.d.). UNEP - UN Environment Programme. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/session-4/documents
WWF (2024, April 30) WWF Statement at Conclusion of Plastic Treaty Negotiations (INC-4) https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-statement-at-conclusion-of-plastic-treaty-negotiations-inc-4
Plastics Treaty Talks in Ottawa Sacrifice Ambition for Compromise. (n.d.). Center for International Environmental Law. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.ciel.org/news/outcome-plastics-negotiations-inc4-ottawa/
https://www.facebook.com/unep. (2023). Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. UNEP - UN Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution
Unit, B. (2023, December 18). Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Www.cbd.int. https://www.cbd.int/gbf
Unit, B. (2023, December 20). 2050 Goals. Www.cbd.int. https://www.cbd.int/gbf/goals
Convention on biological diversity. (2024). 2030 Targets (with Guidance Notes). Www.cbd.int. https://www.cbd.int/gbf/targets
Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus). (2023, May 20). Vietnam determined to realise biodiversity framework. Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus). https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-determined-to-realise-biodiversity-framework-post266999.vnp
MSN. (n.d.). Www.msn.com. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/other/gef-approves-plans-for-game-changing-global-biodiversity-framework-fund/ar-AA1dNjmF
James, R. (n.d.). Global biodiversity framework fund must address Africa’s concerns. The Standard. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/opinion/article/2001480822/global-biodiversity-framework-fund-must-address-africas-concerns
Webinar - Contribution of the chemicals and waste Conventions to Target 7 of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework | Global Mercury Partnership. (n.d.). Www.unep.org. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.unep.org/globalmercurypartnership/events/unep-event/webinar-contribution-chemicals-and-waste-conventions-target-7-kunming-montreal
Jones, B. (2022, October 31). What Lula’s stunning victory means for the imperiled Amazon rainforest. Vox. https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2022/10/31/23431867/lula-bolsonaro-brazil-election-amazon-rainforest
Paraguassu, L. (2023, June 5). Brazil’s Lula unveils plan to stop deforestation in Amazon by 2030. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazils-lula-launches-plan-stop-deforestation-amazon-by-2030-2023-06-05/
Rodrigues, M. (2023). Politics and the environment collide in Brazil: Lula’s first year back in office. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-04042-x
Global Forest Watch. (2023). Brazil Deforestation Rates & Statistics | GFW. Www.globalforestwatch.org. https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/BRA/
Brazil’s Lula lays out plan to halt Amazon deforestation, make country “global reference” on climate. (2023, June 5). AP News. https://apnews.com/article/brazil-climate-carbon-amazon-deforestation-marina-d24fdc687f8e1ef27da2265bf70aad2f
Lake, S., & Baer, E. (2015). What Does it Really Mean When a Company Commits to “Zero Deforestation”?. Www.wri.org. https://www.wri.org/insights/what-does-it-really-mean-when-company-commits-zero-deforestation
MAISONNAVE, F. (2023, July 6). In Lula’s first six months, Brazil Amazon deforestation dropped 34%, reversing trend under Bolsonaro. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/brazil-amazon-deforestation-lula-climate-change-2fe225f71a8f484e8d365ea641acd65e
COP28: What is it and what can we expect to see happen? (2023, November 28). BBC Newsround. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/67543816
Poynting, M. (2023, October 25). What is COP28 in dubai and why is it important? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67143989
How COPs are organized - Questions and answers (2023). Unfccc.int. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/the-big-picture/what-are-united-nations-climate-change-conferences/how-cops-are-organized-questions-and-answers#Host-country-and-presidency
DW News. (2023, December 1). COP28 live: World Climate Action Summit live in Dubai | DW News. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw2ZNRxJ75M
#COP28 World Climate Action Summit Opening | United Nations Climate Change Conference. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0O1-CwsYjY
United Nations. (2023). COP28: Climate action can’t wait. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop28
United Nations Climate Change. (2023, December 13). COP28 Agreement Signals “Beginning of the End” of the Fossil Fuel Era. UNFCCC. https://unfccc.int/news/cop28-agreement-signals-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-fossil-fuel-era
COP28: What did it accomplish and what’s next? (2023, December 14). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/12/cop28-what-did-it-accomplish-and-whats-next/
UNFCCC. (2021). Global Stocktake. Unfccc.int. https://unfccc.int/topics/global-stocktake
UNFCCC. (2024). COP 28: What Was Achieved and What Happens Next? Unfccc.int. https://unfccc.int/cop28/5-key-takeaways
United Nations. (2024, January 12). UN Climate Change Conference - United Arab Emirates. Unfccc.int. https://unfccc.int/cop28
Igini, M. (2023, December 14). Did COP28 Succeed or Fail? Earth.org. https://earth.org/did-cop28-succeed-or-fail/
Was COP28 A Success or Flop? Depends Who You Ask. (2023, December 13). TIME. https://time.com/6455646/was-cop28-a-success-or-flop/
Thomson, E., & Shine, I. (2023, November 21). Phasing down, phasing out, or transitioning away: What did COP28 agree on fossil fuels? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/11/phase-down-out-fossil-fuel-arguments/
COP28 concludes with historic agreement to try to tackle the climate crisis. (2023, December 13). World Meteorological Organization. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/cop28-concludes-historic-agreement-try-tackle-climate-crisis
2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. (2023, September 21). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference
Dailymotion. (n.d.). Www.dailymotion.com. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8pr4be
CBN. (2023, December 3). Global plastics treaty talks conclude in Nairobi, Kenya, with key issues unresolved. Cape Business News. https://www.cbn.co.za/industry-news/plastics-industry/global-plastics-treaty-talks-conclude-in-nairobi-kenya-with-key-issues-unresolved/
Irfan, U. (2022, November 7). Money speaks louder than ever at this week’s UN climate negotiations. Vox. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/23440868/cop27-un-climate-change-egypt-inflation-energy-biden
Madagascar Animals List, Habitats, and Pictures. (n.d.). Animal Spot. https://www.animalspot.net/madagascar-animals
Amazon deforestation in Brazil hits its worst level in 15 years. (2021, November 19). WKU Public Radio | the Public Radio Service of Western Kentucky University. https://www.wkyufm.org/2021-11-19/amazon-deforestation-in-brazil-hits-its-worst-level-in-15-years
Desk, F. N. (2022, October 31). Brazil President-elect Lula da Silva rises from the ashes at 77. Frontline. https://frontline.thehindu.com/news/brazil-election-2022-president-elect-lula-da-silva-rises-from-ashes-at-77/article66076262.ece
COP28: The “beginning of the end” for fossil fuels? (2023, December 13). News Room Guyana. https://newsroom.gy/2023/12/13/cop28-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-fossil-fuels/
Bloomberg. (2023, July 15). COP28 President lays down climate summit’s big agenda items. https://gulfbusiness.com/cop28-president-lays-down-climate-summits-agenda/
COP28 calls first-ever Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action. (n.d.). Www.gulftoday.ae. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2023/07/25/cop28-calls-first-ever-leaders-declaration-on-food-systems-agriculture-and-climate-action
COP28 feels like the centre of the universe, but will it actually change the world? (n.d.). Sky News. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://news.sky.com/story/cop28-feels-like-the-centre-of-the-universe-but-will-it-actually-change-the-world-13020355?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
Creature Corner
Lily Hallgath-Jolly takes us into the magical world of the Emperor Penguin.
The scientific name of the Emperor Penguin is Aptenodytes Forsteri, and they are located in Antarctica with a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. The 6th largest bird in existence, they’re the largest and heaviest of all species of penguin, growing to around 4 feet tall – their large size being a major factor in their survival as it helps to retain heat, keeping them warm in the extremely cold climate of Antarctica. Emperor penguins have the ability to dive at least 1,850 feet below the surface of the water, as their streamlined body creates less drag than that of most other marine animals. They have wingspans that range from 75 to 90 centimetres - their ‘wings’ having evolved as flippers of a paddle-like shape which allow them to power through the water at speeds up to 9 mph. Typically, their bodies are black and white with some yellow around the neck. While the adult’s outer layer of feathers is waterproof with short and stiff feathers underneath, baby penguins don’t have these feathers, but instead a thick grey insulating coat. This is because it's a more effective way of staying warm while on land, before they start to venture into the ocean.
Emperor penguins live year-round in Antarctica, where winter temperatures range from -40 to zero degrees celsius, with wind chills that can reach up to -60 degrees. Outside of the breeding season, they spend most of their time in seasonally-packed zones of ice. This means that they have an easy access point to the open ocean for foraging. (Penguins generally are carnivorous and mainly feed on fish, molluscs, and crustaceans.) However, these penguins breed and raise their chicks on ‘fast ice’ – a floating platform of frozen ocean that has a connection to the land or larger ice shelves – and these baby penguins spend their entire lives on or around this ice from birth. Emperors stay with their mate for many years and only lay one or two eggs. The parents take turns keeping the eggs warm and, after they hatch, protecting and feeding the chicks. As colonies breed in seasons, for three to four weeks each year, thousands of baby penguins will wait together while one of their parents forages for food.
The emperor penguin is the least common species of penguin in Antarctica, and unfortunately their global population has decreased by 50% in the last several years. With the rise of climate change, and large amounts of ice beginning to melt, breeding is lessening as the penguins don’t have places to raise their young - and they also depend on the ice for basic survival overall. It is estimated that currently there are only 600,000 left in the world. The best organisations that are part of the mission to save the penguins are the WWF, the Global Penguin Society, and the Penguin Foundation (the latter located in Australia). All these organisations have websites where you can learn more about emperor penguins and donate money to help fund the cause.
Bibliography
Profile. (n.d.). Emperorpenguinsproject.weebly.com. https://emperorpenguinsproject.weebly.com/profile.html
Nicklen, P. (2023, September 14). Top 10 facts about Emperor penguins. WWF. https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/emperor-penguins
Nunez, E. (2019, July 23). Penguins, facts and photos. Animals. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/penguins-1
Wilber, S. (2019). Aptenodytes forsteri (emperor penguin). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aptenodytes_forsteri/
Michel, C. (2013, December 2). Emperor Penguins. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emperor_Penguins_(15885611526).jpg
Emperor penguin facts abd adaptations. (2009). Coolantarctica.com. https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/wildlife/Emperor-penguins.php
Investigation
John Wu examines the methods and motivations of 'greenwashing' in advertising.
Recently, for a university group assignment, we were asked to create a pitch for Dove on how they could reduce their virgin plastic usage and then develop a marketing strategy for it. Though the solution we came up with of reducing the thickness of their bottles by 30% would actually decrease plastic use, Dove seems to prefer making unclear statements about the recyclability of their products, rather than taking any real action. For example, in 2022, Dove replaced their recyclable washing liquid with pouches intended to encourage refills, but these pouches themselves were not recyclable and only contained two refills. Then, in 2020, CEO Alan Jope said that Dove “had to get rid of [unrecyclable sachets],” but Dove has only increased production of them. In fact, from 2010-2023, they have increased sachet production by 40%.
Combined with a tendency to use leafy designs in their products, this creates an issue known as greenwashing.
What is greenwashing?
Greenwashing is a deceptive form of promotion where companies use “green” PR and marketing to attempt to persuade the consumer that their products are environmentally friendly. This can include altering logos or designs, such as superimposing leaves and trees onto packaging. Companies can also slap “green” labels onto products, such as “made from recycled materials,” “100% organic” or “recyclable”. The latter can even be fraudulent, such as with the infamous McDonalds scandal in 2019, where their new paper straws were found to be non-recyclable, despite that being the whole intention of the initiative.
Greenwashing functions by essentially tricking the consumer into buying something which they believe is environmentally sustainable, when in reality it is the opposite. In this way, big corporations can increase profits, especially from the environmentally conscious youth, which is dangerous for the wellbeing of the planet. Eco-conscious people are willing to spend more on sustainable products, making the incentive for these firms to greenwash even greater.
Some famous examples of greenwashing
Greenwashing is evident in almost every industry, most scarily in everyday goods. A scandal involving morning coffee capsules caused Toronto City to revert 90 tonnes of plastic pods from recycling bins last year because Keurig, the manufacturer, led their Canadian consumers to believe they could recycle them by breaking the top and removing the residual coffee. IKEA’s timber used to make their beechwood chairs is illegally sourced despite being certified by the Forest Stewardship Council - the gold standard of forest accreditation. This case is complicated as it may not seem to be greenwashing immediately to the consumer, but it is a company benefiting off unethically and illegally obtained environmental goods, and passing it off as sustainable.
The solutions for these particular issues are relatively simple, as long as the consumer is willing. For their morning coffee, consumers could resort to instant ground coffee in their home. Alternatively, consumers could support local cafes by bringing their glass/metal coffee cups in, making sure to use the store coffee cups sparingly, as they are not recyclable. For their furniture, consumers should do research into the source of the materials before purchasing to make sure it is ethically and legally sourced. The issue with these solutions is that the consumer must be willing. This unfairly puts the onus on the consumer to take action instead of society holding the firms responsible for deliberate deception, which is a problem we must address to fight against greenwashing.
When companies actually help the environment
Most of the companies who greenwash are known as corporate social responsibility (CSR) firms. They often donate large sums of money to “help” the environment, but do not take any real action themselves through their products to help reduce environmental damage, preferring to offset (or pretend to offset) their activities. On the other hand, companies that create shared value (CSV) place the environment as their focal point and invest their profits back into helping the earth.
The outdoor apparel company Patagonia is an example of a CSV firm. Upon discovering that cotton had a large negative impact to the environment due to its substantial land and insecticide use, their CEO decided to change the sourcing of all 166 products using cotton within 18 months, or stop selling cotton products altogether. This amounted to 30% of their sales at the time.
They also bought a full front-page Black Friday advertisement in November of 2011, urging customers to not buy their jacket. They instead used this to launch their Common Threads Initiative, which asked customers to reduce, repair, reuse and recycle their products to combat the environmental damages that “fast fashion” causes. Patagonia is hence an example of how companies can positively contribute to the environment without greenwashing, instead spreading awareness and creating shared ecological values, while taking responsibility for their own damaging practices.
Parallels between Greenwashing and Virtue Signalling
Greenwashing and other kinds of virtue signalling advertisements seem to have one goal in mind: maximum profitability. The heads of firms who engage in these practices ironically promote their supposed virtues so much that they lose all sense of their moral compasses in the process, more often than not without caring.
The commonest example is Pride Month advertisements, which is especially fitting given we are currently in it. Companies like Target and BMW practise what is known as queerbaiting, which is exactly as it sounds - baiting the queer population into buying their products by feigning support for them. During pride month, they simply change the palette of their logos to the rainbow to appeal to the LGBTQ+ flag and change their slogans to be more superficially “inclusive”. This would be fine if they kept up varieties of the logo year-round, but as soon as July hits, they come flying off faster than Dove looking to throw some palm oil into their next line of shampoos and soaps. This seems awfully similar to promoting sustainability for eco-minded people, but in reality only caring about profit maximisation.
Boycotting firms who do this is an effective solution. Instead of buying cars at BMW, customers should consider buying from firms who have signs displaying “all are welcome” all the like year-round. Again, like the solution to greenwashing, customers may require due diligence to see which companies queerbait. This is unfair, but is currently the best solution until something is done to prevent queerbaiting. For now, these forms of advertising will continue to flourish, but at least through greater awareness of this deception, we can all avoid falling for it.
Bibliography
Diversity is embedded in our DNA. (2021, June 1). BMW. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/BMW/photos/a.469088097268/10159916778907269/?type=3
Target | marketingtherainbow.info. (2021). Marketingtherainbow.info. https://marketingtherainbow.info/case%20studies/cs%20retail/target
Peel-Yates, V. (2021, July 23). Greenwashing examples from 2020 & 2021 | Worst products & brands. The Sustainable Agency. https://thesustainableagency.com/blog/greenwashing-examples/
author, D. (2023, December 6). The science and story behind Dove RE+AL Bio-Mimetic Care. Dove. https://www.dove.com/us/en/stories/tips-and-how-to/hair-care-tips-advice/the-science-and-story-behind-dove-real-biomimetic-care.html
Greenpeace. (2024, April 2). Unilever’s greenwashing and vulnerability to brand damage: briefing for investors. Greenpeace UK. https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/resources/unilever-greenwash-investor-briefing/
Kollewe, J. (2023, December 12). Dove and Marmite maker Unilever to be investigated in UK over “greenwashing.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/12/dove-marmite-unilever-investigated-uk-greenwashing
Don’t Buy This Jacket: Patagonia’s Common Threads Initiative. (2011, November 29). Eric Block on Responsible Branding. https://ericblock3.com/2011/11/29/dont-buy-this-jacket-patagonias-common-threads-initiative/
Interview
Thor Morrison asks his father Scott about his experience as a ranger for national parks.
Scott Morrison started work as a Ranger in 1988 in South Australia and Victoria, before heading to the Northern Territory. Since that time, he has lived in Northern Australia including Arnhem Land (NT), the Simpson Desert and Gulf country (QLD), and the Kimberleys (WA), working for various organisations such as Kakadu National Park, Bush Heritage Australia, Warddeken Land Management, the Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation and the Tablelands Regional Council.
What first got you interested in Ranger work?
The opportunity to live and work in the bush and learn more about Australian wildlife in its natural habitat.
What were your goals when you set out? Where did you want to work and what were you interested in?
To learn as much as I could and be good at it. I wanted to work in Kakadu National Park. I was particularly interested in the wildlife and Indigenous culture of the region.
Why do you believe this work is important?
The unfortunate thing is while there is a number of agencies at local, federal and international levels concerned with, or working on the environment, this work is not at the forefront of our society’s mind; it isn’t seen as an essential service by many people or on an equal level with industry such as health, development and basic needs. One reason is that you can’t always quantify the value of one tree that only grows on one hill compared to a house, but Australia has many of these special plants and animals that are part of overall ecosystems. These places are important in their own right, but can be razed overnight because legislation isn’t strong enough or economic development gets priority.
A good example of this [is] wind farms. The siting of some developments in North Queensland [is] affecting the habitat of very specific federally and state protected wildlife - iconic birds, mammals and plants. But we also have to weigh these issues up. You’ve just got to look at the fact that in the month of April 2024, the world’s oceans have experienced the highest global sea surface temperatures ever [1], with the previous February the highest prior to that! No solution is going to be perfect, but the conditions we are experiencing now are going to be ‘baked in’ until the world’s climate stabilises [2]. That’s why we all need to act, no matter how small the contribution.
Out of the jobs you have had, which do you look back on most fondly?
If I had to pick one, it would be my time as a Ranger in Kakadu National Park. The staff of the park were highly committed to their jobs, and it made it more enjoyable and worthwhile because everyone worked towards the same purpose.
What are the short and long-term benefits of this work?
There is still so much we do not understand about the way the natural environment of our world works, and the interrelationships that sustain it [3] (also see graph of periodicities below). Ongoing field research provides amazing results that can tease out patterns and responses to environmental variables, but along the way new species are discovered, or an extension of their range [4] or ‘rediscovery’ [5] occurs, just because individuals or companies take an interest, funding the protection of the environment and reporting their findings. In my mind, this kind of work both strengthens and demonstrates why a long-term commitment to the employment of adequately resourced people is a worthwhile and meaningful endeavour.
A good example of long-term benefits is managing greenhouse gas emissions by early savanna burning which significantly reduces smoke emitted by late season bushfires. We’re not only talking here about a reduction of 7 mega tonnes of GHG emissions per year, but the creation of a market economy supporting communities across Northern Australia [6].
How do you think we can better look after the environment, both personally and on a global (or federal) level?
Governments and individuals at all levels need to act. If we acted on what we knew years ago, we would all be in a much better place [7].
Be the change. Pick your flavour of causes or modes of action [8] and do something now. It can be as simple as replacing your toothbrush with one made of recycled material or bamboo (as the impact of plastic on the natural environment can be devastating [9]), buying recycled and sustainable products at your local supermarket, walking, cycling or catching public transport once a week, striving to recycle, [10] buying second hand goods or composting [11]. Another tact is to change your superannuation scheme [12] and bank providers [13] to support ethical investment.
And you may ask yourself ‘Why?’ In the words of the late Mr. Big Bill Neidjie OAM, [14] ‘Because you love it, this country’.
Bibliography
[1] Australia Government Bureau of Meteorology. (2024, April 30). Climate Driver Update. Retrieved from Australia Government Bureau of Meteorology: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/
[2] Rayner, D. J. (2024, April 10). Seizing The Decade: Australia's Path To A Safer, Cleaner And More Prosperous Future. Retrieved from https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/seizing-the-decade-australias-path-safer-cleaner-and-more-prosperous-future/
[3] Anna S. von der Heydt, P. A. (2021). Quantification and interpretation of the climate variability record. Retrieved from https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2101/2101.08050.pdf
[5] Bush Heritage Australia. (2019). Night Parrot. Retrieved from Bush Heritage Australia: https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/night-parrot
[6] Kamaljit K Sangha, J. E.-S. (2021, October). Assessing the value of ecosystem services delivered by prescribed fire management in Australian tropical savannas. Ecosystem Services. Retrieved from ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041621001017?via%3Dihub
[7] Daniel H. Janzen, W. H. (2019). Perspective: Where might be many tropical insects? Biological Conservation, 102-108. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320719303349; CSIRO, Australia Government Bureau of Meteorology. (2014). State of the Climate. Retrieved from http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/documents/state-of-the-climate-2014_low-res.pdf?ref=button; Queensland Government. (2016). Queensland State of the Environment 2015. Retrieved from https://www.stateoftheenvironment.des.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/1260524/soe-2015-in-brief.pdf
[8] ACF, AWC, Barry, biking4biodiversity, BHA, knit, lockthegate, Radiohead
[9] Savoca, M. (2023, March 21). Seabirds that swallow ocean plastic waste have scarring in their stomachs – scientists have named this disease ‘plasticosis’. Retrieved from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/seabirds-that-swallow-ocean-plastic-waste-have-scarring-in-their-stomachs-scientists-have-named-this-disease-plasticosis-201506
[10] The kayak recycler
[11] planetark
[12] AE
[14] Story about feeling - Neidjie, B. (1989). Story about Feeling. Magabala Books.
Comic Relief
In their latest collaboration, Ivy Rush and Ella Purcell explore different ways to reduce your carbon footprint!
Fin.
We hope you enjoyed the latest Issue of Green News Australia! As usual the newsletter will return in 6 months for our December issue, and in the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the many research projects we have planned...
Thank you for your support, and in the words of Sydney Steenland,
"Fair winds and plastic-free seas to you!"
If you're under the age of 25, live in Australia and are passionate about climate action, you could be featured in the next issue... If you're interested in contributing an article, testimony or photos, you can reach our editor via the contact page, or message us directly on Insta.
Comments