Mark Rowland

It strikes me that attaching to scenarios as articles of faith is blinkering our governance system. A governance system based on scenarios can feel safe. But scenarios are not predictions. It is too safe to assume that they might be - in seeking safety, we ignore reality and make catastrophe more likely.. #governance #SSPs #SDGs #climateleadership

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A landmark new report was launched by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)! 👏👏👏 “The Assessment Report on the Interlinkages Among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health” – known as the Nexus Report - offers scientific assessment ever undertaken of these complex interconnections and explores more than five dozen specific response options to maximize co-benefits across five ‘nexus elements’: #biodiversity, #water, #food, #health and #climatechange. “A key message from this analysis is that if current “business as usual” trends in direct and indirect drivers of change continue, the outcomes will be extremely poor for biodiversity, water quality and human health – with worsening climate change and increasing challenges to meet global policy goals.” Key Statistics and Thematic Findings from the Report 🧩2-6%: Biodiversity decline per decade across all assessed indicators for the last 30-50 years 🧩 >50%: Global population living in areas experiencing highest impacts from declines in biodiversity, water availability and quality and food security, and increases in health risks and negative effects of climate change 🧩$58 trillion: Value in 2023 of global annual economic activity generated in sectors moderately to highly dependent on nature (i.e. more than 50% of global GDP) *🧩Up to $25 trillion: Annual ‘external’ costs (not considered as part of decision-making) across the #fossilfuel, #agriculture and fisheries sectors, reflecting the negative impacts of production and consumption in these sectors on biodiversity, climate change, water, and health *🧩Knowledge and practices of #IndigenousPeoples and local communities can help successfully conserve biodiversity and sustainably manage other nexus For example, strong reductions in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon were achieved after formalizing and enforcing tenure rights to territories of Indigenous Peoples and local communities

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It's important #agriculture contributes to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Nature Repair Market rules consultation to help shape a market that works. My summary submission: Use the Nature Repair Market to drive nationally-coordinated, regionally-appropriate action: *Eligible projects must contribute to priorities for species protection or restoration in a place, as defined by the NRM Regions Australia Natural Resource Management plan for each region. This means every project on every piece of land will contribute directly to identified regional, national and global priorities. The audit model is broken: *Buyers of Biodiversity Certificates need to know they get what they pay for, but auditing can add significant expense with limited increased confidence (see carbon markets for exhibit A), and diverts money away from nature repair and into for-profit companies (with all the inherent conflicts that comes with that) *The Nature Repair Market should establish a nonprofit national natural capital & #carbon auditor (or create the same in an existing trusted, science-based organisation like CSIRO) to be run on a full cost recovery basis. In this way, the market will have increased trust, audit will be efficient, and 100% of audit fees will be returned to public good research. Reward past ecosystem maintenance, not just past ecosystem degradation: *Restoring previously degraded land is long-term, uncertain and expensive; keeping existing high value ecosystems in place is immediate, certain, and less expensive *Rewarding the restoration of degraded land rewards past 'bad' practices; excluding payments for existing high value ecosystems is inequitable for land managers who have in the past done the 'right' thing (yes, I know it's not this simple) *Incentivising the preservation of "areas of high biodiversity importance, including ecosystems of high ecological integrity" would directly align action to Target 1 of the #GlobalBiodiversityFramework. Be consistent: *Use nationally consistent biodiversity definitions, indicators & measurement methods. Indicators should be aligned to market expectations per #TNFD and #SBTN. Australia’s agriculture #sustainability frameworks and other stakeholders are working towards this national consistency of core extent/condition and dependency/impact indicators. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Use project reports to accelerate natural capital adoption: *5-yearly Nature Repair Market project reports should include a natural capital account & assessment - generated automatically from the extent/condition and dependency/ecosystem service data generated by the project, not by additional costly accounting fees - to normalise and standardise #NaturalCapital valuations in Australia. Again, don't reinvent the wheel: Farming For The Future, the Australian #cotton industry, Qld Dept of Agriculture & others are working on this.

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Only 19% of Aussies are aware of the SDGs. A pretty damning statistic presented by Grazyna Van Egmond at last night's SEVENTEENx event in Melbourne. Then you add that to all the other damning statistics - not least how US voters placed climate change dead last on a list of election considerations - and it points to one massive gap: communications. I cannot bang on about this enough. To see behaviour change, positive impact, and the sustainable future we so desperately want, we've got to fix how we talk about what we do. I'm a massive advocate this needs to come from those who do the most talking, advertising and communications folks. That's why it's so great to see initiatives from Ad Net Zero, Purpose Disruptors, and the AANA - Australian Association of National Advertisers, to name a few, start to take hold here in Australia. There is a massive opportunity to get away from this polar-bear-on-the-melting-icecap trope and into something that's going to catch eyeballs, change perspectives, and inspire action. (We've got to get out of our self-serving sustainability silos, too, but that's another post for another day!).

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As I leave Cali, there is still a lot to be discussed and agreed at #COP16, with the high level Minister sessions just starting. Addressing climate change and biodiversity loss needs a whole nature approach. So it is timely that leaders from around the world today call for ‘a year of united action on climate, nature and food’ looking ahead to #COP30 in Brazil. In a letter to President Petro of Colombia and President Lula of Brazil, a group of leaders – representing business, finance, science, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and youth – have announced their support for the COP16 and COP30 Presidents to mobilize actors globally in a year of united action from Cali to Belém. Signatories point to the next 12 months as an historic opportunity for the world to change course and strengthen integrated action on climate, nature and food systems. As governments approach the February 2025 deadline to submit updated #NDCs, signatories write that "we can make ‘peace with nature’ the principle that gives shape to these national climate action plans.“ Read the letter here: https://lnkd.in/evTQSRi3 #ProtectWhatWeLove #WithNature #letsgetnatureright #wearewsp

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🌍 The Future of Climate Risk Reporting As climate-related reporting regulations ramp up, it's not just crucial but required for organisations to adopt climate-based reporting. This move not only boosts financial transparency but also aligns with global standards and attracts international capital. Good for the environment and good for business! Effective climate risk disclosures ensure climate impacts are central to business decisions and provide accountability for mitigating environmental risks. CSIRO's work in this space highlights how design-led approaches can improve climate risk reporting. Using Generative AI to assess these claims is a fantastic use case, and their pilot project offers innovative ways to enhance report integrity. This isn't just about tech—it's about understanding the complex systems we operate in, from economics and politics to society and nature. Digital Village was fortunate to assist in exploring these relationships through the facilitation of a Warm Data Lab, ensuring these AI systems are designed responsibly with all stakeholders in mind. Thanks for your important work, Justine Lacey, Cara Stitzlein, and the rest of the Responsible Innovation team at CSIRO. And terrific facilitation, Catherine Donnelley and Clare Babbage! https://lnkd.in/gPK6wQdZ #ClimateRisk #Sustainability #Innovation #WarmDataLabs #CSIRO #Transparency #GlobalStandards Thanks to those supporting this work in using technology to enable important change: Derryn Heilbuth, Adam Alexander, Audrey Lobo-Pulo, Nikki Thompson, Beth Dowe, Dan Leverington, Lee Schofield, Mac Bryla, William Glamore, Simon Fielke, Torres Webb, Jessica Stromberg

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I recently found myself revisiting some insightful discussions from the UN General Assembly regarding the critical topic of water resilience. The Pacific Institute has embarked on an ambitious new strategic plan aimed at enhancing global water resilience through 2026, with a particular emphasis on Corporate Water Stewardship. This initiative is crucial as we face escalating water challenges that are increasingly exacerbated by climate change. It has become clear that engaging the private sector is not just beneficial but essential in tackling these pressing issues. At the CEO Water Mandate’s gathering, leaders from various industries came together to discuss innovations that can drive meaningful change. Notably, advancements in Artificial Intelligence are now playing a pivotal role in basin diagnostics, allowing for more efficient monitoring and management of water resources. The discussions also highlighted the importance of Nature-Based Solutions and collaborative efforts aimed at ensuring water security for communities and workers alike. The full-day Corporate Water Stewardship event was another highlight, where over 100 attendees demonstrated a strong commitment to taking action on water-related challenges. The conversations ranged from collective action to improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and the integration of digital technologies into water management practices. As we look ahead, the urgency of addressing water-related challenges continues to grow. The work of the Pacific Institute, along with the CEO Water Mandate and Water Resilience Coalition, remains more critical than ever. With 2025 on the horizon, we are at a pivotal halfway point toward achieving our 2030 goals. The emphasis on building partnerships and leveraging resources effectively will be vital as we strive for collective positive water impact in priority basins. Finally, the discussions at the UN General Assembly served as a powerful reminder of the role we all play in fostering water resilience. As we move forward, let's remain committed to driving action and making a difference in the world of water stewardship and our goal of delivering clean water to everyone, everywhere. www.wegrowwater.com #WaterResilience #CorporateStewardship #BotanicalWaterTechnogies #ClimateAction #WeGrowWater

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Often large #consultancies help industry move forward. They also perpetuate a cycle of continual dependence by re-phrasing and re-packaging what is contemporary into something that "looks" new but is not. When key decision makers fail to make progress and are stuck due to waning interest from key stakeholders, they embrace these "re-framings" as a new way to make their case for taking action on #sustainability. Sometimes there is new insight. In this example, to me it's just taking what is known and packaging it in a way that makes it seem new. We've all struggled for years with inconsistent measurement methods and divergent sustainability standards. According to BCG we should all now move on from #ESG and #sustainability topics and reframe action through the lens of #Adaptation and #Resilience. Meh! Tell me I'm wrong. https://lnkd.in/ewy8VXw9

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I hope this guide will help boards and leadership in any sector to home in on the actions that they need to take to adapt to the effects of a changing climate and reduce emissions (which I liken to our shared obligation to save water in times of drought). In this guide, we focussed on the questions boards need to be asking because this is exactly how you break into new spaces of possibility for action. You don't get that from processes and frameworks*, which are regulatory rather than generative. And it's boards that need to be asking. Research has shown that they play a critical role--I've talked about that in previous posts. People with exploratory mindsets and and who are uncomfortable with traditional sources of competitive advantage are well placed to lead this change. Warm thanks to Anthony Black for being willing, as always, to push the envelope. Always a pleasure to work with you 💪 *I'm not against processes and frameworks--in fact, they are critical for consistency and accountability. #climaterisk #climateopportunity #startnow Anthony Boxshall Jane Boag Lis Ashby Ursula Harrisson Gervase McKinna Jonathon Masom CIA Paul Schoff Emily Phillips Rob Antich Kath Smith Wayne Burton Paula H. Ingrid Coninx Simon Keleher Angela Hoefnagels Luther Uthayakumaran Kristy Rogan

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Check out my new blog! 🌟 If you know me, I often talk about the importance of balancing social, environmental, and economic outcomes—none should come at the expense of the others. We’re seeing this tension unfold in the renewable energy transition at the moment. The current approach often prioritises national environmental and economic benefits while neglecting local and social outcomes in the communities where new infrastructure is being proposed. This thought piece aims to take advantage of a current funding opportunity. It shows how regional communities can start reconciling these tensions and create a more equitable path for communities set to host the nation's future power sources.

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If we continue in our current 'siloed' ways of thinking, we will not succeed at protecting our planet and preserving our future. The climate, biodiversity, food, health and water crises are all inextricably linked and dealing with them separately is a sure route to failure on all sides. We know this in our hearts, we've been adjusting to it in our minds, and it is yet again confirmed by the groundbreaking IPBES Nexus report released this week. The report findings call first and foremost for us to put nature at the heart of climate policy and global development strategies. Failure to do so will result in further catastrophic biodiversity loss which will in turn negatively affect water availability, food security, health risks and climate change in an intricate vicious cycle. The knowledge and solutions for acting holistically on the polycrisis exist: we must embrace the knowledge and practices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities which have time and time again been proven to successfully conserve biodiversity and thereby improve all other areas of life. And most importantly we must shift from the mindset of nature as an external resource to the understanding that we too are nature. When we damage and destroy the natural world, we are doing the same to all the systems on which our lives depend and ultimately ourselves. This report is a clarion call for policymakers and a wake-up moment for us all. Let's make sure we act on it, fast.  https://lnkd.in/dUrxB7gJ

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There is a difference between climate scientists and conservation scientists. The vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97% – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change. Even for those among us who, after decades, challenge the 97% claim, and undertake their own ‘fact check’, they found the consensus is “shared by 90%–100% of publishing climate scientists” in one survey, while another found it to be 84%. So, let’s say the ‘overwhelming majority’ of climate scientist agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change and as such they challenge the fossil fuel industry. The biodiversity equivalent to ‘climate scientists and the fossil fuel industry’ is ‘conservation scientists and the industrial extraction of wild species for profit’, known as the ‘sustainable use’ of wild species. But here is where the comparison ends. The ‘overwhelming majority’ of climate scientist know that fossil fuel extraction is driving climate change, so they lobby to transform the energy industry and our energy needs. When it comes to conservation scientist the overwhelming majority support ‘sustainable’ use. The big problem is that this is an act of faith, conservation scientists are not actively publishing any proof that this extraction is sustainable. This was clarified (again) earlier this year in a new study, The Positive Impact Of Conservation Action. As we head to the next round of discussions, at the CDB CoP16 in Columbia later this year, I can 100% state that there is No Chance of achieving Target 5 by 2030. Conservation scientists 50 years of faith in the unproven sustainable use model has made them complicit in this failure. #Biodiversity #Collapse #Regulation

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A "pub without beer" that has "pleased miners and angered green groups." That's how the announcement of a new Australian environmental watchdog is being met. Why? Because the watchdog, the first in Australia's history, has no actual teeth to do anything beyond what legal structures already (inadequately) dictate. This is another in a recent string of sustainability setbacks in Australia, following easing of greenwashing fines and delay in mandatory ESG reporting. As I talked about in "The Great Greenwashing," the country might seem clean and green on the surface, but behind the scenes it is anything but. #australia #esg #sustainability #environmentalprotection

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thanks for the mention HAMERKOP Climate Impacts ...Universal Carbon Registry and Universal Water Registry first to offer live on-chain ability to create 3rd party blockchain tokens without "retirement"...first also to transition completely to the #rwa-finance market very soon😇 #climatefinance #carbonmarkets ##carbontrading ##carbonemissions ##carboncredits #watercredits #waterconservation #blockchain #dlt #real-world-assets

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Biosolids and biochar are not just byproducts – they’re the future of sustainability and a cornerstone of Australia’s circular economy. I’m excited to share ANZBIG’s latest blog post, inspired by The Circular Advantage - Final Report, which highlights actionable recommendations, innovative projects like the City of Logan, and the massive potential of these resources to cut emissions, boost soil health, and reduce waste. Let’s keep pushing for policy reforms, market development, and collaborative efforts to unlock these opportunities! Check out the blog here: https://bit.ly/3DqA11f #Leadership #CircularEconomy #Biochar #Sustainability #NetZero

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From the post: Can we please stop the charade that biodiversity credit markets aim at accelerating finance for conservation? If this was the goal, environ regulation would accelerate financing much more and much faster. Completely agree!

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Both land and marine based biodiversity protection and restoration is at last being recognised as critically important to carbon sequestration. In addition, biodiversity provides a wide range of life giving "ecosystem services" from oxygen production, water purification and production, food production, flood protection, soil health, coastal erosion and desertification reduction, disease resistance, medicinal/medical ingredients, fire protection, land surface cooling, oceanic cooling and water circulation, shelter, construction materials, health and well being.

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** "Decolonial" sustainability and "decolonizing" sustainability: The same? ** This set of slides describes why language matters and why I engage with POSSIBLE FUTURES Decolonial Collective. Registration for the next cohort of the five-month course "Intro to Decolonial Sustainability" closes soon, on June 3rd. See the repost below! #sustainability #colonization #decolonization

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