Struggles From Below

06/12/2021

If you ask Mafi Esefa why she knows her hometown better than anyone else in the world, the 24-year-old places her hands on her hips and widens her brown eyes at the stupidity of the question.

“I was born just there,” she says, pointing at a small adobe hut with a thatched roof nearby. “When I was a young girl I helped my parents pick guava from those trees. I wash my clothes in that stream. Why would anyone know this land better than me?”

That Esefa’s village is deep into the Congo Basin, the second largest rainforest in the world, is of little relevance to her. Those who live and work in any place, she insists, are the ones best-placed to protect it. “It’s in our interest for the land to flourish,” says Esefa. “And we have the know-how to make it happen.”

It is a point of view that is gaining traction among climate campaigners. Rather than relying on billion-dollar carbon credit schemes and multinational agreements, which have failed to halt the rampant destruction of the world’s rainforests, advocates for community forests argue the best chance for humanity to turn things around is through a grassroots approach: giving power back to the people.

Find out more: https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/community-ownership-might-be-the-best-way-to-fight-deforestation

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01/12/2021

Mangrove forests offer coastal cities a protective shield against extreme weather up to 50 times more cost-effective than a cement wall. In 2017, mangroves prevented $1.5 billion in flood damages in Florida, protecting over half a million people during Hurricane Irma. Damages were 25% lower in the Florida counties where mangroves were present.

A recent report identified 3,000 kilometres of coastline in 20 states, territories and countries in the Caribbean region where post-storm mangrove restoration—which could be paid for by insurance—would provide flood-protection benefits that “significantly outweigh” the cost of rehabilitating the forest.

Find out more: https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/on-the-mesoamerican-reef-a-model-for-insuring-natures-future

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Photo: Lockie Ashley-Holligan

29/11/2021

‘COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP’ MIGHT BE THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT DEFORESTATION

In our latest feature, Peter Yeung finds out that when forests are managed by the people who live in them, conservation tends to follow.

Find out more: https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/community-ownership-might-be-the-best-way-to-fight-deforestation

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When forests are managed by the people who live in them, conservation tends to follow.

24/11/2021

Mexico's Mesoamerican Reef is covered by a novel insurance policy, which is triggered when wind speeds exceed 100 knots in a predefined area, allowing for swift damage assessments, debris removal and initial repairs. Enter the reef brigades, who are trained to spring into action after a hurricane. If necessary, longer periods of restoration and recovery work may follow to restore the reef’s value as a coastal barrier – in those cases, the volunteers are compensated for their time.

Hurricane Delta in October 2020 was the model’s first test. Following the storm, the policy paid out $850,000 to the trust fund, and over the next three months, the brigades used the money to stabilise 2,152 uprooted coral colonies and re-attached 13,570 coral fragments.

“It was a very significant milestone in our work to explore the use of insurance as a mechanism to protect at-risk coastal ecosystems,” says Mark Way, director of Global Coastal Risk and Resilience for The Nature Conservancy. “The fact that the insurance policy paid out, and funded vital reef repair activities, is a win for nature and a win for the coastal community, and it will drive further interest in conservation finance and the need to protect marine ecosystems across the globe.”

Find out more: https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/on-the-mesoamerican-reef-a-model-for-insuring-natures-future

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16/11/2021

COULD THESE LOW-CARBON TRAINS CURE EUROPE’S FLYING ADDICTION?

As the reality of climate change becomes ever more stark and the simple comfort and ease of rail travel becomes more attractive, there is growing evidence that citizens, companies and governments in Europe are getting on board with trains as a better way to travel.

In April, the French government voted to ban short-haul domestic flights where alternatives by train exist. Research by French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir had found that planes emit 77 times more CO2 per passenger than trains on journeys lasting under four hours.

Experts say the combination of climate change and the pandemic has also caused a significant shift in consumer demand. A study by Cardiff University found that 47% of UK travellers, now more appreciative of nature and attuned to a slower pace of life, plan to fly less after the pandemic.

To read more... https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/could-low-carbon-trains-cure-europes-flying-addiction

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12/11/2021

The 30 million inhabitants of the Amazon basin have two paths before them. They can develop an economy based around the standing forest, or one that turns it into tropical ranchland. The scales are heavily weighted toward the latter.

Agroforestry may be more profitable per acre than cattle, but Judson Valentim, a researcher at EMBRAPA, Brazil’s version of the USDA, cites a laundry list of reasons why it is not more widely adopted: Government subsidies are lacking; technical advice and training are not widely available; infrastructure and distribution networks pale in comparison to the cattle industry; and the return on investment takes longer, making it difficult to obtain financing. “Cattle is seen as a reliable savings account,” he says. “If you have one cow this year, next year you’ll have two.”

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09/11/2021

Following two catastrophic hurricanes on Mexico's Caribbean coast in 2005, causing $8 billion of damage, researchers at non-profit The Nature Conservancy (TNC) wondered why the town of Puerto Morelos had come out relatively unscathed.

Subsequent analysis pointed to the protection provided by the town’s healthier reef section. In 2014, TNC researchers put a dollar value on what the absence of the reef would cost the region’s tourist industry, and worked with Swiss Re risk modellers and local stakeholders to devise an insurance package for the reef.

Find out more: https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/on-the-mesoamerican-reef-a-model-for-insuring-natures-future

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20/10/2021

COULD THESE LOW-CARBON TRAINS CURE EUROPE’S FLYING ADDICTION?
.. Businesses with green credentials are hoping to quickly capitalise as train travel gets back on track and is no longer seen as the preserve of enthusiasts, or those with medical conditions or phobias of flying. Among them is Lumo, a low-cost, low-carbon rail firm launching an all-electric alternative to flying on the UK’s busiest domestic route, London to Edinburgh.

Internal research by Lumo found that 56% of UK flights before the pandemic were between London and Edinburgh, yet on average it was six times more polluting to fly than to take an electric train. The firm hopes its trains provide “a blueprint for low-carbon, affordable long-distance travel in the UK.”

A key factor of Lumo’s business plan is affordability — some 60% of fares will be £30 ($40) or less, which the company says will be achieved by reducing costs through highly digitised ticketing systems. “We shouldn’t be charged a premium for doing the right thing,” adds Wylde.

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14/10/2021

Agroforestry systems maintain soil fertility and water quality nearly as well as wild Amazonian forests. They do not have the same level of biodiversity—one acre of virgin forest can have hundreds of plant species—but they still harbour a multitude of native insects, birds, and wildlife. “The diversity of species creates a balance that keeps pests and diseases under control,” says Jéssica Puhl Croda, a forestry engineer who has studied ecological impact of Brazillian agroforestry cooperative RECA.

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12/10/2021

Just off Mexico's caribbean coast lies the Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest barrier reef system in the world. Jacob, Arcelia and Melina (left to right) are part of the local brigade of volunteer conservationists who care for it.

After Hurricane Delta struck the town of Puerto Morelos last October, they were among roughly 30 ‘Guardians of the Reef’ who set about clearing debris and re-rooting and re-attaching damaged coral colonies.

Over the next three months, the brigades managed to stabilise 2,152 uprooted coral colonies and re-attach 13,570 coral fragments.

Find out more... https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/on-the-mesoamerican-reef-a-model-for-insuring-natures-future

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The Nature Conservancy Swiss Re Mesoamerican Reef Fund -MAR Fund-

08/10/2021

Could low-carbon trains cure Europe’s flying addiction?

In our latest feature, Peter Yeung explores a new generation of sleeper cars and short-haul routes that are helping European railways compete against discount airlines.

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A new generation of sleeper cars and short-haul routes are helping railways compete against discount airlines.

06/10/2021

So far, nearly a fifth of the Amazon has been deforested. But because agroforestry systems require far less land than cattle to make a living, they could take the pressure off the rainforest that remains—if they were more widely implemented.

RECA, a co-op founded in 1989, demonstrates how it could be done. The natural rainforest preserves biodiversity, protects soil and water, and sequesters carbon in its trees, mitigating climate change. RECA’s farmers approximate that ecosystem, densely planting up to 40 species in their recreated rainforest parcels.

The market for crops like açaí—the Amazon’s top agroforestry export—is worth just shy of $1 billion. (Unlike açaí harvested in some areas of the Amazon, RECA’s is not tainted with child labour—their products are certified by the Union for Ethical Biotrade, and while RECA children are engaged in farm activities “as a way of learning,” says Condack, “we do not have child labor exploitation here at all”.)

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03/09/2021

A healthy coral reef can reduce up to 97% of a wave’s energy before it hits shore, limiting the effects of storm surge and coastline erosion. Unhealthy reefs, however, are themselves vulnerable to storm damage, losing 15 to 55% of their coral cover after a strong hurricane, decreasing their protective qualities.

In Mexico's Riviera Maya, research has shown that a one-metre loss in the height of the reef crest could double the damage to local homes and hotels. To make matters worse, climate change is resulting in more hurricanes: last year, the Atlantic saw the most named storms on record.

Find out more... https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/on-the-mesoamerican-reef-a-model-for-insuring-natures-future

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The Nature Conservancy Swiss Re Mesoamerican Reef Fund -MAR Fund-

01/09/2021

For decades, cattle ranching has been the dominant economic activity in the Amazon Rainforest, driving 80% of forest loss.

Ranchers get caught in a vicious cycle, felling forest and establishing pastures that quickly deplete the nutrients in the thin tropical soils. Once depleted, yields of beef per acre diminish, so the ranchers move on, converting more forest to pastures until those soils are shot, too. So far, nearly a fifth of the Amazon has been cleared.

But because agroforestry systems require far less land than cattle to make a living, they could take the pressure off the rainforest that remains—if they were more widely implemented.

For more... https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/these-farmers-show-that-agriculture-in-the-amazon-doesnt-have-to-be-destructive

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A groundbreaking Brazilian community demonstrates how to farm sustainably in the forest—no cattle necessary.

27/08/2021

SFB Weekly: Can investors save the Amazon? -

A solutions-oriented news round-up from Struggles From Below.

20/08/2021

SFB Weekly: Mexico devises revolutionary method to reverse land degradation -

A solutions-oriented news round-up from Struggles From Below.

17/08/2021

Big shout out to JSTOR Daily for featuring our article about insuring coral reefs and other natural assets on their news roundup last week🙏🙏

https://daily.jstor.org/venus-the-green-knight-and-old-school-peaches/

Read our article here: https://www.strugglesfrombelow.com/on-the-mesoamerican-reef-a-model-for-insuring-natures-future

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Well-researched stories from Wired, Struggles from Below, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.

07/08/2021

SFB Weekly: How to farm sustainably in the Amazon rainforest -

A solutions-oriented news round-up from Struggles From Below.

06/08/2021

Could Colombia’s ‘Reincorporation Spaces’ be a model for creating peace in politically divided areas across the world?

This audio longread explores the policy’s potential and its shortfalls.

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04/08/2021

Should tenants be forgiven for unpaid rent accrued during the pandemic?

This article, which you can read on strugglesfrombelow.com by searching California, explores California’s ambitious $5.2 billion plan to pay off the rent of low-income tenants who fell behind on their payments as a result of COVID-19.

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02/08/2021

Our news curator brings you the world’s best solutions journalism — journalism focused on the responses to global issues rather than the issues themselves.

One recent article by the BBC explores how cities such as Oslo, Helsinki, and Copenhagen are working to clean up the construction sector, one of the most high-emission industries in the world.

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30/07/2021

With its One Planet Development Policy, the Welsh government is allowing citizens to live more ecologically sustainable lives.

A rare exemption from strict planning laws, so far 46 smallholders have signed up to build eco-homes and work on the land they sit on.

Read more about the initiative and sign up for our weekly newsletter of quality journalism here: https://bit.ly/3kaMZUY

30/07/2021

SFB Weekly: The tree cutting emissions from Brazilian beef -

A solutions-oriented news round-up from Struggles From Below.

28/07/2021

Under a new law in Florida, the state is going to connect all of its large national and state parks with tracts of open land to create an unbroken corridor of preserved land from the Alabama state line to the Florida Keys.

This remarkable piece of environmental legislation could become a model for the rest of the United States. This great story by the New Yorker is an example of the solutions journalism featured in our weekly newsletter.

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26/07/2021

A great story by Yale Environment 360 on how cities, long considered a species desert, can play a part in solving the world’s biodiversity crisis is just one example of the amazing solutions journalism featured by us in our weekly newsletter.

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23/07/2021

Environmental DNA is a game-changer for marine conservation.

This article explores how eDNA works and the role it plays in detecting specific species of interest such as invasive crayfish or species of conservation concern such as crested newts.

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eDNA metabarcoding is set to revolutionise freshwater biological monitoring in the 2020s, supercharging our ability to detect and identify the planet’s fish and other aquatic species.

22/07/2021

ON THE MESOAMERICAN REEF, A MODEL FOR INSURING NATURE’S FUTURE ✍️ 📷 🎬

A 100-mile stretch of coral reef off Mexico’s Caribbean coast is now insured just like any other valuable asset. Is this the future of conservation?

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Many thanks for your help 🙏 : The Nature Conservancy Swiss Re Security Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Mesoamerican Reef Fund -MAR Fund-

A 100-mile stretch of coral reef off Mexico’s Caribbean coast is now insured just like any other valuable asset. Is this the future of conservation?

21/07/2021

This story by the BBC looks at recent trials of a 4-day work week in Iceland that showed when workers are paid the same amount for shorter hours, productivity remained the same or improved.

Read the story at strugglesfrombelow.com — just search Iceland.

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16/07/2021

An army of volunteers is behind the largest seagrass restoration project in the world — proving that marine habitats can be brought back to life.

Over the last 20 years, the team has sown nearly 75 million seeds leading to improved water quality, increased marine diversity, and the mitigation of climate change through the capture and storage of carbon.

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14/07/2021

In this article, Jennifer Mascia looks at evidence suggesting that a less aggressive approach can reduce police shootings, which sees US cities experimenting with new models.

Read this article in full: https://bit.ly/3iqRaLD

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