sustainable | Common News Update

Mar252021 by adminNo Comments

Survey: Innovation, oversight needed to make aquaculture more sustainable

Science

March 24 (UPI) -- Aquaculture has come a long way over the last few decades, becoming more sustainable and efficient. But to deliver on its promise to ease pressures on land and ocean resources, a new survey suggests the aquaculture industry requires a combination of innovation and oversight. Advertisement In their paper, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, a team of researchers offer a 20-year retrospective on developments in global aquaculture, as well as recommendations for how the industry can boost sustainability, while remaining economically viable. "As the demand for seafood around the world continues to expand, aquaculture will keep growing," lead author Rosamond Naylor said in a news release. "If we don't get it right, we risk the same environmental problems we've seen in...

Jan62021 by adminNo Comments

How to navigate the world of sustainable investing ratings

Finance

Oranut Fankhaenel / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty ImagesSustainability ratings are useful tools for assessing the environmental, sustainability and corporate governance-worthiness of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.But how do you navigate between different ratings providers, especially when they can have different results for the same fund?CNBC looked under the hood at some of the most pertinent issues.What's being measured?"[Ratings] don't have to agree, because the underlying methodologies are different," said Larry Lawrence, executive director, ESG products, for MSCI.To compare fund ratings in an apples-to-apples fashion, one must not only compare methodologies (here is MSCI's as an example), but also at how the underlying holdings are treated in terms of rating distribution; carbon inte...

Dec152020 by adminNo Comments

British military looking to move aircraft to sustainable sources of fuel

Business

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- A plan to use sustainable sources for up to 50 percent of military aviation fuel was announced by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace this week. The British Ministry of Defense on Saturday said it would look to algae, alcohol, household waste, wood and biomass as potential sources of fuel for the nation's F-35 and Typhoon planes and Wildcat helicopters. Advertisement Aviation fuel consumes nearly two-thirds of fuel used by the British military, the ministry said. New aviation fuel standards in effect since November call for a reduction in emissions and carbon footprints, and complement the British government's goal of net zero emissions throughout the country by 2050. "[Britain] is leading the way in sustainability, and by refining our aviation fuel standards we are ta...

Feb202020 by adminNo Comments

Veggie-loving monkeyface prickleback may be future sustainable protein

Science

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Scientists have uncovered the digestive secrets of one the ocean's most unique vegetarians. The discovery, described Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, could pave the way for more sustainable proteins sources. There are more than 30,000 fish species living on planet Earth, but just 5 percent of them are known to eat only plants. One of the few vegetarian species is the monkeyface prickleback, or Cebidichthys violaceus. The unique species, which lives in shallow tide pools on the West Coast, boasts a human-like digestive system, featuring an acidic stomach and both small and large intestines. All living organisms need lipids to survive. Unfortunately for the prickleback, the algae the species eats exclusively contains relatively low levels of lip...

Sep32019 by adminNo Comments

What is sustainable palm oil?

Science

Palm oil is used in everything from cosmetics to food to soap. There is enormous demand for it. But it is hugely controversial because it involves the clearing of tropical rainforests to grow palm oil plantations. This has led to the loss of biodiversity and habitat for under-threat animals such as the orang-utan.But some companies are signing up to comply with a standard known as "sustainable" palm oil. BBC environment correspondent Claire Marshall explains.There is a generally-agreed global standard set by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which is made up of oil palm growers, retailers, NGOs and manufacturers. To become officially "sustainable", a company pledges not to clear any primary forest, to have transparent supply chains, to check...