Agriculture/natural capital
What we grow, where and how we grow it, and what we eat. Plus how we can protect and enhance our natural environment including biodiversity.
Clean ammonia - the decarbonised future of fertiliser
We know we need to decarbonise ammonia production. There are already technical solutions, including electrification, and the use of green hydrogen as a feedstock. In most cases they are not yet financially comparable, but they seem to be getting closer. But in many situations decentralisation can also be a practical
Buying ethical and affordable chocolate is really hard
Those of you who celebrate Easter will have noticed that your easter egg has either got smaller or more expensive. But spare a thought for those who want to buy ethical chocolate - they have a different problem. How do you know your chocolate is ethical, and how much extra
Legal opinion - no surprise, directors do need to consider nature related risks
The Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative, together with Pollination, commissioned a legal opinion from a team of corporate and financial law barristers on the duties of UK company directors and the need to consider and assess nature related risks. For regular readers of our blogs, it will come as no
Fertiliser is going green. Or is it?
About 80% of ammonia produced is used to make fertiliser. In terms of direct emissions, it is almost 2x as emissions intensive as crude steel production and 4x that of cement at approximately 2.4 t CO2 per tonne of production. In this blog back in March 2023, we discussed
Sunday Brunch: Agriculture needs less complex tech?
If we are to build a more sustainable agricultural system globally, we need technology that is cheap, modular, and easy to implement and operate.
The limits of sequestration
Farmland, and in particular its soil, has the potential to store large amounts of carbon to varying degrees depending on the type of land. The 3,378 hectare Jigsaw Farms, comprising lush pastures, gum tree plantations, wildlife corridors and wetlands about near the town of Hamilton in Victoria Australia made
Are vertical farms ahead of their time?
The BBC (among other outlets) reported on a vertical farm in Gloucestershire, that they describe as one of the country's most technically advanced. The facility grows lettuce, basil and other herbs under special lights, in a warm humid atmosphere (27 degrees C and 75% humidity). They claim they
Supply chains - will the European regulation work?
It's well known that Europe is active in introducing regulation to ensure that products being sold in the region meet minimum human rights and environmental standards. Many companies are already preparing for the new rules and by and large the new rules are well supported by the general
Radical food system overhaul could deliver US$10 trillion per year in benefits
A report from the Food System Economics Commission (FSEC) argues that the current set up of food systems globally (i.e. what food we grow, how we grow it and how we distribute it to people) has a cost far bigger than their contribution to global prosperity and is on
Do soil carbon-sucking projects deserve the credit they get?
A story over the holiday period that caught our eye in New Zealand publication Stuff was one discussing carbon dioxide (carbon) storage in soil. The article highlighted Australian agricultural start up Loam Bio that produces a fungal and bacterial seed coating which boosts plants' ability to absorb carbon into
We need to invest a lot more in agriculture
25 leading philanthropies recently issued a joint report, calling for a tenfold increase in funding for regenerative and agroecological transitions to address urgent global agricultural and environmental challenges. They urge that to align food systems with the 1.5ºC goal of the Paris Agreement there is a need to phase
Electrification of agriculture
More than 130 countries signed a declaration at COP28 to accelerate action on transforming food systems to be more sustainable and tackle their impact on climate change. The Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action will require nations to include food emissions in their Nationally Determined