Insights

The Time is Now: African Climate Summit

Andrew Schwartz September 6, 2023

The African Climate Summit (ACS) is underway in Nairobi, Kenya. The African continent, with its 1.2 billion people, is weighed down by debt to countries and multilateral development banks, primarily in the Global North. The debt disallows positive investment in climate mitigation and adaptation measures. Despite the near negligible contributions of African nations to the climate crisis, they are indeed some of the most impacted peoples. Of the 20 countries

Sacred Work, Local and Global: A Reflection on the Waterfall Unity Festival

Aja Two Crows August 30, 2023

The Waterfall House sits on a sloping hill in New York’s Catskills flanked by a forest that Mohawk (“Kanien’kehá:ka”) and other , Haudenosaunee peoples tended for millennia. The Cayga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onodaga, Seneca and Tuscarora make up the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, commonly referred to historically as the Iroquois by outsiders. The house is a large, welcoming farm-style building with massive windows and an old soul. The grounds

The Harvest Through the Weeds: Sustainable Food Systems and the UN Stocktaking Moment

Andrew Schwartz August 29, 2023

We are now past the UNFSS+2 Stocktaking Moment, which served as a mid-point assessment on the progress made since the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the initiatives launched, the challenges encountered, and most importantly, to recalibrate strategies to meet the ambitious UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. More than two years ago, the Center for Earth Ethics formed the Faith

It’s not just about ecosystems. It’s about us.

Andrew Schwartz August 21, 2023

Ecosystems hold a profound significance that stretches beyond their ecological contributions. They are the tapestry into which the rest of life is woven, supporting not only the survival of myriad species but also helps inform the web of values and culture that define our humanity. The notion of ecosystem restoration, then, isn’t merely about rehabilitating the environment; it’s about rediscovering and preserving the deep connection among values, culture, and the

EU Nature Restoration Law to Provide Clarity and Consistency

Alyssa Ng February 15, 2023

SUMMARY: The Nature Restoration Law is being debated in both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, with an expected adoption by end 2023. It will complement and enhance synergies of existing nature-related legislation. Legally binding, quantifiable targets underpins the law’s ambition for nature restorationN Transforming Global Ambition into Policy By the time the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was approved at the end of December’s UN Biodiversity

Contrasting Energies: Reflections on the UN Biodiversity Conference

Alyssa Ng January 13, 2023

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) was held December 7-19 in Montreal. Having studied environmental issues for both my bachelor’s and master’s degree, COP (Conference of the Parties) has been part of my vocabulary for years. I have always learned about the outcomes, especially from the climate COPs, but this time, I was fortunate to attend COP15 and track the negotiations for the Global Biodiversity Framework, the agreement debated on

Authors

Catherine Coleman Flowers

Petra Thombs

Mindahi Bastida