COP15, Behaviour Change, France, Sand & Festivities

Giles Gibbons
Founder and CEO, Good Business

1. Not another one?

According to some scientists, we are living through  a mass extinction event. The extent of biodiversity loss is shocking; almost 30% of mammals at risk of extinction, and wildlife populations dropping 69% in the last 40 years (and by a horrifying 94% in South America). Unlike previous extinction events, this one is driven by human activity. But there is a silver lining: it means we can do something about it.

Enter COP15. Not as well-known as the COP that preceded it, but just as important, COP 15 is a UN conference dedicated to biological diversity, which hopes to be the “Paris moment for nature”. Over the next two weeks representatives from 196 nations will gather to adopt a global framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in the next decade.

The restoration of biodiversity is hugely important for a multitude of reasons, including addressing climate change. Biodiversity and the climate are inherently interconnected – climate change is a key driver of biodiversity loss, but the degradation of ecosystems means nature is less able to regulate the climate. We need to protect biodiversity for the benefit of the climate, but we also need to get a handle on the climate to protect biodiversity.

So why not integrate the issue of biodiversity into the more widely known UN Climate Change Conference (COP27, most recently)? Well, the goal of halting biodiversity loss in the next decade is ambitious, comes with its own set of challenges and requires specific expertise to achieve. And while we might not be there yet, the more attention that it is given, the better, and we hope over time a separate conference helps achieve that. We think the merits of separate conferences for biodiversity and climate change are clear, but the connection should not be overlooked.

So don’t let this event pass you by. Pay close attention to what’s achieved at #cop15 in the run up to Christmas - the future of biodiversity, and the Earth, may depend on it.

2. Communicating for Change

It has been a big week for Morocco. They beat Spain in a nail-biting penalty shootout in the #WorldCup. And importantly for us, they hosted the International Social and Behaviour Change Communications (SBCC) Summit (admittedly less well celebrated).   

SBCC is the strategic use of communication to inspire social and behaviour change to improve lives- from increasing use of modern contraceptive methods to fostering gender equality, to addressing the climate crisis. 

Good Business was invited to present our programme SKY Girls[AR1] ; an empowerment campaign for adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This formed part of a session on ‘Harnessing the Power of Youth for Impact’, something we believe passionately in and have plenty of learnings to share from a decade running a youth-led campaign.

The Summit brought together hundreds of delegates from around the world for a diverse community of changemakers; from Ministers, tech innovators to grassroots organisations and everything in between. Some highlights from the packed agenda included how to make the most environmentally friendly options the easiest choice for people, how to empower community-driven solutions for social and climate activism, and how to spark intergenerational conversations on sexual health.

As Jane Brown from the John Hopkins Centre asserted in the opening plenary, “it will be next to impossible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.… without wide-scale behaviour change, the adoption of new social norms and structural shifts in policy and implementation."

SBCC will be essential to this goal. We’ve come away from the Summit feeling invigorated by the inspiring people collaborating across disciplines to make change happen. So, if your business wants to use communications as a tool for transformational change, then why don’t you drop us a line.

3. Je ne sais quoi

Think of France, and you might think of croissants, berets and the Eiffel Tower. But what springs to mind when you think of French sustainability? In October, Good Business opened its first ‘Paris office’ as Sarah (this story’s author)I headed across the channel to consider this question firsthand.

On the one hand, France is the home of the Paris Agreement and a world leader in nuclear power, deriving over 75% of its energy this way. This year alone has seen a ban on outdoor heaters for cafes and restaurants and Emmanuel Macron swapping out a tie for a turtleneck to promote energy saving. And in recent weeks, France joined a number of European powers in announcing its intention to leave the Energy Charter Treaty: a little-known piece of legislation that allows fossil fuel companies or investors to sue states that take climate action. 

On the other hand, however, you have the Gilets Jaunes: protestors clad in yellow vests taking to the streets following the government’s decision to impose an environmental tax on fossil fuels. Vegan and vegetarian options certainly exist, but can be harder to come by than in London or Berlin. And in recent days, the French government successfully lobbied for the exemption of financial institutions from mandatory climate due diligence requirements.

Predictably, my short time here has left me with more questions than answers. What can the Gilets Jaunes’ reaction teach other countries about the need for a just transition? What does Macron’s turtleneck – and the backlash against it – show us about how politicians should promote behaviour change? And will others follow France’s lead in abandoning the outdated Energy Charter Treaty – whilst still imposing rigorous due diligence to stop financial institutions funding climate breakdown?

Climate change is a global problem, but understanding different national approaches to it can help us build on what works – and avoid making the same mistakes. 

4. Simply out-sanding

Finnish renewable energy company, Polar Night Energy Oy is on a mission to scale up a fascinating technology that stores electricity generated from wind and solar power as heat in sand. The technology is based on the simple concept of converting (clean) energy into heat, which is stored in silos of sand, known as “sand batteries”. The silos, equipped with sand and a heat transfer system can be kept outside buildings, or even underground – saving space and improving aesthetics.

As renewable energy generation capacity grows, we need clean and efficient energy storage to address the problem of year-round supply, a challenge for renewable energy. Renewable energy is great, but solar and wind power is unpredictable and supply varies during the day and the year.  Lithium-ion batteries are the current go-to, but they have drawbacks including cost, large physical footprints, the impacts of lithium production and limited ability to store excess power. Sand batteries are a potential alternative that could be ground-breaking. 

The sand battery technology is in its early stages, making the most out of a cheap, non-toxic and abundant resource that can be heated and kept at one-thousand degrees Celsius. The storing cycle ranges from hours to months, which means the sand can stay warm and the heat ready to use even when it’s not sunny or windy and, in the winter, when energy is at a premium.

Its potential to reduce demand on foreign energy supplies is important too. Sand batteries are a promising technology that can help increase self-sufficiency and mobilise the green energy transition.

The team at Polar Night Energy Oy is working to expand their current technology and license it for wider use. Refining surplus electricity into valuable heat seems a clever move and whilst it is too early to say sand batteries are the definitive solution, we’ll be keeping our eye on the advances Polar Night Energy are making in the renewable energy world. 

Goods: ’Tis the season to be green

At Good Business, we love end-of-year festivities, whether it is Christmas or Hannukah or the start of a new year. Yet these festivities are not always the most sustainable, so we thought we would share our favourite swaps to prove that a more sustainable end-of-year can make for even more fun.

Jennie enjoys a little bit of DIY and suggests making decorative dried orange slices, wrapped cinnamon sticks or dried flowers. Make it zero waste by using those old oranges you forgot to eat or the flowers that have been drying out in their vase for the last three weeks.

Lucy loves reusable Christmas crackers, whether they be the cloth ones we mentioned last year or these carboard ones that crack.

Flora says skip the wrapping paper and upcycle your old magazines or newspapers. Take it a step further by shredding it after gifts were opened for some New Year's Eve confetti!

Ashleigh often devours this leftover turkey risotto recipe to avoid food waste from the big meal and is convinced it can be adapted for leftover fish and most vegetables.

Bertie suggests a little walk through a park near you to create wreathes made from your local foliage. It is sure to get you out and about, acquainted with local biodiversity and will be a great conversation starter if you are hosting. And Miriam is a fan of wreaths made from plastic washed up on the beaches of the South coast.

Louise encourages people to gift experiences rather than things. Perhaps a step further, why not consider the gift of a donation, we still love Choose Love: Gifts with Heart. 

Others have suggested swapping out your candles for vegan candles, like these Vegan Chanukah candles from Rite Lite, investing in a few furoshiki for reusable wrapping, or considering alternative latkes to finish off leftover vegetables in your fridge!  

And for when the festivities are over, Claire cleans everything up with this homemade festive smelling antibacterial surface spray that ensure your tree has a second lease of life, and keeps your house smelling festive for longer.  

Happy holidays!