Growing Returns

Major banks are setting climate targets. What the agricultural finance sector needs to know.

By Vincent Gauthier / Bio / Published: December 14, 2022

Many major banks have set targets to reduce financed greenhouse gas emissions in their loan portfolios to zero by 2050 (also known as net zero targets). They join a growing movement of companies throughout the agricultural supply chain to set ambitious targets to reach net zero by 2050 to prevent the most severe impacts from climate change.

The Banking for Impact on Climate in Agriculture (B4ICA) initiative recently published “An introductory guide for net zero target setting for farm-based agricultural emissions” that shares best practices for banks to set net zero GHG emissions targets for their agricultural loan portfolios. The guidance helps banks setting agricultural sector emissions reduction targets as part of their commitments to the Net Zero Banking Alliance — an alliance of 122 banks representing 40% of global bank assets that have committed to aligning their assets with net zero GHG emissions by 2050 or sooner. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged agricultural, agricultural finance, agricultural lenders, agriculture, banks, ecosystems, farmers, finance, GHG emissions | Comments are closed

How companies can reduce nitrogen pollution and measure progress toward climate goals

By Simone Schenkel / Published: December 8, 2022

Nitrogen is essential for life, but excess nitrogen can pollute the atmosphere and water. This has a huge impact on human and ecosystem health, as well as financial losses to farmers from fertilizer — which is at a record high price — that ultimately won’t be utilized by crops.

EDF’s new N Balance Implementation Guide provides a comprehensive and pragmatic road map for food and agriculture companies to help reduce nitrogen pollution from agricultural production and claim the environmental improvements associated with nitrogen management.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged ecosystems, farm, farmers, fertilizer, implementation guide, N Balance, n balance guide, N Visible, nitrogen, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

Building climate resilience requires a whole-of-government approach. Here’s how Louisiana is making it happen.

By Natalie Snider / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 1, 2022

As communities in southwest Florida, Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean struggle to recover from the damages of an active hurricane season, efficient, proactive resilience solutions have never been more important.

Louisiana continues to be a world leader in the planning and implementation of coastal resilience. Louisiana will release the fourth iteration of its Coastal Master Plan in early 2023, which provides the most science-based and publicly informed plan in the nation. Since the first plan, $21.4 billion has been invested in flood resilience infrastructure – focused on restoration of coastal ecosystems that provide essential flood risk benefits and grey infrastructure such as levees and seawalls. Other state agencies have also invested billions in rebuilding their infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and prisons.

Flooded hospital in Louisiana after a storm.

However, flood resilience is not just about infrastructure but also the ability of government agencies to maintain programs and services their constituents rely upon, from trash collection to food assistance to healthcare. Louisiana is the first to take a step toward a whole-of-government approach to ensure communities have access to the essential services they need to rebuild and thrive in the face of future flood risks.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged coastal louisana, Coasts, flooding, hurricanes, Louisiana, sea level rise | Comments are closed

Replicable revenue streams can help natural infrastructure projects receive State Revolving Fund financing

By Vincent Gauthier / Bio / Published: November 30, 2022

Natural infrastructure can provide protective barriers to reduce flood risk while also offering community green space and supporting green jobs. Louisiana GOHSEP, CC BY SA 2.0.

Authors: Vincent Gauthier (EDF), Tee Thomas (Quantified Ventures)

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest more than $44 billion in the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, or SRFs, presenting a tremendous opportunity to finance natural infrastructure solutions that can improve water quality and protect communities against flooding. While natural infrastructure can be a cost-effective way to improve water quality and reduce flood risk, these projects have historically been difficult to finance through SRFs due to a lack of consistent repayment streams.

EDF and Quantified Ventures recently published a report that identified five replicable repayment streams that communities and conservation groups can use to access SRF financing for natural infrastructure such as wetlands, floodplain restoration, and riparian buffers. These repayment streams include stormwater utility fees, source water protection fees, and environmental markets.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged clean water, climate change, Coasts, conservation, environmental defense fund, natural infrastructure, natural infrastructure projects, sustainability | Comments are closed

Five ways U.S. agriculture can adapt to climate change

By Eileen McLellan / Bio / Published: November 10, 2022

Farmers have a long history of steadily increasing crop yields through technological innovation and improvements in management practices. However, as climate change makes weather more extreme and variable than ever before, productivity progress will likely stall by 2030 — even if the U.S. maintains past rates of R&D investment and innovation. Adaptation efforts must begin now to protect food supplies and farmer livelihoods.

Adaptation options can be deployed at various scales to combat the unknown challenges ahead.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged adaptation, agriculture, climate change, cover crops, food, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

How will climate change affect U.S. crop yields?

By Kelly Suttles / Published: November 10, 2022

As the UN climate conference kicks off in Egypt, food and agriculture are central to negotiations for the first time. More severe droughts, warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall fueled by climate change are making it harder than ever for the world’s one billion farmers to grow food and fiber. While some farms and regions are more vulnerable than others, climate change will affect farmers everywhere.

Here in the U.S., where farmers have a long history of steadily increasing yields, climate change will likely cause crop productivity gains to stall — or even reverse — as soon as 2030.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged adaptation, agriculture, climate change, corn, cover crops, farmers, food, iowa, kansas, Minnesota, soybeans, sustainable agriculture, wheat | Comments are closed

EDF Celebrates the Passing of the NY Bond Act.

By Kate Boicourt / Bio / Published: November 9, 2022

In the climate policy world, states and localities are often laboratories of innovation and progress. However, with the devastating impacts of hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves, residents are already experiencing the costly impacts of climate change. To mitigate these costs, EDF supports innovative funding and financing strategies — especially in areas that are most vulnerable to climate impacts. One example of this is EDF’s work on a ballot measure in New York State.

This week, voters passed the historic Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act ballot measure. This comes on the heels of the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, ushering in a variety of new flood resilience projects aimed at mitigating these risks to communities.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged clean water, climate resilience, Coast, coastal resilience, Coasts, ecosystems, environmental justice, green jobs, New York, NY Bond Act | Comments are closed

New report provides a science roadmap for natural climate solutions

By Emily Oldfield / Published: October 31, 2022

Natural climate solutions, such as reforestation and wetland restoration, can help slow climate change and increase resilience in the face of climate impacts we can’t avoid.

These approaches have substantial and growing support from bipartisan lawmakers, the private sector and environmental nonprofits. However, big questions remain: Where are these strategies most effective? To what extent can they meaningfully remove and reduce greenhouse gases? How will increased drought, fire and pest outbreaks impact their ability to stave off climate change?

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged climate change, climate mitigation, climate res, ecosystems, natural climate solutions | Comments are closed

My perspectives on how we can inspire the next generation of Black climate leaders.

By Guest Author / Published: October 26, 2022

By Arianna Mackey, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Summer 2022 Intern

I became aware of my community’s lack of environmental awareness at a very young age. Growing up in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, my family and I visited the Nauticus museum often. One afternoon, after spending time in the flooding exhibit, I explained to my mom that due to increased flooding, Virginia Beach would be inhabitable in the future, with standing water reaching the front door following a storm. She brushed me off by saying it was an “over-exaggeration” and our community was fine. That encounter piqued my interest in environmentalism. Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged climate change, coastal, coastal communities, Coasts, ecosystems, environmental justice, flood risk, resilience, virginia coast, virginia flooding, water quality | Comments are closed

World Food Day has come and gone, with food security still out of reach for people and planet

By Tom Grasso / Published: October 24, 2022

Every October, the global community comes together to celebrate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as World Food Day. Taking stock, it is plain to see just how far we still have to go to achieve the FAO’s founding mission to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security for the planet.

The obstacles to achieving this goal are many and complex: the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing challenges of conflict, water shortages, flooding, and rising food costs are just a few. However, they all share one thing in common: they are exacerbated by the existential threat of climate change.

With less than a month to go before the 27^th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Egypt, world leaders must consider the importance of addressing food insecurity as a part of solving the climate crisis.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged agriculture, climate change, ecosystems, food production, food security, sustainability, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed