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Oslo harbor at the Aker Brygge neighbourhood in Oslo

Can cities change the world through what they eat?

Shifting to healthier and more sustainable diets will benefit people and the planet – and build prosperity Three years ago, our city of Oslo was the first to introduce a “climate budget”. The city government budgets its emissions like it budgets its money. Long-term political promises become…
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Deforested area

Sustainable development in Asia: seeing both the forests and the trees

As the continent comes to dominate the global economy, it will do much to determine the fate of the global commons As a young Asian business leader, it is fascinating to be part of an important transformation – the rise of Asia in the global economy.  Next year is expected to mark the tipping point…
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Combine in wheat field

We need a new approach to growing and consuming food

Food wastage must be reduced, consumer preferences must change and farmers must be weaned on to ecologically sustainable practices From consumers in London to drought-prone farmers in central India, nobody needs convincing that climate is changing for the worse. But policymakers are failing to…
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GEF's Pacific Expanded Constituency Workshop session in a Fiji village

From Ridge to Reef: learning from holistic best practice in Fiji

Like many other Pacific Island countries, Fiji is one of the most coveted tourist destinations in the world. At the same time, it is a microcosm of some significant development and environmental challenges. A natural resource-dependent country with limited land area, Fiji experiences intense…
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Tuna amongst prey. Photo: J'nel/Shutterstock.

Needed: an ecosystem of partners to support ocean health

Global co-operation, with businesses playing a critical role, is needed to transform the seafood industry It is estimated that approximately three billion people around the world rely on seafood for their primary source of protein, making flourishing oceans an integral part of the global commons…
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Woman using a microscope. Photo: Tong Nawarit/Shutterstock.

Business should ensure the well-being of people and the planet

Innovation, sustainability and the efficient use of capital are mutually reinforcing More and more private companies are incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their operating strategies and using them as business opportunities. Approved by the UN General…
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A shallow seagrass meadow surrounds a tropical island on the Mesoamerican barrier reef off the coast of Belize. Photo: Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock.

Three steps to meeting the climate and nature emergency

We must make the most of a super-year in 2020 for saving the global commons next year There are growing calls to declare climate and nature emergencies. But are these justified? The latest scientific assessments on the state of Earth’s climate and biodiversity provide robust evidence.  The latest…
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A malagasy farmer and son in their plantation of vanilla near Sambava, east of Madagascar. Photo: Pierre-Yves Babelon/Shutterstock.

Conserving nature boosts farmer incomes and cuts poverty

Local communities need to be engaged when it comes to using their natural resources sustainably Madagascar, island of a thousand wonders, is well known for its many endemic species of plants and animals. With more than 13 million hectares (more than 50,000 sq miles) of forest, it is home to more…
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A busy market in Lagos, Nigeria. Photo: ariyo olasunkanmi/Shutterstock.

Renewable energy is the only way to fuel African growth

Public-private partnerships are proving to be an effective way of solving Nigeria's energy supply crisis My country, Nigeria, will soon become the third most populous country in the world, reaching a forecast 400 million people in 2050. This demographic growth is happening at an incredible speed.…
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Tractor spraying pesticides on vegetable field with sprayer at spring. Photo: Fotokostic/Shutterstock.

Fixing the food system: how cities can truly feed the world

Urban areas can change the broken food system that causes ill-health and environmental degradation Over half of the world’s 7.7 billion people live in towns and cities. By 2050, more than two thirds of them will do so. Materials, waste, emissions, knowledge and influence follow this population…

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