Clothing industry needs a just green transition

Good Morning,

Fast fashion is a considerable contributor to climate change, causing 4–10 % of global emissions and generating up to 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually. While the clothing industry must do its part in reducing emissions, it is crucial not to forget the impacts the green transition has on the workers in the global south nations; a just transition is needed, says a recent Finnwatch report.

The report sheds light on the many problems workers face in Bangladesh, one of the top apparel exporters in the world. Bangladesh is a developing nation, with the clothing and textile industry making up 86 % of its exports. Working in apparel is one of the only livelihoods for the locals, even though the wages are "insufficient to sustain a basic standard of living" as it is, according to the report. Inflation has only made the situation worse.

The country is in a difficult position as it faces climate change-induced extreme weather phenomena, while green transition in the clothing industry threatens the local people's livelihoods. For instance, the EU Textiles strategy and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive already put pressure on the global clothing industry.

The Finnwatch report urges the inclusion of clothing workers in the planning of the green transition – the solution is not to postpone the climate policy but to focus on a just transition.

Let's jump into this week's major headlines.

EU's Carbon Allowance (ETS) price development

UK's Carbon Allowance (ETS) price development

Yle | Major earthquake has killed over 11 200 in Turkey and Syria, weather hits survivors. The magnitude 7.8 quake was the worst to strike Turkey this century and it heaped more destruction on Syrian cities already devastated by war. Freezing winter weather adds to the plight of the tens of thousands left injured or homeless and hampering efforts to find survivors.

Links for supporting the rescue operation:

Reuters | Chile battles deadliest wildfires on record as heatwave grips. The fires, which have consumed 270,000 hectares (667,000 acres) of land, have killed 26 people so far in south-central Chile, and already made 2023 the second worst year in terms of hectares burned after the so-called "fire storm" that hit the country in 2017.

The Guardian | World’s biggest investment fund warns directors to tackle climate crisis or face sack. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s single largest investor, has warned company directors it will vote against their re-election to the board if they do not up their game on tackling the climate crisis, human rights abuses and boardroom diversity.

WWF | The year 2022 was one of the warmest in recorded history. Also, the CO2 content in the atmosphere is higher than in the last 2 million years.

Aljazeera | Deadly landslide strikes southern Peru amid heavy rainfall. Landslides in southern Peru have left at least 15 people dead, 20 injured and two missing, authorities said, warning that the toll from the disaster could rise.

Bloomberg | BP Slows Retreat From Oil as Russia War Drives Record Profit. While the British company said it was doubling down on the transition to cleaner energy with an additional $8 billion of spending to 2030, it will ramp up investments into fossil fuels by the same amount. By the start of the next decade, the company will have higher emissions than previously promised, with oil and gas output down by 25% compared to 2019, compared with its old target for a drop of as much as 40%.

HS | The decline in the Finnish carbon sinks is part of an alarming global trend, says the developer of the nine planetary boundaries framework. In addition to Finland, extensive logging combined with slow forest growth occurs in Sweden, Canada, and Brazil.

HS | The government decided to double the previously planned conservation area: more than 30 000 hectares of state forests under conservation.

Kauppalehti | The first-ever climate trial in Finland proceeds: has the government neglected its responsibilities, breaking the Climate Act?

HS | The Gulf of Finland faces an increased risk of environmental damage due to recent changes in Russian marine traffic. The "shadow fleet" of ships transporting Russian oil around the world, dodging international price caps and sanctions, has expanded to around 600 tankers.

HS | Pirkanmaa plans for an exceptional natural park that could compete with Lapland's national parks.

Maaseudun tulevaisuus | Sweden: Arla fined 1 M SEK for greenwashing. According to the Swedish Patent and Market Court, Arla's marketing gives a misleading impression of their products' emissions.

Reuters | Denmark awards first CO2 storage licences in the North Sea. Denmark has set a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions in 2045 and sees carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which removes CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and stores them underground, as key to reaching that target.

Reuters | Global carbon markets value hit record $909 bln last year. The value of traded global markets for carbon dioxide (CO2) permits reached a record 850 billion euros last year, according to analysts at Refinitiv.

Reuters | Australia denies permission for coal mine near Great Barrier Reef. Australia's environment minister on Wednesday declined to grant permission for a new thermal coal project owned by mining magnate Clive Palmer near the Great Barrier Reef.

STT | The University of Jyväskylä receives a grant for research on the green and digital transition from the Academy of Finland. One funded research project focuses on micro algae's potential in carbon sequestration; the other studies climate-smart forestry.

STT | The Finnish Regional Administrative Agency will now prioritize initiatives supporting green transition in their application processing.

STT | Ilmarinen adopts new climate benchmarks. The pension insurance company's goal is for its investment portfolio to be carbon neutral by the end of 2035.

Study Finds Adverse Impact of Climate on Mental Health. Extreme heat and humidity and other climate-related events have an alarming impact on mental health outcomes in terms of depression and anxiety in Bangladesh, the world’s seventh most vulnerable country to climate change. A study examining this relationship by scientists at Georgetown University and colleagues at George Washington University and the World Bank in Bangladesh, appeared February 5, 2023, in Lancet Planetary Health. (Newswise)

Warmer Climate May Drive Fungi to Be More Dangerous to Our Health. A new study out of Duke University School of Medicine published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that raised temperatures cause a pathogenic fungus known as Cryptococcus deneoformans to turn its adaptative responses into overdrive. This increases its number of genetic changes, some of which might presumably lead to higher heat resistance, and others perhaps toward greater disease-causing potential. (Duke today)

A chat may help convert a peer to a pro-sustainability stance. Changing the mind of someone who is dismissive of efforts to protect the planet could be accomplished by sharing a pro-sustainability point of view during a conversation, new research by Ohio State University suggests. The article was published in Journal of Environmental Psychology. (Science Daily)

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Picture of the week:

Prediction on the demand of energy: Global oil demand will grow despite surging renewables