#co2e

[artisticdivasworld]

The AI Revolution: Transforming American Salespersons in the Trucking Industry

New blog alert!

Renee Williams, PresidentFreightRevCon, a Freight Revenue Consultants, LLC. company The trucking industry is experiencing a seismic shift, driven by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies. This transformation is reshaping the landscape for American salespersons, particularly in logistics and transportation jobs. As we delve into this evolution, we’ll explore…

[hussyknee]

Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37 396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2 375 259, this would translate to 7·9% of the total population in the Gaza Strip

(Source: The Lancet)

The Lancet is one of the oldest and highest impact peer-reviewed medical journals in the world. Deliberate undercounting of deaths is a key feature of genocides.

The Electronic Intifada estimated it at 193,000 a few days before.

The reported number of martyrs on Wednesday this week was 37,718. It’s important to note that this number only includes martyrs who have been identified by name and civil ID number through the beleaguered health ministry in Gaza. Given the breakdown of reporting systems due to heavy destruction of infrastructure and personnel, this number, even with its limited parameters, is a gross underestimation. Based on more accurate figures of approximately 370 people killed daily, multiplied by 264 days of genocide, the actual number is closer to 97,680 martyred. (Per OCHA estimate of 15 martyrs per hour: Over the course of 264 days, which amounts to 6,336 hours, this number would roughly be 95,040).

...

Based on these estimates, both conservative and data-driven, respectively, the actual figures are likely as follows: • 377,280 buildings destroyed completely or partially • 95,040—97,680 martyred • 221,760 injured • 24,750 dead or dying from starvation • 42,000 missing (presumed dead, kidnapped by Israel’s occupying forces or possibly trafficked). The following ranges represent conservative estimate or lower range of data-driven population estimates: • 17,050—94,049 with chronic illnesses dead from lack of medication • 14,408—255,985 dead from epidemics resulting from Israel’s assault This means the actual number of dead is closer to 194,768—511,824 people, with 221,760 injured. And counting.

(Source: The Electronic Intifada)

Israel surrounded the last remaining hospital in the Gaza Strip with tanks and ordered it evacuated and shut down 12 hours ago.

If you still want to believe the pussy-footing toll of counted and reported deaths that can stand up to Western propaganda, after nine fucking months of dropping more than 70,000 tons of bombs on a 41 kilometer strip, exceeding World War II bombings in Dresden, Hamburg, London combined, rather than the statistical breakdown of humanitarian orgs and medical journals, then have at. There's no point telling you to believe the victims and question your own biases towards your own heavily propagandized establishments.

But if you can do basic math, then please use The Lancet's estimated death toll. The massacre of 8% of the Gaza Strip is a conservative estimate and still apocalyptic. Resist all attempts to diminish it. Remember that this is the result of the United States's obstruction of justice and open-handed abetting of genocidaires. Keep fighting.

Btw:

While the war itself is estimated to have generated between 420,265 and 652,552 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) so far—equivalent to burning more than 1.5 million barrels of oil—this figure soars to more than 61 million tonnes when pre-and post-war construction and reconstruction are included. This is more than the annual emissions of 135 individual nations—but there is currently no legal obligation for militaries to report or be held accountable for their emissions.

(Source: EuroNews)

[zvaigzdelasas]

Fungi stores a third of carbon from fossil fuel emissions and could be essential to reaching net zero, new study reveals - phys.org

In a meta-analysis published June 5 in the journal Current Biology, scientists estimate that as much as 13.12 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) fixed by terrestrial plants is allocated to mycorrhizal fungi annually—roughly equivalent to 36% of yearly global fossil fuel emissions.

Because 70% to 90% of land plants form symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, researchers have long surmised that there must be a large amount of carbon moving into the soil through their networks.[...]

Mycorrhizal fungi transfer mineral nutrients to and obtain carbon from their plant partners. These bi-directional exchanges are made possible by associations between fungal mycelium, the thread-like filamentous networks that make up the bulk of fungal biomass, and plant roots. Once transported underground, carbon is used by mycorrhizal fungi to grow a more extensive mycelium, helping them to explore the soil. It is also bound up in soil by the sticky compounds exuded by the fungi and can remain underground in the form of fungal necromass, which functions as a structural scaffold for soils. The scientists know that carbon is flowing through fungi, but how long it stays there remains unclear. "A major gap in our knowledge is the permanence of carbon within mycorrhizal structures. We do know that it is a flux, with some being retained in mycorrhizal structures while the fungus lives, and even after it dies," says Hawkins. "Some will be decomposed into small carbon molecules and from there either bind to particles in the soil or even be reused by plants. And certainly, some carbon will be lost as carbon dioxide gas during respiration by other microbes or the fungus itself."[...]

"Many human activities destroy underground ecosystems. Besides limiting the destruction, we need to radically increase the rate of research,"

5 Jun 23

[jasmineiros]

I wasn't going to post this here due to the somewhat sensitive subject of idolization of celebrities and I actually already vented on Instagram stories, but once the dam breaks out it's useless to even try to contain it. And the only thing that is flooding my mind now is rage.

I already hated millionaires, but after Taylor Swift came to Brazil to that freaking circus people called a concert, I hated them even more.

In case you're not aware, Brazil is dealing incredibly badly with the climate crisis. In Rio they hit the temperature of 60°C (100F, but the sensation was of 140F). It was the highest temperature registered SO FAR. A mix of this unbearable heat and the fact that the staff managing the production of concert used certain materials such as god-damned metal to cover certain structures made several people to get severe burns and 23-year-old die of a heart attack.

Now, that's where the irony comes.

After hearing the news, the best Taylor could ever do was posting a stories saying "how sorry she was and she was so young and she was so beautiful and blablabla" but also very vehemently reinforcing that "due to her grief she wasn't going to say anything about it during the show". I mean, a person who technically loved her, had to get donations to travel across the country and literally died because of this god-damned concert and you can't even make a tiny, small tribute for her. She didn't even mention her name in the stories, which was Ana Clara, btw.

She or the staff never reached out to the family to ask if they needed anything, even though they absolutely had the means to do it. Several years ago, when a Rihanna fan was murdered, she personally paid for the expenses of the funeral, because the family couldn't afford it.

And it gets worse.

She cancelled her next performances due to the climate issues. Being herself is the biggest celebrity CO2e polluter of this year so far. And she got back to the US. In a fucking private jet.

I mean, this combo couldn't be more unbelievable. She not only completely dehumanized an incredibly painful and serious situation, as she, with the 1% of magnates that literally rule this planet, is simply the root cause of the imminent destruction of this planet but it doesn't matter, as long as she still has money being shoved into that white ass of hers.

Or maybe I'm being naive, maybe it's our fault, after all, monkeys are meant to the zoo, not to be in the presence of an untouchable, perfect and almighty nature force such as she, since apparently she can't even breathe the same air we do by just using a freaking common airplane, like a sensitive and sane person would.

The fact that she will just run out and make other concerts with that same innocent angel aura, even though she displays a borderline psychopath behavior, like she still was the 16-year-old girl writing songs about her break ups is absolutely unbelievable to me.

This is just so similar to when that cryptofascist piece of trash of Aurora decided it would be just a good idea to make a shallow and generic discourse about love and acceptance and how everyone is being cancelled nowadays when a member of her band posted and gestured dog whistle supremacy symbols on more than one occasion.

Honestly I wish I could feel anything else right now, but the only thing I can still manage to internalize and express is pure hate.

[vegansforfuture]

Die Beratungsfirma "Bright Green Partners" hat sich in einem neuen Bericht mit den Umweltauswirkungen von Kuhmilch, Pflanzenmilch und PF-Milch beschäftigt und wagt zudem einen Blick ins Jahr 2040. 👍😎🌱

Besonders interessant ist, dass PF-Milch, also Milch aus Präzisionsfermentation, in Zukunft die mit Abstand klimafreundlichste Milch sein wird, da ihre Produktion nur 0,1 kg CO2e pro Liter freisetzen wird, wogegen sich die Klimabilanz von Kuhmilch zwar noch etwas verbessern lässt, allerdings auf keinen Fall auf unter 0,5 kg CO2e / Liter. Wenn Molkereien ihre Klimabilanz optimieren wollen, kommen sie um den Einsatz von PF- und Pflanzenmilch also nicht herum!

Weitere Details dazu von Vegconomist: "Laut einem Bericht der Beratungsfirma Bright Green Partners könnte Milch auf pflanzlicher Basis bis Ende 2030 10 % billiger sein als Kuhmilch und zu einem Grundnahrungsmittel werden (...). In diesem Bericht wird untersucht, welche Möglichkeiten die europäische Milchindustrie hat, dem prognostizierten Anstieg der Produktionskosten durch Investitionen in nachhaltige Alternativen zu herkömmlichen Milchprodukten zu begegnen.

Dem Bericht zufolge werden die Kosten für die Milcherzeugung in der EU bis 2040 voraussichtlich um 30 % steigen, da Umweltauflagen und die Notwendigkeit, die Kohlenstoffemissionen zu verringern, zu höheren Produktionskosten führen. Die „wahren“ Kosten der Milch, die die Umweltauswirkungen berücksichtigen, könnten den derzeitigen Preis fast verdoppeln.

Bereits jetzt zeichnet sich ein Wandel ab, da neue Marktführer im Bereich der tierfreien Milchprodukte auftauchen. Darüber hinaus werden dem Bericht zufolge Verschiebungen bei den Einzelhandelspreisen zwischen tierfreien und herkömmlichen Milchprodukten bis 2040 zu erheblichen Veränderungen bei der Verbrauchernachfrage und dem Kaufverhalten führen."

Quellen: ➡ LINK 1 ➡ LINK 2

CHANGE IS COMING! 😊💚

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

After SH video with the WWF's climate change director, any thoughts about carbon footprint only lasted until his recent trip.

He went to pamper himself on the well-being Canary Islands 🇪🇸 Gran Canaria is known throughout Europe as a good place for health. People go to the island to recover from ailments thanks to its pleasant climate, he goes to Las Palmas to revitalise his physical and mental well-being 🤔

So we expect a picture of him showing off his muscles on the best urban beach in Europe, “Las Canteras”, located in the heart of the capital of the island of Gran Canaria. His reporters friends are likely to be interested in diving in. 💁‍♀️

Or this time SH didn't go to the island to try to be an influencer for some luxury hotel in the Canary Islands 🤷‍♀️

@shinycomputerqueen Indeed is different: the carbon emissions of a flight from London to New York are 1,300 pounds of CO2 equivalent to 590 kg CO2e or 0.59 tonnes of carbon. The carbon footprint of a flight from Glasgow to Gran Canaria Airport is 481 pounds (lbs) equivalent to 218 kg of CO2 per passenger. Lower or Higher is all carbon footprint.

But is about his cynicism which implies doubting his sincerity in talking with WWF.

@kupigamawe Spotted a legend! referring to SH. This mate needs to help his potential brain 🧠 I don't think popularity is what makes someone a legend. A true legend is someone who leaves a lasting impact on others and is appreciated for their accomplishments. Even if SH has done things, he hasn't done anything particularly impressive when compared to the real legends of cinema that you mentioned earlier.

@shinycomputerqueen He should compelled to say, "Do as I say and not as I do”

[noneedtofearorhope]

so first we have

OpenAI's buzzy chatbot, ChatGPT, is probably using up more than half a million kilowatt-hours of electricity to respond to some 200 million requests a day, according to The New Yorker.

which works out to be about 0.0025 kwh per request.

according to the epa's online greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator, that's about 0.001 kg co2e.

then we have

Initially estimated in 2010 by an unnamed Twitter employee to be around 0.02g CO2-equivalent (CO2e), subsequent research by numerous climate experts appears to put the ecological impact of a single tweet to be 0.026g CO2e.

so working it out, a single chatgpt request is about the same energy cost as 38.5 tweets. i couldn't find any info for how much a post on tumblr would be, probably in part because it's a 'dead' website. but given the lackluster programming they're known for, and that posts can be much larger, i'd reckon it's worse than a tweet. so, spitballing, maybe 25 posts on tumblr is roughly equivalent to one chatgpt request?

just food for thought

[no-passaran]

(...) The investment of 125 of the world's richest billionaires yield an annual average of three million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, more than a million times the average for someone in the bottom 90 per cent of humanity, according to a new report by non-profit group Oxfam. These super rich people have a collective USD 2.4 trillion stake in 183 companies.

Their investments in polluting industries such as fossil fuels and cement are double the average for the Standard and Poor group of 500 companies, said the report titled "Carbon Billionaires: The investment emissions of the world's richest people".

Cumulatively, these 125 billionaires fund 393 million tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year, which is equal to the annual carbon emissions of France, a nation of 67 million people.

To put things into perspective, each of these billionaires would have to circumnavigate the world almost 16 million times in a private jet to create the same emissions, the report said.

(...) "The major and growing responsibility of wealthy people for overall emissions is rarely discussed or considered in climate policy making. This has to change. These billionaire investors at the top of the corporate pyramid have huge responsibility for driving climate breakdown. They have escaped accountability for too long," said Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India.

(...) "They can't be allowed to hide or greenwash. We need governments to tackle this urgently by publishing emission figures for the richest people, regulating investors and corporates to slash carbon emissions and taxing wealth and polluting investments", said Nafkote Dabi, Climate Change Lead at Oxfam International.

Oxfam also estimated that a wealth tax on the world's super-rich could raise USD 1.4 trillion a year, vital resources that could help developing countries - those worst hit by the climate crisis - to adapt, address loss and damage and carry out a just transition to renewable energy. (...)

"The super-rich need to be taxed and regulated away from polluting investments that are destroying the planet. Governments must also put in place ambitious regulations and policies that compel corporations to be more accountable and transparent in reporting and radically reducing their emissions," said Behar. (...)

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

The inclusion of Amazon mangroves in Brazil’s REDD+ program

The Legal Amazon of Brazil holds vast mangrove forests, but a lack of awareness of their value has prevented their inclusion into results-based payments established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Based on an inventory from over 190 forest plots in Amazon mangroves, we estimate total ecosystem carbon stocks of 468 ± 67 Megagrams (Mg) ha−1; which are significantly higher than Brazilian upland biomes currently included into national carbon offset financing. Conversion of mangroves results in potential emissions of 1228 Mg CO2e ha−1, which are 3-fold higher than land use emissions from conversion of the Amazon rainforest. Our work provides the foundation for the inclusion of mangroves in Brazil’s intended Nationally Determined Contribution, and here we show that halting mangrove deforestation in the Legal Amazon would generate avoided emissions of 0.9 ± 0.3 Teragrams (Tg) CO2e yr−1; which is equivalent to the annual carbon accumulation in 82,400 ha of secondary forests.

Read the paper.

[warningsine]

Coldplay has announced that they have reduced their touring carbon footprint by 59% compared with their previous world tour – via some creative methods that include kinetic dancefloors that allow dancing fans to generate electricity, recyclable LED wristbands and the band travelling by train.

On Monday the British band announced that they were “happy to report that direct CO2e emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59% less than our previous stadium tour (2016-17), on a show-by-show comparison”.

In 2021 the band first announced a 12-point plan to lower emissions while touring, two years after frontman Chris Martin vowed to never tour again unless it was done sustainably and with a “positive impact”.

The band’s pledge for the Music of the Spheres world tour, which began in 2022, was to reduce their carbon emissions from show production, freight, band and crew travel by “at least 50%”.

Two years later, the band say they have surpassed that figure – with the help of their fans.

“We’d like to thank everyone who’s come to a show and helped charge the show batteries on the power bikes and kinetic dancefloors,” they said in a statement on their website.

“Everyone who’s arrived by foot, bike, ride share or public transport; everyone who’s come with refillable water bottles or returned their LED wristband for recycling; and everyone who’s bought a ticket, which means you’ve already planted one of seven million trees so far.

“As a band, and as an industry, we’re a long way from where we need to be on this. But we’re grateful for everyone’s help so far, and we salute everyone who’s making efforts to push things in the right direction.”

Coldplay’s shows have featured kinectic dancefloors that generate electricity through the audience jumping up and down on customised tiles.

During the show fans are also encouraged to hop on power bikes, which, along with solar installations and the dancefloors, charge smaller stage areas during concerts, as well as phone, laptop and tool-charging stations for the crew.

Coldplay’s data was collated by sustainability business Hope Solutions and their claims verified by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT Prof John E Fernandez praised the band for “leading by example … to move the entire music industry toward true and humane sustainability”.

“With each subsequent year of their tour … Coldplay is modelling a trajectory toward a low carbon, biodiverse and equitable future,” Fernandez said.

Last July, an interim report suggested the band had fallen just short of their aim, achieving a 47% reduction in carbon emissions. But the new figures released by the band suggests the tour has become more efficient as it goes on.

The band claims that “72% of all tour waste has been diverted from landfill and sent for reuse, recycling and composting”, up from 66% in 2023.

Eighteen shows were powered entirely by a tourable battery system, made from recycled BMW batteries.

Two solar-powered “ocean cleanup river interceptors” have also been paid for during the tour.

For every ticket sold – 7 million so far – a tree has been planted through the global reforestation nonprofit One Tree Planted.

Live touring is a carbon-intensive business, particularly for world tours where venues are often thousands of kilometres apart. Artists such as Taylor Swift have been criticised for excessive use of private jets for touring and personal use.

While Coldplay rely on air travel for most of their shows, Martin has pledged to take public transport to gigs where possible. He arrived for the band’s shows in Cardiff by train.

[userparamore]

Taylor is not the artist with the biggest co2 emissions, that was a fake new that spread after the kardashians were called out for overusing their private planes. And the guy was sued bc he tracked every flight taylor took and posted it online in real time, that's creepy stalker behavior, you really think hayley wouldn't have sued if some random dude did that to her???

listen i'm not interested in any asks about taylor swift. the eras tour is over for paramore. but i'll link the data made by yard to back up this claim. it's from 2022.

"Taylor Swift might be today's pop princess, but Yard's research found that Miss Swift is the biggest celebrity CO2e polluter of this year so far. Racking up a total of 170 flights since January, Taylor's jet has amassed a vast 22,923 minutes in the air – 15.9 days. Quite a large amount considering that she is not currently touring."

she's now been touring this year and i'm guessing her time in the air hasn't gone down.

"Taylor's jet has an average flight time of just 80 minutes and an average of 139.36 miles per flight. Her total flight emissions for the year come in at 8,293.54 tonnes, or 1,184.8 times more than the average person's total annual emissions. Taylor’s shortest recorded flight of 2022 was just 36 minutes, flying from Missouri to Nashville."

in this bbc article they say he posted them a day later. either way, all flights are tracked and it's public information. you can go to faa.gov right now if you want and track taylor swift's jet. what hayley thinks about this is none of my business.

[female-malice]

Petrochemicals are the number one driver for global oil demand & will account for 1/2 of oil consumption by 2050. Given current trends, the life cycle emissions of plastics could exceed the carbon budget by 3x by 2050 & comprise 16% of the planetary boundary of 400 Gt CO2e

[yhancik]

The authors are arguing that generative AI is more green than humans writing or creating visual art.

They reached that conclusion by comparing dubious estimates of the carbon footprint of tools like ChatGPT... ... WITH THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF A HUMAN JUST EXISTING.

For instance, the emission footprint of a US resident is approximately 15 metric tons CO2e per year, which translates to roughly 1.7 kg CO2e per hour. Assuming that a person’s emissions while writing are consistent with their overall annual impact, we estimate that the carbon footprint for a US resident producing a page of text (250 words) is approximately 1400 g CO2e.

These four - supposedly sane - individuals thought it up, spent time researching all kind of data and calculations, wrote this down, proofread it a hundred times, published it, without questioning at one point whether this was any kind of meaningful comparison.

Found via a very good thread by L. Rhodes to whom I leave the conclusion because he words it better than I ever could:

it's dangerous on multiple levels. Dangerous first of all because they'll use it to greenwash a practice that, by any truthful measure, is increasing the amount of carbon emissions. Those 300 million monthly queries don't displace the carbon emissions of the people making them—they add to them. And I suspect they add significantly more than is reflected by the calculations of that paper. But the comparison is also dangerous because it implies that we would be better off, environmentally speaking, if you COULD replace artists—not just their work, which the paper doesn't meaningfully distinguish from their actuarial carbon footprint, but the people themselves—with generative AI. And from what we've seen and heard of their ideological commitments, that's a conclusion some AI enthusiasts would readily embrace.

[datarep]

Whose gas is this?! 29 years of CO2e greenhouse gas emissions

by u/elibryan

[vegansforfuture]

In den USA und einigen anderen Ländern sind bereits Milchprodukte aus Präzisionsfermentation auf dem Markt. Bei dieser hocheffizienten Technologie werden Molkenprotein und Kasein von Hefen oder Bakterien in einer Art Brauerei erzeugt. Dadurch wird die Haltung von Kühen überflüssig. So teilte der PF-Milch-Produzent TheBoredCow kürzlich mit, in den USA bereits in über 2000 Märkten gelistet zu sein.👍😎🌱

Wenig bekannt war bislang allerdings, wie die Auswirkungen von PF-Milch auf Klima & Umwelt aussehen, weshalb "The Bored Cow" dazu eine Untersuchung bei Planet FWD in Auftrag gab und zu spannenden Erkenntnissen, insbesondere im direkten Vergleich mit Kuhmilch, gelangte.

Die Ergebnisse: - Der Energieverbrauch liegt bei PF-Milch etwa doppelt so hoch wie bei Kuhmilch, trotzdem sind die Treibhausgasemissionen noch immer um 44% geringer. Würde man die Methanemissionen der Rinder mit dem 20-Jahre-Äquivalent von 84 CO2e, anstatt des verwendeten 100-Jahre-Wertes von 28 CO2e, berechnen, wäre der Unterschied noch weitaus größer. - Gerade beim Landverbrauch kann PF-Milch punkten, da kaum Landfläche für den Anbau der Rohstoffe benötigt wird. - Die bei der Untersuchung ebenfalls untersuchte Mandelmilch liegt bei den Emissionen, aufgrund des geringeren Energieverbrauchs, deutlich unterhalb der PF-Milch, benötigt aber fast 7x so viel Landfläche.

Fazit: Präzisionsfermentation ist eine wegweisende Technologie, die es uns ermöglichen kann, enorme Landflächen freizugeben, die dann zur Renaturierung oder für den Aufbau von Solaranlagen genutzt werden könnten. Die EU sollte sich deshalb nicht länger dem Fortschritt in den Weg stellen und PF-Milch zeitnah genehmigen! 😎🌱

Quellen: ➡ LINK 1 ➡ LINK 2 ➡ LINK 3 ➡ LINK 4 ➡ LINK 5

CHANGE IS COMING! 😊💚

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Summary

This project, led by an Indian NGO Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT), is on a mission to organise and empower women in low-income households to increase their resilience to impacts of climate change. To date, MHT’s initiatives have helped 25,000 low-income families across seven cities in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The project is centred around an integrated model wherein women take the lead through collective action and technology incubation to devise locally relevant, pro‐poor, gender-sensitive and climate-resilient solutions. For example, women were trained to be energy auditors who encourage households to switch to more efficient products, forming a women-led distribution network of green energy and building products. Other solutions include using sprinkler taps to reduce the flow of water, harvesting rainwater, and other behavioural changes leading to more than 60% of households reporting to have increase in water quantity and more than 32% having sufficient water during summers.

Though projects like these, MHT is empowering women to take action against four major climate risks: heat waves, flooding and inundation, water scarcity, and water-vector-borne diseases. These slow‐onset events attract less attention but frequently impact poor people, particularly women, the most.

Key Facts

Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT) has helped organise 114 Community Action Groups, who have reached out to 27,227 women in 107 slums. Of the women they’ve worked with, 8,165 women were recorded to demonstrate an increase in “knowledge seeking behavior”. 

Over 1,500 women have been trained as climate-saathis, who are responsible for communicating the issue of climate change with their community in their local language. Through this communications exercise, the proportion of participants who viewed climate change as an act of god reduced from 26 % to 9 %.

To date, around 28,000 energy audits have been undertaken in slum communities, which have saved families over USD 700,000 per annum in electricity costs. These money and energy saving interventions have included installing over 200 modular roofs and 500 roofs with solar reflective white paint, while having also led to a reduction of 105 tonnes of CO2e per annum. 

The Problem

It is estimated that over 190.7 million people live in informal settlements in South Asia. These settlements are often densely populated and highly vulnerable to even the slightest changes to our climate.

MHT’s project is building the resilience capacities of over 25,000 low-income families living in slums and informal settlements across seven cities in three South Asian countries, including: Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Ranchi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar (India); Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Kathmandu (Nepal).

Their initiatives empower women to lead local mitigation efforts to prevent key climate risks such as heatwaves, flooding and inundation, and climate change related incidences of water-vector borne diseases. These types of slow-onset events tend to attract less global attention, while also disproportionately impacting low-income households. Women are commonly the primary caregiver and responsible for household management, which renders them more vulnerable to these types of stresses.

The Solution

MHT has championed a women-led empowerment model for building climate resilience in the slums of South Asia, focused around organising groups of women in their communities. Their model builds upon the conviction that if the urban poor are provided with requisite knowledge to undertake vulnerability and risk assessments, and are equipped with available resilient‐technologies, they will be able to devise and implement locally relevant and pro‐poor, climate-resilient solutions

The project model emphasizes women taking the lead through collective action and technology incubation in order to devise these locally relevant, gender-sensitive and climate-resilient solutions. To make this possible, MHT, assists with facilitating the required infrastructure, institutional and financial mechanisms.

Helping the Planet

Through empowering women, this project is also helping reduce the emissions associated with the production of electricity in these communities. For example, one of MHT’s core initiatives trains women to become energy auditors and educate households on the nuances of energy use such as bill calculation, wattage consumption and energy wastage. As energy auditors, these women also encourage households to switch to more energy efficient products.

These trained energy auditors also act as grassroots level micro-entrepreneurs, by forming a women-led distribution network of green energy and building products. Energy auditors promote the installation of energy efficient LED bulbs and lights, modular roofs, airlite ventilator, many other solutions.

Helping People

While women from low-income families are often the most vulnerable as they have the least access to information and resources, MHT believes they also have the greatest potential to be empowered to become agents of change.

The rationale for the project is to provide these women with the requisite knowledge to undertake vulnerability and risk assessments, while also equipping them with the available climate resilient-technologies. This means they will be able to identify climate induced vulnerabilities, minimize risk and adopt locally relevant climate resilient solutions. In turn, these women also can potentially play a role in influencing better city planning and governance for pro-poor adaptation and resilience actions.

Spillover Effect

Currently, MHT is in the process of training other grassroots organisations to reproduce similar women-led groups in areas such as Bhubaneswar, Dhaka and Kathmandu.

While many other urban resilience programs are top-down and externally driven, MHT has made a concerted effort to ensure their initiatives are low-cost, contextually-appropriate and participatory.  Urban poor that have been organized under this program gather critical planning data to design their own solutions and negotiate with other urban stakeholders, as well as test and manage implementation of these solutions.

Through empowering women to help improve their homes and communities, MHT’s initiatives have also triggered behavior change in communities towards making more informed decisions. This has in turn empowered them with the necessary knowledge to demand improved government services, thus proving that this concept can be expanded to other communities throughout the world.