Case Studies

• → Ethiopia

  Climate action tracker Rating: Compatible 

  • Paris Agreement - limit greenhouse gas emissions to no more than 145 MtCO2e including landuse, landuse change and forestry
  • Long term goal of carbon neutrality, however a year for the achievement of this goal has not been determined 
  • Currently developing a long-term strategy under the 2050 Pathways Platform, an initiative that supports countries develop long term net zero pathways
  • Primary source of emissions: Agriculture (about half)
  • Significant progress in limiting carbon emissions, having been ranked 2 degrees Celsius compatible 
• → Ethiopia

  Vulnerability

  • SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
  • Deaths from drowning 
  • Flooding causes extensive, yet indirect, health effects, including impacts on food production, water provision, ecosystem disruption and infectious disease outbreak
  • By 2070, a projected 130 million people will be at risk of malaria 
  • 63% of child deaths relating to acute lower respiratory infections are attributable to household air pollution
• → Ethiopia

  Vulnerability

  • ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
  • Mean annual temperature is expected to rise by 4.8 deg C by the end of 2100
  • Under a high emissions scenario, the number of days with very heavy precipitation (20mm or more) could double by 2100, increasing flood risk
• → China

  • Climate action tracker Rating: Highly insufficient 
  • Paris Agreement: Peak CO2 emissions by 2030, non-fossil share 20% by 2030, carbon intensity of 60% to 65% below 2005 by 2030
  • Copenhagen Accord: Carbon intensity 40% to 45% below 2005 by 2020, forest cover +40 million ha by 2020 compared to 2005, forest stock + 1.3 billion m^3 by 2020 compared to 2005
• → China

  • Long term goal - Carbon neutrality before 2060 
  • Primary source of emissions: The industrial sector, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, construction
  • Progress to date: Projected to reach its 2020 pledge, projected to reach GHG emission levels of 12.9-14.7 GtCO2e/year in 2030
  • Likely to meet its 2030 carbon intensity target
  • Could meet its 2030 peaking targets early 
• → China

  Vulnerability

  • SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
  • 23 million people projected to be affected by flooding due to sea level rise between 2070 and 2100
  • By 2070, 5-5.5 million people will be at risk of malaria
  • Likelihood of dengue transmission will rise by 5%
  • The number of heat related deaths will increase from 2 deaths per 100,000 annually (1961-1990) to 49 deaths per 100,000 by 2080
• → China

  Vulnerability

  • ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
  • Mean annual temperatures is projected to rise by about 6.1°C on average from 1990 to 2100
  • The number of days with very heavy precipitation (<20mm) could increase by almost 3 days on average from 1990 to 2100, increasing the risk of floods
• Non-governmental stakeholder: Marks & Spencer

  • A Multinational retailer headquartered in London, UK with stores in 57 countries
• Marks & Spencer's Plan A:

  • Eco & ethical programme (2007) to tackle retail challenges 
  • Planned to dramatically increase its environmental sustainability within 5 years - expected to cost 200 million pounds 
  • Commitments span five themes: climate change, waste, sustainable raw materials, 'fair partnership' and health
  • By 2012, it aimed to:
  • Become carbon neutral
  • Send no waste to landfill
  • Extend sustainable sourcing
  • Help improve the lives of people in their supply chain
  • Help customers and employees live a healthier life-style
  • Company subsequently saw a 18% fall in share price (2008)
• Initiatives to achieve the Plan A goals

  • Introduction of a reusable hessian bag(2007) to reduce plastic bag usage
  • 5 pence charge per plastic bag to deter customers from using plastic bags 
  • Constructed 3 wind turbines as of 2008
  • Began purchasing renewable energy (wind and hydropower) from Npower, enough to power all its stores across England and Wales 
  • Goal to eliminate deforestation from the production of palm oil, soy, meat and wood in products
  • No beef & leather products from cows reared in the Amazon region by only sourcing beef from the UK and Ireland
• Achievements of Plan A:

  • Wind turbines generated enough energy to power 3 stores 
  • 100% of palm oil certified responsibly sourced by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
  • 100% of soy sourced using the Round Table for Responsible Soy Credits (RTRS) and recognised sustainable soy schemes
  • 100% responsibly sourced wood and paper
• Non-governmental Stakeholder: Greenpeace

  • A non-governmental environmental organisation with offices in over 55 countries and an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • Founded in 1971
  • An independent, nonprofit, global campaigning organisation that exposes global environmental problems 
  • Goal: To ensure the ability of Earth to nurture life in all its diversity
• What is Greenpeace doing to address climate change?

  • Led boycotts against oil companies
  • Called out the UK government for their failure to act fast enough on the climate emergency
• Greenpeace campaigns involve:

  1. Investigations - Providing research, evidence, and intelligence about environmental crimes and their perpetrators to inform and enable campaigns

  • Led to Royal Dutch Shell being driven off the Arctic, UK plastic waste being banned from Malaysia, and a huge area of the Arctic ocean being declared off limits to industrial fishing

  1. Lobbying - Encourages and persuades those in positions of power to take bold steps needed to protect the planet

  • Bringing campaigns to business owners and politicians
• Greenpeace's Successes include:

  • One of the factors behind HSBC’s ‘No deforestation, no peat, no exploitation’ policy, which several other banks have since followed 
  • Campaigning led to IOI, one of the world’s biggest palm oil traders at the time, agreeing to a strong policy against deforestation 
  • Acknowledgement from the mayor of London to tackle urban air pollution by reducing incentives for Diesel
• Greenpeace's Global impact:

  • In Canada, contributed to the Supreme Court’s ruling of cancelling seismic blasting patterns in Clyde river
  • Protection for the Arctic ocean in areas where industrial fishing companies were taking advantage of melting sea ice
• Greenpeace's Limitations:

  • Does not accept funding from governments, corporations, or political parties, relying on individual supporters and foundation grants
  • Potentially limited funding for campaigns
  • Has been subjected to various police investigations pertaining to funding
  • Has opposed the creation of genetically modified foods 
  • Led to an open letter from 100 Nobel laureates urging Greenpeace to end its campaign against GMO foods 
  • Campaigns and raises awareness rather than takes concrete action (as done by corporations) due to limited scale and funding
• Greenpeace focuses on issues such as climate change, deforestation, overfishing, anti-nuclear
• Greenpeace links to the following SDGs:

  • 9 Industry, innovation, infrastructure
  • 12 Responsible consumption and production
  • 13 Climate action
  • 17 Partnerships for the goals