Is nature's value truly reflected in today's corporate strategies? Stephanie Cárdenas from Deloitte has dedicated her career to elevating nature and biodiversity in the business world, drawing on her background growing up in Ecuador and working in the Galapagos Islands. In this episode she shares her insights on why incorporating nature into corporate agendas is not only crucial but can also drive substantial economic and environmental benefits.

Our discussion covers:

• The concept of "nature positive" strategies and their potential to create jobs and boost global GDP

• Practical approaches for businesses to mitigate environmental impacts

• The importance of regulatory frameworks like CSRD and TNFD in shaping corporate sustainability efforts

• The role of the financial sector in supporting biodiversity

• Effective stakeholder communication in ESG initiatives

Further resources from Deloitte:

Putting nature and biodiversity loss on the business agenda

The chairperson’s guide to valuing nature

How banks can help achieve nature-positive outcomes and preserve biodiversity

Sustainability Action Report

Food Regulation Highlight: 5 Key takeaways on the new EU Deforestation Regulation

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The War Below by our guest Ernest Scheyder delves into the complexities of obtaining critical minerals needed for the green energy transition. Through Scheyder's investigative lens, the book travels the maze of obstacles faced by mining companies, highlighting how the extraction of minerals like lithium, nickel, and copper is often accompanied by technical, regulatory, environmental, and ethical challenges. Scheyder pushes us to consider the profound choices that lie ahead for ensuring a responsible energy transition.

Episode Highlights:

1. Regulatory Challenges: How the actions of U.S. government officials sometimes contradict each other, slowing the advancement of mining projects intended to boost green energy.

2. Ethical Mining: Whether disrupting sacred indigenous sites or risking environmental pollution is justifiable for extracting critical minerals.

3. Policy Unreformed: The urgent need to reform the U.S. Mining Law of 1872 to align with today's environmental and economic realities.

4. Recycling and Sustainability: Recycling’s role in achieving a sustainable mineral supply, and its challenges.

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Commercial buildings are the source of a surprising 38% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and a Finnish startup is deploying solutions to capture it around the world. Using direct air capture technology, Soletair Power’s devices for HVAC systems are turning buildings from major carbon sources into carbon sinks, which absorb more CO2 than they emit. In this episode, Soletair CEO Petri Laakso shows how commercial property owners and construction companies can reduce this carbon footprint, and offer their tenants both a pathway to net zero and a healthier working environment for their employees.

Episode 7 Highlights:

1. Understanding Direct Air Capture: why DAC is essential to reverse the impacts of climate change.

2. The Role of Carbon Capture: the distinction between traditional carbon capture methods and direct air capture.

3. Greener Buildings: buildings contribute to a substantial portion of global CO2 emissions, so tackling their emissions can play a vital role in achieving global emissions reduction targets.

4. Enhanced Indoor Air Quality and Energy Savings: multiple benefits of incorporating DAC technology into buildings. Beyond carbon capture, cleaner indoor air has been shown to improve cognitive performance, and is a main driver of employee satisfaction.

5. Market Potential for Direct Air Capture: the market potential for Soletair's solution is significant, with plans to scale up installations and target net-zero and net-negative emissions in buildings.

LINKS:

Soletair’s story on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNZki5Vln0

New York City legislation on clean indoor air:

https://www.nyc.gov/site/sustainablebuildings/ll97/local-law-97.page

Study on indoor air quality for employees:

https://hbr.org/2023/11/its-time-for-companies-to-monitor-workplace-air-quality

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