Published

17 hours ago

on

July 18, 2023

By

Chris Dickert

Graphics & Design

• Zack Aboulazm

3 Ways the Shipping Industry is Addressing Climate Change

The global shipping industry is on the verge of a transformation not seen since the transition from sail to steam.

In 2018, the industry emitted 1.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, representing 2.89% of all anthropogenic, or human-caused, emissions. And according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that could increase 90-130% in 2050, from a 2008 baseline.

This is the second and final part of The Shipping Industry: Plotting a Course for the Future, a two-part series from our sponsor Seaspan Corporation, that looks at three ways that containerships in particular, could evolve to become more sustainable.

1. Stemming the Tide of Containership Emissions

Unlike personal transport, which has a proven and commercially scalable technology in electric vehicles, there’s no silver bullet for shipping. However, existing technologies and design improvements could help make significant inroads against total fleet emissions.

According to data from Seaspan, propeller upgrades (6.5%), hull coatings (up to 5.0%), and main engine retrofits (4.4%) won’t bring emissions to zero on their own, but taken together they add up to big savings.

Technology	Annual Abatement potential
Speed reduction	8.5%
Propeller Upgrade	6.5%
Bulbous bow optimization	6.4%
Speed Controlled Pumps and Fans	6.2%
Hull coating	5.0% (up to)
Main engine retrofit	4.4%
Air lubrication	3.5%
Propeller boss cap fin	2.5%
Waste Heat Reduction	2.2%
Pre-swirl stator	2.0%
Weather Routing	1.7%
Autopilot Upgrade	1.7%
Vertical bow	1.5%
Wind shield	0.6%
High-Efficiency Lighting	0.4%

Interestingly, the biggest potential impact could come from slowing down ships (8.5%), which lowers fuel consumption and as a consequence, emissions. In the race to net zero, slow and steady could very well win the race.

2. Sailing the Ocean Green

In the long run, though, design tweaks don’t address the elephant seal in the room, which is the industry’s reliance on fossil fuels. Ships that run on alternate fuels, like ammonia, methanol, and even wind-power, are all in development, but many of the technologies are still in the early stages.

To help spur development, a group of countries at COP26, the annual UN climate conference, committed to establishing green shipping corridors where vessels would run on alternate fuels. A total of 24 countries signed the Clydebank Declaration, including the U.S. and the UK, and together they hope to catalyze the shift to zero emission shipping.

3. Leaving Fossil Fuels High and Dry

Many ship owners and operators are looking at Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as a transitional fuel, while alternate fuel technologies mature. LNG emits between 13.2% and 16.6% less CO₂ than conventional bunker fuel oil, a highly viscous residual fuel that is high in sulfur, so it’s no surprise that LNG-powered containerships represent 29.23% of the existing orderbook.

But with all but 2.4% of the current global fleet running on fossil fuels, there is still a long journey ahead. 

On the Right Tack

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol established the IMO as the forum for climate change action for the shipping industry, which many have criticized for not moving fast and far enough on climate change. 

At the July 2023 meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the IMO adopted a new greenhouse gas strategy, which set “indicative checkpoints” for emission reductions for 2030 and 2040 in place of binding targets, and committed to hit net zero “by or around, i.e. close to 2050, taking into account different national circumstances.” The IMO also declined to put a price on carbon.

Even without firm targets, many industry players aren’t waiting to move on the climate emergency. Seaspan, the world’s largest independent charter owner and manager of containerships, is moving to green their fleet. They recently signed an agreement to retrofit 15 ships with dual-fuel engines that can also run on green methanol, with an option for 45 more.

Find out what else Seaspan is doing to get ready for the future of shipping.

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Related Topics: #seaspan corporation #seaspan #zero-emission vessels #alternate fuels #green corridors #climate change

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The post 3 Ways the Shipping Industry is Addressing Climate Change appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Charting Record-Breaking Monthly Global Temperatures

As local heat records are being broken across the planet, July 2023 also saw the global average temperature soar to an unprecedented 17.2°C (62.9°F).

In fact, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the four hottest days on record occurred from July 4 to July 7, 2023, breaking the previous record of 16.9°C (62.4°F) set in mid-August 2016.

The above graphic charts the average air temperature at 2 meters above the surface, since 1979, using data from Climate Reanalyzer.

What is Causing Record High Temperatures?

Temperature records were shattered in both 2023 and 2016 as a result of the dual impact of the El Niño climate phenomenon, which causes a significant rise in Pacific Ocean temperatures, and climate change.

Earth’s average global temperature has risen by at least 1.1°C (1.9°F) since 1880, and the pace has significantly increased in the last century alongside the burning of fossil fuels. The majority of the warming has occurred since 1975, with temperatures rising 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade.

According to the NOAA, six of the most recent months of July (typically the hottest month) were among the seven hottest months recorded by average global surface temperature:

Rank	Hottest Months by Avg. Temp.	Celsius (°C)
1	July 2023*	17.07°C
2	July 2022	16.75°C
3	July 2016	16.72°C
4	July 2021	16.70°C
5	July 2002	16.67°C
6	July 2017	16.66°C
7	July 2019	16.64°C

*As of July 12, 2023

Although these figures show marginal increases in the world’s average temperatures, the effects are far more noticeable on a local scale.

In July 2023, temperatures in Texas surpassed those of Northern Africa, as they reached 43.3°C (110°F). Across the Pacific, cities around China used bomb shelters as cooling centers during a 10-day streak of days above 35°C (95°F).

“We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024,”
– Christopher Hewitt, World Meteorological Organization

How to Mitigate Climate Change?

Transitioning to renewable energy sources, reducing or capturing greenhouse gas emissions, and implementing sustainable practices are considered key steps towards slowing climate change.

According to NASA, the future will also require adaptation, reducing our risks from the harmful effects of climate change (such as sea-level rise, more intense extreme weather events, or food insecurity) as well as taking advantage of any potential positive opportunities associated with climate change (such as longer growing seasons and higher yields in some regions).

The post Hotter Than Ever: 2023 Sets New Global Temperature Records appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Mapped: Meat Consumption By Country and Type

Meat is always on the menu in many parts of the world, as we can see when we map out meat consumption by country.

How do countries differ in how much, and what type of meat, they eat? In this colorful graphic, our creator theWORLDMAPS highlights the most consumed type of meat in every country in the world, using data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Each color denotes a different category of meat—beef, pork, mutton, poultry, seafood, or other—with annual consumption calculated per capita in kilograms (kg).

Let’s dig in to the data.

Is Fish Considered Meat?

Since meat is normally defined as the flesh of any animal (with the primary components being water, fat, and protein), that includes fish and other seafood.

But whether fish is considered “meat” or not depends a lot on cultural practices and dietary preferences, and has varied throughout history. Some earlier definitions of meat focused only on mammals, for example.

In Christianity for example, many denominations allow eating fish on fasting days when abstaining from meat. This was both due to distinctions between meat from warm-blooded land animals and cold-blooded animals (like fish), as well as the importance of fish consumption in parts of Europe where Christianity flourished.

To account for both sides of the debate, we’ll cover meat consumption by country both with and without fish and seafood.

The Most Consumed Meat by Country (Including Seafood)

Just by glancing at the map and the below table, poultry stands out as the most popular meat by weight consumption in 70 countries, or about 40% of the entire database.

Note: Other meat includes less frequently farmed animals like rabbit, horse, and camel, as well as game—meat from wild animals.

Country	Most Consumed Meat
Afghanistan	Mutton & Goat
Albania	Poultry
Algeria	Mutton & Goat
Angola	Fish & Seafood
Antigua & Barbuda	Poultry
Argentina	Bovine
Armenia	Bovine
Australia	Poultry
Austria	Pork
Azerbaijan	Poultry
Bahamas	Poultry
Bahrain	Poultry
Bangladesh	Fish & Seafood
Barbados	Poultry
Belarus	Pork
Belgium	Pork
Belize	Poultry
Benin	Fish & Seafood
Bhutan	Bovine
Bolivia	Poultry
Bosnia & Herzegovina	Poultry
Botswana	Other
Brazil	Poultry
Bulgaria	Pork
Burkina Faso	Pork
Burundi	Fish & Seafood
Cabo Verde	Poultry
Cambodia	Fish & Seafood
Cameroon	Fish & Seafood
Canada	Poultry
Central African Republic	Bovine
Chad	Bovine
Chile	Poultry
China	Fish & Seafood
Colombia	Poultry
Comoros	Poultry
Congo	Fish & Seafood
Costa Rica	Poultry
Côte d’Ivoire	Fish & Seafood
Croatia	Pork
Cuba	Poultry
Cyprus	Pork
Czechia	Pork
Denmark	Fish & Seafood
Djibouti	Bovine
Dominica	Poultry
Dominican Republic	Poultry
DR Congo	Fish & Seafood
Ecuador	Poultry
Egypt	Fish & Seafood
El Salvador	Poultry
Estonia	Pork
Eswatini	Bovine
Ethiopia	Bovine
Fiji	Poultry
Finland	Fish & Seafood
France	Fish & Seafood
French Polynesia	Poultry
Gabon	Poultry
Gambia	Fish & Seafood
Georgia	Poultry
Germany	Pork
Ghana	Fish & Seafood
Greece	Poultry
Grenada	Poultry
Guatemala	Poultry
Guinea	Fish & Seafood
Guinea-Bissau	Pork
Guyana	Poultry
Haiti	Poultry
Honduras	Poultry
Hong Kong	Fish & Seafood
Hungary	Pork
Iceland	Fish & Seafood
India	Fish & Seafood
Indonesia	Fish & Seafood
Iran	Poultry
Iraq	Poultry
Ireland	Pork
Israel	Poultry
Italy	Pork
Jamaica	Poultry
Japan	Fish & Seafood
Jordan	Poultry
Kazakhstan	Bovine
Kenya	Bovine
Kiribati	Fish & Seafood
Kuwait	Poultry
Kyrgyzstan	Bovine
Laos	Fish & Seafood
Latvia	Pork
Lebanon	Poultry
Lesotho	Pork
Liberia	Poultry
Libya	Poultry
Lithuania	Pork
Luxembourg	Pork
Macao	Fish & Seafood
Madagascar	Fish & Seafood
Malawi	Pork
Malaysia	Fish & Seafood
Maldives	Fish & Seafood
Mali	Fish & Seafood
Malta	Bovine
Mauritania	Mutton & Goat
Mauritius	Poultry
Mexico	Poultry
Micronesia	Fish & Seafood
Moldova	Pork
Mongolia	Mutton & Goat
Montenegro	Pork
Morocco	Poultry
Mozambique	Fish & Seafood
Myanmar	Fish & Seafood
Namibia	Fish & Seafood
Nauru	Fish & Seafood
Nepal	Bovine
Netherlands	Pork
New Caledonia	Poultry
New Zealand	Fish & Seafood
Nicaragua	Poultry
Niger	Bovine
Nigeria	Fish & Seafood
North Korea	Fish & Seafood
North Macedonia	Poultry
Norway	Fish & Seafood
Oman	Fish & Seafood
Pakistan	Bovine
Panama	Poultry
Papua New Guinea	Other
Paraguay	Bovine
Peru	Poultry
Philippines	Fish & Seafood
Poland	Pork
Portugal	Fish & Seafood
Qatar	Poultry
Romania	Pork
Russia	Poultry
Rwanda	Fish & Seafood
Saint Kitts & Nevis	Poultry
Saint Lucia	Poultry
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	Poultry
Samoa	Poultry
Sao Tome & Principe	Fish & Seafood
Saudi Arabia	Poultry
Senegal	Fish & Seafood
Serbia	Pork
Seychelles	Fish & Seafood
Sierra Leone	Fish & Seafood
Slovakia	Pork
Slovenia	Poultry
Solomon Islands	Fish & Seafood
South Africa	Poultry
South Korea	Fish & Seafood
South Sudan	Bovine
Spain	Pork
Sri Lanka	Fish & Seafood
Sudan	Bovine
Suriname	Poultry
Sweden	Fish & Seafood
Switzerland	Pork
Syria	Mutton & Goat
Taiwan	Poultry
Tajikistan	Bovine
Tanzania	Bovine
Thailand	Fish & Seafood
Timor-Leste	Pork
Togo	Fish & Seafood
Trinidad & Tobago	Poultry
Tunisia	Poultry
Türkiye	Poultry
Turkmenistan	Bovine
U.S.	Poultry
UAE	Poultry
Uganda	Fish & Seafood
UK	Poultry
Ukraine	Poultry
Uruguay	Poultry
Uzbekistan	Bovine
Vanuatu	Fish & Seafood
Venezuela	Poultry
Vietnam	Fish & Seafood
Yemen	Poultry
Zambia	Fish & Seafood
Zimbabwe	Bovine

Fish & Seafood ranks as the second most popularly consumed meat in 56 countries, most of them with significant coastlines.

Here’s a breakdown of how much of each type of meat is eaten per capita in each country, measured in kilograms.

Country	Poultry	Pork	Fish & Seafood	Bovine	Mutton & Other
Afghanistan	1.7	0.0	0.4	3.2	4.3
Albania	13.9	5.3	8.7	11.7	8.3
Algeria	6.4	0.0	3.8	3.8	8.4
Angola	8.4	7.0	14.1	3.4	1.1
Antigua & Barbuda	61.8	14.3	54.1	5.0	1.0
Argentina	46.2	14.4	6.8	46.9	2.6
Armenia	15.3	8.1	5.5	23.9	3.6
Australia	48.7	24.2	24.1	37.0	11.5
Austria	15.7	45.0	14.3	14.9	1.4
Azerbaijan	14.4	0.6	2.0	13.5	8.4
Bahamas	54.4	23.8	24.2	5.2	1.7
Bahrain	44.0	0.8	16.3	13.7	22.2
Bangladesh	1.6	0.0	26.7	1.3	1.4
Barbados	49.3	12.3	42.9	8.0	3.4
Belarus	32.2	39.2	11.8	18.6	0.4
Belgium	12.4	32.8	22.7	14.0	2.6
Belize	23.8	20.8	13.3	3.6	0.3
Benin	8.7	0.7	16.2	3.6	1.5
Bhutan	4.6	1.9	7.3	9.3	0.3
Bolivia	40.9	9.7	2.8	21.6	4.9
Bosnia & Herzegovina	20.0	9.3	7.3	12.8	0.6
Botswana	3.5	0.5	2.6	10.2	14.3
Brazil	48.4	14.2	8.1	35.4	1.2
Bulgaria	21.5	30.0	7.4	3.5	2.0
Burkina Faso	9.5	15.2	8.9	5.3	4.3
Burundi	0.6	0.9	2.6	0.9	0.8
Cabo Verde	19.4	7.3	10.8	1.7	1.9
Cambodia	2.8	5.9	45.8	4.2	0.0
Cameroon	3.3	1.2	19.1	3.1	4.0
Canada	40.1	21.4	20.7	27.5	1.6
Central African Republic	2.6	4.1	7.4	20.8	10.4
Chad	0.5	0.2	6.6	27.5	18.7
Chile	36.1	22.1	14.8	23.7	1.3
China	15.6	35.5	39.9	6.8	4.2
Colombia	33.8	10.5	8.9	13.7	0.1
Comoros	26.8	0.1	14.3	3.0	1.2
Congo	23.2	6.8	24.5	1.9	8.1
Costa Rica	34.3	12.7	18.0	11.4	0.0
Côte d’Ivoire	2.9	1.0	23.2	1.4	6.5
Croatia	16.6	49.6	19.1	11.2	2.1
Cuba	37.7	21.6	6.1	7.4	4.9
Cyprus	28.4	36.8	25.5	5.9	4.6
Czechia	23.5	44.5	10.5	10.2	0.9
Denmark	24.6	13.5	26.5	24.3	1.3
Djibouti	3.6	0.1	3.5	6.2	5.4
Dominica	39.4	11.4	27.9	8.1	1.1
Dominican Republic	32.2	9.9	8.5	6.3	0.2
DR Congo	1.3	0.5	4.2	0.3	1.2
Ecuador	18.9	12.9	8.2	13.3	0.4
Egypt	14.3	0.0	27.1	7.4	1.5
El Salvador	25.9	4.7	6.5	8.2	0.0
Estonia	21.1	37.7	14.7	8.5	0.5
Eswatini	7.3	2.0	4.3	16.1	2.0
Ethiopia	0.6	0.0	0.5	3.8	3.5
Fiji	28.8	3.7	26.5	3.1	5.3
Finland	21.1	30.8	33.5	18.4	1.1
France	23.0	31.0	33.2	20.8	3.5
French Polynesia	48.8	14.3	47.3	21.4	3.7
Gabon	39.7	8.3	28.7	4.7	14.3
Gambia	10.6	0.3	25.2	3.4	1.1
Georgia	18.2	9.3	10.0	5.8	1.8
Germany	18.3	44.0	12.6	14.6	1.8
Ghana	11.6	1.2	24.9	1.6	4.2
Greece	25.6	25.0	21.7	14.5	9.4
Grenada	37.4	14.6	33.8	4.1	1.4
Guatemala	28.7	3.6	3.0	11.7	0.3
Guinea	2.7	0.2	9.7	8.2	2.8
Guinea-Bissau	3.1	7.2	1.2	3.7	1.3
Guyana	41.4	5.0	25.0	4.2	1.2
Haiti	10.9	4.0	5.0	4.2	0.9
Honduras	21.6	5.0	2.6	6.0	0.1
Hong Kong	55.5	55.2	65.8	22.5	3.0
Hungary	29.8	48.3	6.4	4.6	0.3
Iceland	30.0	21.8	90.6	14.0	24.4
India	2.6	0.2	8.0	1.1	0.6
Indonesia	13.7	0.9	44.4	2.8	0.5
Iran	26.0	0.0	12.6	7.6	4.5
Iraq	5.4	0.0	3.6	3.1	1.7
Ireland	24.7	31.1	22.6	19.8	3.6
Israel	68.9	1.6	24.7	27.2	1.7
Italy	19.6	32.9	29.2	15.9	1.8
Jamaica	53.9	3.1	25.2	3.8	0.7
Japan	22.3	21.3	46.2	9.6	0.3
Jordan	26.1	0.0	5.1	6.8	4.8
Kazakhstan	21.2	8.2	2.8	26.6	15.9
Kenya	1.3	0.4	2.9	4.5	4.5
Kiribati	26.6	10.3	73.2	1.9	0.3
Kuwait	46.6	0.0	14.0	9.4	16.7
Kyrgyzstan	5.2	2.1	1.1	14.9	10.0
Laos	6.6	13.5	24.1	8.4	0.5
Latvia	26.2	38.4	25.0	5.3	0.8
Lebanon	18.6	0.6	8.7	9.2	1.1
Lesotho	2.1	3.8	3.0	2.0	3.9
Liberia	11.3	5.3	4.3	0.4	2.1
Libya	32.8	0.0	14.3	2.9	6.5
Lithuania	33.3	50.7	33.1	5.9	1.1
Luxembourg	18.1	33.1	31.7	25.7	2.0
Macao	45.6	46.9	73.2	9.4	1.8
Madagascar	3.1	1.0	4.0	1.3	0.5
Malawi	5.7	11.8	10.1	2.9	3.1
Malaysia	50.2	7.4	54.7	6.0	1.0
Maldives	11.0	0.4	83.1	5.9	0.8
Mali	2.4	0.1	8.5	3.6	2.6
Malta	25.2	25.8	22.8	26.4	1.8
Mauritania	6.3	0.0	8.4	6.4	18.4
Mauritius	38.7	3.2	24.0	4.5	4.2
Mexico	35.9	19.1	13.6	14.6	1.5
Micronesia	38.2	16.2	47.4	4.9	0.2
Moldova	17.2	19.2	11.7	1.9	0.3
Mongolia	3.0	0.6	0.6	26.6	81.4
Montenegro	17.1	43.2	15.6	15.0	2.1
Morocco	24.0	0.0	18.4	7.7	6.9
Mozambique	3.8	3.1	13.4	0.6	0.1
Myanmar	29.9	20.1	45.0	9.3	1.7
Namibia	10.2	4.5	11.9	8.8	8.9
Nauru	51.0	28.2	51.0	19.1	6.9
Nepal	2.3	1.0	3.5	8.2	2.7
Netherlands	10.0	27.7	21.9	16.2	5.2
New Caledonia	40.9	17.4	23.4	17.7	2.3
New Zealand	26.0	25.2	26.4	18.6	15.3
Nicaragua	21.8	5.3	6.6	2.2	0.4
Niger	1.0	0.1	1.8	2.8	4.4
Nigeria	1.2	1.5	6.7	1.6	2.8
North Korea	1.8	4.3	11.0	0.8	6.7
North Macedonia	20.0	12.6	6.2	6.8	0.9
Norway	20.0	23.7	50.2	17.8	5.8
Oman	19.7	0.4	26.1	9.0	14.3
Pakistan	6.2	0.0	1.6	9.8	2.6
Panama	55.4	15.9	13.7	14.5	1.0
Papua New Guinea	3.9	9.9	14.6	0.8	47.8
Paraguay	9.6	8.8	4.0	21.9	0.6
Peru	42.7	4.5	27.1	4.2	1.9
Philippines	15.9	14.5	29.1	3.1	0.3
Poland	32.9	55.0	12.5	1.5	0.1
Portugal	30.6	38.1	60.0	18.8	2.8
Qatar	54.3	1.2	21.1	8.4	12.1
Romania	23.9	34.5	8.3	5.2	2.7
Russia	30.8	28.2	21.7	12.9	5.1
Rwanda	1.5	1.0	4.6	2.7	3.2
Saint Kitts & Nevis	48.7	15.5	38.8	2.9	2.5
Saint Lucia	57.6	14.9	33.6	3.8	2.0
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	74.7	11.3	19.4	7.8	0.7
Samoa	65.7	12.3	47.6	6.9	3.5
Sao Tome & Principe	17.1	4.7	27.7	1.7	0.1
Saudi Arabia	43.0	0.0	11.7	4.4	7.7
Senegal	7.4	1.2	11.9	5.0	3.7
Serbia	14.1	37.3	6.7	6.1	4.1
Seychelles	36.9	13.7	56.8	9.2	2.7
Sierra Leone	5.4	1.0	25.5	1.3	1.9
Slovakia	16.9	38.8	10.2	5.8	0.9
Slovenia	30.4	25.8	13.2	15.3	1.1
Solomon Islands	6.1	4.4	28.1	1.8	0.1
South Africa	34.9	4.2	6.5	17.2	3.5
South Korea	22.8	38.4	55.3	16.9	0.5
South Sudan	4.3	0.0	2.9	12.4	4.3
Spain	33.6	52.6	40.8	12.3	3.4
Sri Lanka	10.4	0.1	29.0	1.2	0.1
Sudan	1.9	0.0	1.1	8.0	10.5
Suriname	49.6	8.0	16.5	4.4	0.3
Sweden	15.4	28.6	32.2	22.5	1.5
Switzerland	16.9	27.8	16.0	19.1	2.4
Syria	6.4	0.0	2.2	2.2	7.3
Taiwan	41.6	38.4	29.8	6.1	0.9
Tajikistan	3.5	0.1	0.7	25.8	7.8
Tanzania	1.5	0.3	6.4	7.8	1.6
Thailand	11.4	13.1	29.2	1.2	0.0
Timor-Leste	9.4	11.5	6.4	1.6	0.4
Togo	7.2	2.3	11.7	0.8	2.2
Trinidad & Tobago	63.1	5.6	23.6	5.7	1.5
Tunisia	17.9	0.0	14.1	3.7	5.8
Türkiye	20.0	0.0	5.5	16.0	1.3
Turkmenistan	6.1	0.1	2.8	22.5	20.8
U.S.	58.7	30.6	22.8	37.9	1.4
UAE	31.1	0.0	25.4	6.7	10.4
Uganda	1.5	2.9	14.3	3.6	1.0
UK	32.7	24.0	17.9	17.4	5.0
Ukraine	24.9	16.7	13.8	7.2	0.7
Uruguay	21.0	14.1	9.1	19.4	3.5
Uzbekistan	3.1	0.2	4.0	31.6	6.1
Vanuatu	14.6	12.4	29.0	7.2	0.3
Venezuela	16.1	4.4	10.2	12.0	0.3
Vietnam	15.8	38.2	39.6	6.1	0.5
Yemen	11.2	0.0	3.0	3.0	4.5
Zambia	2.6	1.5	13.1	9.3	2.7
Zimbabwe	4.6	0.7	3.0	42.3	4.3

The world’s largest consumers of meat per capita? Hong Kong, Iceland, and Macao have the highest total meat consumption, all above 170 kg (370 lbs) per capita.

We take a brief look through the biggest consumers of each type of meat below.

Who Eats the Most Poultry?

While the U.S. and China eat the most chicken by absolute numbers, the countries rank 7th and 112th respectively when it comes to poultry consumption on a per capita basis.

Several island nations—St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Samoa—along with Israel eat more than 60 kilograms of poultry meat (about 15 large birds) per person on an annual basis.

Regionally, poultry consumption can be seen spanning almost all of the Americas, as well as in the UK and former British colonies Australia and South Africa, and in the Middle East.

Who Eats the Most Pork?

Despite eating more seafood and poultry, Hong Kong leads the world in pork consumption per capita annually at 55 kg (121 lbs). This is almost equivalent to the average amount of retail pork harvested from a single 250 lb pig.

Poland and Spain—who are also top pork producers—rank close behind Hong Kong with similar pork consumption numbers. Indeed, we can see pork as the most consumed meat in many European countries with local histories of pork foods, as well as in a few countries in Africa including Burkina Faso and one Southeast Asian country, Timor-Leste.

Who Eats the Most Fish and Seafood?

In the middle of the North Atlantic ocean, Iceland eats the most fish and seafood in the world, at a staggering 90 kg (nearly 200 lbs), per person per year. That also gives Iceland the crown for the highest per-capita consumption of any single type of meat.

Behind Iceland are other island and high coastline nations, including the Maldives, Hong Kong, Macao, and Portugal. Regionally we can see the importance of seafood reflected in East and South Asia, the Atlantic coastline of Africa, and the Nordic countries in Europe.

Who Eats the Most Beef?

Argentina’s 46-million-strong population eats nearly 47 kg (103 lbs) of bovine meat per person per year, the most by any country in the UN’s database.

The South American country has a rich culinary history with beef, as cattle brought by Spanish settlers flourished on the grassy plains of the region. Such is cattle’s importance on the continent that the gaucho—a horseman engaged in cattle work—is a folk symbol in Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Brazil (which ranks 5th in beef consumption).

The map of beef consumption highlights Central Asian countries including Uzbekistan and Eastern African countries including Ethiopia.

Who Eats the Most Mutton & Other Meat?

The people of Mongolia are unrivaled in their consumption of mutton and goat meat, devouring an impressive 66 kilograms (145 pounds) per capita annually. This voracious appetite for meat is deeply rooted in their heritage as a nation of skilled shepherds.

Papua New Guinea, meanwhile, tops the “other meat” consumption rankings. The country is the largest producer of game meat in the world, due to its mostly rural and indigenous population relying on hunting. One 2023 study found that a sample of villages in the country primarily hunted wild deer and boar for meat, although marsupials like bandicoots, tree-kangaroos, and cuscus were occasionally hunted and consumed as well.

Mongolia also ranks highly in consumption of other meat per capita, likely due to their traditional consumption of horse meat. The country produced just over 100,000 tons of horse meat in 2020, one-sixth of the country’s total meat production that year.

Mapping Meat Consumption By Country, Without Seafood

What happens to each country’s meat consumption habits if we remove fish and seafood from the dataset? The map, and the rankings change quite a bit.

Most of the blue on the map is replaced with a wash of yellow, indicating the global popularity of poultry meat as a cheap and efficient source of protein. However, much of East Asia including China and European countries like France and Sweden consume more pork.

The rankings for total meat consumption also shuffle.

Country	Total (With Seafood)	Total (Without Seafood)
Afghanistan	9.6	9.3
Albania	47.8	39.1
Algeria	22.4	18.6
Angola	34.1	19.9
Antigua & Barbuda	136.2	82.1
Argentina	116.9	110.2
Armenia	56.4	50.9
Australia	145.6	121.5
Austria	91.2	76.9
Azerbaijan	38.9	36.9
Bahamas	109.3	85.1
Bahrain	96.9	80.6
Bangladesh	31.1	4.3
Barbados	115.8	73.0
Belarus	102.2	90.4
Belgium	84.5	61.9
Belize	61.8	48.5
Benin	30.8	14.6
Bhutan	23.4	16.1
Bolivia	79.9	77.1
Bosnia & Herzegovina	50.1	42.8
Botswana	31.1	28.6
Brazil	107.2	99.2
Bulgaria	64.3	56.9
Burkina Faso	43.2	34.3
Burundi	5.7	3.1
Cabo Verde	41.2	30.4
Cambodia	58.6	12.9
Cameroon	30.8	11.6
Canada	111.3	90.6
Central African Republic	45.1	37.8
Chad	53.5	46.9
Chile	97.8	83.0
China	102.0	62.1
Colombia	67.0	58.1
Comoros	45.5	31.2
Congo	64.5	40.0
Costa Rica	76.4	58.5
Côte d’Ivoire	35.0	11.8
Croatia	98.6	79.5
Cuba	77.6	71.6
Cyprus	101.1	75.6
Czechia	89.6	79.2
Denmark	90.1	63.7
Djibouti	18.9	15.4
Dominica	87.9	60.1
Dominican Republic	57.1	48.6
DR Congo	7.4	3.3
Ecuador	53.6	45.4
Egypt	50.3	23.3
El Salvador	45.4	38.8
Estonia	82.4	67.8
Eswatini	31.7	27.4
Ethiopia	8.4	7.9
Fiji	67.4	40.9
Finland	104.8	71.4
France	111.5	78.2
French Polynesia	135.4	88.2
Gabon	95.7	67.0
Gambia	40.6	15.5
Georgia	45.1	35.1
Germany	91.4	78.8
Ghana	43.5	18.5
Greece	96.2	74.5
Grenada	91.3	57.5
Guatemala	47.2	44.2
Guinea	23.6	13.9
Guinea-Bissau	16.5	15.3
Guyana	76.8	51.8
Haiti	25.0	20.0
Honduras	35.4	32.8
Hong Kong	202.1	136.3
Hungary	89.3	82.9
Iceland	180.9	90.2
India	12.6	4.6
Indonesia	62.3	17.9
Iran	50.6	38.0
Iraq	13.8	10.2
Ireland	101.8	79.2
Israel	124.1	99.4
Italy	99.4	70.2
Jamaica	86.7	61.5
Japan	99.6	53.4
Jordan	42.8	37.7
Kazakhstan	74.7	71.9
Kenya	13.6	10.7
Kiribati	112.4	39.2
Kuwait	86.6	72.7
Kyrgyzstan	33.2	32.1
Laos	53.1	29.0
Latvia	95.8	70.8
Lebanon	38.2	29.5
Lesotho	14.7	11.7
Liberia	23.4	19.1
Libya	56.5	42.2
Lithuania	123.9	90.9
Luxembourg	110.6	78.9
Macao	176.9	103.7
Madagascar	9.8	5.8
Malawi	33.7	23.6
Malaysia	119.4	64.7
Maldives	101.2	18.1
Mali	17.1	8.6
Malta	102.0	79.1
Mauritania	39.5	31.1
Mauritius	74.5	50.5
Mexico	84.7	71.1
Micronesia	106.7	59.4
Moldova	50.3	38.6
Mongolia	112.1	111.6
Montenegro	93.0	77.4
Morocco	57.0	38.6
Mozambique	21.0	7.6
Myanmar	106.0	61.0
Namibia	44.3	32.4
Nauru	156.2	105.1
Nepal	17.7	14.2
Netherlands	81.0	59.1
New Caledonia	101.7	78.3
New Zealand	111.4	85.0
Nicaragua	36.3	29.6
Niger	10.1	8.3
Nigeria	13.8	7.0
North Korea	24.6	13.6
North Macedonia	46.6	40.3
Norway	117.4	67.2
Oman	69.5	43.4
Pakistan	20.2	18.6
Panama	100.5	86.8
Papua New Guinea	77.0	62.4
Paraguay	44.9	40.9
Peru	80.5	53.4
Philippines	62.8	33.7
Poland	102.0	89.5
Portugal	150.2	90.2
Qatar	96.9	75.9
Romania	74.7	66.4
Russia	98.6	76.9
Rwanda	12.9	8.4
Saint Kitts & Nevis	108.5	69.7
Saint Lucia	111.9	78.3
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	113.8	94.4
Samoa	135.9	88.3
Sao Tome & Principe	51.3	23.6
Saudi Arabia	66.8	55.0
Senegal	29.1	17.2
Serbia	68.3	61.6
Seychelles	119.2	62.5
Sierra Leone	35.0	9.5
Slovakia	72.7	62.5
Slovenia	85.7	72.5
Solomon Islands	40.5	12.4
South Africa	66.2	59.8
South Korea	133.8	78.5
South Sudan	23.9	21.0
Spain	142.7	101.9
Sri Lanka	40.8	11.8
Sudan	21.5	20.3
Suriname	78.8	62.3
Sweden	100.2	68.0
Switzerland	82.2	66.2
Syria	18.0	15.8
Taiwan	116.7	87.0
Tajikistan	37.9	37.2
Tanzania	17.6	11.2
Thailand	54.9	25.8
Timor-Leste	29.3	22.9
Togo	24.2	12.5
Trinidad & Tobago	99.5	75.9
Tunisia	41.4	27.3
Türkiye	42.8	37.3
Turkmenistan	52.2	49.4
U.S.	151.4	128.6
UAE	73.6	48.2
Uganda	23.3	9.0
UK	97.0	79.1
Ukraine	63.3	49.5
Uruguay	67.3	58.1
Uzbekistan	45.0	41.0
Vanuatu	63.5	34.5
Venezuela	43.1	32.9
Vietnam	100.2	60.6
Yemen	21.7	18.7
Zambia	29.3	16.2
Zimbabwe	54.9	51.9

Hong Kong remains at the top, but the U.S. jumps up three spots to second place, with annual per capita meat consumption at 128 kg (282 lbs) when seafood isn’t included.

Iceland and Macao drop to the top 15, while Australia, Mongolia, and Argentina climb into the top five. Other countries that preferred seafood dropped a lot lower, such as Japan, which fell 40 spots in the total consumption rankings when fish was removed.

The post Mapped: Meat Consumption By Country and Type appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

July 6, 2023

By

Tessa Di Grandi

Graphics & Design

• Sabrina Fortin

Visualized: The Global Implications of Fertilizer Shortages

Fertilizer, the lifeblood of agriculture and a key input in global food production, is currently in high demand. However, a notable supply shortage could trigger a domino effect of harmful consequences, if not addressed.

In this visualization from our sponsor Brazil Potash, we take a look at the knock-on effects of fertilizer shortages.

High Fertilizer Costs

Recent supply chain disruptions, initially caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and later exacerbated by the onset of the war in Ukraine, have been causing fertilizer prices to skyrocket. Although these prices have slowly begun to cool, they are still hovering significantly above their pre-pandemic levels.

Long-term prices are expected to be driven by the growing global population and evolving patterns in agricultural productivity.

Rising fertilizer prices have a critical impact on the accessibility of this vital commodity to farmers. This is especially true for farmers in low-income, food-deficit countries. As a result, we see a direct impact on global food prices and overall food security.

Strained Food Security

Although fertilizer prices are not the sole determinant of overall crop production, they play a vital role in optimizing yields. An imbalance in this dynamic can have severe consequences.

World cereal production declined 1.3% year-over-year from 2021 to 2022, with Europe down 5.9%.

Region	% change in cereal production
South America	7.9%
Oceania	1.3%
Asia	0.4%
Europe	-5.9%
North America	-4.7%
Africa	-2.3%
Central America and the Caribbean	-1.7%
World	-1.3%

Research shows that high fertilizer prices in 2023 could lead to increased undernourishment. This would affect around 100 million people and cause approximately 1 million additional deaths.

With the planet’s population expanding, it’s critical to ramp up crop production to safeguard global food security.

The Case for Localized Production

One strategy to combat the rising cost of fertilizers and avoid the looming risk to food security is investing in new, localized fertilizer companies. This approach could significantly reduce costs, creating a buffer against supply chain disruptions.

Brazil Potash is actively involved in extracting and processing local potash ore, a key ingredient in many fertilizers. This enhances yields and fortifies crop growth across Brazil, effectively creating a localized supply chain resilient to global disruptions.

With innovative approaches like those taken by Brazil Potash, there’s hope to offset the potential risks to global food security.

Learn how to invest in Brazil Potash now.

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Related Topics: #fertilizer prices #fertilizer shortages #agriculture #fertilizer #crops #food security #Brazil Potash #potash

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The post Visualized: The Global Implications of Fertilizer Shortages appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Published

3 weeks ago

on

June 30, 2023

By

Chris Dickert

Graphics & Design

• Zack Aboulazm

View the full-size version of this graphic

The Cost of Plastic Pollution, By Country

There is now a combined 139 million tons of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, seas, and rivers, including the world’s number one most littered item: single-use cigarette filters. 

And while we know plastic waste has a massive environmental impact, what are the associated economic costs?

Using estimates developed by Deloitte for The Ocean Cleanup, this data visualization maps the cost of plastic pollution for the third and final piece in the Single-use Plastic Series for our sponsor Greenbutts.

The Price Tag of Plastic Pollution

Deloitte’s 2019 Price Tag of Plastic Pollution study uses a novel assessment model to estimate the economic costs of marine litter, which typically flows from rivers and into the ocean.

The resulting estimates for 87 countries cover direct government costs, and the revenue lost to tourism, and fisheries and aquaculture.

If you take the UK, for example, the direct costs borne by the government were between $7.1 and $31.7 million, but the report estimated the total costs to be between $29.6 and $266.2 million.

Deloitte and the Ocean Cleanup selected countries to include on the basis of the waste density of the subject’s waterways.

Paying the Piper

Every year, plastic pollution costs coastal countries between $6.0 and $19.2 billion. 

Country or territory	Sector	Lower estimate	Upper estimate
Angola	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$30,000	$530,000
Angola	Government	$30,000	$110,000
Angola	Tourism	$200,000	$1,950,000
Albania	Tourism	$150,000	$1,480,000
Albania	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$20,000	$450,000
Albania	Government	$130,000	$490,000
Argentina	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$750,000	$12,580,000
Argentina	Government	$1,500,000	$4,420,000
Argentina	Tourism	$2,400,000	$23,970,000
Australia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$230,000	$3,830,000
Australia	Government	$680,000	$3,030,000
Australia	Tourism	$1,450,000	$14,530,000
Belgium	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$170,000	$2,820,000
Belgium	Government	$140,000	$590,000
Belgium	Tourism	$130,000	$1,290,000
Benin	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$40,000
Benin	Government	$40,000	$120,000
Benin	Tourism	$10,000	$130,000
Bangladesh	Tourism	$330,000	$3,310,000
Bangladesh	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,300,000	$21,620,000
Bangladesh	Government	$13,350,000	$37,970,000
Belize	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$60,000
Belize	Tourism	$10,000	$100,000
Belize	Government	$0	$20,000
Brazil	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$720,000	$11,990,000
Brazil	Government	$186,340,000	$373,940,000
Brazil	Tourism	$6,970,000	$69,690,000
Brunei	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$70,000
Brunei	Government	$50,000	$230,000
Brunei	Tourism	$30,000	$340,000
Canada	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,620,000	$27,100,000
Canada	Government	$2,880,000	$12,990,000
Canada	Tourism	$1,600,000	$16,020,000
Chile	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$3,910,000	$65,230,000
Chile	Government	$600,000	$2,620,000
Chile	Tourism	$660,000	$6,610,000
China	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$57,250,000	$954,200,000
China	Government	$2,674,690,000	$5,853,540,000
China	Tourism	$39,730,000	$397,350,000
Côte d'Ivoire	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$20,000	$440,000
Côte d'Ivoire	Government	$290,000	$1,240,000
Côte d'Ivoire	Tourism	$100,000	$990,000
Cameroon	Tourism	$50,000	$480,000
Cameroon	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$20,000
Cameroon	Government	$610,000	$2,470,000
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$10,000	$110,000
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)	Government	$0	$0
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)	Tourism	$20,000	$160,000
Colombia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$150,000	$2,570,000
Colombia	Tourism	$620,000	$6,160,000
Colombia	Government	$60,000	$230,000
Costa Rica	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$120,000	$2,020,000
Costa Rica	Government	$30,000	$120,000
Costa Rica	Tourism	$390,000	$3,870,000
Germany	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$2,010,000	$33,500,000
Germany	Government	$3,650,000	$12,670,000
Germany	Tourism	$15,010,000	$150,120,000
Denmark	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$140,000	$2,420,000
Denmark	Government	$810,000	$3,630,000
Denmark	Tourism	$200,000	$1,980,000
Dominican Republic	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$20,000	$330,000
Dominican Republic	Government	$4,630,000	$12,030,000
Dominican Republic	Tourism	$2,070,000	$20,710,000
Algeria	Tourism	$560,000	$5,640,000
Algeria	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$60,000
Algeria	Government	$5,720,000	$18,580,000
Ecuador	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$850,000	$14,120,000
Ecuador	Government	$420,000	$1,500,000
Ecuador	Tourism	$70,000	$710,000
Egypt	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$710,000	$11,750,000
Egypt	Government	$550,000	$1,550,000
Egypt	Tourism	$1,210,000	$12,070,000
Spain	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,680,000	$27,970,000
Spain	Government	$7,660,000	$37,320,000
Spain	Tourism	$9,040,000	$90,430,000
France	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$650,000	$10,750,000
France	Government	$4,700,000	$19,760,000
France	Tourism	$6,940,000	$69,400,000
UK	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,470,000	$24,540,000
UK	Government	$7,140,000	$31,680,000
UK	Tourism	$21,000,000	$209,980,000
Georgia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$50,000
Georgia	Government	$10,000	$40,000
Georgia	Tourism	$40,000	$370,000
Ghana	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$50,000	$830,000
Ghana	Government	$670,000	$2,740,000
Ghana	Tourism	$160,000	$1,650,000
Guinea	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$30,000
Guinea	Government	$20,000	$70,000
Guinea	Tourism	$10,000	$80,000
Gambia	Tourism	$0	$20,000
Gambia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$0
Gambia	Government	$0	$0
Guinea-Bissau	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$20,000
Guinea-Bissau	Government	$0	$0
Guinea-Bissau	Tourism	$0	$0
Equatorial Guinea	Tourism	$0	$0
Equatorial Guinea	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$0
Equatorial Guinea	Government	$20,000	$100,000
Greece	Tourism	$4,290,000	$42,920,000
Greece	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$360,000	$5,910,000
Greece	Government	$1,880,000	$8,490,000
Guatemala	Tourism	$210,000	$2,080,000
Guatemala	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$90,000	$1,470,000
Guatemala	Government	$120,000	$200,000
Guyana	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$30,000	$500,000
Guyana	Government	$20,000	$60,000
Guyana	Tourism	$10,000	$70,000
Hong Kong	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$450,000	$7,550,000
Hong Kong	Government	$5,100,000	$20,150,000
Hong Kong	Tourism	$2,470,000	$24,680,000
Honduras	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$160,000	$2,760,000
Honduras	Government	$130,000	$330,000
Honduras	Tourism	$80,000	$770,000
Croatia	Tourism	$2,100,000	$21,000,000
Croatia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$110,000	$1,780,000
Croatia	Government	$640,000	$2,820,000
Haiti	Tourism	$30,000	$290,000
Haiti	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$40,000
Haiti	Government	$300,000	$1,100,000
Indonesia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$4,250,000	$70,830,000
Indonesia	Government	$196,530,000	$813,230,000
Indonesia	Tourism	$1,720,000	$17,170,000
India	Tourism	$7,420,000	$74,210,000
India	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$4,370,000	$72,860,000
India	Government	$948,160,000	$1,655,590,000
Iran	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$510,000	$8,490,000
Iran	Tourism	$1,170,000	$11,740,000
Iran	Government	$360,000	$710,000
Iraq	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$40,000	$700,000
Iraq	Tourism	$330,000	$3,310,000
Iraq	Government	$20,000	$50,000
Italy	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$540,000	$8,920,000
Italy	Tourism	$22,920,000	$229,190,000
Italy	Government	$7,570,000	$37,180,000
Jamaica	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$10,000	$170,000
Jamaica	Tourism	$370,000	$3,730,000
Jamaica	Government	$140,000	$400,000
Japan	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$2,070,000	$34,390,000
Japan	Tourism	$9,230,000	$92,290,000
Japan	Government	$9,480,000	$38,170,000
Cambodia	Tourism	$270,000	$2,740,000
Cambodia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$110,000	$1,750,000
Cambodia	Government	$30,000	$60,000
South Korea	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,020,000	$17,030,000
South Korea	Tourism	$1,820,000	$18,240,000
South Korea	Government	$780,000	$3,250,000
Lebanon	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$30,000
Lebanon	Tourism	$380,000	$3,850,000
Lebanon	Government	$120,000	$470,000
Liberia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$0
Liberia	Tourism	$0	$0
Liberia	Government	$10,000	$40,000
Libya	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$10,000	$110,000
Libya	Tourism	$110,000	$1,140,000
Libya	Government	$20,000	$110,000
Sri Lanka	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$40,000	$790,000
Sri Lanka	Government	$4,890,000	$22,400,000
Sri Lanka	Tourism	$240,000	$2,370,000
Morocco	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$640,000	$10,650,000
Morocco	Government	$510,000	$1,840,000
Morocco	Tourism	$770,000	$7,660,000
Mexico	Tourism	$2,790,000	$27,910,000
Mexico	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$330,000	$5,430,000
Mexico	Government	$3,120,000	$6,310,000
Myanmar	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,330,000	$22,180,000
Myanmar	Government	$5,330,000	$16,490,000
Myanmar	Tourism	$320,000	$3,160,000
Montenegro	Tourism	$120,000	$1,210,000
Montenegro	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$20,000
Montenegro	Government	$100,000	$460,000
Mozambique	Tourism	$40,000	$410,000
Mozambique	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$10,000	$230,000
Mozambique	Government	$40,000	$180,000
Malaysia	Tourism	$1,850,000	$18,530,000
Malaysia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$590,000	$9,850,000
Malaysia	Government	$100,550,000	$424,360,000
Nigeria	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$500,000	$8,430,000
Nigeria	Government	$14,500,000	$31,450,000
Nigeria	Tourism	$1,170,000	$11,660,000
Nicaragua	Tourism	$70,000	$710,000
Nicaragua	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$130,000	$2,110,000
Nicaragua	Government	$10,000	$30,000
Netherlands	Tourism	$2,380,000	$23,840,000
Netherlands	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$2,440,000	$40,750,000
Netherlands	Government	$4,240,000	$19,830,000
Panama	Tourism	$280,000	$2,780,000
Panama	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$80,000	$1,230,000
Panama	Government	$300,000	$1,190,000
Philippines	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,950,000	$32,600,000
Philippines	Tourism	$6,020,000	$60,160,000
Philippines	Government	$1,176,380,000	$4,859,270,000
Papua New Guinea	Tourism	$10,000	$130,000
Papua New Guinea	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$60,000	$1,030,000
Papua New Guinea	Government	$20,000	$90,000
North Korea	Tourism	$0	$0
North Korea	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$60,000	$1,060,000
North Korea	Government	$0	$0
Portugal	Tourism	$2,940,000	$29,390,000
Portugal	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$370,000	$6,180,000
Portugal	Government	$1,520,000	$6,730,000
Russia	Tourism	$1,820,000	$18,190,000
Russia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$1,250,000	$20,690,000
Russia	Government	$1,520,000	$6,100,000
Senegal	Tourism	$20,000	$190,000
Senegal	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$30,000	$580,000
Senegal	Government	$10,000	$30,000
Singapore	Tourism	$2,760,000	$27,610,000
Singapore	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$280,000	$4,780,000
Singapore	Government	$470,000	$2,080,000
Sierra Leone	Tourism	$0	$50,000
Sierra Leone	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$40,000
Sierra Leone	Government	$30,000	$130,000
El Salvador	Tourism	$60,000	$640,000
El Salvador	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$30,000	$490,000
El Salvador	Government	$30,000	$70,000
Suriname	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$30,000	$440,000
Suriname	Tourism	$0	$30,000
Suriname	Government	$40,000	$140,000
Togo	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$10,000
Togo	Government	$0	$10,000
Togo	Tourism	$20,000	$170,000
Thailand	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$3,770,000	$62,850,000
Thailand	Government	$49,670,000	$122,410,000
Thailand	Tourism	$5,730,000	$57,270,000
Timor-Leste	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$0	$0
Timor-Leste	Government	$10,000	$30,000
Timor-Leste	Tourism	$0	$0
Trinidad and Tobago	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$20,000	$320,000
Trinidad and Tobago	Government	$1,480,000	$4,450,000
Trinidad and Tobago	Tourism	$250,000	$2,470,000
Tunisia	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$80,000	$1,260,000
Tunisia	Government	$310,000	$1,330,000
Tunisia	Tourism	$260,000	$2,640,000
Türkiye	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$690,000	$11,440,000
Türkiye	Government	$30,060,000	$116,200,000
Türkiye	Tourism	$3,530,000	$35,280,000
Taiwan	Tourism	$0	$0
Taiwan	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$810,000	$13,360,000
Taiwan	Government	$610,000	$2,410,000
Tanzania	Tourism	$170,000	$1,720,000
Tanzania	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$50,000	$740,000
Tanzania	Government	$180,000	$670,000
Ukraine	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$20,000	$220,000
Ukraine	Tourism	$120,000	$1,200,000
Ukraine	Government	$1,070,000	$4,360,000
Uruguay	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$30,000	$510,000
Uruguay	Government	$100,000	$320,000
Uruguay	Tourism	$170,000	$1,740,000
U.S.	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$2,620,000	$43,750,000
U.S.	Tourism	$35,280,000	$352,800,000
U.S.	Government	$39,020,000	$112,170,000
Venezuela	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$40,000	$630,000
Venezuela	Government	$1,290,000	$4,580,000
Venezuela	Tourism	$150,000	$1,520,000
Vietnam	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$8,000,000	$133,340,000
Vietnam	Government	$74,090,000	$198,040,000
Vietnam	Tourism	$1,860,000	$18,590,000
South Africa	Tourism	$530,000	$5,270,000
South Africa	Fisheries & Aquaculture	$120,000	$2,000,000
South Africa	Government	$1,810,000	$6,600,000

The direct costs of cleaning coastlines, waterways, marinas, and ports make up the lion’s share, between $5.6 and $15.0 billion in government expenditures. 

But clean-up costs aren’t the only impact. Polluted beaches and stranded debris also have an impact on tourism, estimated to be between $237.8 million and $2.4 billion.

And while the harm to marine ecosystems can’t be overstated, the cost to fisheries and aquaculture, and the communities that depend on them, is real. It adds up to between $114.4 million and $1.9 billion annually.

Streams of Plastic, Rivers of Pollution

But where does all this plastic come from? 

According to the most recent estimates, as many as 1,656 rivers contribute 80% of the plastic pollution that makes it into the ocean. This 2021 study updates earlier estimates that pinned much of the blame on only a handful of rivers.

River	Country	Share of global plastic pollution emitted to ocean
Pasig	Philippines	6.43%
Tullahan	Philippines	1.33%
Ulhas	India	1.33%
Klang	Malaysia	1.33%
Meycauayan	Philippines	1.23%
Pampanga	Philippines	0.95%
Libmanan	Philippines	0.72%
Ganges	India	0.63%
Rio Grande de Mindanao	Philippines	0.54%
Agno	Philippines	0.47%
Agusan	Philippines	0.47%
Paranaque	Philippines	0.45%
Iloilo	Philippines	0.43%
Soai Rap	Vietnam	0.42%
Chao Phraya	Thailand	0.41%
Lagos Harbour	Nigeria	0.41%
Hugli	India	0.40%
Huangpu	China	0.37%
Pazundaung Creek	Myanmar	0.37%
Bharathappuzha	India	0.36%
Ebrie Lagoon Komoe	Ivory Coast	0.34%
Sarawak	Malaysia	0.34%
Msimbazi River	Dar Es Salaam	0.33%
Imus	Philippines	0.32%
Chenzhen River	China	0.30%
Wouri River	Cameroon	0.29%
Langat	Malaysia	0.29%
Cilliwung	Indonesia	0.29%
Zapote	Philippines	0.28%
Malad Creek	India	0.28%
Kelani	Sri Lanka	0.28%
Cagayan de Oro	Philippines	0.27%
Davao River	Philippines	0.27%
Karnaphuli	Bangladesh	0.27%
Rio Pavuna	Brazil	0.27%
Panvel Creek	India	0.26%
Yangon River	Myanmar	0.26%
Malaking Tubiq	Philippines	0.26%
Zhujiang/Canton	China	0.26%
Tambo, Pasay (storm drain)	Philippines	0.26%
Kelantan	Malaysia	0.26%
Jalaur River	Philippines	0.23%
Douala Estuary	Cameroon	0.23%
Chilyar	India	0.23%
Periyar River	India	0.23%
Cagayan River	Philippines	0.23%
Sungai Kuantan	Malaysia	0.22%
Mithi River	India	0.22%
Rio Ozama	Dominican Republic	0.22%
Hamulauon	Philippines	0.22%

The top 10 rivers are all in Asia. And this makes sense when you think about it. Asia is home to most of the world’s population and to many developing countries with poor waste management systems. Many parts of Asia, especially in the Southeast, also have heavy precipitation, which is a contributing factor. Proximity to a city is also important, as is the distance to the coast. In fact, the top three emitting rivers go through major coastal cities Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Mumbai.

As a result, not only is Asia the biggest source of plastic pollution, a staggering 81% according to study authors, but it also has the highest direct and indirect costs from plastic pollution, between $5.4 and $16.4 billion per year.

So What’s to be Done?

The OECD estimated that global plastic pollution could nearly triple to 1.0 billion metric tons by 2060. And while they estimate that the share of plastic that escapes waste management systems will fall from 22% (2019) to 17% (2060), that’s still a lot of plastic to deal with. 

Not surprisingly, the tide is turning against single-use plastics and many governments have already banned the worst offenders. Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bags in 2002, while the U.S. banned microbeads in personal care products in 2015, followed by the UK (2018), Canada (2018), and then China (2020-2022). 

At the international level, 170 countries recently agreed to have a first draft of a global plastics treaty ready by November 2023.

Momentum is Growing Against Plastic Cigarette Filters

Single-use plastic cigarette filters, which routinely top the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup, are also coming under scrutiny. 

The EU’s Single-Use Plastic Directive stopped short of banning plastic filters outright, but it did mark them for reduction measures. Germany, on the other hand, will soon require plastic manufacturers to pay into a central clean-up fund. It is expected to bring in €450 million during the first year alone and impacts producers of drink containers, food wrappers, and yes, cigarette filters.

So, with the tide turning against cigarette filters, what’s next for the world’s number one plastic pollution problem?

Learn more about Greenbutts, creator of a certified biodegradable, plant-based alternative to plastic cigarette filters.

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Related Topics: #single use plastics #plastic pollution #ocean plastic #cigarettes #Greenbutts #rivers #plastic waste

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Life Cycle Emissions: EVs vs. Combustion Engine Vehicles

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on real assets and resource megatrends each week.

According to the International Energy Agency, the transportation sector is more reliant on fossil fuels than any other sector in the economy. In 2021, it accounted for 37% of all CO₂ emissions from end‐use sectors.

To gain insights into how different vehicle types contribute to these emissions, the above graphic visualizes the life cycle emissions of battery electric, hybrid, and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles using Polestar and Rivian’s Pathway Report.

Production to Disposal: Emissions at Each Stage

Life cycle emissions are the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted throughout a product’s existence, including its production, use, and disposal.

To compare these emissions effectively, a standardized unit called metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) is used, which accounts for different types of greenhouse gases and their global warming potential.

Here is an overview of the 2021 life cycle emissions of medium-sized electric, hybrid and ICE vehicles in each stage of their life cycles, using tCO₂e. These numbers consider a use phase of 16 years and a distance of 240,000 km.

		Battery electric vehicle	Hybrid electric vehicle	Internal combustion engine vehicle
Production emissions (tCO2e)	Battery manufacturing	5	1	0
	Vehicle manufacturing	9	9	10
Use phase emissions (tCO2e)	Fuel/electricity production	26	12	13
	Tailpipe emissions	0	24	32
	Maintenance	1	2	2
Post consumer emissions (tCO2e)	End-of-life	-2	-1	-1
	TOTAL	39 tCO2e	47 tCO2e	55 tCO2e

While it may not be surprising that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have the lowest life cycle emissions of the three vehicle segments, we can also take some other insights from the data that may not be as obvious at first.

1. The production emissions for BEVs are approximately 40% higher than those of hybrid and ICE vehicles. According to a McKinsey & Company study, this high emission intensity can be attributed to the extraction and refining of raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel that are needed for batteries, as well as the energy-intensive manufacturing process of BEVs.
2. Electricity production is by far the most emission-intensive stage in a BEVs life cycle. Decarbonizing the electricity sector by implementing renewable and nuclear energy sources can significantly reduce these vehicles’ use phase emissions.
3. By recycling materials and components in their end-of-life stages, all vehicle segments can offset a portion of their earlier life cycle emissions.

Accelerating the Transition to Electric Mobility

As we move toward a carbon-neutral economy, battery electric vehicles can play an important role in reducing global CO₂ emissions.

Despite their lack of tailpipe emissions, however, it’s good to note that many stages of a BEV’s life cycle are still quite emission-intensive, specifically when it comes to manufacturing and electricity production.

Advancing the sustainability of battery production and fostering the adoption of clean energy sources can, therefore, aid in lowering the emissions of BEVs even further, leading to increased environmental stewardship in the transportation sector.

The post Life Cycle Emissions: EVs vs. Combustion Engine Vehicles appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Published

1 month ago

on

June 5, 2023

By

Alan Kennedy

Can We Close the $11 Trillion Climate Investment Gap?

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) include actions to preserve or restore natural ecosystems to address social, economic, and environmental challenges effectively, while simultaneously providing benefits to the community. 

To achieve its goal of limiting climate change to below 1.5°C by 2050, the UN says that substantial investment in NbS needs to happen. The same investments will also help stop biodiversity loss and deliver land degradation neutrality.

This visualization, sponsored by Carbon Streaming Corporation, explores the investment requirements for various NbS sectors and highlights the critical role of protecting many ecosystems in achieving climate targets.

The Crucial Role of Ecosystem Protection

Terrestrial and marine ecosystems are invaluable when it comes to addressing climate change. They act as natural carbon sinks, effectively absorbing and storing approximately 40% of global carbon emissions. 

More specifically, the conservation and restoration of forests, wetlands, grasslands, coastal areas, seagrass, and peatlands is essential to keeping greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere. 

But to effectively combat climate change, the estimated cumulative investment required in nature-based solutions between 2022 and 2050 is $11 trillion. 

NbS Investment Area	Cumulative Investment Required 2022-2050 (US$ Trillion)
Agroforestry	$3.6 Trillion
Reforestation	$3.4 Trillion
Restoration (Seagrass & Peatlands)	$1.6 Trillion
Protection	$1.3 Trillion
Other Land Management	$1.1 Trillion

This investment will drive large-scale restoration, conservation efforts, sustainable land-use practices, and ecosystem protection.

A Closer Look at the Investment Gap

Currently, only 17% of NbS investment comes from private sources. However, the annual investment needs to increase fourfold by 2050, which amounts to $520 billion of additional annual NbS investment.

Year	NbS Investment Required ($B per year)	Increase from 2022
2022	$154B	-
2025	$384B	x2
2030	$484B	x3
2050	$674B	x4

Collaboration between governments, the private sector, and international organizations is critical to mobilize resources, establish innovative financing mechanisms, and incentivize investments.

Benefits of NbS

Capital allocated to nature-based solutions not only helps combat climate change but also delivers a plethora of other benefits. For example, these solutions promote biodiversity conservation, enhance ecosystem services, support local communities, and foster sustainable development. 

Investment in this space is crucial to meeting the UN’s 2050 goals. By financing the creation or expansion of nature-based carbon projects, our sponsor, Carbon Streaming Corporation secures the rights to future carbon credits generated by these projects. 

Consumers and businesses can purchase these carbon credits to provide the necessary capital and immediate action needed to effectively combat climate change.

Learn more about Carbon Streaming and how you can get involved now.

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Related Topics: #ecosystem #nature based solutions #Carbon Streaming #policymakers #investment #united nations #government #climate change

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Ranked: The 20 Most Air-Polluted Cities on Earth

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on real assets and resource megatrends each week.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits.

In the above map, we use 2022 average PM2.5 concentrations from IQAir’s World Air Quality Report to visualize the most air-polluted major cities in the world.

World’s Air Pollution Hot Spots

As one of the standard air quality indicators used by the WHO, the PM2.5 concentration refers to the quantity of fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less in a given volume of air.

Fine particulate matter that is this small can penetrate the lungs when inhaled and enter the bloodstream, affecting all major organs.

Based on annual average PM2.5 concentrations (μg/m³) in 2022, here are the most polluted cities in the world.

Rank	City	2022 average PM2.5 concentration (μg/m³)
1	Lahore, Pakistan	97.4
2	Hotan, China	94.3
3	Bhiwadi, India	92.7
4	Delhi, India	92.6
5	Peshawar, Pakistan	91.8
6	Darbhanga, India	90.3
7	Asopur, India	90.2
8	N'Djamena, Chad	89.7
9	New Delhi, India	89.1
10	Patna, India	88.9
11	Ghaziabad, India	88.6
12	Dharuhera, India	87.8
13	Baghdad, Iraq	86.7
14	Chapra, India	85.9
15	Muzaffarnagar, India	85.5
16	Faisalabad, Pakistan	84.5
17	Greater Noida, India	83.2
18	Bahadurgarh, India	82.2
19	Faridabad, India	79.7
20	Muzaffarpur, India	79.2

With numbers these high, the concentration of some or all of the following pollutants are at dangerous levels in these cities:

• Ground-level ozone
• Particulate matter
• Carbon monoxide
• Sulfur dioxide
• Nitrogen dioxide

At the top of the list, Lahore in Pakistan has a combination of high vehicle and industrial emissions, as well as smoke from brick kilns, crop residue, general waste burning, and dust from construction sites.

Air pollution levels can also be impacted by practices such as large-scale tree removal in order to build new roads and buildings.

As a result of its growing population and rapidly expanding industrial sector, India has 14 cities on the list, outpacing China, formerly considered the world’s number one air pollution source.

The only African country on the list, Chad, experienced severe dust storms in 2022 that resulted in an 18% increase in PM2.5 concentration in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The Cost of Poor Air Quality

Poor air quality is one of the leading causes of early deaths worldwide, just behind high blood pressure, tobacco use, and poor diet.

According to a 2020 study by the Health Effects Institute, 6.67 million people died as a result of air pollution in 2019.

In addition to the millions of premature deaths each year, the global cost of health damages associated with air pollution currently sits at $8.1 trillion.

The post Ranked: The 20 Most Air-Polluted Cities on Earth appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Published

2 months ago

on

June 2, 2023

By

Tessa Di Grandi

Graphics & Design

• Pernia Jamshed

Why is the Amazon Rainforest Important for Food Security?

The Amazon rainforest is home to 400 billion trees and covers 6.7 million square kilometers, but the ‘Earth’s lungs’, as it is commonly referred to, is so much more than that.

Aside from being a key carbon sink, it also plays a critical role in supporting crop growth by stabilizing the climate and balancing water cycles.

In this infographic, our sponsor Brazil Potash looks at how the Amazon regulates rainfall and temperature and how crop yields can be optimized. Let’s dive in.

Rainfall as a Primary Water Source

“Flying rivers” are air currents that carry enormous amounts of water vapor over thousands of kilometers. These airborne rivers are responsible for influencing regional and global weather patterns, including rainfall. 

The Amazon flying river cycle begins with water evaporating from the Atlantic Ocean. Wind currents then transport these vapors across the continent, exchanging moisture with the Amazon rainforest through evapotranspiration. Finally, these aerial rivers distribute the moisture as rain.

The trees in the Amazon rainforest release around 20 billion tonnes of water into the atmosphere daily—this is more water than the Mississippi River discharges in 13 months.

Because only around 6% of cropland in Brazil is irrigated, the region relies heavily on this rainfall as a primary water source to support crop growth that feeds both local and global communities.

Temperature Regulation

The Amazon also absorbs billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year through photosynthesis. By absorbing this CO₂, it helps regulate temperatures and lessen the effects of climate change.

According to NASA research, the cumulative effects of climate change, accelerated by deforestation, may result in the loss of up to 11 million hectares of agricultural land in Brazil by the 2030s. 

The continued sustainable production of Brazil’s crops is essential to food security, but deforestation can harm these efforts.

How to Grow More With Less

Brazil hosts the largest section of the Amazon rainforest at around 60%. The country is also one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural goods. 

It’s essential for global food security and for climate change that crop yields in Brazil are increased in areas already allocated for agriculture, instead of clearing new areas in the Amazon rainforest. 

A recent study highlights a significant yield gap in Brazil’s primary export, soybeans. 

A yield gap is the difference between actual crop yield and potential crop yield.

Region	Yield	Yield Gap
Cerrado	62%	38%
Amazon	69%	31%
Atlantic Forest	76%	24%
Pampa	92%	8%

The following steps proposed could optimize land usage:

1. Increase crop yields: This can be done in part by optimizing and increasing fertilizer use. Local fertilizer suppliers are essential to this by providing affordable and accessible fertilizer year-round.
2. Double Crop: Continuing to grow a second crop of corn on soybean fields between seasons to optimize land usage. Additional fertilizer is essential to maintain the soil’s nutrients after harvests.
3. Raise cattle on smaller pastures: By streamlining the space provided for cattle, additional cropland can be added to support food for both people and livestock.

The Role of Brazil Potash

Brazil Potash aims to support the preservation of the Amazon rainforest by working with farmers to increase crop yields and improve the quality and quantity of food grown, without the need for land expansion.

By keeping farmers informed of fertilizer’s benefits and supporting a more stable supply of local fertilizer, Brazil Potash will continue supporting farming communities for generations to come.

Click here to learn more about sustainable crop growth in the Amazon and Brazil Potash.

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Related Topics: #Brazil #amazon #crops #food security #Brazil Potash #flying rivers #agriculture

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The post Here’s Why the Amazon is So Important for Global Food Security appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Published

3 months ago

on

May 2, 2023

By

Tessa Di Grandi

Graphics & Design

• Sabrina Fortin

The Carbon Emissions of Gold Mining

As companies progress towards net-zero goals, decarbonizing all sectors, including mining, has become a vital need.

Gold has a long history as a valuable metal due to its rarity, durability, and universal acceptance as a store of value. However, traditional gold mining is a process that is taxing on the environment and a major contributor to the increasing carbon emissions in our atmosphere. 

The above infographic from our sponsor Nature’s Vault provides an overview of the global carbon footprint of gold mining.

The Price of Gold

To understand more about the carbon emissions that gold mining contributes to, we need to understand the different scopes that all emissions fall under.

In the mining industry, these are divided into three scopes.

• Scope 1: These include direct emissions from operations.
• Scope 2: These are indirect emissions from power generation.
• Scope 3: These cover all other indirect emissions.

With this in mind, let’s break down annual emissions in CO₂e tonnes using data from the World Gold Council as of 2019. Note that total emissions are rounded to the nearest 1,000.

Scope	Type	CO2e tonnes
1	Mining, milling, concentrating and smelting	45,490,000
2	Electricity	54,914,000
3	Suppliers, goods, and services	25,118,000
1,2,3	Recycled Gold	4,200
3	Jewelry	828,000
3	Investment	4,500
3	Electronics	168
TOTAL		126,359,000

Total annual emissions reach around 126,359,000 CO₂e tonnes. To put this in perspective, that means that one year’s worth of gold mining is equivalent to burning nearly 300 million barrels of oil.

Gold in Nature’s Vault

A significant portion of gold’s downstream use is either for private investment or placed in banks. In other words, a large amount of gold is mined, milled, smelted, and transported only to be locked away again in a vault.

Nature’s Vault is decarbonizing the gold mining sector for both gold and impact investors by eliminating the most emission-intensive part of the mining process—mining itself.

By creating digital assets like the NaturesGold Token and the Pistol Lake NFT that monetize the preservation of gold in the ground, emissions and the environmental damage associated with gold mining are avoided.

How Does it Work?

Through the same forms of validation used in traditional mining by Canada’s National Instrument NI 43-101 and Australia’s Joint Ore Reserve Committee (JORC), Nature’s Vault first determines that there is gold in an ore body.

Then, using blockchain and asset fractionalization, the mineral rights and quantified in-ground gold associated with these mineral rights are tokenized.

This way, gold for investment can still be used without the emission-intensive process that goes into mining it. Therefore, these digital assets are an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional gold investments.

Click here to learn more about gold in Nature’s Vault.

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Related Topics: #gold mining #token #carbon emissions #decarbonization #tokenization #Nature's Vault

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