Tag: 3BL

by Claire Smith of Beyond Investing and Beyond Impact

Without wanting to dismiss men and their interest in sustainable investing, it seems to me that women have an inherently greater attention to the topic, given their physical role in bringing into existence the next generation of humans. This was something that I deeply felt as I prepared to give birth to my daughter. One becomes acutely conscious of environmental pollution, which as it enters your bloodstream, necessarily reaches the body of your as yet unborn child. One becomes more careful about the food that you eat, realizing that you are not only sustaining your own body, but that you are literally building another human’s body from within. You begin to realize that your child’s ability to live, thrive and survive in the world to come depends on the myriad of decisions that other human beings are making on a daily basis, as consumers, citizens or providers and users of capital, which have an impact on the natural world and its ability to sustain us in the future.

Sustainability also means sustainable for humans, not just for the environment. While pregnant, I also got involved in a local environmental group that was protesting the roll-out of genetically modified crops in the UK. Besides the unleashing of potentially hazardous, untested materials, it became evident that a primary motivation for the genetic modification of crops was to allow even more poisons to be sprayed onto crops. Leaving aside the damage to human health of higher concentrations of chemicals in food, this was also affecting soil health, thus creating a more reliable stream of cash to agrochemicals companies.

It is against this backdrop that I realised that to make an impact and bring about a truly sustainable approach to investing, I had to find some way to incorporate my convictions and concern for animals and the environment into my professional life. Whereas I had adopted sustainable practices in my personal life, like being a vegetarian and a supporter of animal rights, as well as recycling, generating hot water and electricity from solar panels to fuel our heating system and electric car, I was still spending my time, and using my financial expertise, to generate returns for investor clients, and facing daily dilemmas when confronted with the decisions of other investment managers, who for example were providing rescue financing for coal companies, providing them with short-term financial returns, but enabling hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2 to be emitted.

So what happened next? Read Claire’s full article here – https://greenmoney.com/a-female-perspective-on-sustainable-investing

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As people around the world face undeniable climate impacts and sobering risks to their future health and livelihoods, California’s policy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 can be a model for other states and nations. However, success requires unprecedented innovation and coordination across planning, policy and technology. Significant electrification — powered by clean generation and enabled by an unparalleled expansion of the electric grid — is necessary to decarbonize the economy feasibly and affordably. Achieving this requires urgent and fundamental changes in how the state’s entire energy infrastructure is planned and built.

Countdown to 2045 updates and expands upon Southern California Edison’s 2019 analysis, Pathway 2045, incorporating policy updates, expected climate change impacts, market and technology developments and an in-depth study of electric sector reliability. Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requires new and emerging technologies to play a large role, but the exact mix and scale remain uncertain. These technologies, including decarbonized fuels, clean and firm generation and carbon removal, must also be advanced while policies and regulations remain open to the full potential of emerging solutions.

California Assembly Bill 1279 is a primary driver of this new analysis by codifying into law the state’s 2045 net-zero goal. It requires direct GHG emissions reduction of 85% by 2045. While achieving net zero is essential, meeting the deeperi emissions reductions mandated by AB 1279 and resulting from other policies drives changes relative to Pathway 2045 that will be more challenging. These include nearly complete building electrification, greater reliance on emerging clean energy resources and electric grid expansion at an even more accelerated pace. These newest requirements limit options such as direct air capture and nature-based carbon removal, and thus may further increase the cost and difficulty of reaching net zero. While AB 1279 calls for an evaluation by 2035 of the feasibility and trade-offs of an 85% reduction, this paper identifies several feasibility challenges that must be taken into consideration quickly, likely well before 2035, as part of the state’s ongoing evaluation of options to meet our decarbonization goals. Without significant policy change and technological development, they could impede our success. Countdown to 2045 outlines near-term actions necessary to address these challenges and realize California’s 2045 climate objectives.

The key findings below describe Countdown to 2045’s solution for California:

90% of light- and medium-duty and over 50% of heavy-duty vehicles are electric95% of residential and commercial space and water heating is electricOver 3x more utility-scale clean energy resources are online compared to today, primarily through new solar, wind and energy storageUp to 15% of utility-scale generation is from new and emerging technologies, such as floating offshore wind and next-generation geothermalDistributed energy resources (DERs) play a key role, with 2x and 10x more distributed solar and storage, respectively, compared to todayNew transmission and distribution grid projects added at up to 4x and 10x their historical rates, respectivelyLow-carbon fuels support clean electricity generation and industrial sector GHG emissions reduction75 million metric tons (MMT) of negative emissions technologies sequester remaining emissions

Achieving this transition will take over $370 billion of incremental transmission, distribution and utility-scale clean energy investments. Electric bills will increase due to higher use of electricity for transportation and buildings, but customer savings from reduced fossil fuel expenses will more than offset the increase. The average SCE household will save about 40% on their annual energy expenses by 2045 and benefit from cleaner air.

Countdown to 2045 describes a major leap in the pace of deployment in all aspects of the clean energy transition. This transition depends on specific, near-term actions, including:

System planning must be reimagined by state agencies and utilities for greater speed, efficiency, integration and flexibility 

Emerging generation technology needs near-term investment to enable longer-term emission reductions 

Process and regulatory reforms are necessary to accelerate transmission infrastructure development 

Distribution grid evolution is required for utilities to serve electrification load and fully utilize local energy resources

California has already proven itself a climate leader. Edison International is committed to addressing climate change and offers the ambitious steps described here for California, and to set a strong example for others. While we applaud the state’s recently passed clean energy legislation, further actions are required to ensure we reach our goal. Furthermore, similar transformation is needed worldwide to reduce global GHG emissions at a scale that will meaningfully slow climate change.

i. Prior to AB 1279, Executive Order S-30-05 established a target for 2050 to be at least 80% below 1990 levels.

BACKGROUND

SCE’s 2019 white paper, Pathway 2045, mapped out the energy implications of California reaching its 2045 net-zero goal. Countdown to 2045 reinforces and builds upon the most affordable and feasible path identified in Pathway 2045, refining the necessary steps to achieve the state’s newest, more ambitious decarbonization goals given technology advancements and adoption, deeper understanding of future climate impacts and improved reliability analysis.

Major policy developments since 2019 include:

Gov. Newsom’s sweeping package of climate measures in 2022, including AB 1279 California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) 2022 Scoping Plan Update1, a key milestone that describes a state decarbonization pathway similar to Countdown to 2045

The governor’s order for 100% zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by 20352, paired with CARB’s transformative requirements3 in Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Fleets

California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Equitable Building Decarbonization Program authorized in 20224 with $1.1B in funding to reduce GHG emissions from buildings

CEC’s statewide offshore wind goal of 25,000 MW by 20455

California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) firstever 20-Year Transmission Outlook introduced in 2022, identifying $30B of needed transmission investments

CPUC’s bolstered resource adequacy requirements to account for all hours of peak days and to raise planning reserve margins for system reliability

Markets and technology have seen complementary developments, including:

Accelerating consumer adoption of electrification (e.g., light-duty ZEVs in CA increased from 6.8% of new car sales in 2019 to 25% by mid-20236; electric appliances outsold gas appliances nationally for both water and space heating for the first time in 20227)Growing momentum for emerging clean, firm resources (e.g., dozens of next-generation nuclear and geothermal companies have collectively raised over $1B and received over $4B in awards from the Department of Energy; global project pipelines for electrolyzed hydrogen grew by 266% in the past year8)Infusion of government funding: (e.g., the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocates close to $400B of federal funding to clean energy through a mix of tax incentives, grants and loan guarantees that encourage private investment in emerging clean technologies and individual consumers to adopt EVs, heat pumps, rooftop solar and home batteries)

1. 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality, California Air Resources Board (Dec. 2022). https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/2022-sp.pdf 

2. Newsom, Gavin. Executive Order N-70-20 (Sept. 2020). https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/9.23.20-EO-N-79-20-Climate.pdf 

3. Advanced Clean Cars II, California Air Resources Board (Nov. 2022). https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program/advanced-clean-cars-ii; Advanced Clean Fleets, California Air Resources Board (April 2023). https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-fleets 

4. Equitable Building Decarbonization Program, California Energy Commission (2022). https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/equitable-building-decarbonization-program 

5. CEC Adopts Historic California Offshore Wind Goals, Enough to Power Upward of 25 Million Homes, California Energy Commission (Aug. 2022). https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2022-08/cec-adopts-historic-california-offshore-wind-goals-enough-power-upwards-25 

6. Zero-Emission Vehicle and Infrastructure Statistics, California Energy Commission. https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/zero-emission-vehicle-and-infrastructure-statistics 

7. Nationwide sales from AHRI Releases December 2022 U.S. Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipment Data, Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (Feb. 2023). https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2022-08/cec-adopts-historic-california-offshore-wind-goals-enough-power-upwards-25 

8. 1H 2023 Hydrogen Market Outlook: US takes the lead, BloombergNEF (March 2023).

December 4, 2023 /3BL/ – Clarion Partners, LLC, a leading real estate investment manager and one of the largest owners and developers of logistics properties in the U.S., has achieved LEED certification for 24 industrial development projects under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED v4 for Warehouse and Distribution Centers Volume Program (“LEED Volume Program”).*

In 2021, Clarion developed a LEED Volume prototype along with sustainability consultants Argento/Graham for the certification of new development projects under the USGBC’s LEED Volume Program. Per the USGBC, LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence in green building.

Through the LEED Volume program, Clarion achieves LEED certification for development projects in a more efficient and cost-effective manner as compared to pursuing certification of individual buildings under the standard LEED program, offering expedited opportunities for the Firm to deliver Class A, modern, logistics facilities. In 2022, Mansfield Logistics Park Building 3, an 806,000-square-foot distribution warehouse in Mansfield, New Jersey, became the first property in Clarion’s portfolio to achieve LEED certification under the LEED Volume program.

As of November 2023, the following industrial properties have received certifications for LEED Building Design and Construction (BD+C): Warehouses and Distribution Centers:

2902 Mayfield Rd in Arlington, TexasFontana Foothills Commerce Center – Buildings 1 & 2 in Fontana, CaliforniaGateway Business Center Phase II – Buildings 26 & 27 in Denver, ColoradoGravel 85 – Buildings 100 & 200 in Buford, GeorgiaGreenwood Industrial Park Building 900 in Henry County, GeorgiaHialeah Gardens Trade Center in Hialeah Gardens, FloridaIndy South Logistics Center – Buildings A & B in Greenwood, IndianaJefferson Mill Business Park Phase III – Building H in Jefferson, GeorgiaKCI Logistics Centre – Buildings VII & VIII in Kansas City, MissouriLehigh Valley Trade Center II – Building C in Hazle, PennsylvaniaMansfield Logistics Park Phase II in Mansfield, New JerseyOntario Ranch Logistics Center Phase III – Building 3 in Ontario, CaliforniaPoint 70 Logistics Park Phase I – Buildings A & B in Mount Comfort, IndianaTracy Logistics Park – Buildings 1, 2 & 3 in Tracy, CaliforniaWestern Beltway Park – Buildings 1 & 2 in Ocoee, Florida

Clarion has more than 8.8 million square feet of additional industrial development underway or soon to begin that is expected to achieve LEED certification over the next 6 to 12 months, with a pipeline of more than 20 million square feet of additional planned developments currently under review.

“As the U.S. industrial sector – both owners and tenants – continues to adopt more stringent sustainability standards, we believe that achieving LEED certification for new developments will help us to attract and retain high-quality tenants,” said Clarion Managing Director Bohdy Hedgcock.

* LEED Building Design and Construction certifications are issued by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). These 24 buildings held valid certifications as of November 2023. Certifications are issued at the time of building development or major renovation and last in perpetuity. Rankings range from Certified to Platinum level for individual properties. Properties must pay registration and review fees to pursue LEED certifications.

About Clarion Partners, LLC 
Clarion Partners has been a leading real estate investment manager for over 40 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm maintains strategically located offices across the United States and Europe. With $79 billion in total real estate and debt assets under management, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to approximately 500 institutional investors across the globe. Clarion is scaled in all major property types and was an early entrant into the Industrial sector. The Firm’s global industrial team manages a 1,000+ property portfolio in the U.S. and Europe consisting of more than 242 million square feet. Visit www.clarionpartners.com for more information.

About Franklin Templeton 
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and over $1.3 trillion in assets under management as of October 31, 2023. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: Nothing herein constitutes an offer or solicitation of any product or service to any person or in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is not authorized or is prohibited by law.

Organizers and advocates are in Dubai for COP28 to urge government negotiators and corporate representatives to give serious consideration to how to alter the frightening global temperatures that are on the rise. While companies reconsider their 2024 environmental sustainability strategies, there is another aspect of ESG that deserves exploring, the social sector.

In our December edition of Navigating ESG Comms Through the Cosmos – Sagittarius Edition, 3BL looks at this season’s current trends in the sustainability space. Utilizing one of Sagittarius’ most infamous traits, the need to ask self-reflective questions, we break down exactly what brands’ should look for as they head into the new year.

Hone into this sign’s fiery energy as we look to the stars this Sagittarius season.

LINCOLN, Neb., December 4, 2023 /3BL/ – New poll data shows consumers are more likely to support companies committed to environmental responsibility. In his latest piece as an official member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council, Arbor Day Foundation chief executive Dan Lambe analyzes the survey’s findings and the power of the consumer to drive corporate climate action. Lambe also offers guidance for private sector leaders on how they can overcome “green hushing” and publicly celebrate their corporation’s environmental achievements.

The full article can be viewed here.

Follow Dan Lambe on Twitter and LinkedIn, or reach out to dlambe@arborday.org.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. Together with our partners, we have helped plant more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival. Through our members, partners and programs, the Arbor Day Foundation inspires people across the globe to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

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December 4, 2023 /3BL/ – The only way to solve the sustainability challenges that we face today, such as climate change, is through collaboration, collective action and innovation.

Now is the time for sustainability systems, businesses, governments and civil society to collaborate and co-create innovative climate solutions. The ISEAL Innovations Fund is supporting sustainability systems to do just that.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) is underway in the United Arab Emirates, encouraging nations to unite, act and deliver. There is an urgent need to act on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to find new ways for vulnerable communities to adapt to the effects of climate change.

This is a complex global issue that requires collaboration amongst multiple stakeholders to understand the challenges and to design effective solutions. The climate emergency has driven individuals, governments, companies and producers to commit to ambitious climate goals. These stakeholders need the right partners to support them in making the right choices to step closer towards achieving their climate actions – this is where sustainability systems have a key role to play.

There is no choice but to innovate. We need solutions that work across a complex range of interacting areas; solutions that overcome political, environmental and economic barriers; solutions that drive long-lasting change.

Rising to this challenge, the ISEAL Innovations Fund – with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO – has been supporting ISEAL members to collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders to explore and test new ways in which sustainability systems can support climate actions: from developing approaches to monitor and verify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to defining good practices for tracking emissions.

In recognition of the continuing urgency for innovation in this space, a climate-specific funding round was recently launched. The Fund announced support for new projects that explored innovative ways for sustainability systems to support measurement and verification of GHG emissions, that enabled climate mitigation and adaptation by small and marginalized producers, and that supported sector or landscape-level transition pathways.

With diverse strategies, bold ambitions and credible practices, the ISEAL community of sustainability systems are positioning themselves as trustworthy partners to support private and public sector climate action.

Credible measurement and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions

ISEAL members are embracing innovative strategies and approaches to support companies, supply chain actors and governments to mitigate against climate change. Several members have had specific criteria related to GHG emissions in their standards for some time. However, these are now going beyond GHG inventory requirements to include other criteria, such as monitoring carbon sequestration.

The Fund previously supported a project led by Gold Standard that brought together several ISEAL members to co-create a blueprint that would harmonise good practices for measuring and reporting on GHG emissions – particularly Scope 3 emissions. Building on the lessons from this project, a new Fund project led by Better Cotton will identify solutions for GHG data collection, accounting, and reporting in agricultural supply chains, and the opportunities and challenges for applying these across different chain of custody models.

Investment in value chain reductions

There has been a significant surge in corporate climate commitments as companies look at ways to reduce GHG emissions within their value chains. Insetting interventions are a way for companies to reduce these emissions by investing in nature-based solutions or other mitigation activities in the companies and areas they source from. However, what does credible insetting look like? The Fund is supporting a new project led by Climate Neutral Group to expand the knowledge base on this relatively new practice. By consolidating existing knowledge and exploring new approaches, this initiative seeks to share good practices on insetting for other sustainability systems to learn from.

Empowering bold climate action

It is an exciting time for the Innovations Fund as it supports a wide range of scalable, collaborative actions from sustainability systems and their partners to support climate action. Gone are the days of siloed attempts at addressing climate change. We are seeing the emergence of a community-driven response towards a single goal: to mitigate climate change and secure a sustainable climate for the future.

We look forward to working with our members and partners and seeing how these emerging climate actions and approaches can create new avenues and opportunities to scale impact and drive change.

Notes:

About ISEAL

ISEAL supports ambitious sustainability systems and their partners to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. With our growing global network and our focus on credible practices, we drive impact and make markets a force for good.

From the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis to human rights and persistent poverty, the world needs scalable and effective solutions. Our convening power and thought leadership accelerate positive change on these critical challenges, so companies and governments can meet their sustainability commitments and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Joining ISEAL’s learning community helps sustainability systems to deliver real, lasting, positive change. ISEAL Community Members are sustainability standards and similar systems that are committed to sharing learning that advances scalable solutions and drives positive impacts. ISEAL Code Compliant organisations are ISEAL Community Members who go further, adhering to our Codes of Good Practice – a globally recognised framework for best practice.

Find out more about our members: https://www.isealalliance.org/

Explore evidence on the impacts of sustainability systems: www.evidensia.eco/

ISEAL Innovations Fund

The ISEAL Innovations Fund is ISEAL’s grant-making facility, which has provided support for collaborative projects to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of sustainability systems since 2016. The Fund enables the exploration and testing of innovative approaches which help sustainability systems deliver more value to their stakeholders and effectively drive improvement over time, and at scale. These projects are made possible thanks to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO which supports the ISEAL Innovations Fund.

McDonald’s newest 24-hour restaurant in São Paulo, Brazil, is setting a higher standard for more sustainable restaurant design, and it all started when the local team broke ground on the physical restaurant: The new structure was built from a hybrid of wood and recycled materials, using innovative low-energy methods.

Once finished, the space will be a natural place to incorporate more than a dozen other more sustainable touches, including a compost bin to help manage organic waste, floors and walls made with recycled material and a living roof that helps to regulate temperature and humidity.

The restaurant also collects rainwater and air conditioner condensation for reuse in flushing and irrigation, reduces energy usage through thermal insulation and efficient equipment, and is lit by solar-powered automated LED lighting.

Customers in the space will be able to interact with these more sustainable features at a multitude of touchpoints, including stairs and tabletops that are composted of recycled plastic bottles, a charging point for electric vehicles and bicycle and e-bike parking.

“This new restaurant brings to life the vision that drives our business and our ESG strategy,” explained Rogério Barreira, President of the Brazilian Division of Arcos Dorados, a DL partner of McDonald’s. “Here we have applied everything we’ve developed in recent years while also adding sustainable innovations that will help guide us, the sector and our consumers from now on.”

This and other more sustainable restaurant designs around the world are just one part of McDonald’s pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. As we work to decrease emissions across the board, we aim to empower teams everywhere to innovate with renewable energy, circular economy and sustainable packaging.

View original content here.

GRI and EFRAG have now signed a new Memorandum of Understanding, reaffirming their commitment to collaborating on the interoperability of the GRI Standards and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The renewal of the partnership agreement marks a pivotal step towards increased collaboration and harmonization of the sustainability reporting landscape.

Additionally, the two organizations have unveiled a GRI-ESRS Interoperability Index. This tool illustrates the alignment between ESRS disclosure requirements and data points with the GRI standards, enabling existing GRI reporters to leverage their current reporting efforts to prepare their ESRS ‘Sustainability statement’. This resource is a crucial aid in simplifying the complexities of sustainability reporting and is relevant to the organizations in North America as well, as over 3,000 US and 1,300 Canadian organizations are expected to be directly pulled into the CSRD double materiality disclosure requirements, according to Refinitiv.

“The partnership between GRI and EFRAG has already borne fruit by ensuring that the new EU standards and the GRI Standards – which many companies in Europe and beyond are using to report their impacts — are closely aligned. Encompassing practical resources and training alongside deeper engagement on standards, this new MoU reassures companies and all stakeholders of our joint commitment to an aligned, efficient, and feasible EU and global ecosystem for impact reporting. I look forward to continued collaboration with our European partners to achieve this aim.”

-Eelco van der Enden, CEO of GRI

GRI has also launched a new online course Transparency for Tomorrow: Decoding the Sustainability Reporting Landscape. The Reporting Landscape course covers the latest evolutions in the global sustainability and ESG disclosure landscape, including concepts crucial to understanding the differences between the various instruments that populate the landscape. It presents an overview of the main sustainability reporting instruments, including the GRI Standards, European Sustainability Reporting Standards, IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, U.S. SEC Climate Disclosure Rule, TCFD and TNFD recommendations. Furthermore, it emphasizes the alignment between these instruments, describing how they can be used in conjunction with the GRI Standards to enhance reporting effectiveness.

The course is available on GRI’s digital platform, the GRI Academy, along with the four courses that are part of the criteria to achieve the GRI Sustainability Professional credential. Additionally, the platform offers courses covering Topic Standards like Tax, Sector Standards such as Oil and Gas, and comprehensive training like the GRI Content Index, all aimed at enhancing your reporting proficiency.

December 1, 2023 /3BL/ – The week of temporary ceasefire in Gaza has been insufficient, and millions of people throughout the Gaza Strip are still in urgent need of water and other humanitarian assistance. Despite the dangers, Action Against Hunger teams have been on the ground to expand the humanitarian response. The threat of renewed fighting puts Action Against Hunger’s programs at risk, which is why the organization insists that a permanent ceasefire is necessary.

The restrictions of access to humanitarian aid—coupled with limited communications abilities and fuel shortages—have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Action Against Hunger has been working throughout this war with local suppliers inside Gaza to distribute basic supplies such as water, food, hygiene products, diapers, blankets, and mattresses as efficiently and quickly as possible, in coordination with local and international actors. Action Against Hunger teams are delivering fresh vegetables and fruits to families thanks to donations from partners. The organization was one of the only humanitarian actors helping families in northern Gaza even before the week-long pause.

The situation is critical. “Our colleagues are seeing and experiencing it on the ground: there is virtually no food left in Gaza,” says Chiara Saccardi, Regional Head of Action Against Hunger in the Middle East. “With more than 130 bakeries closed across Gaza due to lack of fuel, our colleagues tell us that even flour is in short supply in the local market, making it increasingly difficult to bake bread at home. Gas for cooking is now considered a luxury item, and families are resorting to cooking by burning wood, food cartons and whatever else they can find.”

Permanent ceasefire is essential to prevent further death. “In addition to hunger and lack of food, hygienic conditions, stress and overcrowding have an impact on diet, leading to malnutrition among the most vulnerable,” says Bruno Abarca, Action Against Hunger’s expert on Access to Health Services. “Sustained food deprivation can lead to hunger, pain, anxiety, weight loss, electrolyte imbalances, apathy, fatigue, depletion of body fat and protein reserves, physical and psychological deterioration, tissue degradation, organ damage…and even sudden death, especially among children.”

Action Against Hunger teams are on the ground providing as much aid as possible. Construction is almost finished on sanitation units in Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al Balah, which will provide people with toilets and sinks.

Why ceasefire is urgent 

If a permanent ceasefire was achieved and the number of trucks carrying fuel and items needed for interventions increased, Action Against Hunger could:

Assess the damaged water networks and coordinate with local partners to identify what is needed to repair the infrastructure. This is critical to improving sanitation and preventing disease in the population.Repair water networks so that families have enough water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene.Support internally displaced persons (IDPs) and families living in extreme conditions, to be prepared for the coming winter by distributing mattresses, blankets, and plastic sheeting.Increase food aid to IDPs.Support affected farmers in restoring their land and agricultural assets, as well as access to water, so that they can quickly resume their work cultivating, harvesting, and selling their products.

How this ceasefire has affected food and water availability

Although the lull in conflict has allowed a slight increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, living conditions are far from improving, and the amount of aid coming across the border is insufficient to meet the needs of the entire population of the south, let alone northern Gaza.

Many people are suffering due to food shortages and lack of water. Adults are limiting food intake to ensure that their children are fed. Canned foods are no longer available in the local market and many fear that the vegetable harvest will soon be over. As winter approaches, it is more essential than ever that humanitarian and commercial trucks are allowed to enter Gaza and restore markets and supply chains.

Each day, the entire population of Gaza only has access to about 3 liters of water. “Drinking water is in very short supply, and other water sources are increasingly unsafe due to cross-contamination from sewage, rainwater, and well water,” says Chiara Saccardi. “Gazans need more food, more nutritious food, and clean water for cooking. They also need gas and fuel to cook food. To avoid the risk of food insecurity, malnutrition, and starvation, these items must reach the most vulnerable immediately.”

Food stocks are running low in Gaza and as a result, food prices are rising. The price of wheat flour increased by 65% in October, while the price of mineral water has doubled, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. In addition to lack of access to food, families are struggling with a severe lack of water, overcrowding, lack of sanitation, lack of quality water for domestic use and drinking, and access to water for hygienic practices.

The situation in northern Gaza is also of particular concern due to the lack of a safe and sustained NGO presence, the lack of capacity to distribute aid and the total collapse of services. According to an Action Against Hunger staff member in northern Gaza, “There continues to be great concern about hunger, dehydration, and waterborne diseases due to consumption of water from unsafe sources. The water desalination plant and the Israeli pipeline are not functioning.”

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

How many times have you thought, “I’m so busy, and I feel fine … I’m going to cancel my doctor appointment”?

Turns out, you’re not alone. According to the Aflac Wellness Matters Survey, 1 in 4 Americans skip regular checkups or delay a visit to the doctor because they feel healthy.

Gold medalist, two-time Olympian, two-time Olympic Hall of Fame inductee and cancer survivor Shannon Miller recommends thinking twice before you cancel that doctor’s appointment.

“Keeping my annual wellness appointment with my doctor saved my life, but I was really close to canceling it because I felt healthy,” said Miller. “My ovarian cancer was caught early, and I am grateful to be 12 years cancer-free.”

Watch the video above to hear about Shannon Miller’s story.

With our policies and through our advocacy, helping people with cancer is at the core of Aflac, which is why we conducted the Wellness Matters Survey. When we learned that 51% of respondents who have had cancer said their diagnosis came as a result of a routine checkup or screening, we knew it was time to start a discussion about early detection of cancer and how it can help improve outcomes and, in some cases, save lives. Learn more about the Wellness Matters survey at aflac.com/WellnessMatters.

Want to help spread the word? Follow Aflac on Facebook and Instagram, and tag two friends to remind them to schedule their checkups using the hashtags #TagTwo and #WellnessMatters. When you do, be sure to also tag @Aflac and @ShannonMiller, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a gift signed by Shannon as well as a plush Aflac duck.

Cancer insurance is also known as Specified Disease insurance in some states.

This is a brief product overview only. Coverage may not be available in all states, including but not limited to ID, NJ, NM, NY, or VA. Benefits/premium rates may vary based on plan selected. Optional riders may be available at an additional cost. Plans and riders may also contain a waiting period. Refer to the exact plans and riders for benefit details, definitions, limitations and exclusions. For availability and costs, please contact your local Aflac agent/producer.

In Delaware, Policies B70100DE, B70200DE & B70300DE. In Idaho, Policies B70100ID, B70200ID, B70300ID, B7010EPID, B7020EPID. In Oklahoma, Policies B70100OK, B70200OK, B70300OK, B7010EPOK, B7020EPOK. . In Virginia, policies A75100VA–A75300VA.

Coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus. In New York, coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.

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