Ahead of the highly anticipated COP26 conference on climate change, scheduled for November, another lesser-discussed UN climate summit is right around the corner. COP15, twice rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, will take place virtually in October, followed by in-person negotiations next April-May in Kunming, China. This conference marks the 15th meeting of the Conference…
Author: Chantelle
IPCC Code Red on Extreme Weather is a Call to Action We Cannot Ignore
On Monday, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) officially put the world on “Code Red”, stating that the 1.5C rise limit, as committed to by countries to avoid irreversible damage, is likely to be reached sooner than was predicted by scientists just 3 years ago[1]https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/ipcc-climate-change-report-b949752.html0. Some of the changes already set in…
CEO Jaya Chakrabarti talks with Ada Lovelace Institute
Prototyping AI ethics futures: Data, AI and environment Recently, the Ada Lovelace Institute conducted a week-long series of events highlighting the new possibilities of a humanities-led, broadly engaging approach to data and AI ethics. Within this, the Institute held a conversation on ‘Prototyping AI ethics futures’, joined by our CEO Jaya Chakrabarti, with Caroline Ward,…
Climate Change Risk Assessment 2021: Afforestation as a key player in reducing impact of global warming
The Climate Change Committee(CCC), the UK Government’s independent climate advisor, has recently released its third official climate change risk assessment(CCRS3) since the 2008 climate change act[1]https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/195 was introduced. This report accumulates almost 3 years of extensive research, analysis and consideration, and the overwhelming conclusion drawn from the study is that the impacts of climate change…
G7 Nature Compact: Corporates already own enough suitable land to exceed England’s tree planting targets
Following G7 pact to protect 30% of global land for nature restoration Project Vana confirm corporates have a huge part to play to hit UK targets As you may know, the G7 met in Cornwall this past weekend to discuss the most pressing international challenges for the coming years. Climate change and biodiversity loss present…
Ahead of G7, Corporates already own enough suitable land to exceed England’s tree planting targets, and over a quarter of that land is in the South West
G7 is meeting in Cornwall because the South West of England is seen to be central to the UK’s green technology sector. However, the region is even more significant. According to new research by the South-West-based eco-transparency platform Project Vana, it also has 26% of that suitable land within its boundaries, just from corporate landholdings.…
England Trees Action Plan: How we can help meet UK climate goals
As we start a new month, we’re looking back on the events of May. In which the Government set out their new plans for tree planting in England over the course of the next four years. The England Trees Action Plan (ETAP) sets out the long-term vision for trees and woodland across England[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-trees-action-plan-2021-to-2024#:~:text=The%20England%20Trees%20Action%20Plan,England%20by%202050%20and%20beyond, a key…
Vana awarded seed funding from South West Creative Technology Network to develop prototype
The South West Creative Technology Network (SWCTN) is a project which aims to expand the use of creative technologies across the South West of England. In this article, SWCTN summarises strategic development of the Vana prototype, outlining the key aims and desired outcomes of Project Vana. This article also highlights the team behind the development of Vana, and the valuable role played by each individual.
Friends of the Earth: From Landowner to Land steward – how companies can use data to enhance nature
Friends of the Earth’s Dr Mary Stevens has been supporting Vana since it was a twinkle in the UK’s open data horizon, back in 2019. Since then, following funding and much progress, Friends of the Earth is taking a moment, now in 2021, to analyse Vana’s beginnings and developing position within the corporate world.
Bristol Green Capital: Seeing the Wood for the Trees with Corporate Transparency
In this article, published by Bristol Green Capital Partnership in August of 2019, our digital activist lead Jaya Chakrabarti MBE discusses the strategy behind Vana. Jaya offers a digital solution to increase afforestation in the UK, with aims to tackle the effects of climate change and deforestation by using open data to influence corporate behaviour.…