Google’s Asim Tahir on sustainability and corporate campuses

About the pilot project The tropical areas suitable for palm oil plantations are incredibly rich in biodiversity. For many years, oil palm production has been associated with negative impacts on global biodiversity, as it significantly contributes to land-use changes in tropical forests, peatlands, and other species-rich habitats. The major direct impact on biodiversity caused by palm oil cultivation is habitat loss caused by deforestation and the burning of peat or natural vegetation to prepare the land for planting. Since the 1990s, palm oil has become a global commodity widely used in processed foods and is the highest yielding plant producing vegetable oil. Palm oil is produced from palm trees cultivated in Western Africa and South and Central America, but the most considerable extension of palm oil fields is in Indonesia and Malaysia, which provide 85% of the world production. This pilot aims to advance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biodiversity conservation practices at the farm level for palm oil producers. To sustainably produce palm oil, there is more than concentrating on preventing deforestation or habitat loss. Advanced integrated pest management (IPM), less toxic plant protection products, and improving biodiversity-friendly production practices are crucial to arrive at environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable production systems with maximum resilience. The pilot includes the development of an additional module of Malaysia-specific pesticide data for the Pesticides & Alternatives APP, a survey of biodiversity-friendly practices currently implemented by farmers, and a census of insect diversity and their associated host plants on oil palm farms – both pest and beneficial insects. The results of this census will provide important additional information about the natural history of beneficial and pest insects and their host plants in local oil palm production regions. An international team of entomologists and botanists will discuss the results to understand plant-insect interactions and…

While vehicles provide economic and societal benefits, they come with a sizeable carbon footprint. The European Green Deal is a chance for car manufacturers to make their processes more circular, write Maya Ben Dror and Tilmann Vahle. Maya Ben Dror is the Lead on Shaping the Future of Mobility at the World Economic Forum. Tilmann Vahle is the Lead on Circular Mobility Solutions at SYSTEMIQ. Both authors are involved in the Circular Cars Initiative, a World Economic Forum project. The automotive industry is a driver of Europe’s economic value creation, competitive sovereignty, and societal wellbeing. But road transport is also responsible for 20% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, and emissions from vehicles’ materials are expected to account for 60% of the total vehicle lifecycle emissions by 2040.