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Nellie de Goguel

Content producer, editor, award-winning writer

climate | sustainability | cannabis | culture | comms

Economist Impact •

Go green or bust: could a green industrial revolution spark an American renaissance?

In the US, a suite of climate-policy and green-finance mechanisms are being developed under President Joe Biden to spur a so-called “green revolution”, enshrined in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed last year. But will these policies be enough to unravel and correct the interrelated environmental, social and economic obstacles that have arisen from decades of extractive, unsustainable industrial development?
Economist Impact •

Returning to nature: rewilding for business and biodiversity

It’s no secret that human expansion and industrialisation has overtaken vast swaths of the planet and disrupted its systems and the services they provide, hence the twin climate and biodiversity crises we find ourselves in. Through rewilding, keystone species that were once critical to maintaining the health and balance of a given area, such as beavers, bears and wildcats, are reintroduced, and native plants are repopulated and protected.

“[Scientists estimate] that natural ecosystems can store
Economist Impact •

The IT factor: How cloud computing is driving innovation for net zero

There is no sugarcoating climate change and biodiversity breakdown. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report [1] warns that we are already experiencing catastrophic impacts from a rapidly warming world. However, the report also sets out the pathways still available to us to limit global warming to safe levels and protect future generations from avoidable harm.

“We know exactly what is needed and we have the tools,” said António Guterres, secretary-general of the United
Economist Impact •

Invest in our planet: the business case for biodiversity

The interconnectedness of nature and people cannot be overstated—Indigenous communities live this truth every day. Humans are part of nature, the natural world directly impacts our health, and natural resources power and shape our lives. The World Economic Forum estimates that half of global GDP is highly or moderately dependent on the natural world—although one could argue the number should be 100%. Nature is also our most powerful carbon cycling and storage system.
Financial Times - Alpha Grid •

How green, social and sustainability bonds could change the world

New perspectives on environmental value, risk and returns have the potential to transform the way climate action and investment are financed.

New rules for advisers regarding investors’ sustainability preferences are valuable, but confusion over detail could damage their credibility.

Is the S in ESG the next megatrend? The global pandemic has further accelerated the trend towards responsible investing, but its unequal impact on societies and individuals has brought the social element of ESG to
Economist Impact •

Wind, wave, sun and more: could ocean-based power help alleviate a growing energy crisis?

Ocean-based energy is a rapidly growing industry and an integral aspect of the global transition to clean power. One analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that the technical potential for offshore-wind-power generation is enough to power the entire world more than 18 times over. As the energy and cost-of-living crisis looms, renewable ocean-based energy could provide a cleaner, more cost-effective energy solution.
Cannabis Health News •

Cannabis and Parkinson’s disease: everything we know so far

Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, but cannabis has been shown to ease a range of symptoms from stiffness and tremors to anxiety, poor sleep and impaired cognitive function. Here’s what the science says.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 10 million people globally. According to Parkinson’s UK, PD is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, with roughly one in every 37 people likely to be d
Economist Impact •

Celebrating women in sustainability: 5 women working to change the world

Empowered women are fundamental to the pursuit of an equitable, prosperous future for all. Gender equality is Goal 5 of the UN’s 17 , and an ocean of research that despite being by global challenges including climate change, conflict and corruption, women also tend to hold solutions that can uplift all genders while solving (mostly) man-made problems. Gender inequality is not just bad for women, it’s bad for society and the economy. The speak for themselves: according to the , US$15-30trn in unr
Economist Impact •

An ocean of opportunity: how the private sector can fuel blue finance

Blue finance is fundamental to shaping a sustainable ocean economy, protecting planetary (and human) health, and avoiding trillions of dollars in damages and millions of lives lost because of climate change and biodiversity breakdown. But there is still an investment gap for sustainable and regenerative ocean-related activities. How can—and why should—the private sector be part of the solution?
Financial Times - Alpha Grid •

Cultivating crops in a permacrisis: a love letter to the modern farmer

To be a farmer today is like playing a game of Risk in which the human-driven permacrisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, conflict and Covid-19 work together so that the rules constantly change and it’s almost impossible to win. Take, for example, the recent chaos around chemical fertiliser shortages in the EU caused by Russia’s continued onslaught on Ukraine, or the unprecedented prolonged heatwaves that destroyed crops across Europe in 2022, resulting in billions of dollars of damage and
Economist Impact •

Peak plastic: how we can solve the plastics problem within a generation

Plastics production doubled from 2000 to 2019 to reach 460m tonnes, yet only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. Plastic litters the deepest depths of the ocean and the highest mountain peaks, and microplastics have been found in the guts, lungs and blood of humans. At least 14m tonnes (out of roughly 300m tonnes) of plastic waste the ocean each year, and more than three-quarters (80%) of floating marine debris is plastic.
Economist Impact •

From data sets to data flows: making the case for open-source ocean science

Knowledge exchange and collaboration can open up opportunities across ocean industries.

Panellists at the 10th annual World Ocean Summit agreed that partnerships, knowledge-sharing and open data are critical to advancing ocean science and examining the ocean-climate nexus. But these can also be beneficial to the collaborators involved while feeding into data efficiency and avoiding data duplication.

“We have a portfolio of over 80 projects and about 300 collaborators across those projects,” said Kendra MacDonald, chief executive of
Economist Impact •

High Seas Treaty: a global deal decades in the making

Late into the evening of March 5th 2023, after almost 40 hours of hard-fought negotiations led by conference Ambassador Rena Lee, nearly 200 countries struck a to protect international waters and the marine life below.

“After nearly two decades of discussions and negotiations, the agreement to a treaty text by UN member states is historic and a monumental win for marine biodiversity, as well as for multilateralism at a time when the world needs it most,” says Peggy Kalas, former director of the
Financial Times - Alpha Grid •

Future farming: agriculture cannot simply sustain, it must regenerate

Conventional agriculture is like a snake eating its own tail to survive; if the snake doesn’t find an alternative solution, it will eventually swallow itself whole. While the post-WWII “green revolution” provided food security for billions of people through large-scale technological and chemical agricultural advances, these same farming processes are now threatening the life-giving ecosystems that all living things depend on. Unless we see a paradigm shift in the way land is cultivated, agricult
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