Search

Coral reefs, some of the most important ecosystems in the world, are in a global decline — and climate change is a key cause.

With an estimated 2 million different kinds of animals living in or near coral reefs, it can be argued that the biodiversity found in them beats that of the Amazon rainforest. What’s more, an estimated 1 billion people benefit either directly or indirectly from the ecosystem services coral reefs provide.

While the restoration of coral reefs is urgent, the process is time consuming and labor intensive. Three fundamental obstacles deter the ability to rescue coral reels, said Sonia Gameiro, head of the sustainability consulting practice for the information tech company Orange Business in Europe.

The first is the inability to frequently monitor coral reefs to collect data. At the moment, a diver needs to go under water and manually write notes on the species. The accuracy of the data is also questionable because the disturbances caused by the diver could make species hide or flee. Lastly, it is operationally inefficient as a marine biologists' time could be better spent on coral restoration rather than data collection.

To tackle these challenges, Orange Business linked up with Tēnaka, a social enterprise focused on restoring coral reefs, to develop a solution based on artificial intelligence.

The result is an autonomous marine research system designed by Orange Business and Tēnaka in partnership with Yucca Labs, a company specialized in product design and engineering. The research station is equipped with underwater monitoring devices and the solar-powered floating buoys that are connected to the 4G cellular network to transfer images.

The collaboration aims to restore nearly 5,000 square meters of coral reefs in a marine protected area of the Coral Triangle in Malaysia, the most diverse marine ecosystem on the planet. 

“To tackle the issue of data collection frequency, we're putting a device in the ocean which takes pictures every 30 seconds, 12 hours a day,” Gameiro said. “We have an underwater module that has four cameras linked to the buoy, and that buoy has solar panels. There are no cables, and we're only enabling the 4G connectivity module to transmit the pictures once a day in order to save energy. It's near real-time data, and Tēnaka will have information every single day as opposed to once a month.” 

An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm created by Orange Business identifies and counts diverse marine species in the reefs.

In terms of data accuracy, since the device will always be underwater, it is expected that it will be unnoticed by the marine species and will be able to capture phenomena that researchers are unable to capture otherwise.

“For example, one of the stories Tēnaka tells us is that they have a very rare species of shark that goes into the coral reef, specifically in the Tioman Islands, because they've seen their eggs.” Gameiro said. ”But they have never been able to see the shark itself. Hopefully, with a camera that is always there, they will be able to identify and detect such phenomena that today are totally unnoticed, so they will have a much better knowledge on what's going on around the coral reef and the functioning of the marine ecosystem overall.”

As for the improving operational efficiency, this system ensures that marine biologists can spend much more time restoring corals instead of monitoring reefs and collecting data.

“We will also add one specific feature for Tēnaka which they don't have today, which is an alerting feature,” Gameiro said. "There are certain conditions that will automatically generate an alert. For example, the presence of the crown of thorns starfish — that is beautiful, but it has huge spikes and actually eats corals. So, if they identify the presence of this starfish thanks to this alerting, they can immediately act and remove it, so that they minimize the impact to the health of the coral reefs.”

Orange Business is using existing AI models that it customized to be able to recognize 17 species. These include the mega fauna — sharks, turtles and rays — nine species of fish, and five species of invertebrates like urchins. The model is trained to identify the local species using pictures.

All the data sets used to train the AI algorithm and pictures collected are open source and available for anyone to access.
So far, the first prototype station is complete. Now, the companies are making the rest of the underwater monitoring modules and ensuring everything works properly, Gameiro said. 

Orange Business is investing a few hundred thousand euros into this project both in terms of man hours and equipment, which gives it the necessary financing for 2024, said Nemo Verbist, president of Orange Business in Europe. 

“My thinking was, 'What if we could find a [corporate social responsibility] project where we could support not only by funding, but also by doing something with our technology?’” Verbist said. “We then asked our employees for ideas, and our research showed that coral restoration can make a huge impact when it comes to climate action. This project is an end-to-end story bringing together all of our capabilities as a company.”

This story is part of an ongoing solutions journalism series focused on reuse systems, how they're used around the world, and what's holding them back from scaling further. Follow along with the series here. 

"We want to find the barriers, or perceived barriers, to reuse and tackle them with data," said Crystal Dreisbach, CEO of Upstream, a nonprofit change agency working to accelerate reuse systems across North America.

The organization operates under a three-pillar theory of change: normalize reuse, expand the infrastructure that enables reuse systems, and ensure a favorable policy environment for these systems to thrive. The goal? "Accelerate reuse to become a widespread, cross-operable, shared, universal utility," Dreisbach said. "Just like trash and recycling, but better." To understand what these three steps mean in practice, look no further than the school lunchroom. 

School lunchrooms: The ideal frontier in the future of reuse?

"So many school systems are still serving on Styrofoam with plastic forks every day," Dreisbach said. Until recently, the 56-school system in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina's fourth largest city with a population of 300,000, was one of them. Durham's public schools serve hot lunch to around 25,000 students daily, resulting in a minimum of 50,000 disposable items each day. 

In partnership with the local nonprofit Don't Waste Durham, where Dreisbach previously served as CEO, the city's public school system is transitioning away from single-use lunch trays in favor of reusable alternatives.

The move not only reduces waste at Durham schools, but it also provides a hefty long-term contract for the pickup, wash and delivery services that form the backbone of the reuse economy. "It's part of the burgeoning new industry of reuse service, which is basically washing dishes," Dreisbach said. "It’s not rocket science." 

While of course washing dishes is nothing new, making the transition from single-use can come with a high upfront cost for organizations like school systems. Many schools don't have the space for dishwashers and drying racks, which means they have to rely on third-party services. And whether they can wash in-house or not, they still have to invest in reusable trays and other serve-ware.  

Schools, businesses and other organizations end up saving money in the long run by eliminating the ongoing cost of disposable products, but they have to get past the initial investment first. Fortunately, existing resources can help.

The nonprofit Plastic Free Restaurants, for example, covers up to 100 percent of the cost for schools, nonprofits and restaurants to switch to reusable serve-ware. Applicants simply send their receipts for recent disposable purchases and receive a subsidy for qualifying reusable replacements. "They're hoping to break down the barrier of that upfront cost," Dreisbach said.

Software from Upstream can also help organizations calculate the environmental impact of switching to reusables, as well as the long-term cost savings and the payoff date. 

"It's a very different economic model than disposable. With Styrofoam plates, you just buy them as you need them and throw them away," Dreisbach said. "But with reuse, it's a huge upfront investment with payoff over time. It's very similar to the solar industry: You can't realize the great impacts of solar unless you can afford the solar panels."

Creating employment pathways and generational change 

Schools are particularly well suited as testing grounds for budding reuse models. It's unlikely for students to leave school with their lunch trays and cutlery, so there's little concern about recovering the serve-ware for reuse. Schools are also among the few U.S. institutions to generally receive bipartisan support, creating a favorable landscape for subsidies and other government policies that can help them make the switch. 

Choosing reusable at schools also creates an opportunity to normalize reuse among a new generation. "Implementing reuse in schools here in Durham, they get it right away," Dreisbach said. "It makes sense. Whereas it's the adults you have to somehow convince." 

Some educators even consider it an ethical imperative for schools to walk the walk on environmental sustainability. "I've had some Durham school teachers explain to me that ... they believe we're causing moral harm to the children," Dreisbach told us. "Because they learn on the one hand to care for the earth and to stop wasting things, but then they go right next door to the lunchroom and there's a completely different scenario. It's creating a sort of cognitive dissonance that is building their distrust in systems and adults and wrecking their sense of what integrity is." 

As organizations like schools shift from disposable products to pickup, wash and delivery, they're also supporting local jobs at these service providers, Dreisbach said. Don't Waste Durham, for example, operates a wash facility where it pays a living wage and hires more people based on the contracts it receives. Many of the wash center's employees would otherwise struggle to find employment. 

"We created hiring pipelines through formerly incarcerated people, through the autism support and advocacy centers. We had a neuro-inclusive certified workplace. It creates jobs for underemployed people," Dreisbach said. "You could extrapolate out in a logic model — and I have — where washing dishes, I can actually show how it leads to alleviating global poverty."

What this means for brands

While schools are in a unique position to leverage reuse, these systems can be — and are — profitable for large and small businesses, too.

In San Francisco’s Chinatown, the mom-and-pop eatery House of Dim Sum now saves more than $30,000 and eliminates 2.2 million disposable items per year since switching to reusable serve-ware, according to a case study from the city's environment department and the nonprofit Clean Water Fund. In another example from the Fund's Rethink Disposable program, music venues in San Francisco saved thousands a year by switching from disposable cups to alternatives from the ​​reusable cup providers r.World and Turn. 

Upstream estimates that U.S. eateries and food-service businesses could collectively save more than $5 billion per year by switching from disposables to reusable alternatives for in-house dining. 

Large consumer brands that produce high volumes of disposable packaging, such as food, beverage and personal care companies, also have major opportunities with reuse.

Beverage companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Heineken, and AB InBev sell 10 percent to 30 percent of all products in refillable packaging globally. Where these systems are available, people generally like and use them. In Chile, for example, 8 in 10 households prefer to get their beverages in refillable bottles, according to 2023 polling from the ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana. But these systems are still few and far between in North America. 

Some skeptics question whether North American consumers want — or are "ready for" — return systems and refillable packaging, but Dreisbach challenged this notion as “disinformation." 

"Customers didn't ask for disposable," she said. "Yet corporations are saying, 'We need to wait until there's consumer demand for reusable before we go that way.' We did not ask for disposable in the first place. We are obligated to buy products in the packaging they come in, so we are being subjected to disposable."

Data shows U.S. consumers are already open to reuse: 74 percent said they're interested in buying products in reusable and refillable packaging, and 56 percent think it's important for brands to offer reusable options, according to 2024 polling.

Rather than waiting for a grand sign the tide as finally shifted, early-moving brands will be well positioned to stand out with consumers while paving the way for the essential infrastructure that can make reuse systems work at scale, Dreisbach said. 

"Don't wait for the demand," she advised business leaders. "Be the supply." 

Urban heat waves are increasing in frequency, duration and severity, and cities are in desperate need of solutions. One of the simpler emerging fixes is the use of cool pavement coatings. These coatings decrease both the surface temperature of the ground and the air temperature around it, according to a recent study funded by the roofing and waterproofing manufacturer GAF.

The study looked at coated pavement in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles, one of the hottest areas in the city and the site of the GAF Cool Community Project, an initiative looking for community-wide ways to address urban heat. The pavement coatings came from GAF brand StreetBond and use a technology it calls “Invisible Shade” to reflect the sun’s rays.

Similar to paint, the coatings can be applied to things like roads, playground surfaces, and sidewalks as a clear coat or as a color. This approach could help humans, pets and urban wildlife adapt to our new normal as the planet’s temperature continues to rise.

“Cool pavements are effective under a wide range of weather and environmental conditions,” said Haider Taha, lead researcher on the study and president of the atmosphere research company Altostratus, which helped develop California’s urban heat island index. “They are most effective when needed the most — that is, during the sunnier, hotter summer days. Some of the larger reductions in temperature from the cool pavement coating were observed during a heat wave event, which was an instance when the coatings were most effective.”

How do cool pavement coatings work?

“Cool pavement coatings work to increase the reflection of infrared radiation, which impacts heating at both the surface level and higher in the atmosphere,” said Eliot Wall, a senior director at GAF.

In the study, treated pavement surfaces in Pacoima measured 8 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than non-treated surfaces in the same neighborhood, according to GAF. The air temperature around the coated pavement was also up to 2 degrees Fahrenheit cooler on sunny days and up to 3.5 degrees cooler during a heat wave, Taha said. Even at night, the air was half a degree cooler. 

“Reflective pavements can be slightly less influential when there is less direct solar radiation, such as in areas that are constantly in the shade,” Taha said. “But even there, the cooling effect is significant.”

The pavement coating also has a diminished effect when skies are cloudier and there is less heat to reflect in the first place, he added. This is beneficial since it won’t increase the need for artificial heating during the winter. 

Combatting the urban heat island index

“The urban heat island index (UHII) is a measure of how much hotter an urban area is relative to its more natural surroundings,” Taha explained. “As the weather becomes hotter, the UHII increases, requiring more air conditioning and limiting residents’ ability to go outside without experiencing the effects of extreme heat.”

Cities that experience these high temperatures are known as urban heat islands and usually have few plants and trees but plenty of heat-absorbing materials like dark pavement and roofing. Combatting this phenomenon is becoming more and more important with increasing temperatures. People and animals can suffer significant negative health events, including heat-related illnesses and death, from the heat trapped in urban areas. Even a much-needed walk can result in burnt paw pads, making shade and cooler surfaces necessary for pets as well.

Residents can feel the difference

Pacoima residents are getting back outdoors thanks to the use of cool pavement coatings, Taha said. “They’ve seen children back outside and playing on the neighborhood basketball courts again,” he told us.

Community members say they feel the heat less intensely where the cool coating was applied, especially through their shoes, and want to see it used across more of the neighborhood, Wall added. 

The coating also adds to the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood, as it is available in quite a few colors beyond the standard gray. “Solar-reflective coatings enable communities to turn pavement into works of art, making spaces beautiful and safe while mitigating extreme heat,” Taha said.

The coating can also extend the life of new roads by up to nine years, Wall said. That’s good news for residents and municipalities, as it can potentially cut down on maintenance. When applied to existing pavement, the coating should last five to seven years. 

One solution can’t fix the whole problem

The study focused on cool pavement coatings and did not include other measures of lowering urban heat, but Altostratus has done other research that shows the benefits of cool pavement coating will increase in conjunction with additional methods.

“Tackling urban heat at a community-wide level will require a toolbox of solutions in addition to shade and nature-based solutions,” Taha said. “To help communities adapt, solar-reflective coatings and cool roofing technology should be tools every municipality is looking to incorporate into infrastructure, roads, and building repairs and plans moving forward.”

No single solution will be enough to shield urban areas from rising average temperatures or increased heatwaves. As with the fight against the climate crisis in general, cities need to look toward a combination of solutions — including better public transit, expanded parks and green spaces, and more. Cool pavement coatings are a promising part of a multi-dimensional approach.

During the 16th century, castles were surrounded by grassy areas to make it easier to see the approach of enemy soldiers. Later, wealthy landowners adopted the practice, and these verdant expanses came to signify social status. After all, these areas took time and money and ate up space that could otherwise be filled with crops. 

While the lawn didn’t reach the American middle class until after the Civil War, we’ve adopted them wholeheartedly. Lawns are now the largest irrigated crop in the continental U.S., covering an area larger than Georgia. Yet these vast extents of mainly non-native grasses could be put to better use by native plants.

We’ve lost 200 native plant species since the early 1800s, and hundreds more are threatened in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, pollution and wildfires all threaten native plant communities.

Native flora provides food and shelter for wildlife while saving landowners time and money. Filling yards, school grounds, roadsides and office landscapes with native plants can reduce our environmental footprint, one flower bed at a time. 

Native flora for the birds 

For starters, wildlife greatly benefits from native vegetation. “We think plants are just decorations and we decorate our yards with the prettiest plants from all over the world,” said Douglas Tallamy, a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware. “But plants from Asia, South America or Europe do not have the co-evolutionary relationships required to support the insect-based food web. And when it comes to things like birds, that's huge.”

For instance, suburban properties in Pennsylvania filled with native vegetation have more abundant and diverse groups of birds and caterpillars than properties with a mix of non-native and native vegetation, according to one of Tallamy’s studies.

He also found similar results in hedgerows. Those invaded with non-native plants had significantly fewer insects than those with native plants. 

“There's a 68 percent reduction in the number of species of caterpillars, a 91 percent reduction in the abundance of those caterpillars, and a 96 percent reduction in the biomass, [which is] the actual amount of energy available,” Tallamy said. “So, if you say those caterpillars are bird food — and they are — you reduce bird food by 96 percent when you allow your habitat to get invaded.”

Besides birds, native plants also provide food and cover for mammals, butterflies and bees. 

Native plants benefit the environment

In addition to supporting wildlife, native plants bring other advantages to the table.

Planting native vegetation lowers the chance of introducing the next invasive species into the environment. Many invasive plants, like Kudzu or English ivy, originally escaped from landscaping or gardens in the U.S. These invaders can cause erosion, poor water quality, reduce the diversity of plants and animals, increase the risk of fires, and impact industries like forestry. 

Native plants are also a better choice for fighting climate change. While both native and non-native plants uptake carbon, lawns are not the best option.

“The very worst plan for sequestering carbon is turf grass,” Tallamy said. “It's got very short roots. We mow it every week, releasing any carbon that it did sequester.”

In addition, lawnmowers use 800 million gallons of gasoline each year, contributing to global warming. We also spill 17 million gallons of fuel while refilling lawn equipment, polluting the air and water. And, as any suburbanite knows, lawnmowers contribute to noise pollution.

Finally, native plants mitigate droughts, clean water, and prevent flooding and erosion. They also provide a source of genetic diversity for new crops and medicine and are culturally important to Indigenous groups. 

Boons to the landowner

Besides the plentiful environmental perks, homeowners also profit from native flora. First of all, it can be easier to care for, requiring less fertilizers and pesticides than lawns. Americans spread 70 million pounds of pesticides each year on their lawns, harming birds, beneficial insects and wildlife. In addition, pesticides and fertilizers can wash off into lakes, streams and rivers, killing aquatic life.

We’re not immune either — pesticide exposure is suspected to be linked to negative health effects like cancer, blood and nerve disorders, infertility and birth defects.  

Compared to lawns, native plants also save water. In the U.S., nearly one-third of our residential water goes to landscaping. Stemming the floodgates of lawn water can save money and help during droughts. 

We also gain personally if our houses are surrounded by native plants.

“There are benefits to reconnecting with nature and there are a lot of sociological studies showing that when you spend 15 minutes walking in a wood lot your blood pressure goes down, and your stress hormone — cortisol — goes down,” Tallamy said. “Particularly the stress hormone, that's related to everything. You learn better, you're a nicer person, divorces drop, learning goes up, and you heal faster [when cortisol drops].” 

But native vegetation often costs more and is less readily available compared to non-native plants. And despite the drawbacks, planting a lawn isn’t devoid of benefits. They soak up water and reduce the heat island effect.

In addition, some people also consider lawns more aesthetically pleasing than native plants, Tallamy said. However, he suggests that landowners cut their lawns in half, so they still benefit from additional trees and beds of native vegetation without losing any grassy appeal. Incorporating native plants into your lawn slowly also helps make that goal more manageable.

Sustainable gardens

Over the past two decades, urban sprawl has crept over 14,000 square miles of undeveloped land in the U.S., fueling biodiversity loss. Planting native gardens and trees is an easy way to mitigate some of this decline while also sparing endless hours of mowing. 

“We've got a biodiversity crisis. We're in the sixth great extinction that the planet has ever experienced, and it's largely because we've got this idea that humans are here and nature is someplace else,” Tallamy said. “We have to practice conservation outside of parks and preserves — that's on private property. And that means we've got to think about the way we landscape where we live, where we work, and where we play.”

The global electronic waste stream is outstripping the ability of recyclers to handle the volume of incoming material. Electric vehicles (EVs) will add even more waste to the recycling stream, as millions of EV battery packs reach their usable lifespan. The way forward is challenging, but new fuel cell projects undertaken by Honda illustrates how automakers can pursue new strategies to ease the strain on the EV battery lifecycle.

A second life for EV batteries and fuel cells

Lithium-ion EV batteries contain lithium, cobalt, and other valuable materials that incentivize recycling. However, these materials are notoriously difficult to recover from EV batteries, and the battery recycling industry is still in the process of scaling up.

In the meantime, extending the lifespan of these batteries can help ease the strain on recycling capacity. Batteries that degrade to 70 percent of their original capacity are generally considered unsuitable for use in an EV, but they can be repurposed for stationary energy storage, typically extending their life for another five to eight years.

Similarly, hydrogen fuel cells can be repurposed for a second life. Fuel cell vehicles represent a smaller but growing part of the EV field. They combine hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce an electrical current through a chemical reaction. The refueling process requires only a few minutes, comparable to the time involved in filling up a gas tank.

Honda is pursuing the second life path for EV batteries in partnership with the energy storage startup B2U. In March of 2023, Honda also unveiled a demonstration-scale power station that uses recovered fuel cells at its campus in Torrance, California. TriplePundit had an opportunity to view the power station on a tour of the campus in March. 

The company reclaimed fuel cell modules for the power station from its Clarity electric sedan. Honda introduced the fuel cell Clarity in the U.S. in 2008 under a lease program. The vehicle failed to attract strong interest among drivers and was finally discontinued in 2021.

The power station enables Honda to demonstrate how its older fuel cell technology can remain in use, and out of the waste stream, while the company introduces new technology improvements for the next generation of fuel cells.

Benefits for commercial customers

The Clarity experience provided Honda with a holistic perspective on the future application of fuel cells, beyond their use in EVs. Alvin Tsang, of Honda PR, shared the strategy behind the company’s fuel cell progress in an email to TriplePundit.

“One major difference between prior developments and the new FC [fuel cell] system development, is that, from the start, we envisioned a wider variety of uses for the systems beyond just automotive applications, including stationary fuel cell power generation, heavy industry, etc.,” Tsang explained, referring to Honda’s next-generation fuel cells developed through a partnership with General Motors.

Tsang emphasized that the next-generation fuel cells provide commercial customers with the means to eliminate diesel fuel from generators and other equipment, without sacrificing refueling time.

He also noted that Honda’s fuel cell strategy is informed by its experience in developing and marketing these technologies prior to the launch of the Clarity.

“Through each of these developments and in-market experiences of our customers, we’ve learned many lessons and applied improvements to the following systems,” he said.

The company used that process in its work with General Motors to develop its second-generation fuel cell system in the newly-introduced, battery and fuel cell hybrid version of its top-selling compact SUV, the CR-V e:FCEV, Tsang said. 

“Both companies brought knowledge from their previous FC experience to reduce cost, improve durability and, importantly, to make it easier to mass produce the FC systems,” he added.

The human factor and benefits for business

Driver behavior is one factor that has a significant impact on the lifespan of a car and on the lifespan of an EV battery. The new hybrid vehicle will provide Honda with a unique opportunity to assess driver behavior when presented with two zero-emission options, a battery and a fuel cell. In addition to a fuel cell with a 270-mile range, the new vehicle includes a small battery with a range of 29 miles.

Honda anticipates that the quick refueling time and long range will appeal to commercial drivers, while the battery can be reserved for shorter trips or when a hydrogen fuel station is not within convenient reach.

Honda is rolling it out in a limited run of just 300 vehicles this year, enabling the company to review driver feedback and data before moving into mass-market scale.

In terms of electronic waste (e-waste), the hybrid strategy will help alleviate the EV battery supply chain by enabling smaller, lighter battery packs. Honda also notes that driver awareness of the fuel cell alternative is growing.    

“The CR-V is our most popular vehicle, and it is important to offer what customers really want,” Jay Joseph, the vice president of sustainability and business development at Honda, said during the Torrance campus tour in March. “It is important that people are conscious of alternatives for transportation. As long as retail hydrogen is available, it’s important for us to make that option available.”

The company sees hydrogen as an energy option with high potential to support its customers’ personal goals of reducing their carbon emissions, Tsang said. 

“Commercial CR-V e:FCEV customers will immediately experience the benefits of zero-emission and fast hydrogen refueling and can point to their use of this advanced technology as their contribution to the future of sustainable transportation,” he said.

Taking on the e-waste crisis

Honda is also among the automakers taking steps to build more circularity into the EV battery supply chain. The company has an agreement with the U.S. recycler Ascend Elements to recover lithium, nickel, cobalt and other materials for re-use.

Beyond EV batteries, the need for action on the entire spectrum of e-waste is clear. “The world’s generation of electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling,” according to a report from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the International Telecommunications Union. “Worldwide, the annual generation of e-waste is rising by 2.6 million tonnes annually, on track to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030, a further 33 percent increase from the 2022 figure.”

Building more longevity and circularity into the EV lifecycle can help automakers, and their commercial customers, reduce their role in the e-waste stream. For non-commercial use, though, a more holistic solution would involve less focus on individually owned cars, and an increased focus on mass transportation, walkable communities and other alternatives.

This story is part of our investigative solutions journalism series exploring the hidden human rights costs of the low-carbon transition and potential interventions to prevent the negative impacts of mining as we race toward the net-zero energy transition. 

“I am not one to shy away from hard truths — human rights violations continue to occur with unacceptable and heart-breaking frequency,” Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals, said in the organization’s human rights due diligence guidance for mining companies.

Human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and land seizures are an unfortunate reality of the push to bring minerals to market. Bringing those minerals to market, however, is a critical part of the plan to transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean, renewable energy sources.

It’s a tricky balance.

“We can't use the energy transition as an excuse to completely forget about the rights of communities just by saying we need to scale energy,” said Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. “Nor do I think that we should take the stance that mining is so impactful that we can't scale clean energy technologies. We grapple very much with the tensions.”

One of the major obstacles impeding governments from enacting adequate environmental and social policies is the threat of being sued by foreign companies. 

For example, if a government decides that all mining projects now require the free, prior and informed consent of affected Indigenous groups, mining companies might argue that those weren’t the terms under which the initial contract was signed, and enacting that law breaches their rights. 

For these company-government disputes, also known as investor-state disputes, there is a mechanism that allows companies to sue the national government in international arbitration proceedings. This is called an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) and has led to billion-dollar rulings favoring foreign companies.

The mechanism is necessary to resolve legal disputes and mobilize private investment, according to a spokesperson for the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, the World Bank Group organization that oversees most of these cases.

But human rights and environmental organizations are not convinced in the slightest.

How can an investor-state dispute settlement be activated?

Investor-state dispute settlements are provisions written into more than 3,000 international free trade agreements. These can be multilateral agreements between multiple countries, or bilateral investment agreements between just two countries. 

Perhaps you’ll remember the Keystone XL pipeline that was proposed to bring crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska. Amidst huge protests and environmental concerns, the permit for the pipeline was ultimately revoked in an executive order from President Joe Biden in January 2021. Using the provisions afforded under the North American Free Trade Agreement — now named the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — the Canadian oil company launched an investor-state dispute settlement case, suing the U.S. government for $15 billion. The case is still pending.

Is it used often?

It’s not for lack of use that these settlements remain relatively unknown to the public. As of mid-2023, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported that there are 1,303 known cases. The Investment Arbitration Reporter has tracked over 2,200 cases.

The claims in many of these cases involve sky-high dollar amounts, some of which are up to $40 billion, on par with the annual GDP of medium-sized countries like Paraguay, Latvia or Senegal. In one mind-boggling case, Zeph Investments is suing Australia for $300 billion for rejecting its iron mining project. The claim was listed as a risk to the federal budget.

In another case, the Australia-based Tethyan Copper Company claimed $11.43 billion in damages from Pakistan for denying approval of a mine. Tethyan won the case and Pakistan was ordered to pay the company $6 billion in damages, roughly 27 times the value of the initial $220 million investment.

Eco Oro Minerals sued Colombia for $700 million in a case we covered previously in this responsible mining series. The courts ruled in Eco Oro’s favor but are still determining the required payout amount.

Recently, First Quantum’s copper mine in Panama was ruled unconstitutional and forced to close by the Panamanian government after massive public protests — a case we also covered regarding transparency of mining contracts and concessions. The Canadian company has since taken action to sue Panama for $20 billion.

The list goes on, and on and on.

Countries are backing out 

“ISDS provides huge empowerment of multinational corporations over other societal interests and a totally imbalanced system,” said Stuart Trew, director of the Trade and Investment Research Project at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. “Not even national firms have access to those kinds of rights in their own country, yet foreign companies do.” 

Canada recently backed out of the provisions for these settlements in the revamped U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. “ISDS elevates the rights of corporations over those of sovereign governments,” Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said of the decision in 2018. “In removing it, we have strengthened our government’s right to regulate in the public interest, to protect public health and the environment.”

Many other countries have also withdrawn from the settlements. Ecuador, Bolivia, Honduras, Venezuela, South Africa, and India have all taken steps to remove exposure to them.

“ISDS creates a real moral hazard because a company could behave poorly — no due diligence, no community consultations, not getting the appropriate licenses,” said Sachs, of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. “And then claim in an ISDS tribunal that the state told them their project would move forward, so they now have an obligation to make it move forward.”

Ecuador’s government recently tried to reintroduce these settlements in its free trade agreements, notably in one it is negotiating with Canada now. Canada has the most foreign investment in Ecuador of any country and is home to around 75 percent of the world’s mining companies. But they needed the public to overturn a constitutional ban on the settlements that was introduced in 2008. The Ecuadorian public voted against the reintroduction on April 21, 2024.

“It is mainly the rich countries that are eliminating it since it has been used against them. It is clear how it is remaining a neocolonial tool,” said Manuel Pérez-Rocha, associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. “Countries in the global south need to eliminate it too.”

Investor-state dispute settlements undermine human rights and environmental laws

Critics of the system argue that these settlements undermine a country’s sovereignty, allowing foreign companies to influence which laws can be passed.

“Some countries would rather cave in to the investors’ demands than face a potentially billion-dollar claim against them,” said Trew, of the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. “This is sometimes referred to as the regulatory chill aspect.”

That can be detrimental to human rights and the environment. 

“ISDS privileges investment over considerations of environmental protection, human health, protection of communities and local economies — all of that goes out the window when you get involved in arbitration,” said Jamie Kneen, co-manager of Mining Watch Canada.

The European Union agreed to leave the Energy Charter Treaty which allows for the use of these settlements between the 51 signatories, made up of European and Asian countries. EU officials said that the treaty, which allows energy companies to sue governments over new climate policies, undermines efforts to fight climate change. 

What effect would removing these settlements have?

Getting rid of investor-state dispute settlements “would weaken the rule of law by removing an important means to resolve international investment disputes,” an International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes spokesperson said. “This would be detrimental to mobilizing the vast amounts of private investment required for the green energy transition by raising costs and deterring investment in some states.”

Critics don’t see it that way.

“Companies are going to go where the resources are,” Trew said. “What they need is infrastructure and then some degree of state coordination to get the minerals to market. They don’t need the investment treaties.”

Many studies have tried to determine the effect these settlements have on attracting investment. The results are inconclusive, but one analysis found that the “effect of international investment agreements is so small as to be considered zero.”

Brazil, for example, attracts the sixth largest amount of foreign direct investment worldwide, even though they have never engaged in investor-state dispute settlement trade agreements. 

Critics say that removing these provisions would not hinder the ability of mining companies to bring minerals to market, nor deter foreign investment. 

“Mining companies go where there's going to be profits,” Sachs said. “They don't go where the treaties are.”

They also suggest that investor-state disputes should be handled within the host government’s judicial system.

“Ideally, you would have a contract spelling out the terms of the agreement, and then that could be taken to domestic courts to settle disputes, which is where we should be sending disputes between investors and governments,” Trew said.

As it stands, the system has turned into a business opportunity in its own right. Litigation finance companies and hedge fund managers, who have no stake or interest in the original development projects, are stepping in to fund the settlement process for mining companies. They’re staking millions of dollars, banking on the fact that the case will go in their favor, and reaping millions or billions in rewards.

It’s a messy component of international law that provides more protections for private companies than it does for countries and their citizens. One of the major issues is that the system operates well outside of public view.

“ISDS cases are heard in this private context, often not even known to the public with no ability of the states or other interested parties to participate,” Sachs said. “They’re not governed by any rules of domestic law or procedure and there’s no recognition of its conflict with international human rights law or international environmental commitments — and the awards are staggering.”

With greater public knowledge of these cases, greater public pressure gets placed on governments to scrap the settlements from trade agreements. In the U.S., President Biden has felt the pressure and said that they do not belong in any future agreements. While this does not affect the free trade agreements already signed, it’s a step in the right direction for anyone concerned about the environment and human rights. 

Support for socially responsible investment strategies and business practices continues to run high among the general public. Yet environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles remain a political football in the United States. The anti-ESG movement is still running strong, but some state legislators already have second thoughts as the consequences of anti-ESG laws come into view.

Public sentiment vs. political motivation

In a 2023 survey, 77 percent of respondents across 12 countries agreed it is "important for companies to take action on ESG issues," and 71 percent said companies should "speak out on issues that are important to their employees and customers." When presenting the findings, researchers with the strategic communications firm SEC Newgate offered this takeaway for global firms: “Take action on ESG and tell people about it, or risk losing customers.”

Forbes noted similar trends in its second annual Best Brands for Social Impact list released in partnership with the consumer research firm HundredX in April. “Last year, 22 percent of respondents offered strong positive or negative feelings about brands' social impact," Forbes observed. "This year that figure jumped to 27 percent." 

This statistically significant increase supports brands that center their corporate identity on the four ratings included in the list: overall brand values and trust, social stances, sustainability, and community support. The 2024 results indicate “consumers might actually be considering companies' efforts more than they have in the past,” Forbes found.

That forceful statement by Forbes contrasts with the partisan political environment against ESG principles. According to the advisory firm Pleiades Strategy, 318 pieces of legislation were introduced in 38 U.S. states between 2021 and 2023 with the aim of preventing companies and investors from taking the climate crisis and other widely recognized ESG risk factors into consideration.

In one sign that the anti-ESG movement is not particularly popular beyond the statehouse door, many of these bills failed to move off the floor. As of April, only 37 bills in 17 states are now law, according to Pleiades' tracking. Of those that did pass, the original scopes were often narrowed in response to opposition and the risk of skyrocketing costs for borrowing. Pleiades lists business, labor, financial officers, and environmental advocates among those actively working to limit the damage.

Less competition spells trouble for municipal bonds

Concerns over the negative consequences of anti-ESG legislation center on the economic impacts that come with driving competition out of state financial markets. By nature, restricting which financial firms can do business with state and local entities means fewer firms to choose from, which can lead to higher costs and lower returns.

Those concerns were quickly realized in Texas, which adopted anti-ESG legislation in 2021. The law soon became notorious for costing the small Texas city of Anna (population 23,558) more than $277,000 on its bond sale as interest in the sale dried up. 

Beyond the damage to a small municipality’s finances, the added expense can have a ripple effect on a local government’s ability to finance projects that build more efficiency, resiliency and long-term savings into their community.

Those concerns have already surfaced in the small city of Stillwater, Oklahoma (population 49,160). Last spring, the city was on track to receive a low-interest loan of $13.5 million from Bank of America when it was tripped up by the state’s new Energy Discrimination Elimination Act, S&P Global reports.

The loan was intended to pay for new energy-efficient lighting and upgrade two outdated heating and cooling systems in municipal buildings, resulting in an energy savings that would pay off the loan in 15 years. “That plan was halted when Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ in May published an initial list of 13 financial institutions, including Bank of America, barred from doing business in the state,” S&P reporter Karin Rives observed.

Anti-ESG laws negatively impact rural communities, study finds

The Oklahoma anti-ESG law does provide some room for waiver in case of financial harm. However, amendments advancing in the current legislative session could burden financial officers with additional requirements.

The business organization Oklahoma Rural Association is among those pushing back on the new amendments. It underscored the actual and potential economic harm that anti-ESG legislation poses to small cities and rural communities in a widely reported study released last week.

The study, conducted by the University of Central Oklahoma, compares borrowing costs in the Sooner State with communities in neighboring states that did not pass anti-ESG legislation.

The findings? Borrowing costs for municipalities in Oklahoma increased by 15.7 percent relative to similar out-of-state communities after the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act passed in 2022. Almost $184 million in additional expenses have already been “locked away” as a result of the legislation, according to the analysis. That works out to almost $11 million for every month the law has been in effect.

“This is due strictly to increased borrowing costs and elevated coupon rates,” wrote Travis Roach, author of the study and chair of the university's department of economics. “Municipalities in Oklahoma now face an additional cost that is a direct result of the [Energy Discrimination Elimination Act] policy and not due to underlying interest rate fundamentals.”

In some cases, this caused delays and outright abandonment of projects intended to benefit smaller communities with infrastructure upgrades and other quality-of-life improvements, such as the energy-efficiency upgrade planned for Stillwater.

“These foregone projects would benefit the community but now they cannot, and these foregone and delayed projects harm the economic opportunities for those who would have been hired to complete the projects,” Roach concluded.

Next steps for ESG investing

As demonstrated in Oklahoma and elsewhere, some legislators who vociferously support anti-ESG legislation have later tempered their stand as these bills move through the legislative process. Some continue feeding rhetorical red meat to their voting base while adjusting their legislative strategy to avoid making taxpayers foot the bill.

That’s a delicate needle to thread, but it also provides an opportunity for financial institutions to adjust. Some have worked around inflammatory rhetoric by reducing or eliminating the use of the acronym “ESG” in corporate and public communications, while continuing to pursue ESG goals.

Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, has also spotted an opportunity in the anti-ESG movement. “We think the fact that some other people are pulling away gives us a better opportunity to kind of phase in,” he told CNBC last week, indicating that firms like his are ready to step in when others drop the ESG ball. Norges manages the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, one of the largest investors in the world. 

Tangen also refocused the conversation on the common-sense foundations of ESG investing, particularly as it relates to environmental sustainability. “We think it is part of long-term investing," he said. "You really need to care [about] the impact that companies have on the environment, otherwise you’re not going to make good long-term investing."

Despite the legislative activity against ESG investing, the overall momentum is building in support of business and investment strategies that emphasize long-term thinking and sustainability over short-term profits.

Another wave of anti-ESG legislation is already underway. But 2024 polling from Morgan Stanley points to a widening gulf between public sentiment and partisan lawmaking: More than 70 percent of individual investors said they believe “strong ESG practices can lead to higher returns,” and more than half plan to increase their sustainable investment portfolios.

More than 34,000 people gathered in Barcelona last week for a massive trade show focused on seafood, the world's most widely traded commodity, valued at over $236 billion. Yet behind Seafood Expo Global’s bustling exhibition halls, dealmaking and receptions, the industry faces a sobering reckoning.

In the past few weeks, an Associated Press investigation revealed evidence of forced labor, child labor and environmental degradation throughout India's shrimp supply chain, including its farms, peeling sheds and processing plants. Another report found that North Korean workers are being forcibly sent to Chinese factories where they endure beatings and sexual abuse and have their wages taken by the state. Last week he European Union also approved a ban on products made from forced labor, a step partly driven by evidence that Chinese seafood products involve the exploitation of the country’s Uyghur Muslim minority.

The intersection of environmental and social responsibility in seafood

This steady rise in reported human rights and labor abuses serves as a wake-up call to companies of all sizes. After decades of hard work to become environmentally responsible companies, some may be tempted to hit the snooze button when it comes to the “human factor.” But the hard truth is that supermarkets, restaurants and other seafood businesses can no longer afford to take their time on this issue. Rather, in the face of this sea change, businesses must accelerate efforts to eradicate human and labor rights abuses from their supply chains or risk a tidal wave of consumer backlash, reputational damage, legal consequences, and loss of market access.

After all, it’s become increasingly clear that environmental and social responsibility are two sides of the same coin. If a company is treating people poorly, it most likely doesn’t care about the environment — and the reverse is also true. Look no further than the Indian shrimp industry investigation, where low pay and inhumane working conditions have gone hand in hand with environmental contamination from shrimp farm runoff. This interconnectedness underscores the importance of companies embracing a holistic approach to sustainability, addressing both the well-being of workers and the health of the planet.

The good news is that doing the right thing is also good for the long-term viability of businesses. Viral documentaries like "Seaspiracy," podcasts like "The Outlaw Ocean," exposés by media outlets, and apps like Seafood Watch are raising awareness and changing consumer behavior.

In fact, a 2023 NielsenIQ study found that products touting environmental and social claims are growing faster than those without. The data also shows that certain demographic groups, such as higher-income households and urban residents, are more inclined to purchase products with these claims. An earlier survey found that two-thirds of consumers would stop buying a product if they learned its manufacture involved exploiting workers. 

Navigating seafood’s complex supply chains 

Seafood involves complex supply chains, often passing through multiple intermediaries and countries before reaching the consumer. The humans involved in seafood supply chains are especially vulnerable to exploitation since the majority of operations take place in remote high-seas areas, far removed from regulatory oversight, or in countries like India and China where auditing firms have limited ability to effectively monitor supply chains. The process can seem daunting, and it's neither cheap nor easy, but the benefits of action far outweigh the risks of complacency.

Companies can start by recognizing that the mantra "you can't fix what you don't know" is pivotal. The very act of due diligence to examine supply chains can reap multiple rewards. Through thorough analysis and a commitment to transparency, companies uncover areas of concern, put pressure on outdated systems and forge new pathways for improvement. Whether by engaging with suppliers to enforce good labor practices, investing in sustainable sourcing or seeking ethical alternatives, they can future-proof their business while driving reforms that resonate throughout global supply chains.

It's also important for the seafood industry to embrace social responsibility not only on a global scale, but also closer to home. Rather than merely reacting to headline-grabbing problems overseas, companies must seize this moment to address internal systemic challenges and implement policies for equity, particularly for marginalized groups such as women, people of color, migrants and Indigenous communities. 

Most importantly, businesses don't need to navigate the journey toward sustainable seafood practices alone. Organizations like the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions are providing guidance and resources to help companies identify and mitigate risks. Businesses can also draw inspiration from industry leaders like Aldi and Albertsons that have made sustainable seafood commitments. And real-world examples abound, with smaller companies like the members of Sea Pact implementing measures to protect the ocean and communities. By leveraging these resources and learning from others, businesses can strengthen their sustainability efforts and contribute to a more responsible seafood industry.

While the challenges within the seafood industry may seem insurmountable, the potential for progress and transformation is undeniable. As industry leaders return to work following the Seafood Global Expo, it's imperative to prioritize social responsibility. By taking decisive action, companies can drive positive change, foster inclusivity, and create a future where workers and the environment are safeguarded within sustainable and ethical supply chains. This pivotal moment calls for collective commitment to ensure a seafood industry that not only thrives, but also serves as a beacon of responsibility for generations to come.

“I’d rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff.” It’s a saying a lot of us can relate to, but is it an environmentally responsible take? Tourism produces roughly 8 percent of global greenhouse gases, making it an easy target for flight shamers and oil executives looking to shift responsibility onto individual carbon footprints. Fortunately for those who value getting away, there are ways to limit your emissions and environmental impact while maximizing travel experiences. 

Not all travel is created equal

Types of accommodation, modes of transportation, and even the length and frequency of trips all affect the emissions, waste production, resource consumption and environmental impacts of your travels. How we indulge the travel bug will ultimately determine its impact.

Multiple short trips spread throughout the year might allow us to see a broader range of sights, but consolidating that time into a single longer trip will significantly reduce the greenhouse gases we contribute to the atmosphere. Transportation creates nearly half of travel-related emissions — with planes and cars emitting the most carbon per passenger mile — which makes traveling long distances for short periods away the epitome of unsustainable tourism. And while social media may have us believe that luxury cruises and five-star resorts are the gold standard, other forms of travel leave a lighter impact on people and communities and can be an even more fulfilling way to see the world. 

The benefits of branching out from resorts

Where you stay matters, too. Sprawling resorts and hotel grounds are often built at the expense of forests, mangroves, and other ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife and marine animals while acting as carbon sinks. It’s not just the natural environment that is destroyed to build these places. In tourist hotspots around the world, locals and Indigenous people are being displaced at an alarming rate as well. Resorts and hotels also tend to create substantial plastic and food waste and use more than their fair share of water.

Sustainable alternatives to these options exist, and they offer experiences that are fundamentally more authentic. Hostels produce only a quarter of the carbon per guest that hotels do, according to a study of European hostels by the research and certification company Bureau Veritas and the travel app Hostelworld. That’s because the carbon savings are based on occupancy relative to space. Since hostels board more guests per room and are communal in nature, there is lower demand for electricity to light and air condition rooms, fewer appliances and facilities needed, and less square footage required overall. 

Unlike many resorts and hotels, hostels are often centrally located. This lowers travelers’ dependence on taxis, rental cars and shuttles while providing easier access to public transportation, museums, nightlife and shopping in downtowns. Locally-owned restaurants, food stalls and markets are generally within walking distance, and most hostels have kitchens available for guests to prepare quick meals and store leftovers.

By staying at a locally owned and operated lodging, you’ll also have a more authentic cultural experience. Not only will there be more opportunities to mingle with the locals, but the cuisine is also less likely to be imported, which reduces waste and emissions compared to resorts and foreign-owned hotels. Plus, you’ll learn more about how locals live while contributing to the regional economy instead of padding the pockets of a multinational conglomerate.

Hostels have a reputation for catering to college-age travelers partying their way through a gap year, but in reality, all sorts of people stay in them — from families with small children to retired people in their 70s. While there are plenty of party hostels where it’s impossible to get a good night’s sleep, rules and atmospheres vary. As with hotels, you’ll want to check the reviews before reserving and consider booking just a couple of nights at first in case you want to switch locations later. 

If you don’t want to stay in a dorm room, most hostels offer small private rooms with shared facilities that are still more sustainable than a resort or hotel. Likewise, staying in a guesthouse is an option that offers a bit more privacy. Eco-resorts can be an alternative for those craving a more luxurious experience, but booking one that truly protects the environment and benefits the local area requires due diligence. Not all certifications are worth the paper they’re printed on, so be sure to research before you stay. 

Try fewer flights and longer trips instead

If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, you know how tempting it can be to jet off to a new location multiple times per year. Bookend a three-day weekend with a couple of PTO days and you’ve got enough time to make it worth a half-day flight, right? Technically yes, but the carbon cost is another story. Consider using shorter lengths of time off for staycations in your country, state or city, and save the flight for an extended trip. Flying to a specific region and using less carbon-intensive forms of transportation to visit neighboring countries is a more sustainable way to see the world than flying into each separately.

Like hostels, backpacking isn’t just for college kids. I took my first backpacking trip at 36 when I flew into Cancun on a one-way ticket and took a combination of buses and tourist shuttles through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua before flying out of Costa Rica. The two-month adventure was cheaper, less carbon-intensive, and a lot more relaxing than taking five or six individual trips.

Regional travels like this can be made in various places around the world. I hope to visit Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos in the same way.  Much of South America can be traveled by bus and shuttle, and Europe is easily accessible by train. On top of the airfare and emissions savings, eating locally and staying in guesthouses and hotels with shared facilities makes the trip cheaper and less carbon intensive than staying at resorts in each country individually for a week at a time. 

Longer trips come with additional challenges, though. Not all workplaces accommodate extended absences, and it’s easier for single individuals than those with spouses and children, although I've met plenty of couples and families with small children backpacking together.

As with every aspect of modern life, completely carbon-neutral and waste-free travel just isn’t possible at this point, especially when flying is involved, but we can still do the best we can to enjoy the wellness benefits of travel while being as sustainable as possible. 

This article is part of Travel Month in our 2024 Sustainable Living Challenge, where we unpack accessible ways to see new places and get around your hometown with a lighter impact on the planet. Learn more and take the challenge here.

This story on including joy as a news value is part of The Solutions Effect, a monthly newsletter covering the best of solutions journalism in the sustainability and social impact space. If you aren't already getting this newsletter, you can sign up here. 

When you think about why the most recent article you read was “newsworthy,” what’s the first word that comes to mind? Is it timeliness, conflict, unusualness, joy? That last one may seem out of place, but maybe it shouldn’t. 

Perry Parks, a researcher and assistant professor of journalism at Michigan State University, my alma mater, argues that joy is a news value. 

News values are a set of criteria journalists use to determine whether to cover a story. The list varies but has traditionally included timeliness, proximity, prominence, impact, conflict, unusualness and human interest. These values tend to lead reporters toward covering more negative news, and negativity garners attention that feeds the production of more, similar news. It’s a concept known as negativity bias. 

“If you're always covering the aberrant thing because it's different than what's usual, then people get this really aberrant view of how society works,” Parks said. “It helps explain why lots and lots of people think crime is going up right now when crime is going down in most places, across most categories. Journalists cover rising crime better than they cover falling crime. They cover rising inflation better than they cover falling inflation. That's that negativity bias.”

At the same time, the number of people who avoid the news is hovering near an all-time high and people are skipping over negative stories to find something more uplifting, according to the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report. 

Much of this disconnect stems from how the news was conceived: presenting isolated factual information that is devoid of emotion so audiences can draw their own conclusions. The idea that journalists need to be detached excludes the process of feeling from journalism, which also detaches everyone else from the main aspects of the news, Parks said. 

“That’s not the way people actually operate,” Parks said. “Everything that we engage with, we engage with our thinking mind, and with our feeling brain, and our feeling bodies.” 

Instead, news needs to include an affective component alongside facts, he said. In psychology, “affect” describes the innate impulses and reactions in our bodies that influence our emotions and the mood of the atmosphere around us. Like the looming feeling you might experience in a hospital waiting room, for example.  

That’s where joy-oriented news values come in. 

Parks was inspired by “The Book of Joy” by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who are Nobel Peace Prize winners. The book breaks joy down into multiple elements: perspective, humility, humor, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion and generosity. Elements like these can be added to the list of traditional news values to expand what journalists look for in a story and what the public expects from journalism, Parks said. 

“If, over time, we as a society agree that journalism includes examples of forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, generosity, humility, humor, perspective — in addition to conflict, unusualness, proximity and that sort of thing — then maybe it would be easier to encounter news more often,” he said. “And we might have a better view of the world where we recognize a lot more about what's good in people.” 

Embracing joy and other positive values doesn’t mean only telling happy stories. Viewing them as an addition to the existing criteria still encourages rigorous reporting of serious subjects and challenges. 

“It means covering the very hardest things humans have to deal with, but in a way that illustrates how people can be human, compassionate and generous with one another, that shows people who are acting in good faith to try to make the world better,” Parks said.

This concept parallels solutions journalism in some ways, like telling the stories of people who are trying to solve problems, but solutions journalism still maintains more of the old way of doing things, he said. 

“I think of joy in this concept as more of a humanistic approach to journalism that's sort of leading with the heart, as opposed to solutions journalism probably still leading with the head,” he said. “But I think they can fit together like that really well.”  

Some people mistakenly dismiss joy-oriented news values as frivolous. Others critique it as manipulating people's emotions instead of allowing them to draw their own conclusions, which is a valid concern and something to look out for, Parks said. But it’s still always the case that journalism evokes emotions, and awarding-winning stories are often praised for doing so. 

“The choice is really whether journalists should be conscious of the emotions they're evoking, or just not be and pretend that they're not [doing it],” he said. “I think one of the biggest things we need to do is reconceive more broadly what journalism does to account for the fact that emotion is tied up with it. So, just as we say we're going to be deliberate about the facts, we convey that we can also be deliberate about what kinds of emotions we're drawing on.” 

Reworking the way we’ve evaluated newsworthiness for decades isn’t a small task, but Parks’ research shows journalists have the power to make the change. The first step is talking about it. 

“The way to change news values is not going to be like somebody flicks a light switch and it changes, but that we begin to saturate the discourse with these ideas and we make them normal,” Parks said. “We try to turn them into common sense.” 

“Eventually it just becomes not this weird thing that somebody proposed, but this natural thing that we all take into account.”