Martin Koehring | Development Finance & Sustainable Finance

Today I’m at the EV World Congress in Bristol to present and discuss the key findings of the rEV Index, produced by Economist Impact and supported by BP. I shared the stage with Akira Kirton, CEO at BP Pulse.

On October 13th I moderated a World Ocean Summit Insight Hour that focused on the role of ship and cargo owners in adopting alternative fuels and alternative propulsion to reduce emissions. Speakers discussed the economics of alternative fuels, retrofitting ships and upgrading bunkering infrastructure, and how to achieve scale.

I presented the European regional findings of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) during a BBC Follow the Food webinar. The GFSI considers the issues of food affordability, availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience across a set of 113 countries.

I am the project director of the rEV Index, which has just been released. Produced by Economist Impact and supported by bp, the index assesses 40 UK regions and subnations on their readiness for electric vehicles (EVs), and compares the UK's scores with those of leading EV markets—including China and European countries.

I am excited to announce the launch of Economist Impact's The Sustainability Project as a new kind of platform for engagement, analysis and debate, convening and actively engaging global stakeholders with the power to effect real change. And this real change is urgently needed.

I will be presenting about "Food sustainability: changing trends, benchmarking and the latest solutions" at the World Green Economy Summit, programmed by Economist Impact Events, on October 6th.

World Maritime Day is observed each September to focus attention on the importance of maritime activities. Shipping transports about 90% of international trade and produces 2-3% of global CO2 emissions. These could rise by 250% by 2050. Many ship owners are committed to decarbonisation, with some companies already planning to reach net zero by 2050.

It's Global Goals Week, the UN General Assembly and the week of the UN Food Systems Summit. So I am delighted to speak about sustainable food systems at REIMAGINE!, a one-day virtual global summit on Friday September 24th, in support of the Girl Up campaign by the United Nations Foundation.

As project director of the Food Sustainability Index, developed by Economist Impact with the Barilla Foundation, I spoke about "Nature-Based Solutions, Finance & Regenerative Agriculture" at the World Climate Foundation's World Biodiversity Summit during Climate Week NYC.

The Economist Group's corporate mission is to pursue progress for individuals, organisations and the world. This week we have launched Economist Impact. We combine think-tank rigour, media brand creativity and global influence to catalyse growth and change in the world.

The Economist Group has had its emissions-reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Our goal is to cut our greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 25% by 2025.

Today is World EV Day, celebrating sustainable e-mobility! The UK is preparing for the ban of new sales of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030. I am the project director of the rEV Index, produced by The Economist Group and sponsored by bp, exploring how we can best prepare ourselves for the transition.

Between August 27th 2021 and September 3rd 2021 I took part in the Climate Opportunity Leaders Retreat at European Forum Alpbach. As part of my participation, I moderated an important session on "Greening the Blue Economy – Linking Ocean Health and Wealth".

It's World Water Week this week, organised by SIWI - Stockholm International Water Institute. The Economist Group's World Ocean Initiative is an official outreach partner of the week. I am participating in today's Accelerator on Communication and Behaviour Change, aimed at highlighting levers that can speed up and intensify our impact.

I moderated this World Ocean Summit Insight Hour, which examined how to increase sustainability in aquaculture supply chains. It will highlight the role of retailers in influencing best-practice operations throughout the value chain. Speakers will identify key steps for seafood processors, fish farmers, feed suppliers and technology developers as they scale production.

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food-production sector globally and is vital for feeding our growing population. But there are challenges facing the industry. More than half of consumers do not trust seafood, with one in five of all fish sold mislabelled. Read an overview of recent coverage on sustainable aquaculture from the World Ocean Initiative.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. The World Ocean Initiative's coverage includes research on the value that can be extracted from plastic waste, an article exploring what’s in our plastic waste, and summary articles of recent webinars and events.

The article I co-wrote with Karin Kemper, global director for Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy at the World Bank, and Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN's special envoy for the ocean, has been published in the Ocean Yearbook. It is entitled "The Post-COVID-19 Ocean Economy: Building Back Bluer".

To find out more about how G20 countries are performing on the latest Food Sustainability Index, read a new report and watch the launch webinar that I moderated.

The first phase of a new research project that I am directing, on "Rethinking plastics in a circular economy", sponsored by Dow, has just been released. There is significant value to extract from plastic waste. Scaling up advanced chemical recycling technologies could help close the loop and create a circular system for plastic waste.