tak niinami

Biodiversity loss: Is nature-positive the new net zero?

Biodiversity loss: Is nature-positive the new net zero?

The world has been in a climate emergency for years now. But much less attention is paid to biodiversity loss — which is a very big deal since we're on the brink of a sixth mass extinction. On the heels of the ongoing COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada, we gathered experts from the public and private sectors to discuss the gravity of the problem and, more importantly, how to fix it. Here are a few highlights from "Time for nature: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity," a livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Suntory.

"We don't have any right to destroy nature" — Suntory CEO Tak Niinami

"We don't have any right to destroy nature" — Suntory CEO Tak Niinami

In biodiversity circles, many are talking up nature-positive as the new net zero. But for some companies, striving for a world where nature is being restored and is regenerating rather than declining is more than a buzzword. "We don't have any right to destroy nature," Suntory CEO Tak Niinami says during the livestream discussion "Time for nature: Turning biodiversity risk into opportunity," hosted by GZERO in partnership with Suntory.

A group of people standing in the lobby of the Microsoft office in front of a wooden wall

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Microsoft's Middle East Digital Commitment

Last week at UNGA, Microsoft announced its Middle East Digital Commitment, a long-term framework focused on advancing technology, strengthening digital resilience, and expanding workforce readiness across the region. With an initial focus on Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the commitment includes investments in AI and cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, connectivity, and skills development to support economic growth and prepare more people to participate in the AI economy. Read the full article here.

Net zero emissions by 2050 "lacks sense of urgency" — Suntory CEO

Net zero emissions by 2050 "lacks sense of urgency" — Suntory CEO

Like many other big corporations, Japanese brewer and distiller Suntory want to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But that's not enough for CEO Tak Niinami. "It's far away and lacks the sense of urgency," he says. Niinami predicts that especially after COP26 people will be wary of greenwashing, so it's essential for corporations to "to be transparent, showing society what we are doing and how much progress we are making" on climate.